No Parachute

Irina Borisivna Krush – 艾丽斯·李 (Alice Lee)

2nd American Cup — Women’s Champions Bracket; match game 1; Saint Louis, March 24, 2023

English Opening A22

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 e4 4. Ng5 c6!? “Alice Lee bringing some interesting prep to the game with 4. ... c6 😱”, one commentator from the Saint Louis Chess Club tweeted. “The idea is that when Irina captures the d4 Pawn, ... d7-d5 comes with a tempo, and Black will have more space and activity... or so Alice hopes”.
5. Ngxe4 Nxe4 6. Nxe4 d5 7. cxd5 cxd5 8. Ng3 h5 9. e3 (9. h4 Bg4!)
9. ... h4 10. Bb5+. The alternative is 10. Ne2 Nc6 11. d4 Qf6 “when despite the closed nature of the position, it is not so easy for White to consolidate and complete development”, Grandmaster Max Illingworth writes. “This was demonstrated in a couple of Aronian – Praggnanandhaa games in the [...] 2022 FTX Crpyto Cup, where Pragg scored 1½/2 by playing 12. ... Qg6 (even as a theoretical novelty after 12. Nc3) to keep the White King in the centre⁣⁣”.
10. ... Nc6 11. Ne2 Bd6 (11. ... h3 12. g3 a6 13. Bxc6+ bxc6 14. Qa4 Qf6 15. Qf4 Qe6 16. Nd4 Qg6 17. Qe5+ Be7 18. b4 Bd7 19. Bb2 Kd8 20. f4 Qg4 21. f5 Bxb4 22. Rf1 Re8 23. Ne6+ fxe6 24. Rf4 exf5 25. Rxg4 Rxe5 26. Rxb4 Re4 27. Bd4 c5 28. Bxc5 Rxb4 29. Bxb4 Bb5 30. Bc3 g6 31. Rb1 Kd7 32. Rb4 g5 33. a4 Bc6 34. Kf2 a5 35. Rb1 Bxa4 36. Ra1 Bc2 37. Rxa5 Rxa5 38. Bxa5 g4 39. d4 Ke6 40. Bc7 Be4 ½ : ½ Nyzhnyk – Sevian, 4th Spring Chess Classic—A, Saint Louis 2022)
12. 0-0 Qf6 13. f3 Bd7 (13. ... a6!?)
14. d4 0-0-0 15. Bd2 Bc7 16. Bd3 Qd6 17. f4 g5. Will White guess what her opponent is looking for?
18. Qb3 Rhg8 19. Kh1 g4 20. Rfc1

20. ... Qf6?! Black sacrifices a second Pawn in the hope of gaining an attack upon White’s King.
21. Qxd5 g3?! This is the corollary of the previous move, but Krush’s cool defence proves convincing enough.
22. Qf3. Not 22. h3? by reason of 22. ... Bxh3! 23. Rxc6! bxc6 24. Ba6+ Kb8 25. Qb3+ Bb6 26. gxh3 Qf5 27. Kg2 Qe4+ 28. Kg1 Qf5 with a draw by repetition.
22. ... Bg4 23. Qf1

23. ... Bxe2?? Such an absurd move, by which she deprives herself of a good attacking piece, leaving her opponent in complete command of the light squares. If nothing else, after 23. ... Kb8 24. Be4! gxh2 25. Bf3 Qh6 Black might still hope to make something out of it.
24. Bxe2 h3 25. Bf3! Lee might have overlooked this move.
25. ... hxg2+ 26. Bxg2 gxh2

27. Qf3! That’s all. Now White has an irresistible attack, while Black has no capacity to carry out any threat against the adverse King, which found its safest shelter behind the h2-Pawn. The rest is a massacre.
27. ... Rg6 28. Rc2 Rdg8 29. Be1 Kb8 30. Rac1 Qf5 31. b4 Bd6 32. a4 f6 33. b5 Ba3 34. bxc6 Rxg2 35. Rxg2 Rxg2 36. c7+! Kc8 37. Qxg2 Bxc1 38. Qg8+ Kxc7 39. Qc4+ Kd7 40. Qxc1 Qh3 41. Bd2 Qf3+ 42. Kxh2 Qf2+ 43. Kh1 Qf3+ 44. Kg1 Qg3+ 45. Kf1 Qf3+ 46. Ke1 f5 47. Qc4 Qg3+ 48. Kd1 1 : 0.

Lee was defeated in a bold attempt to catch by surprise and attack her expert opponent. Photo © Austin Fuller/Saint Louis Chess Club.