A Knight’s Tale

Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk – Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina

FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament 2022–23 Pool B; Quarterfinal match game 3; Khiva, December 2, 2022

Giuoco Piano C50

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. d3 Nf6 5. Nc3 h6 6. h3 d6 7. Na4 Bb6 8. a3 Be6 9. Bxe6 fxe6 10. 0-0 0-0 11. b4 Qe8 12. c3 Kh8. But also very well playable is 12. ... Nh5 13. Nxb6 axb6 14. Be3 Nf4 15. Kh2 Qh5 16. Ng1 Qxd1 17. Rfxd1 Ra4= with equality, Tari – Anand, 10th Norway Chess, Stavanger 2022, Armageddon game (time control: 10 minutes for White and 7 minutes for Black with a 1-second increment starting at move 40).
13. Ra2 Qf7 14. Re1 Rad8 15. Nxb6 axb6 16. a4 Ne7 17. a5 Ra8 18. Qb3 bxa5 19. Rxa5. If 19. bxa5 Black would reply 19. ... Nc6 20. Qxb7 Qd7 winning back her Pawn.
19. ... Ng6 20. d4 Nd7 21. Be3 b6 22. Ra2 Rxa2 23. Qxa2 exd4 24. cxd4 Nf6 25. Qc2 Nh5 26. Rc1 Nhf4 27. Ne1 d5. “All in all, today, despite the fact that I came out of the opening kind of unsure, the game went on and my opponent didn’t seem to figure it out very well”, Goryachkina said afterwards.

28. Kh2. A move which probably has to be taken into account sooner or later, but as for now 28. e5! appears decidedly stronger: 28. ... Nh4 29. b5! (not 29. g3?? because of 29. ... Nf3+! 30. Nxf3 Nxh3+ 31. Kg2 Qxf3+ 32. Kxh3 Rf5−+ with a mating attack) 29. ... Nf5 30. Kh2 and White stands better.
28. ... dxe4 29. Qxe4 Nd5

30. Nd3. It was probably wise to settle for a peaceful outcome with 30. Rc6 Nge7 31. Rxe6 Nf6 32. Qe5 Ng6 33. Qf5 Ne7 (or 33. ... Nh4) drawing by repetition.
30. ... Qf5! 31. Qxf5 exf5. The exchange of Queens has left Black with a somewhat superior endgame due to the weakness of White’s b4- and d4-Pawns.
32. Rc6 Rf6 33. Rxf6 Nxf6 34. Bd2 Kg8 35. f3 Kf7 36. Ne5+ Nxe5 37. dxe5. Despite the fact that the Black Knight is much superior to the White Bishop, if nothing else, Kosteniuk succeeded in getting rid of one of her weaknesses.
37. ... Nd5 38. f4 Ke6 39. Kg3 Ne7 40. Kf3 Kd5 41. g4 g6

42. Be1? Strangely enough, this crucial mistake was committed just after the time control was over! 42. Kg3! was manifestly called for and would have given chances to defend.
42. ... Nc6! 43. gxf5 gxf5 44. Ke3. If the King had been on g3 instead of f3, now White would play Kg3-h4-h5, completely turning the tables.
44. ... Kc4 45. Ke2 Nd4+ 46. Ke3 Ne6 47. Bd2 Kb3 48. Ke2 Kc2 49. Ke1 c5 50. b5. Kosteniuk makes one last desperate threat (Bd2-a5), but Goryachkina is just-in-time to neutralise it.
50. ... Kd3 51. Ba5 Kc4 52. Bxb6 Kxb5 53. Ba7 Nxf4 54. Kd2 Kc4 55. Bb8 Kd5 56.h4 h5 57. Ba7 Kd4 58. Bb8 Ne6 59. Kc2 Ke3 60. Kc3 f4 61. Kc4 f3 62. Kd5 Nf4+ 0 : 1.

Today Goryachkina was lucky enough to be able to reach the type of positions which most exalt her own qualities. Photo: Eteri Kublashvili/Russian Chess Federation.