High Five

Valentina Evgenyevna Gunina – Polina Sergeevna Shuvalova
70th Russian Women’s Chess Championship Superfinal; Moscow, December 9, 2020
Queen’s Gambit Declined D38

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bf4 Ne4 7. Rc1 Nc6 8. Nd2 g5 9. Be3 Nxc3 10. bxc3 Ba3 11. Rb1 f5 12. g3 Bd6 13. Rg1 Qe7 14. Nf3 f4 15. gxf4 gxf4 16. Bd2 b6 17. Qb3 Be6 18. c4 dxc4 19. Qb5 Bd7 20. Qh5+. Maybe the beginning of White’s problems. Worth considering was 20. Bh3 0-0-0 21. Qxc6 Bxh3 22. Qa8+ Kd7 23. Qd5 Kc8 24. Qa8+ with a draw by perpetual check. 20. ... Kd8 21. Qd5 Qe6 22. Qxe6 Bxe6 23. Ng5 Bd5. “Apparently, the endgame was favourable to me; now it’s important to note that 24. Rb5 is answered by 24. ... Ne7”, Shuvalova said afterwads. 24. e4 fxe3 25. fxe3

25. ... h6? Shuvalova: “I have to say that after 24. e4 fxe3 25. fxe3 I felt quite unhappy as I intended to play 25. ... Bxh2, but then, for some reason, I ended up playing 25. ... h6”. 26. Rb5! Shuvalova: “Of course I had contemplated 26. Rb5, but I didn’t calculate it in detail, and apparently after that all or most of my advantage just disappeared”. 26. ... c3 27. Bxc3 Ne7

28. Nh3? Shuvalova: “I think that, instead of 28. Nh3, Valentina Evgenyevna ought to have played 28. Rxd5 Nxd5 29. Nf7+ with the better game. After the Knight retreat, I regained my advantage, which eventually I managed to turn into a win, yet not without difficulty”. 28. ... Bxh2 29. Rg4 Bd6 30. Nf4 h5 31. Rg5 Bxf4 32. exf4 c6 33. Rb2 Ke8 34. Rh2 h4 35. Bb4 Kf7 36. Bd6 Rh6 37. Be5 Rg8 38. Bd3 h3 39. Rxg8 Kxg8 40. f5 Bg2 41. Kf2 Kf7 42. Kg3 Nd5 43. Be2 Rh7 44. Kg4 Nf6+ 45. Kf4 b5 46. Bd1 a5 47. Bb3+ Bd5 48. Bd1 a4 49. Ke3 Rh4 50. Kd3 Bg2 51. Bg3 Rh8 52. Ke3 Nd5+ 53. Kd2 Ra8 54. Be5 Rg8 55. Bh5+ Ke7 56. Kd3 Rg5 57. Bg6 Rg4 58. Kd2 b4 59. Bh5 Rg8 60. Bd1

60. ... b3! 61. axb3 a3 62. Kc1 Ra8 63. f6+ Kf8 64. Bd6+ Kg8 65. f7+ Kxf7 66. Bh5+ Ke6 67. Bxa3 Rxa3 68. Bg4+ Kd6 69. Bxh3 Bxh3 70. Kb2 Ra8 71. Rxh3 Kc7 72. Rh1 Kb6 73. Rc1 Rf8 74. Ka3 Rf4 75. Rc4 Rf2 76. Rc1 Rd2 77. Rc4 Nc7 78. b4 Nb5+ 79. Kb3 Rd3+ 0 : 1.