Half Upon a Time

Anna Olehivna Muzychuk – Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina
1st Women’s Chess World Cup; match game 1; Krasnaya Polyana, July 29, 2021
1r6/1P1k3p/1R1p2p1/5p2/4rP1P/4P3/5K2/2R5 w - - 0 39

Position after 38. ... f6-f5

Muzychuk got much the better out of the opening and even won a Pawn, but then, pressed by time, ended up giving it back and liquidating to a four-Rook ending in which her only trump — the passed b-Pawn — seems not enough to contradict the old saying that “all Rook endings are drawn”. Thus, in the position of diagram, she played 39. h5! And now there would be little left to hope for, had Black replied with 39. ... gxh5! — but the time for exchanging favours has not yet ended: 39. ... Re7? 40. hxg6? And here Muzychuk misses a huge opportunity to cash in on her previous bet — in fact, 40. Rc8! Rxc8 (40. ... Re8 41. Rxe8 Kxe8 42. Kg3 Ke7 43. Kh4+−) 41. Rxd6+! Kc7 42. bxc8=Q+ Kxc8 43. hxg6 hxg6 44. Rxg6+− would be decisive, as White either wins a Pawn or cuts off Black’s King — or both. 40. ... hxg6 41. Rc8 Re8 (41. ... Rxc8 42. Rxd6++−) 42. Rxe8 Kxe8 43. Kg3 Ke7

44. Rb1. The unfortunate interpolation of 40. hxg6 hxg6 now just makes 44. Kh4 completely ineffective due to 44. ... Rh8+ 45. Kg3 (not 45. Kg5?? because of 45. ... Kf7! followed by mate) 45. ... Rb8 repeating moves. 44. ... Ke6 45. Kf3 Kd7 46. Kg3 ½ : ½.

No doubt it was a missed opportunity for Muzychuk. Photo © Anastasia Korolkova.