Blazing Noodles

雷挺婕 (Léi Tǐngjié) – Mariya Olehivna Muzychuk

FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament 2022–23 Pool A; Quarterfinal match game 3; Monte Carlo, October 28, 2022

Slav Defence D11

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 Bg4 5. h3 Bh5 6. Qb3 Qb6 7. cxd5. Or, analogously, 7. Qxb6 axb6 8. cxd5 Bxf3 9. gxf3 cxd5 10. Bb5+ Nc6 11. Bd2 e6 12. Ke2 Be7 13. Rc1 Kd7 14. Nc3 Rhc8 15. Na4 Bd8 16. Rc2 Ne8 17. b3 Nd6 18. Bd3 g6 19. Rac1 Ke7 20. Kd1 f5 21. Bf1 g5 22. Nc3 Kf6 23. Nb1 Be7 24. Bd3 h5 25. Be2 h4 26. Nc3 Kf7 27. Nb5 Nxb5 28. Bxb5 Ba3 29. Rb1 Nb4 30. Rxc8 Rxc8 31. Bxb4 Bxb4 32. Bd3 Kf6 33. Ke2 Ra8 34. Rb2 Rc8 35. Rc2 Rxc2+ 36. Bxc2 Bc3 37. Kf1 b5 38. Bd3 b4 39. Bb5 e5 40. dxe5+ Kxe5 41. Bd7 b6 42. Ke2 f4 43. Bc8 Kd6 44. Bg4 Ke5 45. Bc8 Kd6 46. Bg4 Ke5 47. Bc8 ½ : ½ Muradlı – Shmavonyan, 14th Poti International Chess Festival A Open, Poti 2019.
7. ... cxd5 8. Qxb6 axb6 9. Bb5+ Nfd7 10. Nc3 Bxf3 11. gxf3 e6 12. Bd2 Nc6 13. Ke2 Bd6 14. Rac1 Ke7 15. Na4 Rac8?! To say it with Bobby Fischer, “Add another to those melancholy case histories entitled ‘the wrong Rook’”.
16. Kd3 f5 17. Rhg1 g6 18. f4!? Blocking the position in order to cement her space advantage, but at the cost of making her dark-squared Bishop a “bad” Bishop.
18. ... Rhg8 19. Rc2 Rc7 20. Rcc1. Apparently 雷挺婕 (Léi Tǐngjié) has no clear ideas on how to proceed, and the suspect arises that a draw would now be welcome to her.
20. ... Kf7 21. Ke2 Rgc8 22. f3 Ncb8 23. Rxc7 Rxc7 24. Bc3 Rc8 25. Kd2 h6 26. b3 Be7 27. Nb2 g5 28. Nd3 Nc6

29. Rc1? The White Rook does not find peace, and thus doing, it ends up ceding the g-file to its Black counterpart. 29. b4! Bf6 30. a4⩲ was much more to the point.
29. ... gxf4 30. Nxf4 Rg8 31. Ke2 Ba3 32. Rd1 Bd6 33. Nd3 Rg2+ 34. Nf2 Nf6 35. Rc1? This ends up being an added trouble to an already uncomfortable (if not yet untenable) situation. She ought first to play 35. Bxc6.

35. ... f4! Suddenly White finds herself sitting on a broken chair, having to deal with a bad Bishop and weak Pawns, not to say of her Rook, vainly wandering in search of a propitious file.
36. Bd2. This may well be questionable, but 36. Bxc6 fxe3 37. Kxe3 bxc6 38. Nd3 Nh5! is also much better for Black.
36. ... fxe3 37. Bxe3 Ne7 38. Bd3 Nh5 39. Kf1 Rg3 40. Ke2 Nc6 41. Rd1 Nf4+! 42. Bxf4 Bxf4 43. Bb5 Ke7? But Muzychuk passes up her chance too. After 43. ... Nb4! 44. Nd3 (44. a4? Na2!−+) 44. ... Nxd3 45. Kxd3 (neither 45. Bxd3 nor 45. Rxd3 make any difference) 45. ... Rxh3 Black’s passed Pawn must tell in the end.
44. Bxc6! Of course White does not need to be told twice!
44. ... bxc6 45. b4. 45. a4 Bd6 46. Nd3 Rxh3 47. Rc1 Kd7 48. b4 just transposes into the game.
45. ... Bd6 46. Rc1 Kd7

47. Nd3! White, at the cost of a Pawn, makes her pieces breathe again.
47. ... Rxh3. If, instead, 47. ... Rg2+ then 48. Ke3 Rxa2 49. Rg1 hunting down the h-Pawn.
48. a4 Rh2+ 49. Ke3 Ra2 50. b5! cxb5. Or 50. ... c5 51. dxc5 bxc5 52. Nxc5+ Bxc5 53. Rxc5 Ra3+ 54. Ke2 Rxa4 55. b6 Rb4 56. Rc7+ Kd6 57. Rh7 Rxb6 58. Rxh6 with a book draw.
51. axb5 Ra5 52. Rh1 Rxb5 53. Rxh6 Rb1 54. Rh7+ Ke8 55. f4 b5 56. Rh6 Kd7 57. Rh7+ Kc6 58. Rh6 Kd7 59. Rh7+ Kc6 60. Rh6 Kd7 ½ : ½.

And in the end, it was a draw — but what a drama! — on the eve of tomorrow’s blazing afternoon. Photo: Michał Walusza/FIDE.