Black Widow

谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí) – Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina
FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2022–23; 1st stage; Astana, September 22, 2022
Slav Defence D16

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 e6 6. e3 c5 7. Bxc4 cxd4 8. exd4 Nc6 9. 0-0 Be7 10. Be3 0-0 11. Ne5 Qd6 12. Nb5 Qd8 13. Nc3 Qd6 (13. ... a6 14. Rc1 Qd6 15. Nxc6 bxc6 16. b3 a5 17. Qe2 Nd5 18. Ne4 Qd8 19. Bd2⩲ Vidit – 倪华 (Ní Huá), 4th Moscow Open, Moscow 2012)
14. Nxc6. 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí) refuses Goryachkina’s offer to repeat moves with 14. Nb5.
14. ... Qxc6 15. Qb3 Qd6 16. h3 Bd7 17. Rfd1 Qb4 18. d5 Qxb3 19. Bxb3 Bb4 20. Nb5 Bxb5 21. axb5 Nxd5 22. Bxd5 exd5 23. Rxd5 a6 24. b6. If 24. Rad1 then 24. ... Rfe8 25. b6 Kf8 26. Rc1 Re7 with near equality.
24. ... Rfd8 25. Rad1 Be7 26. Rd7 Kf8 27. R1d4 Rab8 28. Rc7 Rxd4 29. Bxd4 Bd8 30. Rc2 f6 31. g4 Ke8 32. Kg2 Kd7 33. Kf3 a5 34. Ke4 Ra8 35. Be3 Ra6 36. Rd2+ Ke8 37. Rd6 a4 38. f4 a3 39. bxa3 Rxa3 40. f5 Rb3 41. h4 Be7 42. Re6 Kd7 43. Bd4 Rg3

44. g5? An inexplicable gamble, which, according to Goryachkina, might have been dictated from 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí)’s irrational desire to force the unforceable: “Apparently, she wanted to win too much because her tournament did not go that well so far“.
Perhaps the text move does not lose in absolute terms, but certainly it makes it very, very difficult to save a draw. Much simpler was 44. Kf4, and even stronger may be 44. Kd5! which also proves the validity of Steinitz’s assumption that the King is a strong piece: 44. ... Rxg4 45. Bc5! Bxc5 46. Kxc5 Rxh4 47. Rd6+ Kc8 48. Re6 with a draw in sight.
44. ... Rg4+ 45. Kd3 fxg5 46. h5. Goryachkina noted afterwads that, in spite of everything, “[White] still had good chances to save, but she did not manage to get herself together”. However, it’s not yet the case here, for after 46. Bxg7 gxh4 47. Be5 h3 48. Bc7 Bg5 the ending may be assessed as easier to win for Black than to save for White.

46. ... Bf8. 46. ... Rf4! 47. Bxg7 (or 47. h6 gxh6 48. Rxh6 Rh4) 47. ... g4 seems to give better winning chances.
47. Re2?! This loses a tempo. With 47. Re5! Bd6 (otherwise there follows Bd4-c5) 48. Ra5 Rf4 49. Ra8 Rf5 50. Rh8 White should draw.
47. ... Rf4 48. Re5? 48. Rf2 Rxf2 (not 48. ... Rh4? because of 49. Ra2 followed by Ra2-a8) 49. Bxf2 Bd6 leaves Black with a Pawn ahead in a same-colour Bishop endgame — and still a lot of work is to be done.
48. ... Bd6 49. Ra5 g4 50. Be3

50. ... Rf1 (50. ... Rb4!−+)
51. Ke2? (⌓ 51. Ra4 Rxf5 52. Rxg4 Be5 53. h6 g6)
51. ... Rh1 52. Ra4 Rxh5 53. Rxg4 Be5 54. Kd3 Rxf5 55. Ra4 Bd6 56. Bd4 g6 57. Ke4 Bc5 58. Be5 Bxb6 59. Rb4 Kc6 60. Rc4+ Bc5 0 : 1.

“I like everything so far”, Goryachkina said eventually. “Of course, I would like to win more with White, but if you win with Black, why not”. Photo: Anna Shtourman/FIDE.