A Matter of Time

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – Bat-Erdene Mungunzul

13th Women’s World Rapid Chess Championship; time control: 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; Doha, December 28, 2025

Pirc Defence B07

1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Be3 a6 5. Nf3 b5? Sounder is 5. ... Bg7 6. Qd2 0-0 7. Bh6 b5 8. Bd3 Nc6 9. Bxg7 Kxg7 as after 10. e5 dxe5 11. dxe5 Ng4 12. 0-0-0 b4 13. Rhe1 Rb8 14. Na4 Qd5 15. b3 Ncxe5 16. Nxe5 Nxe5 17. Bf1 Qxd2+ 18. Rxd2 Nc6 19. Rd5 White should regain the Pawn with a minimal advantage, Goryachkina – E. Pähtz, FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2019–21, 2nd stage, Monte Carlo 2019.
6. e5 Ng4 7. Ng5 f6. No better is 7. ... Nxe3 8. fxe3 Bb7 9. e6 fxe6 10. Nxe6 Qc8 11. d5 c6 12. e4 Nd7 13. Be2 Ne5 14. 0-0 Qb8 15. dxc6 Bxc6 16. Nd5 Qa7+ 17. Kh1 Rc8 18. Qd2 h5 19. a4 Bh6 20. Qa5 bxa4 21. Bxa6 Nc4 22. Qc3 Qxa6 23. Nec7+ 1–0 Goryachkina – Lanchava, 43rd Women’s Chess Olympiad, Batumi 2028.
8. Qf3 c6 9. e6 Nh6 10. h4! Bg7. If 10. ... fxg5 then 11. hxg5 Nf5 12. d5! with crushing attack.

11. Bd3! fxg5 12. hxg5 Bxe6 13. gxh6 Bf6 14. Ne4 Bd5? 14. ... 0-0 15. Nxf6+ Rxf6 16. Qg3 Nd7 17. 0-0 leaves White with a great advantage, but was the lesser evil.
15. Nxf6+ exf6 16. Qg3 Kd7? The decision to castle “at hand” on the Queenside will prove to be literally disastrous. What follows is a massacre:
17. 0-0 Kc7 18. b3 Bf7 19. c4 Kb7 20. d5 c5 21. cxb5 Qb6 22. a4 Bxd5 23. Rfd1 Rd8 24. a5 Qc7 25. bxa6+ Ka7 26. b4 Nd7 27. b5 Bb3 28. Rdb1 1–0.

Goryachkina inscribed for the first time her name in the roll of honour of the Women’s World Rapid Championship. Photo: Lennart Ootes/FIDE.