Sunday, October 30, 2022

End of the Line

Humpy Koneru – Anna Olehivna Muzychuk
FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament 2022–23 Pool A; Quarterfinal tie-break game 4; time control: 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; Monte Carlo, October 30, 2022
Tarrasch Defence D32

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c5 4. cxd5 cxd4 5. Qa4+ Bd7 6. Qxd4 exd5 7. Qxd5 Nf6 8. Qd1 Bc5 9. e3 0-0 10. Nf3 Qe7 11. Be2 Rd8 12. 0-0 Nc6 13. Qc2 Rac8 14. a3 Ne5 15. Nd4 Ng6


The diagrammed position — a basically theoretical one — was reached in the crucial fourth tie-breaker game between Koneru and Muzychuk. After three tense draws, Indian Grandmaster was the first to succumb to a nervous breakdown, tragically blundering a piece:
16. Bd2?? Bxd4 17. exd4 Qxe2 0 : 1.

It took four tie-breaker games, but in the end it is Muzychuk to move onto the semifinal against 雷挺婕 (Léi Tǐngjié). Photo: Michał Walusza/FIDE.

2 comments:

  1. [Event "44th Chess Olympiad"]
    [Site "Mamallapuram IND"]
    [Date "2022.08.01"]
    [Round "4.22"]
    [Result "1-0"]
    [White "Tristan, Leonardo"]
    [Black "Tate, Alan"]
    [ECO "D32"]
    [WhiteElo "2558"]
    [BlackElo "2313"]
    [PlyCount "50"]

    1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c5 4. cxd5 cxd4 5. Qa4+ Bd7 6. Qxd4 exd5 7. Qxd5 Nf6 8.
    Qd1 Bc5 9. Nf3 Nc6 10. e3 O-O 11. Be2 Qe7 12. a3 Rac8 13. O-O Rfd8 14. Qc2 Ne5
    15. Nd4 Ng6 16. Rd1 h5 17. b4 Bd6 18. Bb2 Ng4 19. Bxg4 Bxg4 20. Nf5 Qg5 21. Rxd6
    Bxf5 22. Rxd8+ Rxd8 23. Ne4 Qg4 24. f3 Bxe4 25. Qc3 1-0

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