Once More Upon a Time

Mobina Alinasab – Antoaneta Stefanova

4th Online Women’s Speed Chess Championship; Qualifier 2 Knockout; Final match game 14; time control: 1 minute plus 1 second per move; chess.com, May 27, 2022

8/3kb2p/5p2/2p2p2/2Pp1P2/r2Np1P1/P1R1P2P/4K3 w - - 5 35

Position after 34. ... Ke6-d7?

It took 14 games for 11th Women’s World Chess Champion Antoaneta Stefanova to win her Final match against Iranian Woman International Master Mobina Alinasab, thus qualifying for the Main Event of the 4th Online Women’s Speed Chess Championship. In fact, Alinasab was still safe in the position in the diagram, because thanks to Black’s loss of time by ... Ke6-d7 (she should have played ... Ke6-d6, defending the c-Pawn), White is just in time to hold everything together. 35. Kd1! Kc6 36. Kc1 Bd8 37. Kb2 Ra4 38. Kb3 Ra7 39. Kb2 Rb7+ 40. Kc1 Ba5 41. Rb2 Ra7

42. Rc2? This loses the game and the match. Here Alinasab misses her way toward salvation: 42. Kb1! Bb4! 43. a4! (43. Nxb4+?? cxb4 44. Rxb4 d3−+) 43. ... Rxa4 44. Ra2 Rxa2 45. Kxa2 with a clear draw. 42. ... Bc3!−+ (Δ ... Ra7-a4) 43. Kb1 Rb7+ 44. Kc1 Ra7 45. Kb1 Ra4 46. Nb2 Bxb2 47. Kxb2 Rb4+ 48. Kc1 Kb6 49. h3 h5 50. a3 Ra4 51. Kb2 Kc6 52. Kb3 Ra8 53. a4 Rb8+ 54. Ka3 Rb1 55. a5 Ra1+ 56. Kb3 Rxa5 57. Rc1 Ra8 58. Rg1 Rg8 59. Kc2 Kb6 60. Kb3 Kc6 61. Kc2 h4 62. g4 fxg4 0 : 1.