Trickle Down Effect

Sanan Vyacheslavovich Sjugirov – 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn)
6th Sharjah Masters International Chess Championship; Sharjah, May 22, 2023
Spanish Game C65

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. 0-0 Nd7 7. h3 0-0 8. Be3 Bd6 9. Nfd2!? It’s just a bit of an eccentric novelty. Most usual is 8. Nbd2 Nd7 9. Nc4 f6 10. Be3 Bf8 11. Nfd2 Nc5 12. f4 exf4 13. Bxf4 b5 14. Na5 Qd4+ 15. Kh1 Ne6 16. Ndb3 Qxb2 17. Bc1 Qe5 18. Nxc6 Qc3 19. Nca5 Qe5 20. Rf5 Qg3 21. Rf3 Qh4 22. Be3 c5 23. Nd2 Bd6 24. Qe1 Qxe1+ 25. Rxe1 Bd7 26. Rb1 Rac8 27. Rff1 a6 28. Nf3 Rc7 29. Kg1 Nf4 30. Kf2 c4 31. dxc4 Bc5 32. Bxc5 Rxc5 33. Rfd1 Be6 34. cxb5 Rxc2+ 35. Rd2 Rxd2+ 36. Nxd2 axb5 37. Rxb5 Bxa2 38. Nc6 h6 39. Rb8 Rxb8 40. Nxb8 Nd3+ ½ : ½ 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Naiditsch, 3rd Chess World Cup, Khanty-Mansiysk 2009, match game 1.
9. ... Nc5 10. Nc4 Ne6 11. a4 f6 12. Nc3 b6 13. Ne2 c5 14. Kh1 Bd7 15. b3 a6 16. Bd2 b5 17. Ne3 g6 18. axb5 axb5 19. Rxa8 Qxa8 20. Nd5 f5

21. f3 f4 22. b4 Qa3 (22. ... cxb4! 23. Bxb4 c5)
23. bxc5 Bxc5 24. c3 Bd6 25. d4

25. ... Bc6? (25. ... c6!? 26. Bc1 Qa7 27. dxe5 Bxe5 28. Nb4 Rd8 29. Nd3 Bc8)
26. Bc1 Qa8 27. Qb3 Kh8 28. Nb4 Bd7 29. dxe5 Bxe5 30. Nd3 Bg7 31. Nexf4 c5 32. Nxe6 c4 33. Qb4 Bxe6 34. Nf4 Bd7 35. Be3 Rf7 36. Nd5 Bc6 37. Qc5 Bxd5? (37. ... Bf8 38. Qd4+ Bg7 39. Qd2 Rd7 40. Rd1)
38. exd5 Rf5 39. Rd1 Qa4 40. Re1 Qa8 41. Bd4! Rxd5

42. Qa7! 1 : 0. Black cannot avoid mate.

After a roaring start, 17th Women’s World Chess Champion 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) suffered two losses in a row. Photo: Niklesh Jain/ChessBase India.