Nothing to Add

Alice Teresa Lee – Irina Borisivna Krush
1st American Cup — Women’s Championship Match; game 2; Saint Louis, April 28, 2022
Slav Defence D16

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 dxc4 5. a4 e6 6. e3 c5 7. Bxc4 cxd4 8. exd4 Nc6 9. 0-0 Be7. A typical isolated Queen’s Pawn position, something analogous to a Queen’s Gambit Accepted where White has an extra tempo (a2-a4) which is more harmful than useful. 10. Re1 0-0 11. Bg5 h6 12. Bh4 b6 13. Rc1. In such a situation, an objective evaluation may also result in an early armistice: 13. Qd2 Bb7 ½ : ½ Cebalo – C. Horváth, 13th Croatian Team Chess Championship, Rabac 2004. 13. ... Bb7

14. Bf1?! An unpretentious move, strategically antithetical, which only aims at turning a must-win game into a fight of nerves and endurance. In a not-too-recent past, White carried out an artificial regrouping by 14. Bd3 Nb4 15. Bb1 Nh5 16. Re5, but after 16. ... Bxh4 17. Rxh5 g6! 18. Rb5 Nd5 Black neutralised and rejected every attacking thought his opponent had, Korobov – Papin, 10th Aeroflot Open, Moscow 2011. 14. ... Rc8 15. Bg3 Nb4 16. Ne5 Nfd5 17. Qb3 Bg5 18. Rcd1 Qe7 19. Nc4 Bf4 20. Nb5 Bxg3 21. hxg3 Ba8 22. Be2 Rfd8 23. Rc1 a6 24. Nc3. If 24. Nbd6?! then 24. ... Rc7 25. Ne4 Nf4 would get Black closer to her dreams. 24. ... Rc7 25. Red1 Rdc8 26. Ne5 Bb7 27. Bh5 g6 28. Bf3 Kg7 29. Rb1 h5 30. Ne2 a5

31. Rbc1. White did nothing, after all, and Krush contents herself with exchanging as many pieces as possible, thus heading for a draw that means the win for her. 31. ... Rxc1 32. Rxc1 Rxc1+ 33. Nxc1 Qc7 34. Ne2 Nf6 35. Bxb7 Qxb7 36. Qc4 Ng4 37. Nxg4 hxg4 38. Nc3 Nd5 39. Nxd5 Qxd5 40. Qxd5 exd5

The last ditch is a dead drawn King and Pawn ending. 41. Kf1 f5 42. Ke2 g5 43. f4 gxf3+ 44. Kxf3. With a last desperate hope for 44. ... g4+?? 45. Kf4 Kf6 46. b3 and Black is in zugzwang. But no. 44. ... Kf6 45. g4 f4 46. Ke2 Ke6 47. Kf3 Kf6 48. Ke2 Ke6 49. Kf3 Kf6 50. Ke2 ½ : ½.

Krush’s resilience proved to be an insurmountable disillusionment for her opponent. Photo: Crystal Fuller/Saint Louis Chess Club.