Or Else

谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí) – 倪诗群 (Ní Shīqún)
44th Chinese Women’s Chess Championship; 兴化 (Xīnghuà), December 28, 2020
Caro-Kann Defence B14

1. c4 c6 2. e4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Qb3 e6 7. Nf3 Nc6 8. c5 Bg7 9. Bb5 0-0. The immediate 9. ... Ne4 can turn, by transposition, into the following game: 10. Bf4 0-0 11. Bxc6 bxc6 12. 0-0 f6 13. Rfe1 g5 with good play for Black, Tsotsonava – Ferkova, 37th World Junior Chess Championship Girls U-20, New Delhi 2019. 10. 0-0 Ne4 11. Rd1 Bd7 12. Bf4 Nxc3 13. bxc3 Na5 14. Qa4 Bxb5 15. Qxb5 Re8 (15. ... b6!?) 16. Ne5 Re7 (16. ... b6!?) 17. Ng4 Rd7 18. h4 Nc6 19. Bg5 f6 20. Bf4 h5 (20. ... f5!? 21. Bg5 Qf8) 21. Ne3

21. ... Kf7. Black’s “self-defence by the King” is a harbinger of difficulty. Probably better is 21. ... Qe8 22. Bd6 Qf7 to be followed by ... Bg7-f8 or ... e6-e5. 22. Rab1 Bf8 23. Rb3 Rc8 24. Qe2 Na5 25. Rb5 b6 26. Re1? White ought to play here 26. g4! hxg4 27. Re1 Rc6 transposing to the game. The text gives Black an opportunity to escape her doom. 26. ... Rc6? (26. ... bxc5!∞)

27. g4! hxg4 28. Rxa5! bxa5 29. Nxg4 Rb7? (29. ... Bg7! 30. h5! gxh5 31. Ne3↑) 30. Qf3! Be7?! Only a little better is 30. ... Bg7 to which there would follow 31. Nc4+− with destructive threats such as h4-h5, Ne3-c4-d6+, and c3-c4. 31. h5! Qh8. Neither 31. ... g5 32. Qd3+− nor 31. ... gxh5 32. Nh6++− are of any use. 32. Bg3 Kg7 33. Ne5! Rc8 34. Nxg6 Qg8 35. Nf4 Kf7 36. Nxe6 Rd7 37. Qf5 1 : 0.

Thus it was 16th Women’s World Chess Champion 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí) who “seized the day” in Monday’s clash at the top of the 44th Chinese Women’s Chess Championship. Photo: Chinese Chess Association.