Counting with an Abacus

Marius Fromm – Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina
23rd European Individual Chess Championship; Vrnjačka Banja, March 6, 2023
Spanish Game C67

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6. Now this is not the most ambitious thing that one could think of doing. But apparently Goryachkina’s mentors compelled her to be content with less in order to avoid confrontations with higher-rated opponents. Time will say whether or not they are right.
4. 0-0 Nxe4 5. Re1 Nd6 6. Nxe5 Be7 7. Bf1 Nxe5 8. Rxe5 0-0 9. d4 Bf6 10. Re1 Re8

11. Bf4. Theory prioritises 11. c3, even if the difference may not always be so obvious to discern: 11. ... Rxe1 12. Qxe1 Ne8 13. a4 (Caruana suggests here 13. d5!? — it’s interesting!) 13. ... d5 14. a5 Nd6 15. Bf4 Bf5 16. Nd2 Bg5 17. Qe3 h6 18. a6 b6 19. Re1 Bxf4 20. Qxf4 Qg5 21. Qxg5 hxg5 22. c4 dxc4 23. Nxc4 Nxc4 24. Bxc4 Kf8 25. Re5 g6 26. f3 Rd8 27. d5 Re8 28. Rxe8+ Kxe8 29. Kf2 Ke7 30. Ke3 Kd6 31. Kd4 Bd7 32. g3 f5 33. Bd3 Be8 34. f4 g4 35. b4 Bd7 36. Bc4 Be8 37. Bf1 Ba4 38. Bc4 Be8 39. Bd3 Bd7 40. Bc4 Be8 ½ : ½ 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Goryachkina, 2nd Online Chess Olympiad Playoff, China – Russia, chess.com, September 14, 2021, Semifinal match game 1 (time control: 15 minutes plus 5 seconds per move).
11. ... Rxe1 12. Qxe1 Ne8 (12. ... Bxd4 13. c3 Bf6 14. Bxd6 cxd6 15. Na3 d5 16. Nb5⩲)

13. c3 d5 14. Nd2 Bf5 15. Qe3 h6 16. Qg3. Likewise, Black’s defence proved its soundness after 16. Re1 c6 17. Qg3 Bg6 18. Nf3 Qb6 19. b4 a5 20. a3 axb4 21. axb4 Qd8 22. Ne5 Bxe5 23. dxe5 Kh7 24. Bd3 Nc7 25. Bc1 Bxd3 26. Qxd3+ Kg8 27. f4 Qh4 28. Rf1 Ra2 29. h3 Ne6 30. c4 dxc4 31. Qxc4 Ra8 32. Kh2 Nc7 33. Qd4 Qd8 34. Rd1 Qd5 35. Rd2 Qxd4 36. Rxd4 Nd5 37. b5 Ra2 38. bxc6 bxc6 39. Rc4 Ne7 40. Kg1 h5 41. g4 hxg4 42. hxg4 Kf8 43. f5 Ke8 44. Bg5 Re2 45. f6 Rxe5 46. Bf4 gxf6 47. Bxe5 fxe5 48. Rc5 f6 49. g5 Kf7 50. Kf2 Ke6 51. gxf6 Kxf6 ½ : ½ So – Aronian, 40th Chess Olympiad, Istanbul 2012.
16. ... Bh4 17. Qf3 Bg6 18. Re1 c6 19. g3 Bg5 20. h4 Bxf4 21. Qxf4 Qf6 22. Qxf6 Nxf6 23. Re7

23. ... Rb8 24. Bh3 Kf8 25. Re3 Re8 26. Rxe8+ ½ : ½.