Let It Be

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – Nino Batsiashvili
2nd Women’s Chess World Cup; round of 16 match game 2; Baku, August 10, 2023
Queen’s Gambit Declined D37

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. Bf4 Bb4 6. cxd5 exd5 7. e3 Ne4 8. Qc2 g5 9. Be5 Rg8 (9. ... f6 10. Bg3 h5 11. h4!)
10. h3!? A novelty by Goryachkina. If, instead, 10. Bd3 then 10. ... Bxc3+ 11. bxc3 g4 12. Bxe4 dxe4 13. Qxe4 Qe7 14. Qxh7 Rf8 15. Nd2 Nxe5 16. dxe5 Bd7 17. Qe4 0-0-0 18. Nb3 (Osmak – Buksa, 23rd European Women’s Chess Championship, Petrovac 2023) and now 18. ... f5! 19. Qf4 Bb5! would have given Black more than enough compensation for the two Pawns.

10. ... Nb6?! Here Batsiashvili’s trouble begins. 10. ... Nxe5 11. Nxe5 Qe7 seems quite playable for Black.
11. Nd2! Nxd2? Two mistakes are enough for one day. Probably Batsiashvili was not too happy with 11. ... f6 12. Bh2 Bf5 13. Bd3 — and probably rightly so — but it was her best option.
12. Qxh7! A strong zwischenzug which demolishes Black’s defences.
12. ... Rg6 13. Kxd2 Bf5 14. g4! Be4

15. f3! Bxf3 16. Bb5+! c6

17. Raf1! cxb5. The Rook is obviously taboo because of the mate at f7.
18. Rxf3 Nc4+ 19. Ke2 Nxe5 20. Qh8+ Bf8 21. Qxe5+ Re6 22. Qxd5 b4 23. Qxb7 Be7 24. Nd5. Mission accomplished. The rest is a massacre.
24. ... Rc8 25. Rhf1 f6 26. Nxf6+ Bxf6 27. Rxf6 Rxf6 28. Rxf6 Rc2+ 29. Kd1 Qxf6 30. Qe4+ Kd8 31. Kxc2 Qd6 32. Qa8+ Ke7 33. Qxa7+ Kf6 34. Qc5 Qh2+ 35. Kb3 1 : 0.

When asked about her chances of winning first prize in the Women’s World Chess Cup, Goryachkina responded, perhaps out of superstition, “Two years ago I considered myself a greater favourite than now, so I’m just playing and whatever will be, will be”. Photo: Eteri Kublashvili/Chess Federation of Russia.