Simple But Not Easy

Verica Jovanović – Clarice Benini
Women’s Western European Zonal Tournament; Venice, July 10, 1951
French Defence C10

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Nf3 Be7 6. Bd3 Ngf6 7. 0-0 Nxe4 8. Bxe4 Nf6 9. Bd3 0-0 10. Bg5 b6 11. Bxf6 Bxf6 12. Be4 Rb8 13. Qd3 g6

14. Ne5. This is pretty insignificant, but the women of third millennium did not show much more either: 14. Rad1 Qd6 15. Rfe1 Rd8 16. Qe2 Bd7 17. c3 Bc6 18. Nd2 Bg7 19. Nc4 Qd7 20. Ne5 Bxe5 21. dxe5 Qe8 22. h4 h5 23. g3 ½ : ½ Sebag – Chiburdanidze, FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2009–11, 6th stage, Doha 2011.

14. ... Bxe5 15. dxe5 Qxd3 16. Bxd3 Bb7 17. Rad1 c5 18. c4 Rfd8 19. Bc2 Ba6 20. b3 Bb7 21. f3 Kf8 22. Rxd8+ Rxd8 23. Rd1 Rxd1+ 24. Bxd1 g5 25. Bc2 h6 26. h4 f6 27. exf6 Kf7 28. hxg5 hxg5 29. Kf2 Kxf6 30. Ke3 Ke5 31. g3 a6 32. f4+ gxf4+ 33. gxf4+ Kd6 34. Be4 Bxe4 35. Kxe4 b5?? A gross blunder which throws away a completely drawn King and Pawn ending. By simply 35. ... Kd7 Black would hold her own; for instance: 36. f5 (36. Ke5 Ke7 37. a3 a5 38. a4 Kd7 39. Kf6 Kd6=) 36. ... Ke7! 37. Ke5 exf5 38. Kxf5 Kf7 39. Ke5 Ke7 40. Kd5 Kd7 41. a3 a5 42. a4 Kc7 43. Ke6 Kc6= with a draw.

36. cxb5?? But White turns her back on fortune’s gift: 36. a4!+− bxa4 (36. ... bxc4 37. bxc4 a5 38. f5! transposes, while if 36. ... b4 then 37. a5+−) 37. bxa4 a5 38. f5!+− is an elementary win.
37. ... axb5 37. a3. If 37. a4 then 37. ... c4! 38. axb5 cxb3= with a draw in hand.
37. ... Kd7

38. Kd3 (38. Ke5 Ke7= 39. a4?? c4!−+)

38. ... Kc6 39. Kc3 Kb6 40. a4! Ka5! 41. Kd3?? Most dramatically, Jovanović misses, both now and afterwards, her only saving grace. She likely discarded 41. axb5 Kxb5 42. Kc2 Kb4 43. Kb2 c4 44. bxc4 Kxc4 45. Kc2 Kd4 because she judged lost the ending, when instead there was 46. f5!! exf5 47. Kd2 forcing the draw.

41. ... c4+?? Once again Benini overlooked a relatively “easy” win (41. ... bxa4 42. bxa4 Kb4!−+), but she is lucky enough that her opponent does not know it.
42. bxc4 bxa4 43. Kc3 a3 44. Kb3 a2 45. Kxa2 Kb4 0 : 1 (??). And White resigns, just when she was so close to saving herself, transposing to the variation given after White’s 41st move: 46. Kb2 Kxc4 47. Kc2 Kd4 48. f5!! exf5 49. Kd2 with a draw.