She Did It Again

Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk – Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina
1st Women’s Chess World Cup; match game 2; Krasnaya Polyana, August 2, 2021
French Defence C07

1. e4 e6. Goryachkina sticks with what she knows best. 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 c5 4. exd5 Qxd5 5. dxc5 Qxc5 6. Ngf3 Nf6 7. Bd3 Nbd7 8. Qe2 Qc7 9. 0-0. Another continuation is 9. Nb3 Be7 10. 0-0 0-0 11. a4 b6 12. Re1 Bb7 13. a5 bxa5 14. Nfd4 Nc5 15. Nxa5 Nxd3 16. Qxd3 Bb4 17. Bd2 Be4 18. Qe2 Bd6 19. Nb5 Bxh2+ 20. Kh1 Qb8 21. Bg5 Be5 22. Ra4 a6 23. Na3 Bxb2 24. Bxf6 Bxg2+ 25. Kxg2 Bxf6 26. Qe4 Qc7 27. Nc6 Rfc8 28. Rc4 Qd6 29. Re3 Qd5 30. Qxd5 exd5 31. Ne7+ Bxe7 32. Rxc8+ Rxc8 33. Rxe7 g6 34. Re3 Kg7 35. Rd3 Rc5 36. c3 a5 37. Kf3 h5 38. Ke3 h4 39. Kf4 f6 40. Kg4 g5 41. f4 Kg6 42. fxg5 fxg5 43. Re3 a4 44. Rd3 Kf6 45. Rf3+ Kg6 46. Rd3 Kh6 47. Re3 Rc6 48. Rd3 Rf6 49. Rd4 Rf1 50. Nc2 Rg1+ 51. Kh3 Rg3+ 52. Kh2 Rxc3 53. Rd2 a3 54. Nd4 Kg6 55. Ra2 g4 56. Nb5 Rc5 57. Nxa3 Ra5 58. Ra1 d4 59. Rg1 g3+ 60. Kh3 Rxa3 61. Kxh4 Kf5 62. Kh3 Ke4 63. Re1+ Re3 0 : 1 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Kramnik, 10th ROMGAZ Kings Tournament in memoriam of Elisabeta Polihroniade, Mediaș 2016, match game 2 (time control: 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move). 9. ... b6. Varying from 9. ... Nc5 which served her well two years ago: 10. b3 Nxd3 11. Qxd3 Be7 12. Bb2 0-0 13. c4 b6 14. Rad1 Rd8 15. Qe2 Bb7 16. Ne5 h6 17. Rfe1 Rd6 18. Ndf3 Rxd1 19. Rxd1 Rd8 20. Nd4 a6 21. f3 Bd6 22. Nc2 Nd7 23. Ne1 b5 24. cxb5 axb5 25. Nxd7 Rxd7 26. Kh1 b4 27. Nc2 Qd8 28. Qb5? (⌓ 28. h3) 28. ... Qh4 29. h3 Bxf3! 30. Kg1 (30. gxf3 Qxh3+ 31. Kg1 Bh2+−+) 30. ... Bh2+ 31. Kxh2 Qf4+ 32. g3 Rd2+ 0 : 1 Kashlinskaya – Goryachkina, 69th Russian Women’s Chess Championship, Izhevsk 2019. 10. Ne4 Bb7 11. Nxf6+ gxf6 12. Be4! Now it is Kosteniuk who escapes from her own past glories: 12. a4 Bd6 13. Rd1 Nc5 14. Bb5+ Ke7 15. g3 a6 16. Bc4 b5 17. axb5 axb5 18. Rxa8 Bxa8 19. Bd5 Bxd5 20. Rxd5 Qc6 21. Rd1 Qe4 22. Be3 Qc4 23. Qxc4 bxc4 24. Nd2 c3 25. bxc3 Rc8 26. Ra1 Rc6 27. Ra7+ Bc7 28. c4 Nd7 29. Kf1 Bb6 30. Bxb6 Rxb6 31. c5 Rc6 32. Nb3 e5 33. f4 Ke8 34. Ra5 Rc7 35. Ke2 Ke7 36. f5 Nb8 37. c3 Nc6 38. Ra6 Nb8 39. Rb6 Nd7 40. Rb5 h5 41. Kd3 Rc8 42. Ke4 Nb8 43. Rb7+ Kf8 44. Rb6 Nc6 45. Nd2 Ne7 46. Rxf6 Rxc5 47. c4 Kg7 48. Rb6 Ng8 49. Kd3 Rc7 50. Ne4 Rd7+ 51. Rd6 Ra7 52. c5 Nh6 53. f6+ Kg6 54. Rd8 Kf5 55. c6 Rc7 56. Rd6 Ng4 57. h3 Nh2 58. Nd2 Nf3 59. Nxf3 e4+ 60. Ke3 exf3 61. Rd5+ Ke6 62. Rc5 Kd6 63. Rc3 Ke5 64. Kxf3 1 : 0 Kosteniuk – Vojinović, 14th European Individual Women’s Chess Championship, Belgrade 2013. 12. ... Rc8. A novelty with little potential to affect averages. In any event, after 12. ... Bxe4 13. Qxe4 Rc8 14. c3 White stands better, G. Shahade – Young, CCSCSL Invitational, Saint Louis 2011.

13. Bf4 Qxf4 14. Bxb7 Rc7 15. Ba6 Bc5 16. Rad1 Ke7 17. c3 Ne5 18. Nxe5 Qxe5 19. Qd3 Bd6 20. f4 Qc5+ 21. Kh1 Rd7

22. Qe2. Goryachkina has failed to develop any satisfactory prospect of initiative, as instead Kosteniuk could bite back (22. f5!) — but she contents herself with what is probably a wise approach. 22. ... h5 23. Bc4 Rc8 24. Bb3 Qf5 25. Rd4 Rdd8 26. Rfd1 Bc7 27. Bc2 Qg4 28. Qa6. Kosteniuk apparently feels confident enough to afford herself not to liquidate into a drawish endgame. 28. ... Rxd4 29. Rxd4 Rd8 30. Qa3+. The only way to gain the Pawn, since 30. Qxa7?? is refuted by 30. ... Rxd4!−+ (31. Qxc7+ Rd7). And moreover 30. Rxd8?! is quite nonsensical due to 30. ... Qxf4! which guarantees Black at least a draw. 30. ... Bd6 31. Qxa7+ Rd7 32. Qa6. The second Pawn is not edible: 32. Qxb6?? Qe2−+ with a devastating invasion. 32. ... h4 33. Qd3 f5 34. b4 h3 35. gxh3 Qg8 36. Bb3 Qa8+ 37. Kg1 Rd8. A last threat, a last hope: ... Rd8-g8+ followed by ... Qa8-h1 with a mating attack.

38. Kf2! Bxf4. On one hand, this makes no sense as the resulting ending with Bishops of opposite colours is objectively drawn, but, on the other hand, either 38. ... Rg8 39. Qf3 or 38. ... Qh1 39. Qg3 would give Black no reason to play for a win. 39. Rxd8 Qxd8 40. Qxd8+ Kxd8 41. Ke2 Ke7 42. a4 Bc7. Goryachkina’s refusal to draw (42. ... Bxh2) is far from optimism and should be rather interpreted as a form of acknowledgment of her failure to win. 43. h4 Kf6 44. Kd3 Kg6 45. Kc4 f4 46. Kb5 f3 47. a5 bxa5 48. bxa5 e5 49. a6 Bb8 50. Kb6 e4 51. Bd1 f5 52. Kb7 f2 53. Be2 f4 54. Kxb8 f3 55. Bc4 e3 56. a7 f1=Q! Of course this move itself cannot save the game, and yet it is so pretty to be worth a draw offer! 57. Bxf1 e2 58. Bxe2 fxe2 59. a8=Q ½ : ½.

Thirteen years after her youthful triumphs, Kosteniuk came back on top of the world. “Yes, I did it again”, she finally said jubilantly. Photo © Eric Rosen.