Caught in a Flash

Rameshbabu Vaishali – Nurgyul Salimova
Women’s Candidates Tournament 2024; Toronto, April 6, 2024
Russian Defence C42

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Nc3 Nxc3 6. dxc3 Be7 7. Be3 0-0 8. Qd2 Nd7 9. 0-0-0 Nf6

10. Bd4!?TN Bd7 11. h4 Re8 12. Ng5 h6

13. Bd3 Ng4 (13. ... hxg5?! 14. hxg5→)

14. Nxf7! Kxf7 15. Bc4+ Kf8 16. Qd3 Bg5+? (16. ... Bf6 17. Qh7 Be6 18. Bxe6 Rxe6 19. Qf5 Nxf2 20. Qxe6 Nxd1 21. Rxd1 Qe7 22. Qb3)
17. Kb1?! (17. hxg5 Qxg5+ 18. Kb1 Nf6 19. g4!+−)
17. ... Ne5?? (17. ... Bf6)
18. Bxe5 Bf6 19. Bxd6+ cxd6 20. Qxd6+ Qe7 21. Qxd7 Qxd7 22. Rxd7 Re4 23. Bd5 Re2 24. Rf7+ Ke8 25. Rxb7 Rd8 26. Bc4 Red2 27. Re1+ Kf8 28. Kc1 R2d7 29. Rxd7 Rxd7 30. g3 Be7 31. h5 Bc5 32. Re5 Bb6 33. a4 1–0.

By a flash of inspiration Vaishali bet on the destabilising power of an intuitive sacrifice. Photo: Michał Walusza/FIDE.