The Day Before Tomorrow

Anna Olehivna Muzychuk – Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina
14th European Women’s Team Chess Championship; Terme Čatež, November 20, 2021
Spanish Game C67

Particularly after yesterday’s débâcle in the men’s field against Ukraine, the wounded Russian bear pinned its hopes of redemption on today’s women’s High Noon. Especially significant is the presence of Muzychuk, the older of the two sisters, on the first board of Ukraine. In accordance with the official regulations she was hastily called to replace former Women’s World Champion Anna Yuriyivna Ushenina who resulted positive for COVID-19, thus taking the occasion to issue an impromptu challenge to world’s No. 2 woman and three-time Russian Women’s Champion Goryachkina.

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6. So there will not be a blood bath but only a theoretical confrontation. 4. 0-0 Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. h3 Ke8 10. Nc3 h5 11. Bf4 Be7 12. Rad1 Nh4. Likewise 12. ... Be6 13. Ng5 Rh6 14. g3 Bxg5 15. Bxg5 Rg6 16. h4 f6 17. exf6 gxf6 18. Bf4 Nxh4 19. f3 Rd8 20. Rde1 (or 20. Kf2 Rxd1 21. Nxd1 Nf5 22. Rh1 Bxa2 23. Rxh5 Be6 24. g4 Nd6 25. Rh7 Nf7 26. Ne3 Kd8 27. Nf5 c5 28. Ng3⩲ Carlsen – Anand, Sochi 2014, World Chess Championship match game 7) 20. ... Kd7 21. Rd1+ Ke8 22. Rxd8+ Kxd8 23. Kf2 Nf5 24. b3 b6 25. Rh1 Ng7 26. Ne2 Bf7 27. c4 a5 28. a4 Ne6 29. Rxh5 Rg8 30. Rh6 Rg6 should be holdable for Black, Motylev – Goryachkina, 22nd Russian Team Chess Championship Premiere League, Sochi 2015. 13. Nd4. The blessed alternative is 13. Nxh4 Bxh4 14. Rfe1 Be6 15. Ne4 Rd8 16. Nc5 Ra8 17. Ne4 Rd8 18. Nc5 Rxd1 19. Rxd1 Bc8 20. e6 Bd8 21. Re1 Be7 22. exf7+ Kxf7 23. Ne4 Bd8 24. Ng5+ Bxg5 25. Bxg5 Re8 26. Rxe8 Kxe8 27. Bf4 Bf5 28. c3 Kd7 29. Kh2 c5 30. Kg3 Bb1 31. a3 c6 32. Bb8 a5 33. Kf4 Ke6 34. Kg5 g6 35. g4 hxg4 36. hxg4 a4 37. f4 Bd3 38. Ba7 c4 39. Bd4 b5 40. Bf2 Bc2 41. Be3 Bd3 42. Bd4 ½ : ½ 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Harika, 16th Asian Games — Women’s Individual Rapid Chess, 广州 (Guǎngzhōu) 2010 (time control: 25 minutes plus 10 seconds per move). 13. ... Nf5 14. Nf3 Nh4 15. Nd4 Nf5 16. Nce2 g5 17. Bh2

17. ... Rh6. Quite dubious is 17. ... a6 18. e6 Nd6 19. Rfe1 Rh6 20. exf7+ Kxf7 21. Nf3 g4 22. Ne5+ Kg7 23. Bf4 Rh7 24. hxg4 hxg4 25. Ng3 Bf6 26. Nd3 Nf5 27. Ne4 Be7 28. Bxc7 Be6 29. Nf4 Bf7 30. Rd7 Re8 31. Ng5 Rh6 32. Be5+ Kg8 33. Nxf7 Kxf7 34. Bc3 g3 35. Re5 gxf2+ 36. Kxf2 Nd6 37. Bb4 Nc8 38. Rxb7 Rh4 39. Bxe7 Rxf4+ 40. Ke3 1 : 0 Vachier-Lagrave – Caruana, 42nd Biel International Chess Festival, Biel/Bienne 2009. Instead 17. ... Nxd4 18. Nxd4 Rh6 can present similarities with the actual game: 19. Rfe1 Bc5 20. e6 Bxe6 21. Nxe6 Rxe6 22. Rxe6+ fxe6 23. Bxc7 Ke7 24. g4 Rf8 25. gxh5 Rh8 26. b4 Bxb4 27. Rb1 a5 28. a3 Bxa3 29. Rxb7 Rxh5 30. Bxa5+ Kd6 31. Kg2 Bc1 32. Bc7+ Kd5 33. Bg3 c5 34. Rf7 Rh8 35. Rd7+ Kc4 36. Rd6 Rh6 37. Rd3 Bf4 38. h4 Rh7 39. Bxf4 gxf4 40. Kh3 e5 41. f3 Rg7 42. h5 Rg3+ 43. Kh4 e4 44. fxe4 Rxd3 45. cxd3+ Kxd3 ½ : ½ Caruana – Jakovenko, 32nd French Team Chess Championship, Mulhouse 2011. 18. Nxf5. For what it is worth, White managed to turn the ending to his advantage after 18. Rfe1 a6 19. Nxf5 Bxf5 20. Nd4 Be6 21. Nxe6 Rxe6 22. g4 hxg4 23. hxg4 c5 24. c3 c4? (⌓ 24. ... a5! 25. Kg2 a4 26. a3 Rb6 27. Re2 Rd8 looks tenable for Black) 25. Kg2 b5 26. Kf3 Rb8 27. Bg3 Rh6 28. Ke4 b4 29. Rd4 bxc3 30. bxc3 Rb2 31. Rxc4 c5 32. Ra4 Kd7 33. Rd1+ Kc8 34. Ke3 Rc2 35. Kd3 Rb2 36. Rd2 Rxd2+ 37. Kxd2 Rb6 38. Kc2 Kd7 39. Re4 Ke6 40. Re1 Rb5 41. a4 Ra5 42. Re4 Kd5 43. f3 c4 44. Rd4+ Kc5 45. Bf2 Kc6 46. Rxc4+ Kd5 47. Re4 Ke6 48. Kb3 Rxe5 49. Bd4 Rxe4 50. fxe4 Kd6 51. c4 Kc6 52. e5 Bd8 53. Kc3 Kd7 54. Kb4 Kc6 55. Kc3 Kd7 56. Kd3 Ke6 57. Ke4 Bc7 58. c5 Bb8 59. c6 Bc7 60. Bc3 Bb6 61. Bd2 Bd8 62. Be3 Bc7 63. Bxg5 Bxe5 64. Bf4 Bc3 65. c7 Kd7 66. Kf5 Bd4 67. Be5 1 : 0 Karjakin – Aronian, 2nd SportAccord World Mind Games, Men’s Blitz Tournament, 北京 (Běijīng) 2012. 18. ... Bxf5 19. Nd4 Bd7 20. f4

20. ... gxf4. Apparently a new move, but it is also sooner or later inevitable: 20. ... c5 21. Ne2 Rd8 22. c4 Bc6 (⌓ 22. ... gxf4!) 23. b3 (⌓ 23. f5!) 23. ... gxf4 24. Rxd8+ Bxd8 25. Bxf4 Rg6 26. g3 b5 27. Be3 bxc4 28. bxc4 Bd7 29. Kg2 Ra6 30. Nc3 Ra3 31. Rc1 Be7 32. Rc2 Bf5 33. Bc1 Bxc2 34. Bxa3 Bd3 35. Nd5 Bxc4 36. Nxe7 Kxe7 37. Bxc5+ Ke6 38. Bxa7 Bxa2 39. Kf3 Kxe5 40. Bb8 Bd5+ 41. Ke3 Kd6 42. h4 Kc6 43. Ba7 Be6 ½ : ½ Rasmussen – Glud, 89th Danish Chess Championship, Hillerød 2010. 21. Bxf4 Rg6 22. e6 Bxe6 23. Nxe6 fxe6 24. Bxc7 Rc8 25. Be5 Rd8. Now a simplification follows, which helps Black to get what she wants. 26. Rxd8+ Bxd8 27. Bd4 a6 28. Bc5 Be7 29. Bxe7 Kxe7 30. Rf4 Rg5 31. Kf2 Rb5 32. b3 Ra5 33. a4 Rc5

34. Rc4 (34. c4 b5=) 34. ... Rf5+. It is worth noting that after 34. ... Rxc4?? 35. bxc4 the Pawn ending is lost for Black because of the possibility for White to create a passed Pawn on the Kingside. 35. Ke3 Re5+ 36. Re4 Rg5 37. g4 hxg4 38. hxg4 Kf6 39. Rf4+ Ke7 40. Kf3 e5 41. Re4 Ke6 42. Re2 Rg7 43. Rg2 a5 44. Ke4 Rg5 45. Kf3 ½ : ½. And finally, thanks to the victories on second and fourth boards, Russian women’s team won both its eighth match in a row and the European Team Championship with one round to spare.

Both Goryachkina and Muzychuk will bring forward their challenge to the reigning Champ in the next Women’s Candidates Tournament which is scheduled to be held in the first half of 2022. Photo: ECU Press.