Guru Meditation

Dinara Mergenovna Dordzhieva-Wagner – Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina
FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2022–23; 4th stage; Nicosia, May 16, 2023
Catalan Opening E04

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 dxc4 5. Bg2 a6 6. 0-0 Nc6 7. Nc3 Rb8 8. e4 Be7 9. d5 exd5 10. exd5 Nb4 11. Ne5 Bf5 12. Nxc4. If 12. a3 then 12. ... Nd3 13. Nxc4 Nxc1 14. Rxc1 0-0 with more or less equality, Ruck – Tukmakov, 7th Croatian Team Chess Championship, Poreč 1998.
12. ... 0-0 13. a3 Nd3 14. Be3 Qd7 15. b4 Rfe8 16. h3 b5!? A novelty, in place of 16. ... h5 17. Ra2 Bd6 18. Bd4 Ne5 which also seems reasonable for Black, Pranav – Prraneeth, Vezérképző GM March 2022, Budapest 2022.
17. Na5 Bd6 (17. ... Nb2! 18. Qe2 Nc4)
18. Bd4 Nb2 19. Qb3 Na4 20. Nc6 Ra8 21. Nxa4 bxa4 22. Qb2

22. ... Bf8? This proves to be particularly unfortunate. Black could play 22. ... Nh5!? 23. g4 (or, more solidly, 23. Kh2 Be4) 23. ... Nf4! with interesting play scenarios.
23. Bxf6 gxf6 24. Kh2. Not 24. Qxf6? on account of 24. ... Bg7 25. Qg5 h6 winning the Exchange.
24. ... Bg7 25. Rad1 Bg6 26. Qa2 Qd6 27. Rfe1 Bh5 28. Rb1 Bg6 29. Rbd1 Bh5 30. Rc1 Bh6 31. f4? To wall the Bishop off, but a detail must have been overlooked.

31. ... Bg6? Here Black misses her best chance to give a sense to her Bishop pair by 31. ... Bxf4! 32. gxf4 Qxf4+ 33. Kh1 (33. Kg1 Re2!⇄) 33. ... Re2!⇄ with dynamic equality.
32. Qc4 Bf8 33. Bf3 Bf5 34. Nd4 Rxe1 35. Rxe1 Bd7 36. Nc6 Kg7 37. h4 Kg8 38. Kg2 Kg7 39. Qc2 Re8 40. Rxe8 Bxe8 41. Qxa4 Bxc6 42. dxc6 Qd2+ 43. Kh3 Qd3. At the price of a Pawn Black has improved her situation considerably.
44. Bg2. After 44. Qd1 Qxd1 (44. ... Qxa3?? 45. Bd5+−) 45. Bxd1 f5 the value of Black’s extra Pawn may be nullified by the opposite-coloured Bishops.
44. ... Bd6 45. Kh2 f5 46. Qa5 Kf6 47. a4 h6 48. b5 axb5 49. axb5 Bc5 50. Qe1 Kg6 51. Qe8 Bf2! The latent threat on the g3-Pawn should keep White bound up so that it won’t be possible for her to do any harm.
52. Qg8+ Kf6 53. Qh8+ Ke7 54. Qe5+ Kf8 55. Qh8+ Ke7 56. Qg7 h5 57. Qe5+ Kf8 58. Qh8+ Ke7 59. Qg7 Ke8 60. Qe5+ Kf8 61. Qh8+ Ke7 62. Qg7 Ke8 63. Qg5 Kf8 64. b6. Deflecting the Bishop, even if for only one instant.
64. ... Bxb6 65. Qxh5 Kg7? Her last mistake. After 65. ... Bf2! it is not clear how White can make progress.
66. Qg5+ Kh7 67. Qh5+ Kg7 68. Qg5+ Kh7 69. Qf6 Kg8 70. h5 Bc5 71. h6 Bd4 72. Qd8+ Kh7 73. Qxc7 Kxh6 74. Qxf7

74. ... Bg1+! Spes, ultima dea.
75. Kh3! On 75. Kxg1?? Qf1+! forces stalemate.
75. ... Bf2 76. Qg8 Qc2 77. Qg5+ Kh7 78. Qe7+ Kh6 79. c7 Qc3 80. Qg5+ Kh7 81. Qxf5+ 1 : 0.

The surprise of the day was the victory of Dordzhieva-Wagner over women’s world No. 2 Goryachkina. Photo: Mark Livshitz/FIDE.

馬尾 (Ponytail)

朱锦尔 (Zhū Jǐn’ěr) – Dinara Mergenovna Dordzhieva-Wagner
FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2022–23; 1st stage; Astana, September 19, 2022
Sicilian Defence B54

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. f3 e5 6. Nb3 d5 7. Bg5 Be6 8. Bxf6 gxf6 9. exd5 Qxd5 10. Qxd5 Bxd5 11. Nc3 Be6 12. 0-0-0 Nd7 13. Nb5 Bh6+ 14. Kb1 Ke7 15. Nc7 Rac8. Probably better is 15. ... Rad8 16. Nd5+ Bxd5 17. Rxd5 Nc5 18. Bc4 Rxd5 19. Bxd5 Rd8 20. c4 Nxb3 21. axb3 Be3 22. Kc2 b5 23. Ra1 Rb8 24. Bc6 Rd8 25. Bxb5 Rd2+ 26. Kc3 Rxg2 27. Kb4 Rxh2 28. c5 a5+ 29. Kc4 Rc2+ 30. Kd3 Rxc5 31. Rxa5 Bd4 32. Ra7+ Kd6 33. Ra6+ Ke7 34. Ra7+ Kd6 35. Ra6+ Ke7 ½ : ½ Magem Badals – Summerscale, 19th French Team Chess Championship, Toulouse 1998.
16. Nd5+ Bxd5 17. Rxd5 Nb6 (17. ... Ke6 18. Ra5 Be3 19. Bd3 h5 20. Be4 Rc7 21. Bd5+ Ke7 22. Re1 Bb6 23. Rb5 f5 24. a4 Rb8 25. Rb4 Nf6 26. Rb5 Nxd5? 27. Rxe5+ Kf8 28. Rbxd5 Rbc8 29. c3 Rc4 30. a5 Bc7 31. Rxf5 Ke7 32. Rxh5 Rg8 33. g3 1 : 0 Sión Castro – Martín González, 48th Spanish Team Chess Championship — Primera División, Ciudad Real 2004)
18. Rb5. 18. Ra5 a6 19. Bd3 also gives White a lasting edge, which, however, does not guarantee in itself a win: 19. ... Nc4 20. Ra4 Nd2+ 21. Nxd2 Bxd2 22. Rd1 Be3 23. Rb4 Rc7 24. Bf5 h6 25. Rb3 Bc5 26. Rbd3 Rb8 27. Rd7+ Rxd7 28. Rxd7+ Ke8 29. c3 a5 30. Kc2 b6 31. g4 Rd8 32. Rb7 Be3 33. Bd3 Rd6 34. h3 Re6 35. b4 axb4 36. cxb4 Re7 37. Rb8+ Kd7 38. Be4 Kd6 39. Kd3 Bd4 40. Kc4 Ra7 41. Kb3 Rc7 42. Ka4 Ra7+ 43. Kb3 Rc7 44. a3 Rc3+ 45. Ka4 Be3 46. Rb7 Rc7 47. Rxc7 (White is content with a draw) 47. ... Kxc7 48. Bd5 f5 49. Bxf7 fxg4 50. hxg4 Bc1 51. Be8 Kd6 52. Bf7 Kc6 53. Kb3 b5 54. Be8+ Kb6 55. Bg6 Kc6 56. Bd3 Kb6 57. Bb1 Kc6 58. Bh7 Kb6 59. Be4 Ka6 60. Bd3 Kb6 61. a4 bxa4+ 62. Kxa4 Bf4 ½ : ½ Magem Badals – Martín González, 58th Spanish Chess Championship, Linares-Bilbao 1993.
18. ... Rc7 19. Bd3 Nc8 20. Re1 Nd6 21. Rb4 Kf8 22. a4 Bg5 23. g3 Re7 24. h4 Bh6 25. Rd1

25. ... Rd7? This is the losing move. 25. ... Be3 26. Bf1 Re6! was to be preferred.
26. Bf5 Rd8 27. Na5 Ke8. If 27. ... Ke7 then 28. Nxb7 Nxf5 29. Nxd8 Rxd8 30. Rb7+ Ke8 31. Rxd8+ Kxd8 32. Rxa7 and the ending is won for White.

28. Rxd6! A brilliant Exchange sacrifice, which ensures White a winning endgame.
28. ... Rxd6 29. Rxb7 a6 (29. ... Kf8 30. Nc4 Rd4 31. b3+−)

30. Nc6! Threatens Rb7-b8+ followed by mate.
30. ... Kf8 (30. ... Rxc6 31. Bd7++−)
31. Ne7 Be3 32. Be4 Rb6 33. Rc7 Rb8 34. Nf5 Bb6 35. Rd7 Bd4 36. b3 h5 37. Nd6 Bc5 38. Rxf7+ Kg8 39. Rxf6 Rd8 40. Nf5 a5 41. Bd3 1 : 0.

As 朱锦尔 (Zhū Jǐn’ěr) continues to progress, she is more and more confident that the best is yet to come. Photo: Anna Shtourman/FIDE.