Whatever It Takes

Bibisara Erkhanovna Assaubayeva – 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí)
FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2022–23; 1st stage; Astana, September 26, 2022
Queen’s Gambit Declined D35

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bg5 c6 6. e3 Bf5 7. Qf3 Bg6 8. Bxf6 Qxf6 9. Qxf6 gxf6 10. Nf3 Nd7 11. Nh4 Be7 12. Ne2 f5 13. g3 Bxh4 14. gxh4 Nf6 15. Rg1. Or, alternatively, 15. Nf4 Nh5 16. Kd2 Nxf4 17. exf4 Ke7 18. Be2 h5 19. Rae1 Kd6 20. Bd3 Rae8 21. Re3 Rxe3 22. fxe3⩲ Goryachkina – 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn), Vladivostok 2020, Women’s World Chess Championship match game 10. “I hadn’t prepared this opening, but she had. I faced this opening last year, and I played the same way I did in that game”, 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí) said afterwards. She alludes to 15. Nf4 Nh5 16. Bd3 Nxf4 17. exf4 Kd7 18. Kd2 Rae8 19. b4 Kd6 20. Rhe1 Rxe1 21. Rxe1 Rg8 22. Rg1 Re8 23. Re1 Rxe1 24. Kxe1 b6 25. Kd2 h6 26. Kc3 f6 27. a3 Ke6 28. Ba6 Be8 29. Bd3 Bd7 30. Bc2 Kd6 31. Bd3 c5 32. bxc5+ bxc5 33. Bc2 Bb5 34. Bxf5 Be2 35. Bg6 Bf3 36. h5 a5 37. h4 Kc6 ½ : ½ 徐铭辉 (Xú Mínghuī) – 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí), 2021 Chinese Chess Team Tournament, 聊城 (Liáochéng) 2021.
15. ... Ke7 16. Bh3 Rhg8. 16. ... Rae8 gave raise to a model strategic game: 17. Nf4 Kd6 18. Kd2 Re7 19. a4 a5 20. Ra3 Rhe8 21. Rb3 Kc7 22. Rc1 Kd6 23. Bg2 Nh5 24. Nxd5! cxd5 25. Rb6+ Kd7 26. Bf1 Kd8 27. Bb5 Re4 28. Rxb7 Nf6 29. b4+− f4 30. bxa5 fxe3+ 31. fxe3 Rxh4 32. Bxe8 Rxh2+ 33. Kc3 Ne4+ 34. Kb3 Nd2+ 35. Kb4 Nc4 36. Bb5 Rb2+ 37. Kc5 Nxa5 38. Rd7+ Kc8 39. Kxd5+ Kb8 40. Rd8+ Kb7 41. Kd6 Kb6 42. Ra8 1 : 0 Kramnik – Aleksandrov, 43rd Chess Olympiad, Batumi 2018.
17. Nf4 Nh5 18. Nxh5 Bxh5 19. Rg3 Kf6 20. Kd2 Rg6 21. Rag1 Rh6

22. Rg8 Rxg8 23. Rxg8 Bf3 24. Bf1 Rxh4 25. h3 Re4 26. Ra8 a6 27. Ra7 Re7 28. Kc3?! White undertakes an adventurous King march towards b6, aiming at the Queenside Pawns. Objectively, it might be safer for White to play 28. a4 h5 29. a5 h4 30. Ra8 Kg7 31. Ra7 Kf6= with a likely draw.
28. ... h5 29. Kb4 h4 30. a4. If 30. Kc5 then 30. ... f4! 31. Kb6 fxe3 32. fxe3 Rxe3 33. Rxb7 Re1 34. Bxa6 Bg4!⩱ with the upper hand for Black.

30. ... f4! “Indeed, I wanted to play ... f5-f4 early in the game... But the exact time was after I had played the Bishop to h1 because then I can play ... f4-f3, a strong manoeuvre”, 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí) then argued. “I had to be careful because I would lose if I didn’t play exactly”.
31. a5 Bh1!? After 31. ... c5+! 32. Kxc5 (32. dxc5 fxe3 33. fxe3 Re4+−+) 32. ... Rc7+ 33. Kb6 Rc2 34. Rxb7 Rxf2 35. Bxa6 Rxb2+ 36. Kc6 Rxb7 37. Bxb7 fxe3 38. a6 e2 39. a7 e1=Q 40. a8=Q Qe6+ 41. Kc5 Qe7+ 42. Kb5 Kg7 43. Bxd5 Qg5 Black is winning according to the engines, but of course it was not an easy line to calculate from a human standpoint.
32. Kc5 f3 33. Ra8 Kg7

34. Bd3? The losing move. White ought to play 34. Ra7! Bg2 35. Bxa6 Rxe3! 36. Rxb7 Re2! 37. Bd3 Rxf2 38. a6 Bf1 39. a7 Bxd3 40. a8=Q Rc2+ 41. Kd6 f2 42. Rb8 Bh7 43. Qa1 Bd3 44. Qa8 Bh7 with a draw.
34. ... Bg2 35. Bf5 Rxe3! 36. fxe3 f2 37. Bd3 Bxh3 38. Re8 Bf5! 39. e4 (39. Bf1 h3−+)
39. ... dxe4 0 : 1.

“I wanted the game to be competitive, but I didn’t know if she’d accept the unbalanced aspects of the game”, 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí) said eventually. “But it would not be a draw”. Photo: Anna Shtourman/FIDE.