Just Two Lines

Alina Anatolyevna Kashlinskaya – Mariya Olehivna Muzychuk
FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2019–20; 4th stage; Catalan Bay, May 31, 2021
Semi-Slav Defence D43

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 dxc4 7. e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5 9. Be2 b4 10. Na4 Nxe4 11. Be5 Nf6 (11. ... f6? 12. Qc2!+−) 12. h4 g4 13. Nd2 Nbd7 14. Bh2!?TN (14. Nxc4 Ba6 15. Qc2 Bxc4 16. Qxc4 Rc8 17. Rc1 Nxe5 18. dxe5 Nd7 19. Qxg4 Nxe5 20. Qg3 Ng6 21. Qe3 Bg7 22. Rc4 Ne7 23. 0-0 Nf5 24. Qh3 0-0 25. Bd3 Nd6 26. Rxb4 c5 27. Rg4 f5 28. Rg6 Rf6 29. Rxf6 Qxf6 30. Qe3 e5 31. Rc1 c4 32. Bf1 Qf7 33. Rd1 Ne4 34. Nc3 Nxc3 35. bxc3 e4 36. g3 Kh8 37. Rd6 Rf8 38. Qf4 Re8 39. Rc6 Qe7 40. Bxc4 e3 41. Re6 exf2+ 42. Qxf2 Qf8 43. Qxa7 Rxe6 44. Bxe6 Bxc3 45. Qd7 Bf6 46. Bxf5 Qe7 47. Qc8+ Qd8 48. Qc2 Qd4+ 49. Kg2 Qb2 50. Kf3 Qxc2 51. Bxc2 Kg7 52. a4 Bd8 53. Bf5 h5 54. Bd7 Bc7 55. Be8 Kh6 56. Bf7 Ba5 57. Kf2 Bc7 58. Kg2 Ba5 59. Kh2 Bb4 60. Be8 Ba5 61. Kh3 Be1 62. Bf7 Ba5 63. Bxh5 Kxh5 64. g4+ Kg6 65. Kg2 Be1 66. h5+ Kg5 67. Kf3 Bd2 68. Ke2 Ba5 69. Kd3 Be1 70. Kc4 Bd2 71. Kd3 Be1 72. Ke4 Bd2 73. Kd4 Kxg4 74. Kd3 Bf4 75. Ke4 Bd2 76. h6 Bxh6 77. a5 Bf4 78. a6 Bb8 79. a7 Bxa7 ½ : ½ Vitiugov – Hovhannisyan, 20th Chigorin Memorial, Saint Petersburg 2012) 14. ... Nd5 15. Nxc4 Qxh4

16. 0-0 Be7. Kashlinskaya afterwards mentioned 16. ... h5 17. Nd6+ Bxd6 18. Bxd6 Qg5 19. a3! as critical. 17. Nd6+ Bxd6 18. Bxd6 f5 19. Qc2 Bb7 20. Rfe1 Kf7

21. Bc4! Kashlinskaya then said she spent a lot of time on 21. Ba6 Bxa6 22. Qxc6 when White regains the piece, but probably with no more than enough compensation for the minus Pawn. 21. ... Rac8 22. Nc5 Nxc5 23. dxc5 Rhe8 24. a3 (⌓ 24. Re5 Qf6 25. Rae1±) 24. ... a6 25. axb4 Qf6 26. Bxa6 Bxa6 (26. ... Nxb4? 27. Qb3+−) 27. Rxa6 Kg6

28. Qd2. Here White is somewhat hesitant in her exploitation of her own superiority: 28. Ra7! suggests itself. 28. ... Qf7 29. b5 cxb5 30. Bf8. It is as showy as it is an end in itself. 30. ... Qf6 31. Bd6. 31. Qxh6+ Kf7 leads nowhere for White. 31. ... Qf7 32. Rea1 Red8 33. Qe2 b4 34. Ra7 (⌓ 34. Qc4!) 34. ... Rd7 35. Ra8 Rcd8 36. R1a6 Nc7?? Somehow Muzychuk had managed to avoid the worst so far, but the text is a melodramatic blunder which loses instantly. Instead 36. ... Nf6! was a tough nut to crack. 37. Rxd8! 1 : 0.

Despite today’s setback, Muzychuk can still think of the last two rounds as one. Photo © John Saunders.