Сцилла и Харибда (Between Scylla and Charybdis)

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – Alexandr Alexandrovich Predke
74th Russian Chess Championship Superfinal; Ufa, October 17, 2021
English Opening A18

1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. e4 d5 4. cxd5 exd5 5. e5 Ne4 6. Nf3 Bf5 7. d3 Nxc3 8. bxc3 c5 9. d4 Qa5 10. Bd2 Nc6 (10. ... Be7 11. Qb3 Qb6 12. Qxd5 Nc6 13. Qb3 Be4 14. Bc4 0-0 15. 0-0 cxd4 16. Qxb6 axb6 17. e6 Bxf3 18. exf7+ Kh8 19. gxf3 Ne5 20. Bd5 Rad8 21. f4 Rxd5 22. fxe5 Rxe5 23. cxd4 Rd5 24. Rac1 Rxd4 25. Be3 Rg4+ 26. Kh1 Rxf7 27. Rc7 Kg8 28. Rd1 Bc5 29. Rd8+ Rf8 30. Rxf8+ Kxf8 31. Bxc5+ bxc5 32. Rxc5 Ra4 33. Rc8+ Kf7 34. Rc7+ Kf6 35. Rxb7 Rxa2 ½ : ½ Sjugirov – Predke, Vasily Vasilyevich Smyslov Memorial, Moscow 2021) 11. c4 Qd8 12. Qb3 Be4 13. Qxb7 Rc8 14. Ng5. Goryachkina varies from 14. Bg5 with which she won a crucial game in her match for the crown (but not because of the opening): 14. ... Be7 15. Bxe7 Nxe7 16. Qb5+ Qd7 17. cxd5 Bxd5 18. Qxd7+ Kxd7 19. Bb5+ Ke6 20. Ng5+ Kf5 21. h4 cxd4 22. Bd7+ Kxe5 23. Bxc8 Rxc8 24. 0-0 Kd6 25. Rfe1 Rc2 26. a3 h6 27. Ne4+ Bxe4 28. Rxe4 Nc6 29. h5 g6 30. Rf4 gxh5 31. Rxf7 d3 32. Rd1 d2 33. Rf3 Ne5 34. Rf4 Nc6?? (34. ... Nc4! 35. Kf1 Ke5 36. Rh4 Nb2 37. Rxh5+ Kd4 38. Ke2 Nxd1 39. Kxd1 Ra2 40. Rxh6 Rxa3=) 35. Kf1+− Goryachkina – 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn), 上海 (Shànghǎi) 2020, Women’s World Chess Championship match game 5. 14. ... Be7 15. Nxe4 dxe4 16. d5 Nxe5 17. Qb5+ Kf8!? A novelty. The only game known to theory continued 17. ... Qd7 18. Rb1 Qxb5 19. Rxb5 Kd7 20. Bc3 Bf6 with roughly even chances, Tomashevsky – 陈琪 (Chén Qí), 15th “映美杯” (“Yìng Měi Cup”) Chinese Chess League, 沈阳 (Shěnyáng) 2019. 18. Rb1 Bd6 19. Qa6 Rb8 20. Rb3 h5 21. Be2 Kg8 22. h3 Kh7 23. Rxb8. Of course, White cannot take on h5 because of the Knight check at d3. 23. ... Bxb8 24. Qa3 Qe7 25. 0-0 h4 26. f4 exf3 27. Bxf3 Re8 28. Bf4 Bd6 29. Kh1 Kg8 30. Qc3 Nd7 31. Bxd6 Qxd6

32. Bd1. The repositioning of the Bishop on the b1-h7 diagonal has its reasons, but gives Black an unexpected opportunity to infiltrate the Rook. Easier was 32. Qa5 at once with more or less equality. 32. ... Re4 33. Bc2 Rd4 34. Qa5 Nf6. Clearly not 34. ... Rxc4?? because of 35. Qd8+ Qf8 36. Qxd7 Rxc2 37. Re1 winning immediately. 35. Qxa7 g6

36. Ba4? Both are hard pressed by the time limit, which is particularly burdening for Goryachkina, who is still within the safety zone — but whose position is less easy to play. Finally, and not surprisingly, she is the first to crack. White’s last chance was 36. Qb7! Rxc4 37. Qc6 Qe5 38. Qxf6 Qxf6 39. Rxf6 Rxc2 with a likely draw. 36. ... Re4 (36. ... Rf4−+) 37. Qa8+ Kg7 38. Qc6 Qe5 39. Bd1 Rxc4 (39. ... Re1 40. Qxf6+ Qxf6 41. Rxe1 Qc3−+) 40. Bf3 Rf4! The fateful 40th move — Black is completely winning.

41. Qb5 (41. Qxc5? Ne4!−+) 41. ... c4 42. Qb1 c3 43. Rc1 Qe3 44. Qc2 Rxf3 45. gxf3 Qxf3+ 46. Qg2 Qe3 47. Rc2 Ne4 48. d6 Nxd6 49. Re2 Qd3 50. Kh2 Nf5 51. Qf2 Qd6+ 52. Kg1 Qd1+ 53. Kg2 c2! 0 : 1. For if 54. Rxc2 then 54. ... Ng3 with mate threat.

The vision of Goryachkina split between sacred and profane almost enters into Nesterov’s paintings. Photo: Eteri Kublashvili/Russian Chess Federation.