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Gunay Vugar qizi Mammadzada – Abhimanyu Mishra

1st Julius Bär Challengers Chess Tour; 4thd stage; 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) Challenge; time control: 10 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; chess24.com, September 18, 2021

Sicilian Defence B90

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nb3 Be7 8. Rg1. Mammadzada’s speciality. 8. ... h5 9. h3. 9. Qd2 (Mammadzada – Hejazipour, 6th Women’s World Blitz Chess Championship, Moscow 2019) 9. ... Ng4 should not worry Black too much. 9. ... Be6 10. Qf3!? Just few weeks ago, Mammadzada won a game by immediately pushing on her g-Pawn, but the result had nothing to do with the opening: 10. g4 hxg4 11. hxg4 d5! 12. exd5 Nxd5 13. Nxd5 Bxd5 14. Qe2 Bc6 15. Bd2 Nd7 16. 0-0-0 a5 17. Re1 Kf8 18. Bc3 Bg5+ 19. Kb1 Bf4 20. Bg2 Bxg2 21. Rxg2 a4 22. Nd2 Rc8 23. Nc4 Qc7 24. Bb4+ Kg8 25. Nd6 Rd8 26. a3 b6 27. Ne4 Nf6 28. g5 Nxe4 29. Qxe4 g6 30. Bc3 b5 31. Rg4 Qd7? (⌓ 31. ... Rh3!) 32. Rxf4! exf4 33. Bxh8 Kxh8 34. Qe5+ Kg8 35. Rh1 1 : 0 Mammadzada – Bulmaga, 21st European Individual Women’s Chess Championship, Iași 2021. 10. ... h4 11. 0-0-0 Nbd7 12. Nd5 Bxd5 13. exd5

13. ... e4?! “To get squares, ya gotta give squares”, as Bobby Fischer used to say. But the impression is that the text move gives more than what it takes away. 13. ... Nh5 was probably the most consistent with 10. ... h4, so as to reply to 14. g4 with 14. ... hxg3 15. fxg3 Bg5 temporarily keeping the g-file closed. 14. Qf4 Ne5 15. Bd4 Qc7 16. Qd2 Rd8. A mysterious move, deploying the Rook on a closed file, but actually threatens to take the d5-Pawn with the Knight. 17. Bc3 Rc8 18. Kb1 0-0 19. Be2 Nfd7 20. g3! Finally opening the g-file. It’s quite evident that White’s attack is already on its way. 20. ... hxg3 21. Rxg3 Bf6 22. Rdg1 g6 23. Qf4 Bg7 24. h4. 24. Qxe4 Nf6 25. Qg2 was also very strong. 24. ... Nf6 25. Rd1

25. ... Rce8? 25. ... Nf3! was probably Black’s best, sacrificing a Pawn in order to get rid of White’s light-squared Bishop, so as to render the push h4-h5 at least a little less terrifying than as in the game. 26. h5 Qe7 27. Qd2 Nfd7 28. Nd4! Black is now faced with countless threats. 28. ... Nb6 29. hxg6. By now it makes no real difference which way White goes: it is simply a matter of taste. 29. ... fxg6 30. Ne6 Nxd5. Black has nothing better than sacrificing the Exchange only to delay the catastrophe, because if 30. ... Rf6 there would follow 31. Bxe5 dxe5 32. Rdg1 with overwhelming effect. 31. Nxf8 Nxc3+ 32. Qxc3 Kxf8 33. Qe3 Qf6 34. c3 Kg8 35. Qxe4 Qxf2 36. Qd5+ Nf7 37. Bc4. It was too easy for White to content herself with 37. Rf3 winning the Queen and the game. 37. ... Re5

38. Qxf7+! And now again it is time for White to demonstrate a virtuoso display of endgame technique. 38. ... Qxf7 39. Bxf7+ Kxf7 40. Rxd6 Re1+ 41. Kc2 Be5 42. Rf3+ Kg7 43. Rd7+ Kh6 44. Rxb7 g5 45. Re7 Kg6 46. Re6+ Kh5 47. Rh3+ Kg4 48. Rh7 Kf5. Even after the better 48. ... Bxc3 49. Rxa6 Be5 50. b4 the endgame is theoretically won for White. 49. Rxa6 g4 50. Ra8 g3 51. Rf8+ Ke4 52. Re7 Re2+ 53. Kb3 g2 54. Rg8 Kf3 55. Rf7+ Bf4 56. Rfg7 Bc1 57. a4. In principle it is more accurate to interpolate 57. Rf7+! so as not to give up even the b-Pawn. 57. ... Rxb2+ 58. Kc4 Ra2 59. Kb5 Rb2+ 60. Kc6 Rc2 61. Rxg2! Rxg2. 61. ... Rxc3+ 62. Kb5 is a book win as well. 62. Rxg2 Kxg2 63. c4 Kf3 64. a5 Be3 65. c5 Ke4 66. a6 Bxc5 67. Kxc5 Ke5 68. a7 1 : 0.