Day After Day

Gunay Vugar qizi Mammadzada – Mariya Olehivna Muzychuk
FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2019–20; 4th stage; Catalan Bay, May 25, 2021
Sicilian Defence B33

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5 9. Nd5 Be7 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. c3 Rb8 12. Nc2 Bg5 13. a4 bxa4 14. Ncb4 Nxb4 15. cxb4 0-0 16. h4 Bh6 17. Rxa4 a5 18. b5. Of course, neither 18. Rxa5? Rxb4!−+ nor 18. bxa5?! Rxb2∓ are to be considered too seriously. 18. ... Bd7 19. Nc3 d5 20. exd5 f5. If 20. ... e4!? then 21. Be2 f5 22. d6 Kh8 23. g3 f4?! (⌓ 23. ... Rf6∞) 24. Rxe4 Bf5 25. Re5 Qf6 26. Qd5 fxg3 27. fxg3 Qg6 28. g4! Bc8 (28. ... Bxg4 29. Rg1+−) 29. Ne4 Bb7 30. h5 Qxe4 31. Qxe4 Bxe4 32. Rxe4 Rfd8 33. Rd4 Bc1 34. d7 Bxb2 35. Rd5 Rb7 36. 0-0! g6 37. h6 Ba3 38. Rf7 a4 39. Re5 Rbb8 40. Bc4 Bf8 41. Kg2 a3 42. Ba2 Bd6 43. Re6 Bf8 44. b6 1 : 0 Ganguly – Shirov, 11th International Chess Tournament, Edmonton 2016. 21. Be2 Kh8 22. g3 Qb6 23. 0-0 f4!? A very interesting novelty, which, at least in a psychological way, works very well, perhaps better than 23. ... Rbd8 24. Kg2 Bc8 25. f4 Rfe8 26. fxe5 Rxe5 27. Qd4 Qf6 28. Rc4 Bd7 29. Rf3 Bxb5 30. Nxb5 Rxe2+ 31. Kh3 Rxb2 32. Rc6 Qxd4 33. Nxd4 Rd2 34. Ne6 Re8 35. Rxf5 g6 36. Rf6 Kg8 37. d6 Bg7 38. Nxg7 Kxg7 39. Rf4 Kg8 40. Rc7 Rxd6 41. Rff7 ½ : ½ Anand – Grischuk, 3rd Norway Chess, Stavanger 2015. 24. Kg2. The tactical justification of 23. ... f4 lies in 24. g4 f3! 25. Bxf3 Bc1!∞ (26. Ra2 Bd2!). 24. ... Rf7

25. b4?? A disastrous blunder which loses almost at once. 25. d6 f3+! 26. Bxf3 Rbf8 makes sense to Black’s 24th move, but other moves, such as 25. Bc4, naturally come into consideration. 25. ... axb4 26. Ra6? Consistently bad, but 26. Rxb4 f3+! 27. Bxf3 Rbf8 28. Ra4 g6 also gives Black an overwhelming position. 26. ... Qd4! 27. Qxd4 exd4 28. Na2 f3+! 0 : 1. Enough is enough (29. Bxf3 Bxb5−+).

Thanks to her win today, Muzychuk can still hope for a later success. Photo © John Saunders.