Done Gone Wrong

Oliwia Kiołbasa – Rameshbabu Vaishali
44th Women’s Chess Olympiad; Mamallapuram, August 7, 2022
Spanish Game C70

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Bc5 5. c3 Nge7 6. d4 exd4 7. cxd4 Bb4+ 8. Nc3 d5 9. 0-0 dxe4 10. Nxe4 0-0 11. a3 Bd6 12. h3 Bf5 13. Re1 Bg6 14. Bg5 f6 15. Nxd6 (15. Bd2 Bf7 16. Bc2 Qd7 17. Bc3 Bd5 18. Nh4 Bf7 19. Qd3 Ng6 20. Nxd6 cxd6 21. Nf5 Rfe8 22. Qg3 d5 23. h4 Rxe1+ 24. Rxe1 Be6 25. Rxe6 Qxe6 26. h5 Nce7 27. Qg4 Kf7 28. Bb4 Rd8 29. Bd3 b6 30. g3 Rd7 31. Kg2 a5 32. Bxe7 Rxe7 33. hxg6+ hxg6 34. Nd6+ Kf8 35. Qxe6 Rxe6 36. Nb5 Re1 37. Nc3 Kf7 38. Kf3 Ke6 39. Bxg6 Rc1 40. g4 Kd6 41. a4 Ke6 42. Bh7 Kd6 43. Ke3 Rg1 44. Bf5 Re1+ 45. Kd2 Rf1 46. Ke2 Rc1 47. Bd3 Rg1 48. Kf3 Rc1 49. Ke3 Re1+ 50. Kd2 Rg1 51. Be2 g6 52. Bf3 Rf1 53. Ke2 Rc1 54. Kd3 Rf1 55. Bxd5 f5 56. gxf5 gxf5 57. Ke2 Rc1 58. Bb3 1 : 0 Nijboer – Heberla, 7th European Chess Championship, Kusadasi 2006) 15. ... Qxd6 16. Bh4 Bf7 17. Bg3 Qd7 18. Rc1 Rad8 19. b4 Nf5 20. Bf4 Kh8 21. Qd3 b5 22. Bc2 Bg6 23. Qc3 Ncxd4 24. Nxd4 Nxd4 25. Bxg6 hxg6 26. Qxc7 Rf7 27. Qxd7 Rfxd7 28. Be3 Nf5 29. Bb6 Rb8 30. Rc6 Rd3 31. Ra1 Ne7 32. Re6 Nd5 33. Bc5 Nc3 34. Rxa6 Na4 35. Rd6 Nxc5 36. bxc5 Rc3 37. c6 Rc8 38. Rb1 R3xc6 39. Rxc6 Rxc6 40. Rxb5

At time control, White is a Pawn up in a theoretically drawn Rook ending, but, as they say, one thing is theory, another thing is practice. 40. ... Rc1+ 41. Kh2 Ra1 42. Ra5 g5 43. Kg3 Ra2 44. Kf3 Kh7 45. Ke3 Kg6 46. Ra7 Kf5 47. g3 Ke5 48. Kf3 Kf5 49. a4 Ra3+ 50. Kg2 Kg6 51. a5 Kh6 52. a6 Kg6 53. Ra8 Kf5 54. Kf1 Ra2 55. a7 Kg6 56. Ke1 Kf7 57. h4

57. ... Kg6?? And here Vaishali makes an almost incredible blunder which loses by force. Black obviously ought first to play 57. ... gxh4 58. gxh4 and then 58. ... Kg6 as after 59. h5+ Kf5 White cannot make progress. 58. h5+! Kf7 (58. ... Kf5 59. f3!⊙+−)

59. f4! (59. f3!+−) 59. ... gxf4 60. gxf4 f5 61. Kd1 Ra1+ 62. Ke2 Ra2+ 63. Kf3 Ra3+ 64. Kg2 Ra2+ 65. Kg3 Ra4 66. Kh3 Ra3+ 67. Kh4 Ra4 68. Kg5 Ra5 69. h6! gxh6+ 70. Kxh6 Ra6+ 71. Kg5 Kg7 72. Kxf5 Ra1 73. Ke5 Re1+ 74. Kd4 Rd1+ 75. Ke3 Re1+ 76. Kd2 Ra1 77. f5 Ra2+ 78. Kc3 Ra3+ 79. Kb2 Ra6

80. f6+! 1 : 0. 80. ... Kf7 81. Rh8+− is a sad classic.

Polish Woman International Master Kiołbasa kept a perfect 9/9 score by giving Vaishali her first defeat in the Olympiad. for Photo © Lennart Ootes.