Caught in the Middle

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – Alexey Vasilyevich Sarana
23rd European Individual Chess Championship; Vrnjačka Banja, March 5, 2023
English Opening A38

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 c5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 g6 5. Bg2 Bg7 6. d4 cxd4 7. Nxd4

7. ... h5 8. Nf3 d6 9. 0-0 Bd7 10. Bg5 Rc8 11. Rc1. Mutatis mutandis, the position has transposed into a KID (E60).
11. ... Qa5. This improves on a game H. H. Stefánsson – J. V. Gunnarsson, 46th Icelandic Team Chess Championship, Reykjavík 2021, which White won after 11. ... a6 13. Rfd1 Be6 14. b3 b5? (⌓ 14. ... Qa5) 15. cxb5 axb5 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. Nxb5 Qb6 18. Nc3 Nb4 19. Nd4 Bxd4 20. Qxd4 Qa5 21. Qd2 Qa3 22. Nb5 Qa5 23. Nd4 Bd7 24. a3 Rxc1 25. Qxc1 Na6 26. Qb2 Rc8 27. Rc1 Rxc1+ 28. Qxc1 Qb6 29. Qc4 Nc7 30. Nc6 e6 31. Qb4 Qxb4 32. Nxb4 Nb5 33. Nc2 Kf8 34. a4 Nc3 35. Kf1 d5 36. Ke1 Ke7 37. Kd2 Na2 38. e4 Kd6 39. exd5 exd5 40. a5 Kc5 41. b4+ Nxb4 42. Nxb4 Kxb4 43. Bxd5 1 : 0.
12. Qd2 Bf5 13. b3 Ne4 14. Nxe4 Bxe4 15. Qe3 Bxf3 16. Bxf3 0-0

17. Qd2 Qxd2 18. Bxd2 Nd4 19. Kg2 Nxf3 20. Kxf3 f5 21. Rfd1 Rc6 22. Be3 Rfc8

23. c5. Goryachkina is careful to steer the game towards a draw. 23. Bxa7 is unnecessarily risky for White, although after 23. ... b6 24. b4 (the only move, but a sufficient one) 24. ... Rxc4 25. Rxc4 Rxc4 26. Bxb6 Rxb4 Black’s chances to play for more than a draw would be quite unrealistic.
23. ... a6. If 23. ... dxc5 then 24. Rd7 and White recovers the Pawn with equality.
24. cxd6 exd6 25. Rxc6 Rxc6 26. Bf4 ½ : ½.

One Time

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – Alexey Vasilyevich Sarana
74th Russian Chess Championship Higher League; Cheboksary, July 5, 2021
Nimzo-Indian Defence E32

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 0-0 5. e4 d5 6. e5 Ne4 7. Bd3 c5 8. Nf3 cxd4 9. Nxd4 Nd7 10. Bf4 Ndc5 11. 0-0 Bxc3 12. bxc3 Nxd3. The alternative is 12. ... Bd7 13. Be2 Na4 14. cxd5 exd5 15. f3 (the 3rd game of the 2013 Women’s World Chess Championship match ended in a disaster for the defending Champion after 15. c4 Rc8 16. Qb3 dxc4! 17. Bxc4? Nac3∓) 15. ... Nec5 16. Rfc1 Rc8 17. Qd2 a6 18. c4 dxc4 19. Bxc4 Qe7 20. Qe3 Rfe8 21. Bg3 b5 22. Bb3 b4 23. f4 Nc3 24. f5 a5 25. Rf1 Nxb3 26. axb3 Qc5 27. Kh1 a4 28. f6 axb3 29. Qg5 g6 30. Nxb3 Qf8 31. Ra7 Be6 32. Nd4 h6 33. Qe3 b3 34. Nxe6 Rxe6 35. Rb7 Kh7 36. Rxb3 Nd5 37. Qf3 Qc5 38. h3 Qc6 39. Rd1 Nb6 40. Qxc6 Rcxc6 41. h4 h5 42. Rd8 Rc8 43. Rxc8 Nxc8 44. Rb8 Rc6 45. Bf4 Rc4 46. g3 Kg8 47. Bh6 Kh7 48. e6 Nd6 49. Bf4 Rxf4 50. gxf4 fxe6 51. Kg2 Nf7 52. Kf3 e5 53. Rf8 1 : 0 Goryachkina – Dzagnidze, FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2019–21, 2nd stage, Monte Carlo 2019. It may be useful to add that the game was annotated by Shahid Ahmed for the ChessBase website. 13. Qxd3 b6 14. cxd5 Qxd5 15. Rfd1 Bb7 16. f3!? Most usual is 16. c4 and if 16. ... Qd7 there may follow 17. f3 Nc5 18. Qe3 Qa4 19. Nb5 Qxc4? (⌓ 19. ... Bc6) 20. Nd6 Qa4 21. Rd4 Qd7 22. Ne4 Qe8 23. Nf6+! gxf6 24. Bh6 Kh8 25. Bg7+! 1 : 0 Abbasov – Ibrahimov, 64th Azerbaijani Chess Championship, Baku 2009. 16. ... Nc5 17. Qe3 Qc4 18. Rab1 Rad8

19. h4! Rd7! 20. h5 h6 21. Rb4. Of course there is nothing wrong with 21. Bxh6! immediately, but after 21. ... gxh6 White should play 22. Rb4 anyway (else 22. Qxh6? f5!) 22. ... Qxa2 23. Qxh6 a5! 24. Rxb6 f6!∞ with a complex but roughly balanced position. 21. ... Qxa2 22. Rd2 Qa3

23. Bxh6! Audentes fortuna iuvat. 23. ... gxh6 24. Qxh6 Qc1+? This turns out to be the losing move. It was necessary to play 24. ... Qxc3 at once, for after 25. Nc6 f5 White appears to have nothing better than a draw by perpetual check. 25. Kh2 f5. Now it’s too late for 25. ... Qxc3 on account of 26. Nc6! f5 27. Rxd7 Nxd7 28. Qxe6+ Kh8 29. Qh6+ Kg8 30. Rc4!! Qxc4 31. Ne7+ Kf7 32. Nxf5+− winning in all variations. 26. Nxe6 Nxe6 27. Qxe6+ Rdf7 28. Rd7 Qg5 29. Rxb7 Qxh5+ 30. Kg1 Kg7 31. Qf6+ Kg8 32. Rxf7 Qxf7 33. Qd6 Re8 34. Rd4 f4. No better is 34. ... Qe6 35. f4 Qxd6 36. Rxd6 with an easily won ending for White. 35. Qh6 Rxe5 (35. ... Rf8 36. Rd6+−) 36. Rxf4 Re1+ 37. Kf2 1 : 0.

Goryachkina made history in Chuvashia: not only she broke through the 2600 barrier in the Elo ratings, but she also tied for second place in the Higher League, thus qualifying for the absolute (all-gender) Russian Chess Championship Superfinal! Photo: Anastasia Domchenkova/Russian Chess Federation.

Le Roi a fait battre tambour

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – Alexey Vasilyevich Sarana

1st Trophée CapÉchecs Online; quarterfinal game 1; europe-echecs.com, October 25, 2020

Catalan Opening E01

In her quarterfinal two-game match against Sarana, Goryachkina was beaten 2–0, thus showing again that online chess is not her vocation. Everything happened in the first game, where she managed to lose a perfectly drawable ending. Time control is, as usual, 10 minutes plus 3 seconds per move. 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 Bb4+ 4. Nd2 d5 5. Bg2 0-0 6. Ngf3 dxc4 7. a3 Bxd2+ 8. Bxd2 Bd7 (8. ... Nc6 9. e3 Rb8 10. 0-0 b5 11. b3 Ba6 12. Qc2 Qd7 13. bxc4 bxc4 14. Rfc1 Rb6 15. Bc3 Rfb8 16. Nd2 h6 17. Qa4 Bb5 18. Qd1 Nd5 19. a4 Ba6 20. a5 Nxc3 21. Rxc3 Rb4 22. Ne4 Ne7 23. Nc5 Qb5 24. Bf1 Nf5 25. e4 Nd6 26. Qc1 Bb7 27. Qe3 Rb1 28. Rxb1 Qxb1 29. f3 Bc6 30. g4 Qa1 31. Rc1 Rb1 32. Rxb1 Qxb1 33. Qc3 Qd1 34. Kf2 Nb5 35. Qxc4 Nxd4 36. Be2 Qd2 37. Nb3 Nxb3 38. Qxb3 Qxa5 39. Qb8+ Kh7 40. Qf8 Qd2 0 : 1 Goryachkina – Bartel, 19th European Individual Chess Championship, Batumi 2018) 9. Rc1 Bb5 10. Ne5 Nc6 11. Nxc6 Bxc6 12. Bxc6 bxc6 13. Bb4 Qd5 14. 0-0 Rfd8 15. Be7 Rdb8 16. Bxf6 gxf6 17. Rc2 Rb3 18. e3 Rab8 19. Qe2 R8b6 20. Rfc1 Qf5 21. e4 Qf3 22. Qxf3 Rxf3 23. Rxc4 Rxb2 24. R1c2 Rxc2 25. Rxc2 Rxa3 26. Rxc6 Ra4 27. Rxc7 Rxd4 28. Rxa7 Rxe4. As a result, a very drawish Rook endgame with four Pawns against three on the same side has arisen. 29. Kg2 Kg7 30. Kf3 Rb4 31. h4 f5 32. Rc7 Ra4 33. Rb7 Kg6 34. Rc7 h5 35. Rb7 Rg4 36. Rb5 f6 37. Rb8 e5 38. Rg8+ Kh7 39. Rf8 Kg7 40. Ra8 f4

41. Rb8. Perhaps simpler was 41. gxf4 Rxf4+ (or 41. ... exf4 42. Ke4 Kxh4 43. f3=) 42. Kg3 Rg4+ 43. Kh3 e4 (otherwise there follows f2-f3) 44. Ra3 with a draw in hand. 41. ... fxg3 42. fxg3 Ra4 43. Rc8 Ra3+ 44. Kf2 Kg6 45. Rh8 Rb3 46. Ra8 Kf5 47. Rh8 Rb2+ 48. Ke3 Kg6 49. Kf3 Rb3+ 50. Kf2 Ra3 51. Rb8 Ra7 52. Kf3 Rc7 53. Ra8 Rc3+ 54. Kf2 Rc2+ 55. Kf3 Kf5

56. Rh8?? A losing blunder under the stress of time pressure. White had to play 56. Rg8 defending the g-Pawn and preventing the Black King from penetrating via g4. 56. ... e4+ 57. Ke3 Rc3+ 58. Kf2 Kg4−+ 59. Rg8+ Kh3 60. Rg6 Rf3+ 61. Ke2 f5 62. Rg5 Kg2 63. Rxh5 Kxg3 64. Rh8 Kf4 65. h5 Rh3 66. h6 Rh2+ 67. Kd1 Ke3 68. h7 f4 69. Ra8 Rh1+ 70. Kc2 Rxh7 71. Ra3+ Kf2 72. Ra4 Kf3 0 : 1.