Lonely But Not Alone

Ekaterina Aleksandrovna Lagno – 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí)
1st Women’s Chess World Cup; match game 2; Krasnaya Polyana, July 26, 2021
1k4r1/p2r4/1pR2p2/3p4/3P1N1p/5Pn1/PP3K2/4R3 w - - 0 32

Position after 31. ... h5-h4

It took only one mistake for Lagno to fall from her dreams of glory — whatever cruel it may be: 32. Ree6? A bad move which loses a crucial tempo. Naturally, White ought to take on f6 with good drawing chances. Now, 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí) immediately takes advantage of the clumsy placement of White’s Rooks: 32. ... h3! 33. Nxh3 Rh7 34. Nf4 Nf5−+ 35. Ne2 Rh2+ 36. Kf1 (36. Ke1 Nxd4!−+) 36. ... Rgg2 37. Re8+ Kb7 38. Rce6 (38. Rxf6 Rxe2 39. Rxe2 Ng3+−+) 38. ... Nh4 39. R6e7+ Ka6 40. Ke1 Nf5 41. Kd1 Nxe7 42. Rxe7 Kb5 43. Re3

43. ... Rxe2! Mercilessly technical. 44. Rxe2 Rxe2 45. Kxe2 Kc4 46. Ke3 b5 47. Ke2 (47. a3 a6−+) 47. ... Kxd4 48. Kd2 f5 49. Ke2 Ke5 50. Ke3 d4+ 0 : 1.

谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí), the only Chinese in the Women’s World Cup, has no intention at all of leaving empty-handed. Photo © Eric Rosen.