Silk and Empire

Valentina Evgenyevna Gunina – 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn)

9th Women’s World Blitz Chess Championship; time control: 3 minutes plus 2 seconds per move; Samarkand, December 30, 2023

Semi-Tarrasch Defence D41

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 cxd4 6. Qxd4 exd5 7. Bg5 Be7 8. e3 0-0 9. Rd1 Nc6 10. Qa4 Qb6 11. Bb5. Gunina has her word in the theoretical debate. 11. Bxf6 Bxf6 12. Nxd5 Qxb2 13. Bd3 is similar and also good: 13. ... Nb4 14. Nxf6+ gxf6 15. 0-0 Nxd3 16. Rxd3 Be6 17. Rd2 Qc3 18. Rfd1 Qc4 19. Qa3 with White standing better, V. Ivić – Budisavljević, 15th Serbian Chess Championship, Stara Planina 2021.
11. ... a6 12. Bd3 Qxb2 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Nxd5 Ne7? This allows White to take the offensive. 14. ... b5! 15. Qe4 Bc3+ was a much better solution, for after 16. Kf1?! g6 17. Ne7+ Nxe7 18. Qxa8 Rd8! Black gets the best of it.

15. Rb1! Bc3+ 16. Kf1 Qxb1+ 17. Bxb1 Nxd5 18. Ng5. Very strong is also 18. Qc2 (threatening both Qc2xh7# and e3-e4) 18. ... Rd8 19. Qxh7+ Kf8 20. h3 further consolidating her advantage.
18. ... h6 19. Ne4. 19. Bh7+ Kh8 20. h4! f6 21. Qe4 fxg5 22. hxg5 is the engine line with a strong attack for White.
19. ... Be5 20. h3 Be6 21. g3 Rac8 22. Kg2 Rc4 23. Qd1 b5 24. Qh5 Bb8 25. Rd1 Ne7

26. Qe2. 26. Ng5! Bf5 27. Rd8! hxg5 28. Rxf8+ Kxf8 29. Qh8+ Ng8 30. Bxf5 should win for White.
26. ... Bd5 27. f3 Rfc8 28. Nf2 Be6 29. g4 Ba7 30. Qd3 g6 31. Qd6 Nc6? Best seems 31. ... Bc5! 32. Qxa6 Rb8 (Δ ... Rc4-a4) 33. Nd3 Ra4 34. Nxc5 Rxa6 35. Nxa6 leaving White with only a (likely meaningless) Pawn ahead.
32. Ne4? (32. f4)
32. ... Rd8

33. Qf4? Objectively speaking, White should have played to draw by 33. Qa3! Rxd1 34. Nf6+ Kg7 35. Ne8+ with perpetual check, but, as often happens with such formats and time controls, a wrong move turns out to be the best one.
33. ... g5?? Apparently, 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) rejected 33. ... Rxd1 by reason of 34. Qxh6, without noticing that 34. ... Rxe4! 35. Bxe4 Ne5 would have neutralised all White’s threats, leaving her with an overwhelming superiority. Now, instead, White forces mate:
34. Nf6+ Kf8. Or 34. ... Kg7 25. Nh5+ Kg8 36. Rxd8+ Nxd8 37. Qf6 with mate in two moves.
35. Rxd8+ Nxd8 36. Qd6+ Kg7 37. Nh5+ 1 : 0.

Not unsurprisingly, in Samarkand, Russia celebrated its passage to Asian hands in the most gratifying way. Photo: Anastasia Korolkova/FIDE.