Crazy Wild

谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí) – Anna Olehivna Muzychuk
Women’s Candidates Tournament 2024; Toronto, April 10, 2024
Queen’s Pawn Game D05

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 e6 4. Bd3 c5 5. b3. The Rubinstein Attack.
5. ... Nc6 6. 0-0 b6 7. Bb2 Bb7 8. Nbd2 Rc8. Another way is 8. ... Be7 9. c4 0-0 10. Rc1 Rc8 11. Qe2 Nd7 12. Rfd1 Bf6 13. Nf1 g6 14. Bb1 Qe7 15. Ng3 Rfd8 16. e4 Nxd4 17. Nxd4 cxd4 18. exd5 exd5 19. Qxe7 Bxe7 20. cxd5 Bxd5 21. Bxd4 ½–½ A. K. Rubinstein – Leonhardt, International Chess Tournament, Karlsbad 1907.
9. a3 Be7 10. Ne5 cxd4 11. exd4

11. ... Nxe5?! Sounder is 11. ... 0-0 12. f4 Nxe5 (12. ... Qc7 13. c3 Ne8 14. Qe2 Bd6 15. Rae1 Qe7 16. b4 a5 17. Rf3 Nd8? 18. Bxh7+! gave White an irresistible attack, Najdorf – Rossetto, 5th International Chess Tournament, Mar del Plata 1942) 13. fxe5 Ne4 14. Qe2 Qc7 transposing in Blake – Michell, 35th City of London Club Championship, London 1925.
12. dxe5 Nd7?! 12. ... Ne4! was imperatively called for.
13. Qg4 g6 14. b4 a5 15. Nf3 0-0 16. Rae1 axb4 17. axb4 Ra8

18. h4! 18. Ra1! first, followed by h2-h4, is also, paradoxically, very strong.
18. ... Ra4 19. h5 Rxb4 20. Nd4 g5. What else?
21. Bc3 Ra4 22. f4 Qc8 23. Bb2 Nc5 24. f5 exf5. If 24. ... h6 then 25. f6! Bd8 26. Bc1! forcing Black to give up at least an Exchange to avoid the worst.
25. Bxf5 Qd8?⊕ (25. ... Qe8 26. e6 f6 27. Re3)
26. h6 (26. e6! f6 27. Bxh7+! Kxh7 28. Qf5+ Kh8 29. Qg6+−)
26. ... Bc8 27. e6 f6 (27. ... fxe6 28. Rxe6!+−)
28. Bxh7+ Kxh7 29. Qf5+ Kh8 (29. ... Kxh6 30. Qh3+ Kg6 31. Nf5+−)
30. Nc6 Qe8 31. Qxg5 Rg8

32. Rxf6?? A miscalculation. Right was 32. Bxf6+! Bxf6 33. Qxf6+ Kh7 34. Qf7+ Qxf7 35. exf7 Rf8 36. Re8 Nd7 (36. ... Ne6 37. Nd8+−) 37. Ne5+− winning.
32. ... Bxf6 33. Qxf6+ Kh7 34. Ne7 Re4??⊕ (34. ... Bxe6! 35. Nxg8 Qxg8 36. Qe7+ Qf7 37. Rxe6 Qxe7 38. Rxe7+ Kxh6=)
35. Rxe4 Nxe4 36. Nxg8 Qxg8 37. Qf7+ 1–0.

Crazy and wild, wilder and crazier. Photo: Michał Walusza/FIDE.