Two As One

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – Anna Olehivna Muzychuk
1st Women’s Chess World Cup; match game 2; Krasnaya Polyana, July 30, 2021
Grünfeld Defence D86

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Bc4 c5 8. Ne2 cxd4 9. cxd4 Nc6 10. Be3 Qa5+ 11. Bd2 Qa3 12. Rb1 0-0 13. 0-0 Bg4 14. f3 Be6 15. Bc1 Qa5 16. Bxe6 fxe6 17. a4TN (17. Rxb7 Qxa2 18. Rb2 Qa1 19. e5 Rac8 20. Rc2 Rfd8 21. Be3 Qxd1 22. Rxd1 Nb4 23. Rxc8 Rxc8 24. Rc1 Ra8 25. Bd2 Nd5 26. Ra1 Kf7 27. Ng3 h6 28. Ne4 g5 29. Kf2 Nb6 30. Bb4 Nd5 31. Bd2 Nb6 32. Ke2 Nd5 33. g3 Bf8 34. Kd3 Bg7 35. Nc5 Rc8 36. Ke4 Rc7 37. f4 gxf4 38. gxf4 Nb6 39. f5 exf5+ 40. Kxf5 Bxe5 41. Kxe5 Nc4+ 42. Kd5 Nxd2 43. Rd1 e5 44. dxe5 1 : 0 Lilienthal – Ravinsky, 31st Moscow City Chess Championship, Moscow 1953)

17. ... Nxd4!? Arguably Muzychuk is playing all out for a mess. 18. Nxd4 Rfd8? Putting the wrong Rook on d8, as the following will show. 19. Be3 Qc3 20. Rb3 Qc4

21. Rxb7? White apparently misses the stronger 21. e5! Bxe5 (otherwise f3-f4 would follow) 22. Rd3 leaving Black with insufficient compensation — a line which would have been ineffective if the King’s Rook had been on f8 and the Queen’s Rook on d8 (as Black might continue with ... Be5-f4). 21. ... Bxd4 22. Bxd4 Rxd4. 22. ... Kf7!, followed by the capture of the Bishop, seems to give Black more or less equality. 23. Qc1 Qe2. Desperately seeking to unbalance a hieratic opponent. 24. Re1! In Karpovian style, Goryachkina contents herself with a technical advantage. 24. ... Rc4 25. Rxe2 Rxc1+ 26. Kf2 Kf7 27. Rd2 a5 28. Rdd7 Re8 29. Ra7 Rc2+ 30. Kg3

30. ... Rc5? 30. ... g5! 31. Rxa5 Kf6 was Black’s best bet for a draw, if any. 31. Rdc7! Rxc7 32. Rxc7 Ra8 33. Rc5. In spite of material equality, Goryachkina provides a telling demonstration that not “all Rook endings are drawn”. 34. ... h6 34. Kf4 g5+ 35. Kg4 Kf6 36. h4 e5. A little tougher is 36. ... gxh4 37. Kxh4 Kg6, but after 38. Kf4 White should be able to make progress anyway by alternating threats on both Black’s a- and -h Pawns (say, for instance, Rc5-h5 and g2-g4 so as to bind the Black King to defend the h6-Pawn, then followed by the march of the White King to b5). 37. Rc6+ e6 38. h5 Rb8 39. Rc5. Avoiding a little trap: 39. Ra6 Rb7 40. Rxa5?? Ra7! 41. Rxa7 stalemate (Ian Rogers’ analysis). 39. ... Ra8 40. Kg3 Ra7 41. Rb5 Ra8 42. Rb7 g4 43. Kxg4 1 : 0.

And thus an all-Russian final will conclude the inaugural Women’s World Chess Cup. Photo © Anastasia Korolkova.