Blind Spot

Dinara Ramazanovna Saduakassova – 于润荷 (Jennifer Yú)
1st Women’s Chess World Cup; match game 1; Krasnaya Polyana, July 15, 2021
Queen’s Gambit Accepted D28

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. e3 c5 6. Bxc4 Nc6 7. 0-0 a6 8. Qe2 b5 9. Bb3 Bb7 10. Rd1 Qc7

11. d5! A move introduced by Akiba Kiwelowicz Rubinstein over a century ago. 11. ... exd5 12. Nxd5. So far, so ago: 12. Bxd5 b4 (13. ... Be7 13. e4 Rd8 14. e5 Nxd5 15. Nxd5 Qc8 16. Bg5 Nd4 17. Rxd4 Bxd5 18. Bxe7 Kxe7 19. Rf4 h6 20. Nh4 Be6 21. Qf3 Rhe8 22. Qh5 g5 23. Re4 gxh4 24. a4 b4 25. Rxb4 cxb4 26. Qxh4+ Kd7 27. Qd4+ Kc6 28. Qa7 Kd5 29. g4 Qc5 30. Qxa6 Kxe5 0 : 1 Landau – A. K. Rubinstein, Rotterdam 1930, match game 3) 13. Ng5 Nd8 14. Bxb7 Qxb7 15. Nb1 h6 (15. .. Be7 16. Nd2 0-0 17. Nc4 h6 18. Nf3 Ne6 19. Bd2 Rfd8 20. Be1 Qe4 21. Kf1 Rxd1 22. Rxd1 Rd8 23. Nfe5 Rxd1 24. Qxd1 Nd5 25. Qb3 Ndc7 26. f3 Qb1 27. Nd3 Nb5 28. Nd2 Qa1 29. Qa4 Nec7 30. Ke2 Bf6 31. Nb3 Qb1 32. Nd2 Qa1 33. Nb3 Qb1 34. Nbxc5 Bxb2 35. Qb3 Nc3+ 36. Kd2 N7d5 37. e4 Nf4 38. Nxb2 Nxg2 39. Nbd3 Qa1 40. Qc2 Nxe1 41. Nxe1 Nxa2 42. Nb3 Qe5 43. Qc8+ Kh7 44. Qf5+ Qxf5 45. exf5 Nc3 46. Nc2 Nd5 47. Kd3 g6 48. Kd4 Nf6 49. Ke5 Kg7 50. Nxb4 1 : 0 Alekhine & O. S. Bernstein – Goncharov & A. K. Rubinstein, Moscow 1910) 16. Nf3 Be7 17. Nbd2 0-0 18. b3 Ne6 19. Bb2 Rfd8 20. Nh4 g6 21. f4 Ne4 22. f5 Bxh4 23. fxe6 Nxd2 24. Rxd2 Rxd2 25. Qxd2 Rd8 26. Qc2 Qd5 27. exf7+ Qxf7 28. Rf1 Qe6 29. Qxc5 Be7 30. Qa7 Rd7 31. Qb8+ Rd8 32. Qg3 Bc5 33. Qc7 Qe7 34. Qc6 Qd6 35. Qe4 Bb6 36. Bf6 1 : 0 A. K. Rubinstein – Teichmann, Vienna 1908, match game 6. The most energetic continuation (known since the Groningen 1946 Chess Tournament) is probably 12. e4! to which Black must not reply with 12. ... dxe4? because of 13. Nxe4 Nxe4 14. Qxe4+ Qe7 (or 14. ... Be7 15. Bf4 Qc8 16. Bd5 Nd8 17. Bd6 Qd7 18. Bxc5 Rb8 19. Bxf7+ Nxf7 20. Rxd7 1 : 0 Najdorf – Christoffel, Groningen 1946) 15. Qf4 Nd8 16. Re1 Ne6 17. Qg4 c4 18. Bg5! h5 19. Qf5 g6 20. Qe5 Qc5 21. Qxh8 Bxf3 22. Re5 Qc6 23. Bc2 Bxg2 24. Qf6 Bh1 25. f3 Bxf3 26. Bxg6 Bc5+ 27. Be3 Bxe3+ 28. Rxe3 Bg4 29. Bxf7+ Kd7 30. Bxe6+ Bxe6 31. Rd1+ 1 : 0 Kotov – O’Kelly de Galway, Groningen 1946. 12. ... Nxd5 13. Bxd5 Be7 14. a4 b4 15. e4 0-0 16. Be3 Rad8 17. Rac1 Na5 18. h3 Bxd5 19. Rxd5 Rxd5 20. exd5 Rd8 21. Qxa6 Rxd5 22. Nd2 h6 23. Qa8+ Rd8 24. Qe4 Qd7

The game goes on with an exchange of petty skirmishes: 25. Qg4 Qxa4 26. Bxh6 Bf6 27. Rxc5 Nb3? A serious oversight, which has disastrous consequences. 27. ... Bxb2! at once was best, so as to reply to 28. Ne4 with 28. ... Qd1+ forcing the exchange of Queens and leaving Black with at least equality. 28. Ne4! Bxb2. In order to overdefend g7 with ... Qa4-a1+. 29. Rc8! Qa1+ 30. Kh2 Rxc8 31. Qxc8+ Kh7 32. Bf4 Qd1. This allows a mating attack, but if 32. ... f6 (preventing the Knight check at g5) then 33. Qc2! winning a piece and the game. 33. Qf5+ Kg8 34. Qc8+ Kh7 35. Ng5+ Kg6 (35. ... Kh6 36. Qg8+−) 36. Qb7 f6 37. Qe4+ f5 38. Qe8+ 1 : 0.

Saduakassova took advantage of a single moment of inattention on the part of 于润荷 (Jennifer Yú), who has to play all out and hope for the best in the return game. Photo © Anastasia Korolkova.