The Three Weeks

居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) – 雷挺婕 (Léi Tǐngjié)

Women’s World Chess Championship 2023; match game 12; 重庆 (Chóngqìng), July 22, 2023

Queen’s Pawn Game D04

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 c5 4. dxc5 e6 5. b4 a5 6. c3 axb4 7. cxb4 b6 8. Bb5+. As Irving Chernev noted in his book “The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played: 62 Masterpieces of Chess Strategy”, Dover Publications, New York, 1965, p. 34, “if White continues stubbornly by 8. Ba3, then 8. ... bxc5 9. bxc5 Rxa3 10. Nxa3 Qa5+, and Black wins two pieces for a Rook”.
8. ... Bd7 9. Bxd7+ Nbxd7 10. a4 bxc5 11. b5 Qc7 12. Bb2 Bd6 13. 0-0 0-0 (13. ... g5!?)
14. Nbd2 Rfc8 15. Qc2 c4?! (15. ... e5! 16. e4 c4 17. Rfc1 Bb4=)
16. Bc3 Nc5 17. a5 Nb3

18. Bxf6?! (18. Ra2!⩲/±)
18. ... Nxa1 19. Bxa1 Qxa5 20. Qc3 Qxc3 (20. ... Bf8! 21. Rb1 f6)
21. Bxc3 Rcb8 22. Nd4 e5?! (22. ... Bc5! 23. Rb1 Ra3 24. Ne2 f6 25. Kf1 e5 26. Ke1 Kf7⩱)
23. Nf5 Bf8 24. Bxe5 Rxb5

25. g4!? (25. Bc3!?)
25. ... g6 26. Nd4 Rb2? (26. ... Rb6! 27. g5 Bg7 28. N2f3⩲)
27. Nb1! (Δ Nb1-c3)
27. ... Bg7?! If nothing else, the exchange of a pair of Rooks with 27. ... Ra1 28. Nc3 Rxf1+ 29. Kxf1 Bg7 30. Bxg7 Kxg7 31. Nxd5 just makes things more complicated for White.
28. Bxg7 Kxg7 29. Nc3 Ra5 30. Rd1 Rb6 31. Nde2 32. Kg2 (32. Nxd5 Rd3!)
32. ... h6 33. Kf3 f6 34. Rc1 Kf7 35. Nf4 d4 36. exd4 g5 37. Nfe2 f5 38. gxf5 Rxf5+ 39. Ke3 g4 40. Nf4 Rb8

Finally the time control was reached and 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) can show off all her technique and coolness.
41. d5 Rf6 42. Rc2 Ra8 43. Nb5 Rb6 44. Nd4 Ra3+ 45. Ke4 c3 46. Nfe2 Rb2 47. Kd3 Rb1 48. Nxc3 Rh1 49. f3 gxf3 50. Nxf3 Rf1 51. Nd4 Ke7 52. Kc4 Rf4 53. Rb2 Rh4 54. Rb7+ Kf6 55. Rb2 Ra8 56. Kc5 Rh3 57. Ncb5 Re3 58. d6 Ke5 59. Nc6+ Ke4 60. d7 Rd3 61. Nd6+ Kf4 62. Rb8 1 : 0.

A victory that was worth waiting nearly three weeks for, as 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) finally succeeded in equalling the record set by her fellow compatriot 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), both having won the world title four times. Photo: Stev Bonhage/FIDE.