Family Matters

Umut Ata Akbaş – Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina
23rd European Individual Chess Championship; Vrnjačka Banja, March 12, 2023
Slav Defence D17

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. Ne5 e6 7. f3 Bb4 8. Nxc4 0-0 9. Kf2. Sic et simpliciter: White unpins and prepares e2-e4.

9. ... Nd5. Goryachkina is not in the mood for anything adventurous such as 9. ... e5!? 10. Nxe5 Bc2! 11. Qd2 c5 12. d5! Bb3 13. e4 Re8 14. Qf4 c4!? 15. Nxc4 Nbd7! with an explosive situation where everything can happen, 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) – Caruana, Candidates Tournament 2020, Yekaterinburg 2020. In a happier recent past, she preferred, instead, 9. ... c5 10. e4 Bg6 11. Na2 Nc6 12. Nxb4 Nxb4 13. Qb3 Nxe4+ 14. fxe4 Bxe4 15. Bd2 Nc2 16. Rc1 Nxd4 17. Qd1 (17. Qg3 might be more promising) 17. ... b6 18. h4 Qd5 19. h5 Rad8 20. Rh3 Qf5+ 21. Kg1 Bc2 22. Rxc2 Qxc2 23. Qe1 h6 24. Bxh6 gxh6 25. Bd3 Nf3+ 26. Rxf3 Rxd3 27. Qg3+ Kh7 28. Rxd3 Qxc4 29. Rd7 Qc1+ 30. Kh2 Qg5 (30. ... Qxb2?? 31. Qg6+!+−) 31. Qf3 (31. Qxg5 hxg5 32. Rxa7 should draw) 31. ... Qe5+ 32. Kh1 Kg7 33. b3 a6 34. Qg4+ Kh8 35. Qf3 Kg8 36. Rb7 Qe1+ 37. Kh2 Qh4+ 38. Kg1 Qd4+ 39. Kh1 b5 40. axb5 axb5 41. Rxb5 Rd8 42. Qg3+ Kf8 43. Kh2 Qd5 44. Qc3 Qxh5+ 45. Kg1 Rd1+ 46. Kf2 Qf5+ 47. Ke3 Qg5+ 48. Ke2 Qxg2+ 49. Kxd1 Qf1+ 50. Kc2 Qxb5 51. Qh8+ Ke7 52. Qxh6 Qe2+ 53. Kc3 Qe1+ 54. Kb2 Qe5+ 55. Ka2 Qd5 56. Qh4+ Ke8 57. Qh8+ Kd7 58. Qg7 Qd2+ 59. Ka3 Qc1+ 60. Ka2 Qf4 61. Qf8 c4 62. bxc4 Qxc4+ 63. Kb2 e5 64. Qb8 Qd4+ 65. Ka2 Qd5+ 66. Ka1 e4 67. Qa7+ Ke6 68. Qb6+ Ke5 69. Qc7+ Kf5 70. Qc8+ Qe6 0 : 1 Vega Gutiérrez – Goryachkina, 13th European Women’s Team Chess Championship, Batumi 2019.
10. Na2 b5

11. Nxb4 Nxb4. A well-motivated reply, since after 11. ... bxc4 12. Na2! c5 13. e4 cxd4 14. Bxc4 Nb6 15. Be2 Bg6 16. a5 Nc8 17. Nb4 Ne7 18. h4 h5?! (18. ... f5) 19. Nd3 Nbc6 20. Bf4 Nxa5?! (20. ... f5) 21. Qa4 Nac6 22. b4 e5?! (22. ... f5) 23. b5! exf4 24. bxc6 Qd6 25. Rhc1 Rfc8 26. Qb4 Qd8 27. Ra6! White obtained a crushing advantage in Antón Guijarro – Hovhannisyan, 1st FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament, Santon 2019.
12. Na3 e5 13. e4 Be6

14. Be3. 14. Qd2!? is also answered by 14. ... Qe7! 15. dxe5 Rd8 16. Qg5 Qf8! with dynamic equality.
14. ... Qe7! 15. dxe5 Rd8 16. Qc1 Nd7 17. Nc2 Nxe5 18. Nxb4 Qxb4 19. Qc3 Qxc3 20. bxc3 bxa4 21. Bd4 f6 22. Rxa4 a5 23. f4 Nd7 24. c4 Rdb8 25. Be2 c5 26. Bc3 Nb6 27. Rxa5 Rxa5 28. Bxa5 Nxc4 29. Bxc4 ½ : ½. It was another colourless and uninspired day for Goryachkina, who at least can take comfort at the thought that her younger (and much lower-rated) sister, Oksana Yuryevna Goryachkina, so far scored the same points as her.