She Too

居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) – Polina Sergeevna Shuvalova

6th Online Women’s Speed Chess Championship “Julius Bär” Main Event; Final match game 1; time control: 5 minutes plus 1 second per move; chess.com, September 5, 2024

Semi-Tarrasch Defence D41

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 c5 7. Nf3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 0-0 11. Bc4 b6 12. d5 Ba6 13. Bxa6 Nxa6 14. d6 Nc5 15. e5 f6

16. exf6. If 16. 0-0 then 16. ... Rf7 17. Rad1 Rc8 18. Qe3 Rd7 19. exf6 gxf6 20. Nd4 Qe8 21. Rfe1 Qf7 22. h4 Re8 23. Rd2 Kh8 24. Nc6 Qg7 25. Ne7 Red8 26. Red1 Qf7 27. Rd4 e5 28. R4d2 Qe6 29. Qf3 e4 30. Qf5 Qxf5 31. Nxf5 Kg8 32. g4 Kf7 33. h5 Ke6 34. Rd4 Rg8 35. f3 Rgd8 36. Kg2 exf3+ 37. Kxf3 Nb7 38. Re1+ Kf7 39. Rde4 Nxd6 40. Re7+ Kf8 41. Rxd7 ½–½ Kortschnoi – Mecking, 47th Hastings International Chess Congress, Hastings 1972.
16. ... Qxf6 17. 0-0 Rad8 18. Rad1 Rd7 19. Rfe1 Rfd8 20. Ne5 Rxd6 21. Qxd6 Rxd6 22. Rxd6 h6

23. h3!? And finally, here is the novelty! Yet nothing is so new under the sun: 23. Rd4 Kh7 24. h4 g6 25. g3 g5 26. hxg5 hxg5 27. Kg2 Qf5 28. Nf3 Kh6 29. Re5 Qc2 30. Nxg5 Qxa2? (30. ... Kg6! 31. Rd6 Kf6 32. Nf3 Qxa2 33. Re3) 31. Nf3 Qc2 32. Rh4+ Kg6 33. Rf4 1–0 C. Horváth – Pčola, 17th Mitropa Cup, Montecatini Terme 1997.
23. ... Kh7 24. Rd4 Qf5 25. Re2 b5 26. g4 Qb1+ 27. Kg2 a5 28. h4 g5. Otherwise there follows h4-h5, Ne5-g6, and Rd4-d8-h8#.
29. hxg5 hxg5 30. Nf3

30. ... Kg6? Unlike the game mentioned in the note above, here Black’s fate is sealed by an erroneous King move, in an attempt to get closer to the sensible area. Instead, correct was 30. ... Kh6! 31. Re5 Qc2 32. Rxg5 (32. Rd6 Qc4=) 32. ... Nd3 33. Rh5+ Kg7 34. Rd7+ Kg6 35. Rd8+ Kg7 36. Rd7+ with a draw by perpetual check.
31. Re5 Nd3. Or 31. ... Qc1 32. Rd6 with decisive gains.
32. Rxe6+ Kf7. A kind of help-mate, but 32. ... Kg7 33. Nxg5 also gives no hope.
33. Nxg5+ Kf8 34. Rd8+ Kg7 35.Rd7+ Kf8 36. Rf7+ Kg8 37. Re8# 1–0.

Once again, 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) followed in the footsteps of her most illustrious peer 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), finally winning the coveted Women’s Speed Chess Champion Crown. Screenshot from the live stream.