One More Sunday

Atousa Pourkashiyan – Alice Teresa Lee

2nd American Cup — Women’s Champions Bracket; match game 2; Saint Louis, March 18, 2023

French Defence C01

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d3 Nf6 6. d4 d5. Theoretically speaking the game has already transposed into an Exchange French.
7. Bd3 Bd6 8. 0-0 0-0 9. Bg5 h6 10. Bh4 Bg4 11. Nc3 c6 12. h3 Be6. Long, long ago in Saint Louis: 12. ... Bh5 13. g4 Bg6 14. Ne5 Bxd3 15. Qxd3 Nbd7 16. Nxd7 Qxd7 17. Bxf6 gxf6 18. f4 Rfe8 19. Rf3 Re7 20. Ne2 Rae8 21. Ng3 Re4 22. Qd2 c5 23. c3 Qe6 24. Nxe4 dxe4 25. d5 Qd7 26. Rg3 c4 27. Kg2 Bc5 28. Rd1 Qd6 29. Qe2 Qxf4 30. Rf1 Qd6 31. Qxc4 Bb6 32. Re1 Bc7 33. Ree3 Re5 34. h4 Rxd5 35. Qxe4 Rd2+ 36. Kh3 Rxb2 37. Qe8+ Kg7 38. g5 fxg5 39. hxg5 hxg5 40. Rxg5+ Kh6 41. Reg3 Qd8 42. Rg6+ Kh5 43. R3g5+ Qxg5 44. Rxg5+ Kxg5 45. Qe7+ Kg6 46. Qxc7 1 : 0 MacKenzie – Judd, Saint Louis 1881, match game 12.
If, instead, 12. ... Bxf3 then 13. Qxf3 Nbd7 14. Bf5 Qc7 15. Rae1 Rae8 16. Re3 Bf4 17. Re2 Rxe2 18. Nxe2 Bd6 19. Bxd7 Nxd7 20. Ng3 Re8 21. Nf5 Nf8 22. Bg3 Bxg3 23. fxg3 Re4 24. c3 Nh7 25. h4 h5 26. c4 Nf6 27. Nxg7 Ng4 28. Nxh5 Rxd4 29. Nf6+ Nxf6 30. Qxf6 Rxc4 31. Rf5 Rg4 32. Re5 Qc8 33. Re7 Qf8 34. Qe5 Qg7 35. Re8+ Kh7 36. Qh5+ 1 : 0 P. C. Morphy – Löwenthal, London 1858, match game 10.
13. Ne5 c5 14. Nb5 c4 15. Nxd6 Qxd6 16. Be2 Bf5 17. b3 cxb3 18. axb3 Ne4 19. Bf3 Nc6 20. Nxc6 bxc6 21. c4 Rfe8 22. Ra6 Qf4 23. Bg3 Nxg3 24. fxg3 Qxg3 25. Rxc6 dxc4

26. bxc4? Objectively speaking, White had hardly anything better than to content herself with 26. Rc5 Bd3 27. Bxa8 Bxf1 28. Qf3 Qh4 29. Bd5 Qxd4+ 30. Qf2 Qxf2+ 31. Kxf2 Bd3 32. bxc4 with a very drawish endgame. But, given the match situation, Pourkashiyan plays only for a win.
26. ... Rab8 27. Bd5. Desperately looking for tactics.
27. ... Rb1 28. Bxf7+ Kh7. More accurate seems 28. ... Kh8 as after 29. Qxb1 Bxb1 30. Rxb1 Qe3+ 31. Kh1 Qe4 there is no Bishop check on g6. But it’s no time to quibble after all, because Lee only needs a draw.
29. Qxb1 Bxb1 30. Rxb1

30. ... Rf8. 30 ... Re1+ 31. Rxe1 Qxe1+ 32. Kh2 Qe4 33. Bd5 Qxd4 was a little more ambitious.
31. Rf1 g5 32. Rcf6 Kg7 33. Rg6+ Kh7 34. Rgf6 Kg7 35. d5 Qc3 36. Rg6+ Kh7 37. Rc6 Qe3+ 38. Kh1 Qe2 39. Rcf6 Kg7 40. d6 Qe5 41. Rg6+ Kh7 42. Rgf6 Kg7 43. Rg6+ Kh7

44. Re6? White refuses the draw by repetition (44. Rgf6) and tries instead for the impossible.
44. ... Qxe6! 45. Bxe6 Rxf1+ 46. Kh2 Kg7 47. c5 Kf6 48. Bd5 Ke5 49. Bf3 Rxf3 50. gxf3 Ke6 51. h4 a5 52. Kh3 a4 53. Kg4 a3 0 : 1.