Van Gogh’s Chair

Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk – 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí)
1st Women’s Chess World Cup; match game 2; Krasnaya Polyana, July 30, 2021
Russian Defence C42

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. c4 Nc6 6. d3 Nf6 7. d4 Be7 8. d5. 8. Nc3 d5 transposes into Paulsen – Englisch, Anderssen Jubilee, Leipzig 1877 (in fact, the same position was reached after 1. c4 e5 2. e3 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. Nf3 Be7 5. d4 exd4 6. exd4 d5). 8. ... Ne5 9. Be2 Nxf3+ 10. Bxf3 h5!? 11. h3 Bf5 12. Nc3 Qd7 13. Be3 a6 14. a4 c5 15. dxc6 bxc6 16. a5 Rb8 17. 0-0 0-0 18. Na4 d5 19. Nb6 Qd6 20. Rc1 Qb4 21. Bd4

21. ... dxc4?? A blunder hard to explain, if not as a symptom of nervous tiredness. Black ought to play 21. ... Qxa5 and if 22. c5!? (threatening to trap the Queen with Rc1-a1) then 22. ... Qb4 23. Rc3 a5 23. Rb3 Bc2! saving everything. 22. Re1? Nevertheless, Kosteniuk too overlooks a most obvious refutation: 22. Rxc4 Qd6 (22. ... Qxa5 23. Ra4 and 22. ... Qb5 23. Bxc6 both lose the Queen) 23. Rxc6+− with an overwhelming advantage. 22. ... Be6

23. Rxe6! Never looking back Kosteniuk is starting it all over again. 23. ... fxe6 24. Qe2 Rf7 25. Nxc4

25. ... Nd5? 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí)’s second and last mistake will not be forgiven. Instead after the correct 25. ... Bc5! it is still anyone’s game. 26. Bxh5+− Rbf8. Black cannot play 26. ... Rff8 as after 27. Qxe6+ Kh8 28. Qh6+ mate follows next move. 27. Qxe6 Nf4 28. Bxf7+ Rxf7 29. Qg4 Bc5 30. Be3 Bxe3 31. fxe3 Qc5 32. b4 Qa7 33. Rf1 Nd3 34. Rd1 Ne5 35. Rd8+ Rf8 36. Rxf8+ Kxf8 37. Qf4+ Nf7 38. Ne5 1 : 0.

“It wasn’t an easy match but, as in the previous ones, I was lucky to finish it in the classical part, so I don’t need to go to the tie-breaks. Of course, that saves energy”, Kosteniuk finally said. Photo © Anastasia Korolkova.