On Canvas

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – Alexander Anatolyevich Motylev
74th Russian Chess Championship Superfinal; Ufa, October 10, 2021
Semi-Slav Defence D45

1. c4 c6 2. Nf3 d5 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. b3 0-0 8. Be2 b6 9. 0-0 Bb7 10. Bb2 Qe7 11. Rfe1 Rfe8 12. e4 Nxe4 13. Nxe4 dxe4 14. Qxe4 Bb4 (14. ... Nf6 15. Qc2 Rad8 16. Bd3 Ba3 17. Bc3 h6 18. Rad1 Bb4 19. Bxb4 Qxb4 20. c5 bxc5 21. Qxc5 a5 22. Ne5 Rd5 23. Qxb4 axb4 24. Bc4 Ra5 25. Nd3 Rxa2 26. Nxb4 Ra5 27. Ra1 Rea8 28. Rxa5 Rxa5 29. Nd3 Nd7 30. h3 ½ : ½ Rapport – Ragger, Szombathely 2011, match game 5) 15. Red1 Ba3 16. Bxa3 Qxa3 17. Ne5. A novelty by Goryachkina which secures White a lasting edge along the lines of the theoretical model: 17. Qf4 Nf6 18. Ne5 Qe7 19. Bf3 Qc7 20. Qe3 Rad8 21. b4 b5 22. Qc3 Rc8 23. Rdc1 Qb8 24. a4 bxc4 25. Qxc4 Nd5 26. Qc5 Red8 27. g3 Rd6 28. Nc4 Rdd8 29. Rab1 g6 30. h4 h5 31. Ne5 Ba8 32. Be4 Kg7 33. Rb3 Rc7 34. Kh2 Nf6 35. Bf3 Nd7 36. Qc3 Nxe5 37. dxe5 Rdd7 38. Qe3 Qd8 39. Rc4 a5 40. bxa5 c5 41. Qf4 Bd5 42. Bxd5 exd5 43. Rc1 d4 44. Rb6 d3 45. e6 fxe6 46. Rxe6 Qf8?? (⌓ 46. ... Rf7) 47. Rxg6+! Kxg6 48. Qxf8 c4 49. Re1 Rf7 50. Qg8+ Rg7 51. Qe6+ Kh7 52. Re5 1 : 0 Šarić – Pavasovič, 13th Open, Zadar 2006. 17. ... Nxe5 18. dxe5

18. ... Rad8 19. Bf3 Ba8 20. Qh4 Qf8. Black understandably doesn’t intend to surrender the d-file. 21. h3 h6 22. Be4

22. ... f5. Perhaps it is not so bad as it seems (subjectively, if not objectively). Also after 22. ... Re7 23. Rxd8 (otherwise ... Re7-d7 follows) 23. ... Qxd8 24. Bf3 Qc7 25. Qf4 Rd7 26. Rc1! Bb7 (hoping to free the Bishop by ... c6-c5) 27. c5⩲ White retains a slight pull. 23. exf6 Qxf6 24. Qg3 c5 25. Bg6. White is searching for a way to turn Black’s isolated Pawn at e6 and his weak white squares around the King into a tangible gain. 25. ... Rf8 26. Rab1 Bc6 27. Rxd8 Qxd8? And indeed this is the only and most serious mistake committed by Motylev — which suddenly makes Goryachkina’s dreams come true. Simply 27. ... Rxd8! 28. Re1 Rd4! eventually followed by ... Rd4-f4 should hold (almost) everything together. 28. Re1 Rf6 29. Re3 Qe7 30. a4 Kf8 31. Qe5. Powerful centralisation, white square domination, a weak Black isolani are nothing more than a prediction of how the game will end.

31. ... Rf6 32. Rg3 Rf8 33. Bc2 Rf6. (⌓ 33. ... Qf6 34. Qe3±) 34. Rd3. White has added also the d-file to her assets — now she is ready to break through the Queenside and finally create the passed c-Pawn. 34. ... Rf8 35. Rd6 Bd7 36. a5 bxa5 37. Qxc5 Bc8 (37. ... Rc8 38. Qd4+−) 38. Rc6 Qd8. It is manifest that exchanging Queens would have cost Black a Pawn and the game.

39. Rc7 a6 40. Kh2 Bd7 41. Qa7! And now 41. ... Rf7 42. Bg6 Re7 43. Rb7 is an agony without hope, as Goryachkina herself quite sadistically demonstrated after the game: 43. ... Qf8 (hoping for a perpetual check after 44. Rxd7?? Qf4+) 44. Qb8 e5 45. Qxf8+ Kxf8 46. Rb8+ Be8 47. h4⊙ — Black resigned. 1 : 0.

Goryachkina scored the only victory of the day and took the headlines — not only in Cyrillic. Photo: Eteri Kublashvili/Russian Chess Federation.