Like It Never Happened

Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk – Antoaneta Stefanova

4th Online Women’s Speed Chess Championship Main Event; Round of 16 match game 5; time control: 5 minutes plus 1 second per move; chess.com, June 20, 2022

Italian Game C54

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. cxd4 Bb4+ 7. Nbd2. Now rediscovered, it is also used to be a favourite of Kosteniuk. 7. ... Nxe4. The alternative 7. ... d5 is obviously not unknown to Kosteniuk: 8. exd5 Nxd5 9. 0-0 0-0 10. a3 Bxd2 11. Bxd2 Bg4 12. h3 Bxf3 13. Qxf3 Nb6 14. Bd3 Nxd4 15. Qxb7 Rb8 16. Qe4 f5 17. Qe3 c5 18. Rad1 Nd5 19. Bc4 Kh8 20. Qe5 Nb6 21. Ba2 Re8 22. Qxc5 Na4 23. Qd5 Nxb2 24. Rb1 Qf6 25. Rfe1 Red8 26. Qa5 Nd3 27. Rxb8 Rxb8 28. Qxa7 Rf8 29. Re3 Nc6 30. Qb7 Nc5 31. Qb6 Ne4 32. Rd3 Rb8 33. Qc7 Qa1+ 34. Kh2 Nxf2 35. Qxb8+ 1 : 0 Kosteniuk – E. Hansen, 2nd Champions Chess Tour, 1st stage, Airthings Masters, Prelims Tournament, chess24.com, February 22, 2022 (time control: 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move). 8. d5 Nxd2. Another line is 8. ... Ne7 9. 0-0 Nxd2 10. Nxd2 0-0 11. a3 Ba5 12. b4 Bb6 13. d6 cxd6 14. Ne4 Nf5? (14. ... d5! 15. Bxd5 d6! 16. Nxd6 Nxd5 17. Qxd5 Be6=) 15. Bb2 (15. Bg5+−) 15. ... Qh4 16. Bd5 Re8 17. Qf3 Nh6 18. Nxd6 Rf8 19. Rae1 Bc7 20. Be5 Qg4 21. Nxf7! 1 : 0 Kosteniuk – 周齐宇 (Zhōu Qíyǔ), April 5 Titled Tuesday Late, chess.com, April 5, 2022 (time control: 3 minutes plus 1 second per move). 9. Bxd2 Qe7+. 9. ... Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 Ne7 is most usual here, whereupon there can follow 11. h4!? d6 12. h5 h6 13. 0-0-0 0-0 14. Rdg1 b5 15. Bb3 Bg4 16. Nh4 c5? (⌓ 16. ... c6!) 17. f3 Bxh5 (17. ... c4 18. Bc2 Bd7 19. g4→) 18. g4 Bg6 19. Nf5 with a crushing attack, Caruana – Nakamura, 1st Online Rapid Chess Championship Week 3 Knockout, chess.com, February 27, 2022 (time control: 10 minutes with no increment). 10. Kf1 Na5?

11. Bd3? Apparently, White does not notice that 11. d6! wins material by force (11. ... Qxd6 12. Qe1+). 11. ... 0-0?

12. Bxh7+! A crucial novelty, which does justice to White’s claim to the initiative. Quite pointless is 12. Be3 b5 13. Qc2 Nc4 14. Bxh7+ Kh8 15. Bd4 (15. Bg5!? f6 16. h4!⩲↑) 15. ... c5 16. dxc6 dxc6 17. a3 Ba5 18. b4 Bb6 19. Re1 Be6 20. Ba1 ½ : ½ Kurmann – Klauser, 114th Swiss Chess Championship, Bern 2014. 12. ... Kxh7 13. Ng5+ Kg6

14. Qg4? Kosteniuk indulges in automatism. Best is 14. h4! f5 15. Rh3 and White’s attack continues undaunted. 14. ... f5? But Stefanova misses the right way: 14. ... Bxd2! 15. Ne6+ Bg5 16. Nxf8+ Kh6 (16. ... Qxf8?! 17. h4 d6 18. Qg3 leaves White with promising chances) 17. Qh3+ Bh4 18. Re1 d6! and Black is fine. 15. Qxb4 Qxb4 16. Bxb4 Re8 17. Bxa5

17. ... b6?? The losing blunder! Correct was 17. ... Kxg5 18. h4+ Kh5 19. Bc3 with the better game for White. 18. Bd2+− Ba6+ 19. Kg1 Re2 20. Nf3 Bc4 21. Bc3 Bxd5 22. Ne5+ Kh7 23. Nxd7 Rae8 24. h4 R8e7 25. Nf8+ Kg8 26. Ng6 R7e4 27. f3 Rc4 28. Rd1 c6 29. Ne5 Rxc3 30. bxc3 Rxe5 31. Rd2 Re3 32. Rc2 a5 33. Kf2 Rd3 34. c4 Bf7 35. Rb1 Rd4 36. Rxb6 Rxh4 37. Rxc6 a4 38. a3 Rd4 39. Rc8+ Kh7 40. Ke3 Rd1 41. Rc3 g5 42. c5 f4+ 43. Kf2 Rd2+ 44. Kg1 g4 45. fxg4 Bd5 46. Rd8 Rxg2+ 47. Kf1 Bc6 48. Rd6 Be4 49. Rd4 Bc6 50. Rxf4 Ra2 51. Rb4 Rd2 52. Rb6 Bg2+ 53. Ke1 Ra2 54. c6 1 : 0.