Scenes from the Medieval Salento

Mariya Olehivna Muzychuk – Alina Anatolyevna Kashlinskaya
44th Women’s Chess Olympiad; Mamallapuram, August 9, 2022
French Defence C18

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 Ne7 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 c5 7. Qg4 Qc7 8. Qxg7 Rg8 9. Qxh7 cxd4 10. Ne2 Nbc6 11. f4 dxc3 12. Qd3 d4 13. Nxd4 Nxd4 14. Qxd4 Bd7 15. Rg1 Nf5 16. Qf2 Qc6 17. Bd3 Qd5

18. Be3!? “An extremely dangerous sideline that leads to very forcing play. Black must now find an incredible series of only moves to survive”, International Master Arthur Pijpers wrote in his annotations to a game he played against FIDE Master Vladislav Valerievich Chizhikov in 2016 and which will be reproduced below. 18. ... Nxe3 19. Qxe3 Rxg2 20. Rxg2 Qxg2 21. Be4 Qxh2 22. 0-0-0 Bc6 23. Bxc6+ bxc6 24. Qd4. “This is the critical position for the 18. Be3 line. Black has only one move to stay in the game, and all other moves land him into big trouble”, says Pijpers. 24. ... a5! In his fervour Pijpers gives the text move two exclamation marks! It is just the case to note that 24. ... Kf8? would be met by 25. Kb1! Rb8+ 26. Ka1 Kg8 27. Rg1+ Kh8 28. Qd1 Rb3 29. Qd8+ Kh7 30. Qg8+ Kh6 31. Qh8# 1 : 0 Ivić – Livaić, 1st Online Chess Olympiad Division 2 Pool D, chess.com, August 14, 2020 (time control: 15 minutes plus 5 seconds per move).

25. f5! And miraculously, again, all has already happened! Pijpers calls it “The critical try”, and also claiming that “the computer does not spot it” — incidentally it is Stockfish’s first line! If, instead, 25. Rg1 then 25. ... Qd2+ 26. Qxd2 cxd2+ 27. Kxd2 Kd7= with equality: 28. Rg7 Ke7 29. Rg3 Kd7 30. Rd3+ Kc7 31. Rh3 Kd7 32. Kd3 Rg8 33. Kc4 Rg4 34. Rf3 Rg2 35. Kb3 Kc7 36. Rd3 Rf2 37. Rd4 Kb6 38. Rc4 Rf3+ 39. c3 Rf1 40. Rd4 Rb1+ 41. Kc2 Rf1 42. Kb3 Rb1+ 43. Kc2 Rf1 44. Kb3 ½ : ½ van Dael – Gedajlovič, 2nd Online Chess Olympiad Top Division Pool D, chess.com, September 9, 2021 (time control: 15 minutes plus 5 seconds per move). 25. ... exf5 26. Kb1 Kf8

27. Qd6+ Kg8? “And this is already the decisive mistake. The correct way to play was 27. ... Kg7! with the amazing idea 28. Qe7 (another try is 28. Qf6+!? Kf8 29. Rf1 Re8 30. Qxf5 Re7 but now that the Black Rook is helping in the defence it is hard to believe that White has any real advantage) 28. ... c5!! 29. Ka1 Ra6 and Black defends”, writes Pijpers. 28. Qe7+− Qf2 (28. ... Qh5 29. Re1 f4 30. Ka1 Qg6 31. e6 Rf8 32. Qc5+−) 29. Ka1 Qg2? And finally, here is the first new move! The aforementioned game continued 29. ... Qg3 30. e6 (“The human way to win the position”, as Pijpers says it — but again, for the avoidance of doubt, it is Stockfish’s first line!) 30. ... Rf8 31. Qc5 fxe6 32. Rg1 Qxg1+ 33. Qxg1+ Kf7 34. Qa7+ Kg6 35. Qxa5 f4 36. Qe5 Rf6 37. Qe4+ Kg5 38. Qf3 e5 39. Qe4 f3 40. Qxe5+ Rf5 41. Qg3+ Kh5 42. Qf2 Kg4 43. Ka2 Rd5 44. Qg1+ Kf4 45. Kb3 Rd2 46. Kxc3 Rg2 47. Qf1 Ke3 48. a4 Rf2 49. Qg1 Ke2 50. Kd4 Rf1 51. Qe3+ Kd1 52. Kd3 1 : 0 Pijpers – Chizhikov, 5th International Open of Salento, Gallipoli 2016.

30. e6! This too is “human” enough, after all. 30. ... fxe6 (30. ... Rf8 31. exf7+ Rxf7 32. Rd8+ Kg7 33. Qe5+ Rf6 34. Rd7+ Kg6 35. Qe8+ Kh6 36. Qh8+ Kg5 37. Rg7+ Rg6 38. Rxg6+ Kxg6 39. Qg8++−) 31. Qxe6+ Kh8 32. Qxf5 Ra7 33. Rd8+ Kg7 34. Qf8+ Kg6 35. Rd6+ 1 : 0. Black resigns because if 35. ... Kh5 then 36. Rh6+ Kg5 37. Qf6+ Kg4 38. Rh4+ Kg3 39. Qf4#.

Today Muzychuk raised herself in all her pride. Photo © Lennart Ootes.