Something, Somewhere

朱锦尔 (Zhū Jǐn’ěr) – Rameshbabu Vaishali
FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2022–23; 3rd stage; New Delhi, March 31, 2023
King’s Indian Defence E60

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. e3 0-0 5. Be2 c5 6. d5 e6 7. Nc3 d6 8. 0-0 Re8 9. e4 exd5 10. exd5 Ne4 11. Nxe4 Rxe4 12. Bd3 Re8 13. Bg5 Bf6 14. Qd2 Nd7 15. h4!? Just a new move in an old game:
a) 15. Qf4 Bxg5 16. Nxg5 Qf6 17. Qh4 h5 18. Qg3 Ne5 19. Ne4 Qe7 20. Bc2 Bf5 21. Rae1 Nxc4 22. Qc3 Ne5 23. f4 Nd7 24. Ng3 Qf6 25. Bxf5 gxf5 26. Nxh5 Qxc3 27. bxc3 Kh7 28. Rb1 Rab8 29. Rfe1 Rxe1+ 30. Rxe1 Kg6 31. Ng3 Nb6 32. h4 Nxd5 33. Rd1 Nxf4 34. Rxd6+ Ne6 35. h5+ Kg5 36. Rd5 Kg4 ½ : ½ Gutman – Polugaevsky, 8th Soviet Team Chess Cup, Moscow 1974;
b) 15. Rfe1 Ne5 16. h4 Nxf3+ 17. gxf3 Bd7 18. Rxe8+ Bxe8 19. Qf4 Bxg5 20. hxg5 h6 21. gxh6 Qe7 22. a3 a5 23. Rc1 Bd7 24. Rc3 Re8 25. Kg2 Qd8 26. Rb3 Bc8 27. Bc2 Re5 28. Re3 Rh5 29. Ba4 Bd7 30. Bxd7 Qxd7 31. Kf1 Qd8 32. Ke2 Rh4 33. h7+ Kg7 34. h8=B+ Rxh8 35. Re4 ½ : ½ Nakamura – Svidler, FIDE Grand Prix 2017, 2nd stage, Moscow 2017.
15... b5!? In Benkö Counter-Gambit style.
16. b3 bxc4 17. bxc4

17. ... Ba6? Black just cannot afford such digressions. 17. ... Ne5! was here in order, with a perfectly playable game.
18. Rae1 Rxe1 19. Rxe1 Bxg5 20. hxg5 Nb6? Black insists on concentrating on the Queenside.
21. Qc3. Not only Black has achieved nothing on the Queenside, but is now in serious trouble on the Kingside.
21. ... Qf8

22. Nd2! Heading for f6.
22. ... Qg7 23. Qa3 Qd4 24. Re4! Qa1+ 25. Bf1 Qd1 26. Qc3 Na4 27. Qe3 Rf8 28. Re8 Nb2

29. Ne4! Now comes the final mating attack.
29. ... Nxc4. Or 30. ... Bxc4 31. Nf6+ Kg7 32. Qe7 Qxf1+ 33. Kh2 with forced mate in four moves more.
30. Nf6+ Kg7 31. Qe7 1 : 0.

When interviewed afterwards, Vaishali couldn’t help but say that something in the opening has gone terribly wrong for her. Photo © Ismael Nieto/FIDE.