Between the Notes

Mariya Olehivna Muzychuk – Monika Bobrowska-Soćko
30th Frauen-Bundesliga; Hamburg, March 19, 2022
French Defence C16

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 Ne7 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 b6 7. Qg4 Ng6 8. h4 h5 9. Qg3 Ba6 10. Bxa6 Nxa6 11. Ne2 Qd7 12. Bg5. Another continuation is 12. a4 c5 13. 0-0 Rc8 14. Qd3 Nb8 15. Bg5 Nc6 16. Ng3 Nge7 17. Rfd1 cxd4 18. cxd4 Nf5? (18. ... Na5!? 19. Qf3 g6 20. c3⩲) 19. Nxf5 exf5 20. Qg3 g6 21. Rab1 0-0 22. Rb5 Nd8 23. Qf3 Ne6 24. Bf6? (⌓ 24. Qxd5) 24. ... Rxc2? (⌓ 24. ... Nc7!) 25. Qxd5 Qc8 26. Qb3 Rc1 27. Kh2 Rc3 28. Qb4 Rc4 29. Qd2 Kh7 30. d5 Nc5 31. d6+− Qd7 32. Qd5 Rxa4 33. Rxc5! bxc5 34. Be7 Kg8 35. Bxf8 Rxh4+ 36. Kg1 Kxf8 37. Qxc5 Kg7 38. Qc3 Kh7 39. e6! fxe6 40. Qf6 Qa4 41. Rc1 Rc4 42. Qe7+ Kh6 43. Rxc4 Qxc4 44. Qc7 Qf4 45. Qc5 Qa4 46. Qe3+ Kg7 47. Qxe6 Qd1+ 48. Kh2 Qd4 49. Qe7+ Kg8 50. Qd8+ Kf7 51. Qd7+ Kg8 52. Qc8+ Kf7 53. Qd7+ Kg8 54. Qe6+ Kg7 55. Qe7+ Kg8 56. Qc7 Qxf2 57. Qc4+ Kf8 58. Qc8+ Kg7 59. Qc3+ Kf7 60. Qc7+ Ke6 61. Qe7+ Kd5 62. d7 Qf4+ 63. g3 Qf2+ 64. Kh3 Qf1+ 65. Kh4 g5+ 66. Kxg5 Qc1+ 67. Kg6 Qc6+ 68. Kf7 1 : 0 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Kramnik, 10th ROMGAZ Kings Tournament in memoriam of Elisabeta Polihroniade, Mediaș 2016, match game 6 (time control: 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move). 12. ... Qa4 13. 0-0 Qxc2 14. Qe3 Qe4?! A novelty, but no improvement on 14. ... Ne7 15. Rac1 Qa4 16. Bxe7 Kxe7 17. Qg5+ Kd7 18. Qxg7 Raf8 19. Nf4 Ke8 (⌓ 19. ... Kc8) 20. Nh3 Rfg8 21. Qf6 Qd7 22. Ng5+− Fakhrutdinov – Yuferev, Eurasia Cup SKB Kontur 2018, Yekaterinburg 2018. 15. Qd2! Threat: 16. f3 Qf5 17. Ng3 trapping the Queen. 15. ... Ne7 (15. ... Nxh4?? 16. f3+−) 16. Nf4 Nb8 17. Rfe1 Qf5 18. Bxe7. 18. c4! dxc4 19. d5! at once seems to be much stronger. 18. ... Kxe7

19. c4 dxc4 20. d5. Not 20. Qb4+? because of 20. ... c5! 21. dxc5 Na6 solving all her problems. 20. ... Na6 21. d6+ Kf8 22. Rac1 cxd6 23. exd6

23. ... Kg8. Not a bad move, but the beginning of a bad idea. 24. Rxc4 Kh7? Out here is where Black’s King wanted to be, and could not have chosen a worse place! Correct was 24. ... Nc5 in order to answer 25. Qd4 by 25. ... Qf6 26. Re5 g6 with a defensible game. 25. Qd4 Nc5. The point is that now 25. ... Qf6 26. Re5 g6 is refuted by 27. Nxh5 winning at once. 26. Re5 Qb1+ 27. Kh2 Rad8. If 27. ... g6? then 28. Rg5!+− with too many threats, whilst after 27. ... f6 28. Rxh5+ Kg8 29. Rxh8+ Kxh8 30. Nxe6! Nxe6 31. Qd5 White regains the Knight with a won game.

28. Rxh5+? Muzychuk overlooks here what in better times she wouldn’t probably miss: 28. Rg5! f6 (28. ... g6 29. Nxh5!+−) 29. Nxh5!+− with a mating attack. 28. ... Kg8 29. Qe5 Rxh5 30. Nxh5 Qg6 31. Rd4 Nd7 32. Qe2 Nf6 33. Nxf6+. 33. Ng3 Rd7= was probably safer, but, as things go, the text also gives Muzychuk what she asks for, since Bobrowska-Soćko, rather than testing her chances in a Queen and Rook ending a Pawn (or two) up, contents herself with a draw by repetition. 33. ... Qxf6 34. Qd2 e5 35. Rd5 Qxh4+ 36. Kg1 Qe4 37. d7 Qb1+ 38. Kh2 Qh7+ 39. Kg1 Qb1+ 40. Kh2 Qh7+ 41. Kg1 ½ : ½.

Featured from left to right are the étoiles of OSG Baden-Baden: Rebecca Doll, Zhansaya Daniyarovna Abdumalik, Nurgyul Salimova, Mariya Olehivna Muzychuk, Anna Olehivna Muzychuk, Elisabeth Pähtz, and Thilo Gubler (team boss). Photo courtesy of German Chess Federation.