Wednesday, December 27, 2023

Halfway the Silk Road

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova
9th Women’s World Rapid Chess Championship; time control: 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; Samarkand, December 27, 2023
Queen’s Gambit Declined D38

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. Qa4+ Nc6 8. e3 0-0 9. Be2 dxc4 10. 0-0 a6 11. Bxc4 Bxc3 12. bxc3 e5. It can be interesting to note that, eleven years ago, as Black, Goryachkina preferred a more prudent course: 12. ... Bd7 13. Bd3 Rfe8 14. Rab1 b5 15. Qc2 Qe7 16. Bh7+ Kh8 17. Be4 Rab8 18. Qe2 Na5 19. Ne5 Kg8 20. f4 c5 21. dxc5 Rbc8 22. Rbd1 Bc6 23. Nxc6 Nxc6 24. Rd6 Nb8 25. Qh5 Nd7 26. Bc6 Nf6 27. Qf3 Rf8 28. e4 Ne8 29. Bxe8 Rfxe8 30. Qf2 Qc7 31. Rxa6 Qxc5 32. Qxc5 Rxc5 33. Rf3 Rec8 34. Ra3 Rd8 35. Rb3 Rd1+ 36. Rf1 Rd2 37. Rf2 Rd1+ 38. Rf1 Rd2 39. Rf2 Rd1+ 40. Rf1 ½ : ½ Girya – Goryachkina, 2012 Russian Women’s Cup Final, Khanty-Mansiysk 2012.
13. Bd5 Bd7 14. Qa3 Qg6 15. dxe5 Rfe8 16. Qb3 Rab8


17. Nh4 Qh5 18. f4 Ne7. If 18. ... Qxh4 then 19. Bxf7+ Kh8 20. Bxe8 Bxe8 21. Rad1 with an unbalanced game (Rook and two Pawns against Bishop and Knight) where White has perhaps slightly better chances due to her Pawn preponderance.
19. Nf3 Nxd5 20. Qxd5 Bc6 21. Qb3 Qg6 22. Rf2 Rbd8 23. Nd4 Qe4. The alternative was 23. ... Be4 24. Qc4 Rd7 with strong play on the light squares.
24. c4 Bd7 25. c5! Bc6. On second thought.
26. Raf1 Rd5 27. Qc3 Red8 28. Rf3 Bb5 29. Re1. In hindsight, it would seem that the Rook would be better placed at c1.


29. ... Bc4?! Very interesting was 29. ... b6! 30. cxb6 c5!⇄ with wild play and chances for dynamic equilibrium.
30. Rg3! 30. Qxc4 Rxd4 is the tactical justification for Black’s 29th move.
30. ... Kh8? A grave error that puts Black on the ropes. Also unadvisable is 30. ... Rxc5?! because of 31. e6! g6 32. exf7+ Kxf7 33. Nf3! followed by the jump to e5. The best defence seems to be 30. ... R8d7, for after 31. Qxc4 Rxd4 32. Qe2 Rd2 33. Qg4 g6 34. h4⩲ White’s initiative is not easily transformable into more tangible advantages.
31. Qxc4 Rxd4 32. Qxf7. As a consequence of Black’s erroneous 30th move, the f7-Pawn has fallen.
32. ... R4d7 33. Qg6 Qb4. With two Pawns less, and no compensation, Black obviously cannot afford to exchange Queens.
34. Rf1 Qxc5 35. e6 Re7 36. f5 Qc2 37. Qh5 Rf8. 37. ... Qc5 38. Qg6 Qc2 39. Qg4 ends in the same way as the game.


38. f6 Rxf6 39. Rxf6 gxf6 40. Qxh6+ 1 : 0.

Goryachkina has to wait until tomorrow to know whether here her nobility shall be manifest. Photo: Eteri Kublashvili/Chess Federation of Russia.

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