A Quick Bite

Dinara Ramazanovna Saduakassova – Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina
1st Women’s Chess World Cup; match game 2; Krasnaya Polyana, July 26, 2021
Queen’s Pawn Game D02

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Bf4 c5 4. e3 Nc6 5. Nbd2 cxd4 6. exd4 Bf5 7. Bb5 e6 8. Ne5 Qb6 9. c4 dxc4 10. a4 (10. Bxc6+ bxc6 11. Ndxc4 Qa6 12. Qe2 Bb4+ 13. Bd2 Bxd2+ 14. Nxd2 Qb5 15. Nb3 0-0 16. Rc1 Rfc8 17. Rxc6 Qa4 18. Rxc8+ Rxc8 19. 0-0 Qxa2= Aronian – Inarkiev, 8th World Blitz Chess Championship, Moscow 2019) 10. ... Bb4 (10. ... Qxd4 11. Nxc6 Qxf4 12. g3 Qc7 13. Nd4+ Nd7 14. Nxf5 exf5 15. Qe2+ Be7 16. 0-0 a6 17. Bxc4 Ne5 18. Rac1 Nxc4 19. Nxc4 0-0 20. a5 Bg5 21. f4 Qe7 22. Qxe7 Bxe7 23. Nb6 Rad8 24. Rc7 Bf6 25. b4 Rd2 26. Rxb7 Rfd8 27. Nc4 Re2 28. Ne5 Bxe5 29. fxe5 g6 30. Rf2 Rxe5 31. g4 Rdd5 32. Ra7 Re6 33. gxf5 gxf5 34. Rb7 Kg7 35. Rc2 Kg6 36. Kf2 Rd4 37. Ra2 Rdd6 38. b5 axb5 39. Rxb5 Kf6 40. Rb4 Ra6 41. Rb5 Rad6 42. Rb4 Ra6 43. Rb5 ½ : ½ Demchenko – Goryachkina, 27th Russian Team Chess Championship, Sochi 2020) 11. 0-0 0-0. 11. ... Bxd2?! 12. Qxd2 0-0 13. Bxc6 bxc6 14. Nxc4 Qa6 15. Rfc1 leaves Black with many weaknesses, Ushenina – Kosteniuk, 1st Online Women’s Speed Chess Championship Final, chess.com, July 20, 2020, match game 18 (time control: 3 minutes plus 1 second per move). 12. Bxc6 (12. Ndxc4 Qxd4=) 12. ... bxc6 13. Ndxc4 Qa6 14. Ne3 Nd5 15. Bg3 f6 16. Nxf5 exf5 17. Nd3 Rfe8 18. Rc1 Re4 19. Nxb4 Nxb4

20. f3?! It is quite amazing how little is needed to spoil a balanced position. Simpler seems 20. Re1 Qd3 21. Bd6 Rxd4 22. Bxb4 Qxd1 23. Rexd1 Rxb4 24. Rxc6 Rxa4 with a drawish ending, Black’s extra Pawn being basically worthless. 20. ... Re2 21. Qb3+ Nd5 22. Rc2?? A tactical blunder, which loses right off. The same basic idea of exchanging Rooks would have worked better by means of 22. Rfe1 Rae8 23. Rxe2 Rxe2 24. Rc2 with near equality.

22. ... Rxc2 0 : 1. For after 23. Qxc2 Qxf1+! 24. Kxf1 Ne3+ Black will emerge a whole Rook up.

Finally, with not too much of a struggle, Goryachkina went through to the semifinals. Photo © Anastasia Korolkova.