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Pia Cramling – Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk

1st Women’s World Chess Cup; match game 1; Krasnaya Polyana, July 18, 2021
Queen’s Gambit Declined D38

1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. Qa4+ Nc6 8. e3 0-0 9. Rc1. Another continuation is 9. Be2 Bd7 10. Qc2 dxc4 11. 0-0 Bd6 12. Bxc4 e5 13. Nd5 Qd8 14. dxe5 Nxe5 15. Nxe5 Bxe5 16. Rad1 c6 17. Nf4 Qc7 18. Ng6 Rfe8 19. Nxe5 Rxe5 20. Rd4 c5 21. Rd2 Bc6 22. Rfd1 b5 23. Bd5 Rxd5 24. Rxd5 Bxd5 25. Rxd5 Rd8 26. e4 Rxd5 27. exd5 Qe5 28. Qd2 Kf8 29. d6 Ke8 30. d7+ Kd8 31. Qa5+ Kxd7 32. Qxb5+ Kc7 33. Qa5+ Kb7 34. Qb5+ Kc7 35. Qa5+ Kb7 36. Qb5+ Kc7 ½ : ½ Harika – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), 18th European Women’s Chess Club Cup, Rhodes 2013. 9. ... Rd8 10. Be2 dxc4. 10. ... Bd7 11. Qc2 dxc4 12. Bxc4 e5?! (⌓ 12. ... Na5!? 13. Be2 c5) 13. dxe5 Nxe5 14. Nxe5 Qxe5 15. Bxf7+! left Black with the burden to prove her compensation for the Pawn, Čmilytė – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), 2nd SportAccord World Mind Games, Women’s Blindfold Tournament, 北京 (Běijīng) 2012. 11. Bxc4 e5 12. dxe5 Qg6! A good novelty, even better than 12. ... Bxc3+ 13. Rxc3 Nxe5 14. Nxe5 Qxe5 which was not bad either: 15. Qb3 Qg5 16. Bxf7+ Kh8 17. 0-0 c5 18. e4 b6 19. Bd5 Rb8 20. Rd1 Qe7 21. Rcd3 b5 22. h3 Rb6 23. Qc3 Be6 24. Bxe6 Rxd3 25. Rxd3 Qxe6 26. Rd8+ Kh7 27. Qc2 Qc4 28. Qxc4 bxc4 29. Rd2 Ra6 30. a3 c3 31. bxc3 Rxa3 32. c4 Ra4 33. f3 a5 34. e5 Kg6 35. Rd6+ Kf5 36. e6 Kf6 37. Ra6 Rxc4 38. Rxa5 Kxe6 39. Ra7 Kf6 40. Rc7 Rc2 41. h4 c4 42. Kh2 c3 43. Kg3 Rc1 44. Kf4 c2 45. Rc6+ Kf7 46. h5 Rh1 ½ : ½ Houska – Dorrington, 21st Four Nations Chess League — Division 1, Hinckley 2014. 13. 0-0 Bh3. The tactical corollary of the previous move.

14. Ne1?! It does not make a good impression, but 15. Nh4 Qg4 16. Ne2 Nxe5 is not too appealing either. 14. ... Nxe5 15. Be2. Not 15. Qxb4?? on account of 15. ... Nf3+! winning a piece. 15. ... c5. The obvious 15. ... Bxc3 16. Rxc3 Rd2 was worth considering as well. 16. Qc2 Qxc2 17. Rxc2 Bf5 18. e4 Be6 19. Nf3 Nc6 20. a3 Ba5 21. Nd1 Nd4 22. Nxd4 cxd4. Black has now a clear advantage in position, by virtue of her passed d-Pawn and her powerful Bishop pair.

23. Bd3 Bb3. Black goes hunting the White Rook, but it was probably more profitable for her to play at once 23. ... Rac8 similarly to the game. 24. Rc5 b6? Perhaps the only major mistake of Kosteniuk in the game. Consistent was 24. ... Bb6 25. Rb5 Ba4 26. Rb4 Bc6 with great advantage. 25. Rc6? Cramling’s penultimate mistake. 25. Rb5 Ba4 26. b4 Bxb5 27. Bxb5 a6 28. Bd3 b5 29. bxa5 Rac8 was not an easy matter. 25. ... Rac8! Now Black dominates the board. 26. Rxc8 Rxc8 27. f3 Bd2! 28. Kf2 Bc1 29. Ke2 a6! 30. Rf2 b5 31. f4 Re8

32. Rf3? The last mistake, losing a Pawn and the game. 32. ... Bd5 33. Kf2 Bxe4 34. Bxe4 Rxe4 35. g3 f5 36. h4 Kf7 37. a4 bxa4 38. Ra3 a5 39. Rxa4 Bd2 40. Kf3 Bb4 41. g4 Re1 42. Ra1 fxg4+ 43. Kxg4 d3 44. h5 d2 45. Kf5 Be7 0 : 1.

Kosteniuk meditates with deep concentration searching for her best moves. Photo © Eric Rosen.