Thursday, October 5, 2023

Backward to Forward

Volodar Arturovich Murzin – Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina
76th Russian Chess Championship Superfinal; Saint Petersburg, October 5, 2023
Slav Defence D16

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 e6 6. e3 c5 7. Bxc4 cxd4 8. exd4 Nc6 9. 0-0 Be7 10. Qe2 0-0 11. Be3 b6 12. Rad1 Nb4 13. Ne5 Bb7 14. f4 Ne4 15. f5 exf5 16. Qh5


Nihil sub sole novum.
16. ... Bd5! Goryachkina has studied her matter. Just two years earlier, she took the wrong way: 16. ... Nd5? 17. Nxe4 g6 (17. ... fxe4 18. Rxf7+−) 18. Qh6 fxe4 19. Nxf7! with a breakthrough attack, Cheparinov – Goryachkina, 2nd FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament, Riga 2021.
17. Nxd5 Nxd5


18. Bh6! gxh6 19. Qxf5 Ndf6


20. Nxf7! Rxf7 21. Bxf7+ Kg7! Not 21. ... Kxf7? because of 22. Qxe4 Kg7 23. Qe6 with crushing effect.
22. Be6 Qd6 23. Rfe1 Rf8 24. Rxe4 Nxe4 25. Qxe4 Rf4 26. Qd5 Qxd5 ½ : ½.

After some lively skirmishing, Goryachkina managed to hold her opponent to a draw. Photo: Vladimir Leonidovich Barsky/Chess Federation of Russia.

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