Cheerio

Olga Anatolyevna Zimina – Valentina Evgenyevna Gunina
14th European Women’s Team Chess Championship; Terme Čatež, November 16, 2021
Caro-Kann Defence B10

1. e4 c6 2. Nc3 d5 3. Nf3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 5. Qe2 Nxe4 (5. ... Nbd7?? 6. Nd6# 1 : 0 Keres – Arłamowski, 1st Przepiórka Memorial, Szczawno Zdrój 1950) 6. Qxe4 Nd7. 6. ... Qa5 7. Bc4 Bf5 8. Qe2 e6 9. Ne5 Be7 10. c3 Bf6 11. d4 Bxe5 12. dxe5 Nd7 also seems reasonable for Black, Gunina – Goryachkina, Women’s Candidates Tournament, Kazan 2019. 7. Bc4 Nf6 8. Ne5 e6 9. Qe2 b5 10. Bd3 Qc7 11. b3. Gunina had bad experience with this Caro-Kann variation against Stefanova at Gibraltar’s rock: 11. 0-0 Bd6 12. f4 Nd5 13. g3 0-0 14. a3 Bb7 15. Nf3 Rae8 16. b3 e5 17. fxe5 Bxe5 18. Nxe5 Rxe5 19. Qg2 c5 20. Bb2 Re6 21. Qh3 g6?! (21. ... Rg6! 22. c4 bxc4 23. bxc4 f5! 24. cxd5 c4 25. Bxf5 Qc5+! 26. Rf2 Qxd5∞) 22. Qh6 f6 23. Bxb5 Nb6?! (⌓ 23. ... Qe7) 24. Rae1! Rxe1 25. Rxe1 c4 26. Qe3 Bd5 27. Qe7 Qxe7 28. Rxe7 cxb3 29. cxb3 Bxb3 30. Rxa7 Rd8 31. Bc3 Nc4 32. Bd7 Nb6 33. Bh3 Rd6 34. Ra6 Bc4 35. Bb4 Rc6 36. Ra7 Bd3 37. Bg2 Re6 38. Bf3 g5 39. Kf2 f5 40. Bh5 Rf6 41. Bc3 Nd5 42. Bxf6 Nxf6 43. Bf3 h5 44. a4 h4 45. a5 g4 46. Bb7 f4 47. gxf4 Bc4 48. a6 Nh5 49. Ra8+ Kg7 50. a7 g3+ 51. hxg3 hxg3+ 52. Kg2 1 : 0 Stefanova – Gunina, FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2019–21, 4th stage, Catalan Bay 2021. 11. ... Bd6 12. Bb2 Nd5 13. 0-0 0-0 14. Qh5!?TN (14. c4 Nf4 15. Qe3 Nxd3 16. Nxd3 bxc4 17. bxc4 Bxh2+ 18. Kh1 Bd6 19. Bxg7 Kxg7 20. Qg5+ Kh8 21. Qf6+ Kg8 22. Qg5+ Kh8 23. Qf6+ Kg8 24. Qg5+ Kh8 25. Qf6+ ½ : ½ Ibarra Jerez – Asís Gargatagli, 84th Spanish Chess Championship, Marbella 2019) 14. ... g6

15. Ng4! White claims the initiative — even if only psychologically — by means of a flashy Queen pseudo-sacrifice. 15. ... e5 (15. ... gxh5?? 16. Nh6#) 16. Qh4 Bxg4 17. Qxg4 f5 18. Qh4 Rae8 19. a4! A timely move, aiming at taking command of either the diagonal a2-g8 or the a-file. 19. ... a6 20. axb5 axb5 21. c4

21. ... Be7?! Gunina ends up by going astray by opting for an unnecessary and probably unsound Pawn sacrifice. Correct was 21. ... Nf4! 22. cxb5 Nxd3 23. Qc4+ Rf7 24. Qxd3 e4! regaining the Pawn with approximate equality. 22. Qg3 Nf4?! Making things decidedly worse. 22. ... e4 23. cxd5 Qxg3 24. hxg3 exd3 25. dxc6 Bb4 was a much better version of the Pawn sac, as Black can still hope to find some compensation. 23. cxb5 cxb5 24. Bxb5 Rb8 25. Ba6. Maybe Black was hoping for 25. Bc4+?? Qxc4! turning the tables, but no. The endgame is just too high a mountain for Gunina to climb. 25. ... Bf6 26. Qc3 Qd6. Of course, after the exchange of Queens, Black cannot take on b3 because of the Bishop check at c4. 27. Bc4+ Kh8 28. Ra6 Rb6 29. Rxb6 Qxb6 30. Ra1 Qb7 31. Qf3 Qb8. The ending without Queens — and down a Pawn — does not offer Black any drawing chances either. 32. Qc6 Bg7 33. Bc3 Rc8 34. Qd7 Rd8 35. Qe7 Re8 36. Qf7 Rf8 37. Qa7 Qd8 38. Qb7 h5 39. Ra7 Qf6

40. Qxg7+! This is one of those lucky cases where the 40th move is a strong one! 40. ... Qxg7 41. Rxg7 Kxg7 42. Bxe5+ Kh6 43. Bxf4+ g5 44. Be5 Rd8 45. h4 Rxd2 46. hxg5+ Kxg5 47. g3 Kg4 48. Kg2 h4 49. gxh4 Rc2 50. Bf6 Rd2 51. Bg5 Rc2 52. Bd5 (Δ Bd5-f3#) 52. ... Kh5 53. Bf7+ Kg4 54. b4 Rb2 55. b5 f4 56. Be6+ Kh5 57. Bd7 Rd2 58. Bc6 Rb2 59. Kf3 Kg6 60. Bxf4 Kh5 61. Be3 Rc2 62. Be4 Rb2 63. b6 Rb3 64. b7 Kxh4 65. Kg2 1 : 0.

Two-time Italian Women’s Chess Champion Zimina’s sensational victory over Gunina was not enough, however, as Russia eventually defeated Italy 2½ – 1½. Photo: ECU Press.