Betweenity

Vasily Mikhailovich Usmanov – Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina
28th Russian Team Chess Championship; Sochi, May 3, 2021
French Defence C11

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 dxe4 5. Nxe4 Be7 6. Bxf6 Bxf6 7. Nf3 b6 8. Bd3 Bb7 9. Qe2 Nd7 10. 0-0-0 Qe7 11. h4 a6!? Goryachkina adds her own lines to the theory’s files: 11. ... 0-0-0 12. Ba6 Nb8 13. Bxb7+ Kxb7 14. g4 Nc6 15. c3 Qd7 16. g5 Be7 17. c4 Bd6 18. Kb1 Rhe8 19. h5 Qe7 20. h6 f5 21. Nc3 g6 22. Rhe1 Qf8 23. c5 Bf4 24. Qc4 Na5 25. Qa4 Kb8 26. b4 Nb7 27. c6 a5 28. a3 axb4 29. axb4 Bd6 30. Qa6 1 : 0 Aronian – Manukian, International Open Chess Tournament “Pasanauri-97”, Pasanauri 1997. 12. Kb1 b5

13. Ne5?! A stereotyped move, which allows Black to solve her opening issues very well. 13. g4! seems much stronger, ensuring White at least the initiative. 13. ... Bxe5. 13. ... Nxe5 14. dxe5 Bxe5 15. Bxb5+ leads nowhere. 14. dxe5 0-0-0 15. f4 Nb6 16. h5 h6

17. Qf2? White asks too much to his position, as the big threat of Ne4-c5 is merely apparent. A sounder continuation was 17. a3 Kb8 with an approximate balance and chances for both colours. 17. ... Bxe4 18. Bxe4 Qb4 (Δ ... Nb6-a4) 19. Rxd8+ Rxd8 20. Qe1 Rd2! (Δ ... Nb6-c4)

21. a3? If 21. b3 Black can likewise reply 21. ... Qd4 with ... Nb6-d7-c5 to follow. The best, and probably only, opportunity to defend was given by 21. Bd3! Nd5 22. a3 Qxf4 23. Rf1 Qe3 with a somewhat better game for Black. 21. ... Qd4! And, again, the threat is ... Nb6-c4. 22. b3?! A little better (but ultimately insufficient) is 22. c3 to which would follow 22. ... Qf2 23. Qxf2 Rxf2 threatening both ... Rf2xf4 and ... Nb6-c4.

22. ... Nd7! White has no decent defence against the threat of ... Nd7-c5 followed by ... Nc5xb3. 23. Kc1 Nc5 24. Rh3 Nxe4 25. c3 Qd5 0 : 1.

Once again, three-time Russian Women’s Chess Champion Goryachkina crossed the gender border chasing rating points. Photo: Vladimir Leonidovich Barsky/Russian Chess Federation.