Kryptonite

Jan-Krzysztof Duda – 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn)

2nd Champions Chess Tour; 2nd stage; Charity Cup; Prelims Tournament; time control: 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; chess24.com, March 21, 2022

2q3rk/6rp/pR2b3/P2pP2B/2pP1p1Q/2P5/7P/1R5K w - - 8 43

Position after 42. ... Rg6-f7

Three-time Women’s World Chess Champion 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn), the heroine of today’s Charity Cup, has defeated, not in a row but nearly so, two men: Jan-Krzysztof Duda and Eric Hansen. One might object that in both cases the result was beneficial to the cause, and hence, as Machiavelli says, “It is not titles that make men illustrious, but men who make titles illustrious”. The diagram gives the critical position of her game with Duda where White is to move: 43. Qf6?? A grave oversight, which loses instantly. The h1–a8 diagonal was calling for rescue: after 42. Bf3□ Bf5! White can still hold on, although of course Black’s moves come easier. 42. ... Bf5! Black threatens both ... Bf5-e4+ followed by mate and ... Bf5xb1. White cannot parry both. 44. Bf3 (44. Re1 Be4+ 45. Rxe4 dxe4 46. Rb1 f3 47. Rg1 Qf8!−+) 44. ... Bxb1 45. Rxb1 Rf8 46. Qh4 Qf5 47. Re1 Qd3 48. Qf2 Qxc3 49. e6 Qb4 50. Bxd5 c3 51. Be4

51. ... f3! 52. Bc2 (52. Bxf3 c2!−+) 52. ... Qd6 53. Re5 Rfg8 54. Re1 Qf4 55. Re4 Qd2 56. Qxf3 Rg1# 0 : 1.

Digiplomacy

丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) – Magnus Carlsen

2nd Champions Chess Tour; 2nd stage; Charity Cup; Prelims Tournament; time control: 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; chess24.com, March 19, 2022

Modern Benoni A65

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. f3 e6 4. e4 c5 5. d5 d6 6. Nc3 exd5 7. cxd5 Bg7 8. Bg5 h6 9. Be3 a6 10. a4 0-0 11. Qd2 Re8 12. Bc4!? A half move. 12. ... Nbd7 13. Be2. Now, the second half. If, instead, 13. Bxh6? then 13. ... Nxe4! 14. Nxe4 Qh4+ 15. g3 Rxe4+ 16. Kd1 Bxh6! with very powerful effect. 13. ... Ne5!? It is Black who first goes off the beaten tracks: 13. ... Nh7 14. Nh3 Ne5 15. Nf2 h5 16. 0-0 f5 17. a5 Nf6 18. exf5 Bxf5 19. Na4 Qe7 20. Ra3 Qf7 21. Nb6 Rab8 22. Rd1 Nfd7 23. Nxd7 Qxd7 24. b4 c4 25. f4 ½ : ½ C. Ionescu – Marin, 12th Victor Ciocâltea Memorial, Bucharest 1995. 14. Bxh6

14. ... Nxe4? Carlsen goes for a tactical adventurism which will not produce the desired effect. 14. ... Bd7 aiming for ... b7-b5 was at least worth a try. 15. Nxe4 Qh4+ 16. g3 Qxh6 17. Qxh6 Bxh6 18. Nf6+ Kf8 19. Nxe8 Kxe8 20. h4 Bd7 21. h5 g5 22. Nh3.

Black doesn’t seem to have any compensation for the Exchange, so Carlsen goes all out to make a mess of it: 22. ... g4!? 23. fxg4. 23. f4! followed by the disappearance of both Knights from the board is also very strong. 23. ... Nxg4 24. Bxg4 Bxg4 25. Nf4 Kd7 26. Kf2 Bg7 27. Kg2 Bf5 28. Kf3 Bxb2

29. Rab1! Well done. It’s the right time to return the Exchange and force an easily won ending. 29. ... Bxb1 30. Rxb1 Be5 31. Rxb7+ Ke8

32. g4?! Much simpler and stronger was 32. Nd3! B∼ 33. Nb2! Bxb2 (or else after Nb2-c4 Black ends up in zugzwang) 34. Rxb2 winning very easily, as the White Rook will go to c6. 32. ... Rc8 33. g5? Strangely this natural move appears to throw away the win. Best is 33. Rb6 Kd7 (otherwise follows Rb6-c6) 34. h6 c4 35. Rxa6 c3 36. Nd3 and White’s two distant passed Pawns should win. 33. ... c4 34. g6 fxg6 35. hxg6 Kf8 36. Ne6+ Kg8 37. Ke2 c3 38. Kd1

38. ... a5? But this immediately turns out to be a dramatic miscalculation. Black ought first play 38. ... c2+! 39. Kc1 and then 39. ... a5 for after 40. Rb6 Kh8! 41. Rc6 Rg8 42. Kxc2 Rxg6 43. Rc8+ Rg8 44. Rxg8+ Kxg8 45. Kb3 Kf7 the gain of the a-Pawn with 46. Nd8+ Ke8 47. Nc6 Kd7 48. Nxa5 only results in a tablebase draw. 39. Kc2+− Ra8 40. Rb5 Bf6 41. Rb6 Be5 42. Rb7 Bf6 43. Rc7 Be5 44. Kd3! “The King is a strong piece”, Wlhelm Steinitz used to say, and 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) makes the concept his own: His Majesty begins its long march to checkmate! 44. ... Bf6 45. Ke4 Be5 46. Kf5 Rb8 47. Kg5 Ra8 48. Kh6 Re8 49. g7 1 : 0. Black cannot stop Kh6-g6 followed by Rc7-f7-f8+.