Fast and Slow

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – Alexandr Alexandrovich Predke
74th Russian Chess Championship Higher League; Cheboksary, July 4, 2021
Modern Defence A40

1. d4 g6 2. e4 Bg7 3. c4 c5 4. d5 d6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Be2 exd5 7. exd5 Ne7 8. Nf3 0-0 9. 0-0 h6 10. Bd2. In fact, theoretically speaking, Goryachkina aims at improving White’s strategy effectiveness, at least in terms of results, if not necessarily in terms of planning: 10. h3 g5 11. Re1 Nd7 12. Ne4 Nf6 13. Nxf6+ Bxf6 14. Bd3 Kg7 15. Qc2 b5 16. cxb5 Nxd5 17. Bd2 Rb8 18. Rad1 a6 19. a4 axb5 20. axb5 Be6 21. Bc4 Re8 22. Bxg5 hxg5 23. Bxd5 Rxb5 24. b3 Bxd5 25. Rxe8 Bxb3 26. Qe4 d5 27. Qe2 Qd7 28. Re1 Bc4 29. Qe3 d4 30. Qc1 Bd3 31. Qa3 Bh7 32. Ra8 d3 33. Qc1 Qd5 34. Rae8 c4 35. Qa3 d2 36. Rd1 c3 37. Qf8+ Kg6 38. Rc8 Qb3 39. Rc6 Qxd1+ 40. Kh2 Qxf3 41. gxf3 d1=Q 0 : 1 Gelfand – Ponomariov, 3rd Chess World Cup, Khanty-Mansyisk 2009, Final match tie-break game 4 (time control: 25 minutes plus 10 seconds per move). 10. ... g5 11. h4 g4 12. Ne1 f5 13. Nd3 Nd7 14. Nf4 Ne5 15. h5 Kh7 16. Bd3 Ng8 17. Nce2

17. ... b5?! Black deliberately sets himself to transform his not-too-good Benonitype position into a kind of decidedly bad Benkö Counter-Gambit, leaving Goryachkina with a decisive strategic advantage. Probably best was 17. ... Nxd3 18. Nxd3 Nf6 19. Ndf4 Ne4 20. Qc2⩲ with an edge for White. 18. cxb5 Nf6 19. Bc3 Ne4 20. Bxe4 fxe4 21. Bxe5 Bxe5 22. Ng6 Rf5 23. Nxe5 Rxe5 24. Ng3 Bb7. Insufficient, but if 24. ... Qe7 then White plays 25. b4! opening up new fronts. 25. Qxg4 Qe8 26. Rad1 Bxd5 27. Nf5 Qg8. No better is 27. ... Qf7 28. Nxd6 Qxh5 29. Qxh5 Rxh5 30. Rfe1 a6 (30. ... Re5? 31. f4!+−) 31. b6 Rb8 32. Nxe4 Bxe4 33. Rxe4 Rxb6 34. b3+− with the same ending as in the game.

What now follows is an impressive display of technique by Goryachkina: 28. Qg6+! Qxg6 29. hxg6+ Kxg6 30. Rxd5! Rxf5 (30. ... Kxf5 31. Rxd6+−) 31. Rxd6+ Kg5 32. Rfd1 Re8 33. R1d5 c4 34. Rxf5+ Kxf5 35. Rd7 Re5 36. a4 e3 37. Kf1! Kg6 38. Rxa7 Rf5 39. f3 Rd5 40. Ke2 Rd2+ 41. Kxe3 Rxg2 42. Rc7 1 : 0.

With a little help from her friends, Goryachkina has finally succeeded in joining the élite group of women who broke through the 2600 barrier in the Elo ratings, she being the sixth woman in history to do so — after (in alphabetical order) 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn), Humpy Koneru, Anna Olehivna Muzychuk and Judit Polgár. Photo: Anastasia Domchenkova/Russian Chess Federation.