A Year Later

Nazí Nodarovna Paikidze – Alice Teresa Lee

2nd American Cup — Women’s Champions Bracket; match game 2; Saint Louis, March 20, 2023

Slav Defence D12

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 Bf5 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nh4 Bg6 7. Nxg6 hxg6 8. Bd2 Nbd7 9. Qc2 Rc8 10. c5 Be7. A relatively recent game continued 10. ... Qc7 11. g3 e5 12. f4 e4 13. Be2 g5? (13. ... Be7) 14. fxg5 Nh7 15. g6 fxg6 16. Nxe4! dxe4 17. Qxe4+ Kd8 18. Qxg6+− Fressinet – Dubov, 17th European Individual Chess Championship, Gjakova 2016.
11. g3 e5 12. 0-0-0 Ng4 13. Be1 Rxh2 14. Rxh2 Nxh2

“They say the Knight on the rim is dim... but the Knight just captured a Pawn so maybe it’s just full 😄”, one commentator from the Saint Louis Chess Club tweeted. “After 15. Be2 Black has 15. ... e4 and the Knight can get out via f3. With the Bishop pair and unclear King situation for Black, White has enough compensation”.
15. Bh3 e4 16. f4 Nf3 17. Bf2 Qa5 18. Rh1 Rc7 19. g4 b6! 20. cxb6 Nxb6 21. Bg2

21. ... Nc4. Threatening ... Be7-a3, but 21. ... c5! now seemed even more incisive.
22. Rh8+ (22. Nxe4? Rb7!)
22. ... Kd7 23. Rb8 Rc8 24. Rxc8 Kxc8 25. Bxf3? 25. Nxe4? Ne1! also wins for Black, but 25. Bf1 Nfd2 26. Be2 Bb4 was certainly a lesser evil.
25. ... exf3 26. e4 Bb4 27. Nb1 Qxa2 28. exd5 cxd5 29. f5 g5 30. f6 g6 31. Be3 Kd7 32. Bxg5

32. ... Qxb2+! 33. Qxb2 Nxb2 34. Nd2 Bxd2+ 35. Kxd2 Nc4+ 36. Ke1 Nd6 37. Bc1 Ne4 38. g5 f2+ 0 : 1.

Just like last year, Lee and eight-time U.S. Women’s Chess Champion Irina Borisivna Krush are too meet in the finals. Photo © Crystal Fuller/Saint Louis Chess Club.