Calling Time

Vantika Agrawal – Ekaterina Aleksandrovna Lagno

4th Online Women’s Speed Chess Championship Main Event; Round of 16 match game 8; time control: 5 minutes plus 1 second per move; chess.com, June 24, 2022

Grünfeld Defence D87

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Bc4 c5 8. Ne2 Nc6 9. Be3 0-0 10. 0-0 b6 11. Qd2 Bb7 12. Rfd1 Rc8 13. Rac1 e6 14. Bg5 Qd7 15. h4 cxd4 16. cxd4 Na5 17. Bd3 Nc6. Another continuation is 17. ... Rxc1 18. Rxc1 Rc8 (maybe 17. ... Nc6 19. Bb5 a6 20. Bxc6 Bxc6 21. e5 Rc8 22. Bf6 Bf8 23. h5 Bb7 24. hxg6 Rxc1+ 25. Qxc1 fxg6 26. Qe3 ½ : ½ Melkumyan – Ragger, 6th Tournament of Peace, Zagreb 2019) 19. Rxc8+ Bxc8 20. h5 Nc6 21. h6 Bf8 22. Bb5 a6 23. Ba4 b5 24. Bb3 Bb7 25. d5 with the upper hand for White, Caruana – So, Clutch Chess Champions Showdown International, lichess.org, June 12, 2020, match game 8 (time control: 10 minutes plus 5 seconds per move). 18. Bb5 a6 19. Ba4 b5 20. Bb3 Ne7 21. d5 Rxc1 22. Qxc1 exd5 23. exd5 Nf5 24. h5 Re8 25. Qd2 Nd6 26. Ng3 Nc4 27. Bxc4 bxc4 28. h6

28. ... Bh8 (28. ... c3! 29. Qc2 Re5 30. Qxc3 Bh8 31. Qc1 Rxd5=) 29. Qf4? (⌓ 29. Ne2⩲) 29. ... c3! 29. ... f6!? 30. Bxf6 Rf8 is also very interesting, but much more complicated. 30. Bf6 c2 31. Rc1 Qxd5 32. f3

32. ... Qc5+? A half-slip that could cost Black the victory. Instead 32. ... g5! appears to win at once. 33. Kh2 Bxf6 34. Qxf6 Qf8 35. Qf4 Rc8

36. Nh5? In her turn, White misses her saving jump: 36. Nf5!= (heading for e3 or d4) 36. ... gxf5 37. Qg5+ draws by perpetual check. 36. ... f5 37. Ng3 Bd5 38. a4? As they say, one mistake leads to another. There was no alternative but to go, at least temporarily, into an endgame two Pawns down with 38. Ne2 Bxa2 39. Nd4 Bb1 — it was, indeed, anything but an appealing perspective, but at least it still gave White hope. 38. ... Rc4 39. Qd2 Rh4+ 40. Kg1 Qc5+ 41. Qf2 Qxf2+ 42. Kxf2 Bb3 43. a5 Ra4 44. Ne2 Rxa5 45. Nd4 Ba4 46. Ke3 Rc5 47. Kd3 g5 48. Ne2 Kf7 49. Nc3 Bb3 50. Kd2 Kg6 51. Ra1 a5 52. Ne2 a4 53. Kc1 Rd5 54. Nc3 Rd1+ 55. Kb2 Kxh6 0 : 1.