In Another Time

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – David Arturovich Paravyan
29th Russian Team Chess Championship; Sochi, May 4, 2022
Grünfeld Defence D85

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Nf3 c5 8. Bb5+. 8. Be2 Bg4 transposes to the game. 8. ... Bd7. The alternative is 8. ... Nc6 9. d5 Qa5 10. Rb1 a6 11. Bxc6+ bxc6 12. 0-0 0-0 13. dxc6 Bg4 14. Bf4 Rac8 15. c7 e5 16. Be3 Rxc7= 17. Qb3 Be6 18. c4 Rc6 19. Ng5 Bc8 20. Rfd1 h6 21. Nf3 Be6 22. h3 Kh7 23. Qc2 Rd8 24. Rxd8 Qxd8 25. Nd2 Bf6 26. Nb3 Bg5 27. Rd1 Qe7 28. Qc3 Bxe3 29. Qxe3 Rc8 30. Qc3 Qc7 31. Rc1 Rd8 ½ : ½ R. R. Prasanna – A. O. Muzychuk, 16th Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival, Catalan Bay 2018. 9. Be2 Bg4 10. Rb1 0-0 11. 0-0 cxd4 12. cxd4 Bxf3 13. Bxf3 Bxd4 14. Rxb7 Nc6 15. Qa4 Qc8 16. Rb3 Qe6 17. e5

17. ... Rac8! 18. Bxc6 Qxc6 19. Qxd4 Qxc1! A spectacular defence based on the back rank weakness, but nihil sub sole novum. 20. e6 f6!? The game starts here (finally!), with a new move, which, however, can hardly add something new to a hyper-stretched theory: 20. ... Qc5 21. exf7+ Rxf7= 22. Qd2 (or 22. Qd1 Rc6 23. Re3 Qc4 24. Qd8+ Rf8 25. Qd2 Rd6 26. Qb2 Rb6 27. Qd2 Rd6 28. Qb2 Rb6 29. Rb3 Rxb3 30. axb3 Rb8 31. Qa3 Rxb3 32. Qxa7 Kf7 33. Qa1 Rc3 ½ : ½ Andreikin – Nepomniachtchi, 7th World Rapid Chess Championship, Saint Petersburg 2018) 22. ... Qc2 23. Qe3 Qxa2 24. Ra3 Qc4 25. Rxa7 Qc5 26. Ra8 Qc6 27. Rxc8+ Qxc8 28. h4 Qf5 29. g3 Qf3 30. Qd4 Qf6 31. Qd2 Qd6 32. Qe2 h5 33. Rd1 Qc5 34. Rd3 Rf6 35. Rd8+ Kg7 36. Qa2 Rf7 37. Qb2+ Rf6 38. Rd7 Kf7 39. Qb3+ Kg7 40. Qb2 Kf7 41. Rd3 Qc4 42. Rd4 Qc6 43. Qd2 Rd6 44. Qf4+ Kg8 45. Rxd6 Qxd6 46. Qc4+ ½ : ½ Andreikin – Nepomniachtchi, 71st Russian Chess Championship Superfinal, Satka 2018. 21. Rb7 Rfe8 22. Rxa7 Qc6 23. Qe3 Ra8 24. h3 Rxa7 25. Qxa7 Qxe6 26. a4 Rd8 27. a5 Rd6 28. Qb8+ Kg7 29. Qb4 Kf7 30. Re1 Rd4 31. Qc3 Rd3 32. Qc1 Qd6 33. Qc8 Rd1. One may wonder whether the exchange of Rooks gives strength to the a-Pawn. Also worth considering was 33. ... Qb4 34. Qe6+ Kf8 35. a6 Ra3 with a precariously balanced endgame. 34. Rxd1 Qxd1+ 35. Kh2 Qd6+ 36. g3 Qd4 37. Qc2 Ke8? Up to the 40th move they both were quite short of time, which in a way gives a reason for the mutual omissions. Black ought now to play 37. ... Qa7 38. Qa2+ Ke8 39. a6 Kd7 transposing to the game.

38. a6? White here misses the win which was 38. Qc6+! Qd7 (38. ... Kd8 39. Kg2 Qa7 40. a6+−) 39. Qa8+ Qd8 (39. ... Kf7 40. a6+−) 40. Qxd8+ Kxd8 41. Kg2 Kc7 42. Kf3+− with an elementary Pawn ending. 38. .. Kd7 39. Qa2 Qa7 40. Kg1 Kc6 41. Qf7. 41. Qa5 Qc7! 42. Qb4 Qa7 43. Qh4 Qxa6 44. Qxh7 transposes to the game after White’s 42nd move. 41. ... Qxa6 42. Qxh7

42. ... Qd3? This should lose. After the correct 42. ... Kd7 43. Qxg6 Qa1+ 44. Kg2 Qa8+ 45. Kh2 Qa2 it would be hard for White to make progress. 43. Qxe7+− Qd1+ 44. Kg2 (44. Kh2+−) 44. ... Qd5+ 45. Kf1 Qd1+ 46. Qe1 Qd3+ 47. Qe2 Qb1+ 48. Kg2 Kd6 49. h4 Kd7 50. Qe3? (50. g4+−) 50. ... Qc2 51. g4 Qc4? Black ought to take advantage of White’s loss of a tempo at 50th move by 51. ... Qc6+ 52. Kg3 (or 52. Qf3 Qc4 53. Qxf6 Qxg4+ 54. Kh2 Qe4) 52. ... Qd5 with strong drawing chances. 52. Kg3? (52. Kf3+−) 52. ... Qd5. All White’s advantages now disappeared at once, and Black has no particular difficulty in securing a draw. 53. f3 Qd6+ 54. Kg2 Qd5 55. Qf4 Qa2+ 56. Kg3 Qa7 57. Qxf6 Qg1+ 58. Kf4 Qc1+ 59. Ke4 Qe1+ 60. Kd3 Qd1+ 61. Kc4 Qa4+ 62. Kd3 Qd1+ 63. Ke4 ½ : ½.

The other half was behind a plexiglass wall. Photo: Vladimir Leonidovich Barsky/Russian Chess Federation.

国际妇女节 (International Women’s Day)

David Arturovich Paravyan – 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn)

1st Prague International Chess Festival; Challengers Tournament; Prague, March 8, 2019

Russian Defence C42

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Bf5 7. 0-0 Be7 8. Re1 Nc6 9. c4 0-0 10. Nc3 Nxc3 11. bxc3 Bxd3 12. Qxd3 Re8 13. cxd5 Qxd5 14. Bf4 Bd6 15. Ng5 g6 16. Ne4. Another way is 16. Bd2 Be7 17. h4 b5 18. Nf3 Bd6 19. a4 a6 20. axb5 axb5 21. Rxa8 Rxa8 22. Bg5 h5 23. Bf6 Bf8 24. Ng5 Bg7 25. Bxg7 Kxg7 26. Qg3 Rc8 27. Qf4 Qd7 28. Qe4 Rd8 29. Re3 Qd5 30. Qf4 Rd6 31. Rf3 Nd8 32. Qe3 b4? (32. ... Rd7 33. Qe8 c6 offered a robust defence) 33. cxb4 Qxd4 34. Rxf7+! 1 : 0 Anand – Charbonneau, 36th Chess Olympiad, Calvià 2004. 16. ... Re6!? This is a new move, or at least a new move order, in comparison to 16. ... Kg7 17. Qf3 Bxf4 (17. ... Re6 transposes into the game) 18. Qxf4 Qf5 19. Qxf5 gxf5 20. Nc5 Na5 21. g3 c6 22. Kg2 b6 23. Nd3 Re4 24. f3 Rxe1 25. Rxe1 Kf6 26. h4 Rd8 27. Nf4 Nc4 28. g4 fxg4 29. fxg4 c5 30. d5 b5 31. Kg3 h6 32. Nh5+ Kg6 33. Re7 Nb6 34. Rc7 Na4 35. Rc6+ Kh7 36. g5 hxg5 37. hxg5 Nxc3 38. Rh6+ Kg8 39. Nf6+ Kg7 40. d6 Ne2+ 41. Kg4 c4 42. Rh2 Nd4 43. Rh7+ Kg6 44. Rh6+ Kg7 45. Kh5 Rh8 46. d7 Nc6 47. Ne8+ Kg8 48. Nf6+ Kg7 ½ : ½ Iljiushenok – Iljin, 25th Russian Team Chess Championship, Sochi 2018. 17. Qf3 Kg7 18. Nxd6 Qxf3 19. gxf3 cxd6 20. Rxe6 fxe6 21. Bxd6 Rd8 22. Bg3 Rc8 23. c4 Rd8 24. Rb1 Rd7. White’s extra Pawn is meaningless, to say the least, because of Black’s much better Pawns and King. On the other hand, by giving it back with 25. Bf4 or 25. d5, White would increase his own drawing chances substantially. Instead, Paravyan does his very best to lose the game: 25. Be5+? Nxe5 26. dxe5 g5!∓ 27. Kf1!? Kg6

28. Ke2. 28. c5 Kf5 29. Rb5 was also worth considering. 28. ... Kf5 29. Rb5!? The effects of such a move may even be reversible, but conceptually it carries in itself the seeds of its own nemesis. 29. ... b6 30. a4? This seems to be the fatal faux pax. Correct was 30. Ke3! to be followed by a2-a4-a5 or c4-c5 (or both), making it very hard for Black to progress. 30. ... Rc7! 31. a5 Rc5 32. Rb1. Or 32. axb6 Rxb5 33. cxb5 axb6 with a won Pawn and King ending. 32. ... Rxe5+ 33. Kf1 Rxa5 34. Rd1 Ra4 35. Rd7 a5 36. Rc7 Ke5 37. c5 b5 38. Rxh7 Rc4 39. f4+ Kxf4 40. h4 a4 41. c6 Rxc6 42. h5 Kg4 43. Kg2 Ra6 44. f3+ Kh4 0 : 1.

Today 17th Women’s World Chess Champion 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) received flowers from organisers in celebration of the International Women’s Day (IWD). Photo: Vladimir Jagr.