Free Random Variables

Thus Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina saved the honour of the motherland in what otherwise was a meridianus horribilis for Russian chess. At least for today she could not but choose the hardest way — no doubt, such a heavy responsibility to bear, as well as having to deal with the hostility of the non-Russian Slavic communities. In a sense, she shares the anguish that one another of the semifinalists, Anna Olehivna Muzychuk of Ukraine, also endures. Can you imagine what may happen if just the two of them will make it to the final? Will they be let free or will they be sacrificed for the sake of warlords and warmongers?

Dronavalli Harika – Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina

2nd Women’s Chess World Cup; Quarterfinal tie-break game 1; time control: 25 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; Baku, August 14, 2023

8/2k2p2/4b1p1/4P2p/1R5P/1p2K1P1/5P2/2rB4 w - - 34 55

Position after 54. ... Rc2-c1

55. Bxb3?? Harika is too much in a hurry to snatch the Pawn — in fact a blunder which costs her a piece. After the correct 55. Kd2 Rb1 56. Bf3 it is difficult to see how any outcome other than a draw could have emerged.
55. ... Rc3+ 56. Kf4 Rxb3 57. Rxb3 Bxb3 58. Kg5 Kd7 59. Kf6 Be6 60. f3 Ke8 61. Kg5 Bd5 62. Kf4 Ke7 63. g4 Ke6 64. gxh5 gxh5 0 : 1.

Speaking to the media afterwards, Goryachkina jokingly warned a reporter not to keep reminding her of the darkest moments in her career: “Be careful, or otherwise I will never grant you an interview as long as I live”. Photo: Stev Bonhage/FIDE.

Linear Algebra

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – Dronavalli Harika
FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2022–23; 3rd stage; New Delhi, April 3, 2023
Catalan Opening E00

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 Bb4+ 5. Bd2 a5 6. Bg2 0-0 7. Qc2 c5 8. cxd5 cxd4 9. Nxd4 Qb6 10. e3 exd5 11. 0-0 Nc6 12. Nxc6 bxc6 13. Rc1 Rb8 14. Nc3 (14. Qxc6 Qxc6 15. Bxc6 Bxd2 16. Nxd2 Rb2=)
14. ... h5 15. a3 Be7 16. Na4 Qc7 17. Qxc6 Qxc6 18. Rxc6 Bd7 19. Rc7 Bd8 20. Rxd7 Nxd7 21. Rd1 (21. Bxd5 Bf6=)
21. ... Nb6 22. Nxb6 Bxb6. 22. ... Rxb6 23. b4 axb4 24. Bxb4 Re8 25. Rxd5 Be7 is also playable, and should lead to equality.
23. Bxd5 Rfc8. It was all theory, so far, but now Harika deviates from 23. ... Rfd8 as played in a game Makarian – Hovhannisyan, European Hybrid Qualification Tournament, tornelo.com, May 25, 2021, tie-break game 1 (time control: 10 minutes plus 3 seconds per move).

24. Bc3 a4?! 25. Bf3 Rc5?! Black’s solution sounds unsound, but she is lucky enough to be able to somehow afford it.
26. Bb4 Rc2 27. Bc3

27. ... Rd8? This is nonsensical. The only consistent way of giving a sense to the last two moves was 27. ... Bc5 28. Be4 Rxc3 29. bxc3 Bxa3 30. Rd7 Bc5 31. Bd5 Rf8 32. h4 a3 33. Kg2 g6 34. e4 Kg7 with a much better version of the same endgame, thanks to the passed a-Pawn.
28. Ra1! Black is not given a second chance.
28. ... g6 29. Bc6 Rxc3 30. bxc3 Bc5 31. Bxa4 Ra8 32. Bb3 Rxa3 33. Rb1.

Here’s the difference: Black has had to give back the Exchange under much worse circumstances, remaining two Pawns down with a lost ending. Goryachkina’s technique does the rest:
33. ... Bd6 34. Bd5 Be5 (34. ... Rxc3? 35. Rb6+−)
35. Rb6 Kf8 36. c4 Ra7 37. Kg2 Ke7 38. c5 Bc7 39. Rb2 Ra5 40. Rc2 g5 41. Bf3 g4 42. Be4 Ke6 43. Rc4 Rb5 44. Bc6 Rb2 45. Rd4 Be5 46. Bd7+ Ke7 47. Rd5 f6 48. Bf5 Rb5 49. Rd7+ Ke8 50. c6 Rc5 51. Rh7 Kf8 52. Rxh5 Rxc6 53. Bxg4 Rc2 54. Bf5 Rb2 55. Rh8+ Kg7 56. Rh7+ Kg8 57. Rd7 Bc3 58. Kf1 Rb5 59. Bd3 Ra5 60. h4 1 : 0.

And here again Goryachkina showed her superb technique and preparation. Photo © Ismael Nieto/FIDE.

Dot-to-Dot

Dronavalli Harika – Deysi Estela Cori Tello

4th Online Women’s Speed Chess Championship Main Event; Round of 16 match game 7; time control: 5 minutes plus 1 second per move; chess.com, July 7, 2022

Torre Attack A48

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. d4 g6 3. Bg5 Bg7 4. Nbd2 h6 5. Bh4 d6 6. e4 g5 7. Bg3 c6 8. c3 Bg4 9. Bd3 Nbd7 10. h3 Bh5 11. Qc2

11. ... c5? (⌓ 11. ... Bg6) 12. e5 Nd5 13. e6! N7f6 14. exf7+ Bxf7 15. dxc5 Nh5 16. cxd6 exd6 17. Qa4+ Kf8 18. 0-0 Ndf4 19. Bf5 b5 20. Qc2 d5 21. Nb3 Qf6 22. Nbd4 a6 23. Rae1 Kg8 24. Ne5 Re8 25. Nxf7 Kxf7 26. Bxf4 Nxf4

27. g3 Qd6 28. gxf4 Bxd4 29. cxd4 gxf4 30. Kh1 f3 31. Qb3 Kf6 32. Qxf3 Rxe1 33. Rxe1 1 : 0.

Monday Starts on Saturday

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Dronavalli Harika
1st Online Nations Cup; India – China (25+10); chess.com, May 9, 2020
Sicilian Defence B23

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Nge2 Nd4 4. d3 e6 5. Be3 e5. The text (quite possibly a novelty) is more solid than 5. ... Nxe2 6. Bxe2 d6 7. d4 cxd4 8. Qxd4 Ne7 9. Bg5 when an old game continued 9. ... Nc6 10. Qd2 Qc7 11. Nb5 Qb8 12. 0-0-0 h6 13. Bh4 e5 14. Bc4 Be6 15. Bxe6 fxe6 16. Nxd6+ Bxd6 17. Qxd6 Qxd6 18. Rxd6 g5 19. Bg3 Ke7 20. Rhd1 Rhd8 21. Rxd8 Rxd8 22. Rxd8 Kxd8 23. f3 Ke7 24. Bf2 Kd6 25. Be3 a6 26. h4 gxh4 27. Bxh6 Nd4 28. Be3 1 : 0 Tukmakov – Klovsky, 6th Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR, Riga 1975. 6. Nd5 Ne7 7. Nec3 d6 8. g3 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 Be6 10. c3 Nc6 11. Bg2 Be7 12. 0-0 0-0 13. f4 exf4 14. Nxf4 Bg5 15. Kh1 Bxf4 16. Rxf4 Ne5

17. Qh5 Ng6. Taking the Pawn by 17. ... Nxd3 can hardly be good since after 18. Rh4 f6 (not 18. ... h6? on account of 19. Bxh6!) 19. Qxh7+ Kf7 20. Bf3! White enjoys a powerful initiative. 18. Rf2 Qd7 19. h3 f5 20. exf5 Rxf5 21. Rxf5 Bxf5 22. Rf1 Rf8 23. Kh2 b6 24. Bd5+ Kh8 25. d4 Be6 26. Rxf8+ Nxf8 27. Qf3 Bxd5 28. Qxd5 Qe6 29. Qxe6 Nxe6 30. d5 Nc7 31. c4 b5. This natural move is probably wrong. Black ought to continue 31. ... Kg8 in order to reply to 32. Bf4 with 32. ... Ne8 similarly to the game.

32. b3. On her turn, White could have missed here her hidden chance for victory! After 32. cxb5! Nxb5 (32. ... Nxd5 33. Bf4! is even worse) 33. Bf4 c4 34. Bd2! (34. a4? c3!= would lead only to a draw) 34. ... Nc7 35. Kg2 Nxd5 36. Kf3 White, in spite of being temporarily a Pawn down, has a nearly winning endgame, thus confirming the validity of Steinitz’s saying: “The King is a strong piece”. 32. ... bxc4 33. bxc4 Kg8 34. Bf4 Ne8 35. Kg2 Kf7 36. Kf3 Ke7 37. g4 Nc7 38. Ke4 Na8 39. Kd3 Nb6 40. Bg5+ Ke8 41. Kc3 a6 42. Kb3 Kd7 43. a4 Ke8 44. a5 Nd7 45. Kc3 Ne5 46. Bf4 Nf7 47. Kd3 g6 48. Ke4 Ke7 49. h4 Kd7 50. h5 Ke7 51. hxg6 hxg6 52. Bg3 Kd7 53. Ke3 Ke8 54. Bf4 Kd7 55. Kd3 Ke8 56. Ke4 Kd7 57. Kd3 Ke8 58. Ke4 Kd7 59. Kd3 ½ : ½.

Eyes Wide Shut

So Saudi Arabia has made a flashy welcoming move by allowing women not wearing neither the hijab nor the abaya on occasion of the King Salman World Rapid & Blitz Chess Championships scheduled to be held in ar-Riyāḍ (Riyadh) from 26 to 30 December 2017. This has been understandably welcomed as a success of the “diplomacy of chess” and might sound like a death knell to the “boycott activists”. Indian Grandmaster Dronavalli Harika (the number 11 woman in the world), for instance, thinks that “this agreement by FIDE and the organisers in Saudi Arabia is a positive development”, and doesn’t exclude that the current Women’s World Champion both in Rapid and Blitz, Anna Olehivna Muzychuk of Ukraine, may reconsider her decision to not took part in the Championships. “She had written that post a week ago and FIDE’s agreement with the organisers came after that”, Harika told P.K. Ajith Kumar of The Hindu. As they say, who will live will see.

Photo © LostOnMyOwn.

To Be Continued

Dronavalli Harika – Nigel David Short
23rd TePe Sigeman & Co. Chess Tournament; Malmö, May 14, 2017
Two Knights Defence C55

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 Be7 5. 0-0 0-0 6. Re1 d6 7. a4 Be6 8. Nbd2 a5 9. c3 Qc8!? Another try is 9. ... Nd7 10. Nf1 Bf6 11. Ng3 Bxc4 12. dxc4 Nc5 13. Be3 b6 14. Qc2 g6 15. Reb1 Bg7 16. b4 Ne6 17. Qb3 axb4 18. cxb4 Ncd4 19. Nxd4 exd4 20. Bd2 Qh4 21. Rf1 Be5 ½ : ½ Korneev – Romanishin, 3rd International Open, Forni di Sopra 2012. 10. Qb3 Kh8!? 11. Nf1 Bxc4 12. Qxc4 Qe6 13. Ne3. If 13. Qb5 there might follow 13. ... Ra6, indirectly defending the b7-Pawn (for after 14. Qxb7?? Rb6 15. Qxc7 Bd8 Black wins at least a piece). 13. ... Qxc4 14. Nxc4 Nd7 15. d4 exd4 16. Nxd4 Nce5 17. Nxe5 dxe5 18. Nb3 Nc5 19. Nxc5 Bxc5 20. Rd1 Rfd8. Black has a slight development advantage, which, however, Harika promptly nullifies through her clever covered deployment manoeuvre, equalising easily.

21. Bd2 Kg8 22. Kf1 f6 23. Ke2 Kf7 24. Be1 Ke6 25. Rxd8 Rxd8 26. Rd1 Rb8 27. f3 c6 28. Bd2 h5 29. Ra1 g6 30. h3 Rf8 31. Be3 Bxe3 32. Kxe3 f5 33. b4 axb4 34. cxb4 Rd8 35. a5 f4+ 36. Ke2 g5 37. b5 cxb5 38. Rb1 Rc8 39. Rxb5 Rc2+ 40. Kf1 Rc1+ 41. Kf2 Rc2+ 42. Kg1 Rc7 43. Rb6+ Kf7 44. Kf2 Rc2+ ½ : ½. “A Giuoco Comatoso against Harika to finish a disappointing tournament”, finally tweeted Short.

Dronavalli Harika (@HarikaDronavali)

The third half

Baadur Jobava – Dronavalli Harika
23rd TePe Sigeman & Co. Chess Tournament; Malmö, May 13, 2017
Semi-Slav Defence D31

Today Harika skillfully succeeded in restraining Jobava’s notorious tactical liveliness, putting her pink carriage on a ground quite suitable to her taste. 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c6 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bf4 Nf6 6. e3 Bd6 7. Bxd6 Qxd6 8. Bd3 g6!? A new move that appears to be perfectly sound. 9. Nge2 Nbd7 10. Qd2 Nb6 11. f3 Be6 12. e4 Qe7 13. 0-0 0-0 14. Qg5 Rae8 15. e5 Nh5 16. Qxe7 Rxe7 17. a4 a6 18. b4 Ng7

19. b5. Jobava, who obtained very little from the opening, clings himself to a (last) strategic classic motif: a minority attack on the Queenside. Harika, however, proves to have sufficient resources to defend herself. 19. ... Bf5 20. Bxf5 Nxf5 21. f4 axb5 22. axb5 h5 23. bxc6 bxc6 24. Ra6 Rb7 25. Rb1 Rfb8 26. Kf2 Ne7 27. g3 Nbc8 28. Rxb7 Rxb7 29. h3 Ra7. The exchange of the last pair of Rooks means that Black won’t lose the game. 30. Rxa7 Nxa7 31. g4 hxg4 32. hxg4 Kg7 33. Na4 Nb5 34. Nc5 Kf8 35. Ke3 Ke8 36. Ng3 Ng8 37. Nd3 Na3 38. Ne2 Nc4+ 39. Kf3 Nd2+ 40. Ke3 ½ : ½.

On Emotion

Dronavalli Harika – Erik Blomqvist
23rd TePe Sigeman & Co. Chess Tournament; Malmö, May 12, 2017
Sicilian Defence B65

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 Be7 8. 0-0-0 0-0 9. f4 Nxd4 10. Qxd4 Qa5 11. Bc4 h6 12. Bh4 Qh5 13. Bg3 Rd8 14. Rhe1 Bd7 15. e5 dxe5 16. Rxe5 Bc6 17. Qg1? I don’t like this move (from a theoretical viewpoint), even though it doesn’t turn out bad. Maybe White should look for something better by 17. Nd5 exd5 18. Bd3 as occurred in the game Janošević – Csom, IBM International Chess Tournament, Amsterdam 1970. 17. ... Rxd1+ 18. Nxd1 Qg6 19. Nc3 Nd7 20. Bd3 Qf6 21. Ne4 Bxe4 22. Rxe4 Rc8 23. Kb1 Nc5 24. Rd4 Bd8 25. Qe3 Bb6 26. Rc4 Rc6 27. Be2 Qd8

28. Rd4?? As usual Harika – a very strong strategic player – pays (more than due) for her lack of tactical coolness. Here White stood well and maybe even better, and she might have long tormented her opponent by 28. Bf3! Nd7! 29. Qe2. 28. ... Nd7! Winning a neat Exchange which Blomqvist will convert into a win without too difficulty. 29. Bb5 Bxd4 30. Qxd4 Qb6 31. Qxb6 Rxb6 32. c4 Rd6 33. f5 e5 34. Kc2 a6 35. Bxd7 Rxd7 36. Bxe5 Re7 37. Bg3 Re2+ 38. Kc3 Rxg2 39. a4 Kf8 40. b4 Ke7 41. b5 a5 42. c5 Kd7 43. Kc4 Ra2 44. c6+ bxc6 45. Kc5 Rxa4 46. bxc6+ Kc8 47. Kb5 Ra2 48. Bd6 a4 49. h4 a3 50. Ka4 Rf2 0 : 1.

Dronavalli Harika (@HarikaDronavali)

A Norwegian Erasmus

• Artem Kuznetsov, Хоу Ифань не хочет быть “туристом” в Гран-при, где соревнуется с мужчинами | 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) doesn’t want to be a “tourist” at the Grand Prix, where she competes with men on equal terms, sport.mail.ru, May 11, 2017

Four-time Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) told TASS she is firmly determined to give a fight in the Grand Prix series to enter the Candidates Tournament next year and eventually challenge 16th World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen in the first unisex World Chess Championship ever. The task seems arduous, but the memory of the game she played with Magnus last month in Karlsruhe, gives her reason for confidence: “I had a great opportunity to win, but I missed the chance. However, a draw was also a good result for me, because I had lost the three previous games”. She said that competing with men on equal terms gives her more motivation to improve her play, and that’s the reason why she decided to jump the gender border. Only time will tell if her challenger adventure will be lucky or not, but, if nothing else, it has given an impulse to contemplate women’s presence in the “For Men Only” chess field, such as the case of Indian Grandmaster Dronavalli Harika, who is playing the invitational élite TePe Sigeman & Co. Chess Tournament in Malmö, Sweden.

Peace at the Last

Nils Axel Grandelius – Dronavalli Harika
23rd TePe Sigeman & Co. Chess Tournament; Malmö, May 11, 2017
Sicilian Defence B23

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nd4 4. Nf3 a6 5. Bd3 Nc6 6. e5 e6 7. Be4? A silly (new) move which is not only useless, but even deleterious. For 7. 0-0 d5 8. exd6 Bxd6 9. Ne4 Be7 10. b3 f5 11. Ng3 Bf6 12. Rb1 g6 see Grischuk – Vachier-Lagrave, 3rd Norway Blitz 2015, Stavanger 2015. 7. ... d5 8. exd6 Qxd6 9. Bxc6+. One should not make such a concession, but White didn’t know where to put the Bishop after an eventual ... Ng8-f6. 9. ... Qxc6 10. 0-0 Nf6 11. d4 cxd4 12. Qxd4 b5! Black stands already well, despite her slight delay in development – both her Bishops are eager to plant themselves on important diagonals. 13. Ne5 Qc5. This modest move surprised me a bit, but maybe even Morphy would have done so – and, in any event, it denotes Harika’s great confidence in her own judgment. 14. Rd1?! Here’s another cryptic loss of something ineffable. Since White stands worse, I think he would have done better to play 14. Qxc5 Bxc5 15. Be3 trying to keep his discomfort to the (best) minimum (possible). 14. ... Qxd4 15. Rxd4 Bc5 16. Rd3 Bb7 17. Bg5 Be7! 18. Rad1 Rc8! 19. R1d2 h6! Harika is playing with timely dynamism, and by simple means she totally overwhelmed – even in a strategic sense – her opponent. 20. Bh4. Of course, Grandelius is not in the mood to expose himself voluntarily to an unnecessary danger such as 20. Bxf6 gxf6 soonly followed by ... Rh8-g8. 20. ... g5! 21. Bg3 Nd5. 21. ... Ne4 might have been even stronger, but Black would have to withstand some complications, which Harika usually tries to avoid. Alas, it’s not always possible! 22. Nxd5 Bxd5 23. Ng4 h5 24. Ne3 Be4 25. Rd4 Bc6 26. Be5 f6 27. Bd6

27. ... Bd8! Harika’s synchronization in the background is really in the style of Wilhelm Steinitz. 28. Bc5 Kf7! 29. c4 Bc7? A strange circumlocution. 29. ... f5! followed by ... Bd8-f6 appears to be much stronger and hugely advantageous. 30. Bd6! The tenacious Swedish Grandmaster finds the way to climb up to the surface. 30. ... e5 31. R4d3 bxc4 32. Nxc4 Bb5 33. Bxc7 Bxc4 34. Rd7+ Kg6 35. R2d6?? A comical blunder made under time pressure, when by now White was safe. After 35. b3 Bb5 36. Re7 Rhe8 (or 36. ... Rh7) the game was pretty balanced. 35. ... Rhe8? Harika was also short of time and, very unluckily for women’s cause, missed 35. ... Bb5! 36. Re7 Rhe8! (37. Rxe8 Bxe8) with decisive material gains due to White’s back rank abyss. 36. g4! hxg4 37. Rd8? Zeitnot! The immediate 37. a4 was a “must”. 37. ... Rcxd8? The drama of Zeitnot. 37. ... Rexd8 38. Bxd8 Be2! would have retained much greater winning chances. 38. Bxd8 Re6 39. Rxe6 Bxe6. Now the endgame is probably a draw (however not yet so easy to draw for White), thanks to the opposite-colour Bishops. 40. a4 Bb3 41. a5 f5 42. Bc7 e4 43. Bd8 f4 44. Be7 Bc4 45. Bd8 Kf5 46. Be7 e3 47. fxe3 fxe3 48. Kg2 Kf4 49. Bf6 Bd5+ 50. Kf1 Bc4+ 51. Ke1 Bb5 ½ : ½.

When the Wind Blows

Pavel Eljanov – Dronavalli Harika
23rd TePe Sigeman & Co. Chess Tournament; Malmö, May 10, 2017
Réti Opening A05

“I have not been to Sweden before but I am confident of doing well here. I will just try to do routine stuff, play quality games and give tough fight to all my opponents”, Harika said on the eve of her début in the invitational élite TePe Sigeman & Co. Chess Tournament. 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. b3 d6 3. d4 g6 4. Bb2 Bg7 5. g3 Bd7 6. Bg2. The (vintage) alternative was 6. Nc3 c5 7. Bg2 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Nc6 9. 0-0 0-0 10. Nd5 ½ : ½ U. Andersson – Najdorf, 1st Clarín International Tournament, Buenos Aires 1978. 6. ... Qc8. 6. ... 0-0 after 7. 0-0 Qc8 8. Re1 Bh3 9. e4 Bxg2 10. Kxg2 e5 11. dxe5 Nfd7 would transpose into Reshevsky – Kagan, 7th International Tournament, Netanya 1973. 7. h4 0-0 8. c4 c5 9. Nc3 Nc6 10. d5 Ne5 11. Nxe5 dxe5 12. Qd2 Rb8 13. a4 a6 14. 0-0 Ne8 15. a5. 15. h5 Nd6 (15. ... gxh5 16. Qg5) 16. h6 Bh8 17. e4 is Stockfish’s recipe to keep fighting for a (very unlikely) White’s edge. After the text Black won’t ever have any more worries. 15. ... Nd6 16. Qc2 Qc7 17. e4. Eljanov’s purpose was probably to prevent ... f7-f5, but I think he very unwilling made such a move. 17. ... b5! 18. axb6 Qxb6 19. Ra3

19. ... Nxc4! Harika will end up a Pawn ahead, but no real winning chances, due to White’s Rook on the seventh rank and the Bishops of opposite colour. 20. bxc4 Qxb2 21. Qxb2 Rxb2 22. Na4 Bxa4 23. Rxa4 Bh6! 24. Rxa6 Rb4 25. Ra7 Re8 26. Rc7 Rxc4 27. Ra1 Rc1+ 28. Rxc1 Bxc1 29. Bf1 Kf8 30. Bc4 Rd8 31. g4 Bb2 32. Kg2 h6 33. Rb7 Bc3 34. Kg3 Bd2 35. Rc7 Bc1 36. Kf3 Bd2 37. Ke2 Bc1 38. Kd3 Bb2 39. Rb7 Bd4 40. Ke2 Bc3 41. Rc7 ½ : ½.

Dronavalli Harika contemplating Malmö’s sea
Photo: Dronavalli Harika (@HarikaDronavali)

The War After Armageddon

谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí) – Dronavalli Harika

Knockout Women’s World Chess Championship Tournament; tie-break game 2 (25+10); Tehran, February 25, 2017

Queen’s Gambit Declined D53

谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí) questions her fate in the 2nd (Rapid) tie-break game which she needs absolutely to win, having lost the first-one. 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Nf3 h6 7. Bh4 0-0 8. Qc2 c5 9. Rd1 Qa5 10. cxd5 Nxd5 11. Bxe7 Nxe7 12. Be2 Nf6 13. 0-0 cxd4 14. Nxd4!? Here is where they started playing on their own. In So – Kramnik, Grand Chess Tour YourNextMove Rapid, Leuven 2016 was seen 14. Rxd4 Nc6 15. Rd2 Bd7 16. Rfd1 Rfd8 17. Qb3 Rab8 18. a3 a6 19. Bd3 Be8 20. Bb1 Rxd2 21. Nxd2 Ne5 22. Nc4 Nxc4 23. Qxc4 Bc6 24. Qd4 Rc8 25. h3 Qh5 26. Rd2 Qg5 27. f3 e5 28. Qd3 e4 29. fxe4 Re8 30. Qd4 Nd7 31. Rf2 Ne5 32. Ba2 Rd8 33. Nd5 Bxd5 34. exd5 Rd6 35. Bb1 g6 36. Be4 Qe7 37. Bf3 Rd8 38. Bg4 Qc7 39. Rf1 h5 40. Be2 Qd6 41. e4 Rc8 42. Bd3 Kg7 43. Qe3 b5 44. Kh1 Rc7 45. Qf4 f6 46. Qd2 Qc5 47. Bb1 g5 48. Qe2 h4 49. Bd3 ½ : ½. 14. ... e5 15. Ndb5 Bf5 16. Qb3 Be6 17. Bc4 Bxc4 18. Qxc4 a6 19. Nd6 b5 20. Qb3 Qc7 21. Rd2 Nc8 22. Rfd1 Nxd6 23. Rxd6 Rfd8 24. Qa3 Rxd6 25. Qxd6 Qxd6 26. Rxd6 b4 27. Na4. 27. Nxd5 Nxd5 28. Rxd5 Rc8 also looks quite drawish. 27. ... Ne4 28. Rd1 Rc8 29. f3 Nf6 30. Rd2 Kf8 31. Kf2 Ke7 32. e4 Rc6 33. b3 Nd7 34. Nb2 f6 35. h4 h5 36. Nd1 Rd6 37. Ke2 Rxd2+ 38. Kxd2 Kd6 39. Ne3 g6 40. Kd3 Kc5 41. Nd5 a5 42. g3 Kb5. Maybe it is not wrong, but 42. ... g5 appears to be better and safer. 43. f4! 43. Nc7+ Kb6 44. Ne8 was also worth considering, but 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí)’s choice looks more natural and principled, even if not advantageous. 43. ... Kc5 44. Ne7 Nf8

45. f5! Of course Harika would have been quite happy to answer 45. Ng8 by 45. ... Nd7. 45. ... gxf5? I guess there must have been too much pressure on Harika’s shoulders, causing her finally to commit a serious mistake. After 45. ... g5 46. Nd5 Nd7 Black should hold. 46. Nxf5 Ne6 47. Ne7 Kd6 48. Nf5+ Kc5 49. Ke3 Kb5? The last, and decisive mistake in a not easy position. 49. ... Kc6 50. Ne7+ Kd6 51. Ng8 f5! 52. exf5 Nd4 might be the less worst way to retains hopes of saving the ending a Pawn down. 50. Nd6+ Kc6 51. Ne8 a4 52. bxa4 Nc5 53. Nxf6 Nxa4 54. g4. Now White wins easily and, once resuscitated, 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí) will be able to heroically stand up to her opponent till victory in the final Armageddon! 54. ... hxg4 55. h5 Nb2 56. h6 Nc4+ 57. Ke2 Nd6 58. h7 Nf7 59. Nxg4 Kd6 60. Kd3 Kc5 61. Ke3 Kd6 62. Kd2 Ke6 63. Kd3 Nh8 64. Kc4 Kf7 65. Kxb4 Kg7 66. Nxe5 Kf6 67. Nc6 Kg7 68. a4 Nf7 69. a5 Nd6 70. a6 Nc8 71. a7 Nxa7 72. Nxa7 Kxh7 73. Nc6 1 : 0.

谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí)
Photo © David Llada

Dronavalli Harika
Photo © David Llada

The Will

Dronavalli Harika – 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí)

Knockout Women’s World Chess Championship Tournament; match game 2; Tehran, February 24, 2017

Sicilian Defence B51

“C’mon [Dronavalli Harika]. All the best. Just play chess today & try keep the play going. You have played very well”, 15th World Chess Champion Viswanathan “Vishy” Anand solemnly wished his countrygirl, just before the game started. 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 d6 4. 0-0 Bd7 5. Re1 Nf6 6. c3 a6 7. Bc4 b5 8. Bf1 e5 9. d4. For 9. a4 b4 10. d4 cxd4 11. cxd4 Be7 12. Nbd2 exd4 13. Nb3 0-0 14. Nfxd4 d5 see Cornette – Pap, Schachbundesliga 2015-2016, Erfurt 2016. 9. ... Be7 10. d5 Na7 11. Nbd2 0-0 12. Bd3 Nc8 13. Nf1. As very usually happens, the Rossolimo Sicilian has transposed into a kind of Spanish Game. 13. ... Nb6 14. h3 Qc7 15. Ng3 a5 16. Bg5 Rfe8 17. Qc1 h6 18. Be3 c4 19. Bc2 b4. 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí) prepares to sacrifice her c-Pawn for some interesting positional compensation. 20. Qd1 Reb8 21. Nd2 Nh7 22. Qe2 Rc8 23. Bxb6 Qxb6 24. Nxc4 Qc5 25. Bd3 bxc3 26. bxc3 Bg5 27. Rab1 Rab8 28. Nf1 Nf8 29. Kh2

29. ... h5? The Bishop pair and the weakness of the c3-Pawn partially compensated Black for the minus Pawn, but now 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí) quite crazily decides to sacrifice another Pawn for something that does not exist. 30. Qxh5 Bf4+ 31. Kg1 Bb5? The postgirl just wants to jump in, both feet into the abyss... 32. Qe2. Simpler seems to be 32. Rxb5! Rxb5 33. g3 Bh6 34. Nxd6 Qxd6 35. Bxb5 Rxc3 36. Rb1 leaving Black in trouble two Pawns down – the analysis is by Georges Bertola from his commentary for Europe Échecs. 32. ... Bxc4 33. Rxb8 Rxb8 34. Bxc4 Qa3 35. Bb5 Qxc3 36. a4 Rc8 37. g3 Bg5 38. Ne3 Qb4. “It was probably necessary to eliminate the White Knight by 38. ... Bxe3!, in spite of the pawn minus, as the Bishops of opposite colour ending is just a chimera”, says Bertola. 39. Nc4 Nd7 40. Nxa5 Rc2 41. Qxc2 Qxe1+ 42. Kg2 Nc5. The alternative – apparently more defensible than the text – was 42. ... Qxa5 43. Bxd7 liquidating to a Queen and opposite coloured Bishops endgame two Pawns down. 43. Nc6! Bd2 44. Bd3. After 44. Nxe5! dxe5 45. Qxc5 Qxe4+ 46. f3 Qd4 47. Qxd4 exd4 48. Kf2 (Bertola’s analysis) not even the Bishops of opposite colours might have saved Black from the too many White Pawns eager to promote. 44. ... g6 45. h4 Bc3 46. Be2 Nxa4 47. Ne7+. Stockfish’s “first thought” 47. Qd3! Nc5 48. Qf3 also appears to be the best thought, carrying serious threats to the Black King. 47. ... Kf8 48. Nc8 Bd4 49. Bf3 Qb4 50. h5 gxh5?? A tremendous blunder for which no explanation is possible. 50. ... Qc5 51. Qxa4 Qxc8 was called for, and good enough to hope for a draw. 51. Qc1? Most certainly it’s a flashy blind spot, and it will not be the last one. 51. Qc7! Qd2 52. Kh3! would have led to a mating attack. 51. ... Bc5? 52. Qh6+? And now Harika misses 52. Qg5!+- Qb7 53. Qd8+ Kg7 54. Ne7 with an easy and ready win. 52. ... Ke8 53. Bxh5 Qxe4+ 54. Bf3 Qg6? Everything is mounted as a tragicomedy of mistakes. 54. ... Qd4! 55. Nxd6+ Bxd6 56. Qxd6 Nc5 would have ensured Black robust drawing chances. 55. Qh4 Kd7 56. Be4? As the show must go on, no matter that 56. Bg4+ Kc7 57. Qe7+ Kb8 58. Qd8 Kb7 59. Qd7+ Kb8 60. Ne7 was devastatingly easy. 56. ... f5 57. Ne7? Just another bid for immortality! Now White misses 57. Qe7+! Kxc8 58. Bd3! and mate in three moves. 57. ... Qf7 58. Bxf5+ Kc7 59. f3 Nb6 60. Be6 Qg7 61. Nf5 Qf8 62. Qh7+ Kb8 63. Ne7 Nc4 64. Nc6+ Ka8 65. Qg8? Now Harika makes the grand offer of exchanging Queens, and this is also the best way to offer her opponent unexpected drawing prospects... 65. ... Qxg8 66. Bxg8 Kb7 67. g4 Be3 68. Nd8+ Kc7 69. Ne6+ Kd7 70. g5 Ke7 71. Bh7 Nb6 72. g6 Nxd5? “72. ... Bh6! must lead to a draw: 73. g7 Bxg7 74. Nxg7 Nxd5 75. Nf5+ Kd7”, writes Bertola. 73. g7 Nf6 74. g8=Q Nxg8 75. Bxg8 Kd7 76. Nf8+ Kc6 77. Ng6 Bg5 78. Kh3 Kc5 79. Kg4 Bd8 80. Nf8 Ba5 81. Ne6+ Kc4 82. Kf5 Kd3 83. Ng5 Kd4 84. Ba2 Bb4 85. Ne6+ Ke3 86. Bd5 Ba5 87. Ng5 Kd4 88. Ke6 Bc7 89. Ne4 Ke3 90. Nxd6 Kf4 91. Be4 Ba5 92. Nb7 Bc3 93. Nc5 Kg5 94. Nd3 Bd2 95. Kxe5 Bc3+ 96. Ke6 Bd2 97. Bc6 Kg6 98. Ke5 Kg5 99. Ke4 Kf6 100. Nf2 Ke6 101. Bd5+ Kd6 102. Ba2 Kd7 103. Ng4 Bg5 104. Ne5+ Kc7 105. Bb3 Bh6 106. Nc4 Bg5 107. Ba4 Kd8 108. Ne3 Kc7 109. Bb5 Kd6 110. Nf5+ Kc5 111. Be8 Kb4 112. Nd4 Bh6 113. Ne2 Kc5 114. Bf7 Bg5 115. Ba2 Bh6 116. f4. Finally, Harika feels ready to demontrate the Bishop and Knight checkmate – actually just a bit too erratically. 116. ... Bxf4 117. Nxf4 Kb4 118. Kd4 Kb5 119. Bd5 Kb4 120. Bc4 Ka3 121. Nd3 Ka4 122. Kc5 Ka3 123. Be6 Ka4 124. Nb4 Ka3 125. Kc4 Kb2 126. Bg4 Kc1 127. Kc3 Kb1 128. Nc2 Ka2 129. Be6+ Kb1 130. Ne3 Ka1 131. Nc4 Kb1 132. Nd2+ Ka1 133. Nb3+ Kb1 134. Bf5+ Ka2 135. Be4 Ka3 136. Bb1 Ka4 137. Nd4 Ka5 138. Kc4 Kb6 139. Bg6 Kc7 140. Kd5 Kd7 141. Nc6 Kc7 142. Kc5 Kd7 143. Bf7 Kc8 144. Be6+ Kc7 145. Ne5 Kb7 146. Bd5+ Kc8 147. Kd6 Kd8 148. Bf7 Kc8 149. Kc6 Kd8 150. Ng6 Kc8 151. Bd5 Kd8 152. Kd6 Ke8 153. Bb3 Kd8 154. Ba4 Kc8 155. Bc6 Kd8 156. Ne5 Kc8 157. Bd7+ Kb7 158. Nc4 Ka6 159. Kc7 Ka7 160. Bb5 Ka8 161. Nb6+ Ka7 162. Nc8+ 1 : 0. All’s well that ends well. The last “gift” the Knockout pageant needed was a worldwide remake of Ushenina – Girya, FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2013–2014, 1st stage, Geneva 2013.

Dronavalli Harika vs. 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí)
Photo © David Llada

The Postgirl

谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí) – Dronavalli Harika

Knockout Women’s World Chess Championship Tournament; match game 1; Tehran, February 23, 2017

Nimzo-Indian Defence E54

1. d4 e6 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 0-0 5. Bd3 c5 6. Nf3 d5 7. 0-0 cxd4 8. exd4 dxc4 9. Bxc4 b6 10. Bg5 Bb7 11. Qe2 Bxc3 12. bxc3 Nbd7 13. Bd3 Qc7 14. Rac1 Ng4. For 14. ... Rfe8 15. Rfe1 h6 16. Bd2 Rad8 see 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí) – Gunina, Russia–China Match, Moscow 2016. 15. Be4 Rfe8. For 15. ... Bxe4 16. Qxe4 Ngf6 17. Qe2 Rac8 18. c4 h6 19. Bh4 Qb7 20. Rfe1 Rfe8 see Radjabov – Kramnik, World Championship Candidates, London 2013. 16. h3!? Bxe4 17. Qxe4 Ngf6 18. Qe2 Rac8 19. c4 Qb7 20. Rfe1 Qa6 21. Ne5 Nxe5

22. dxe5! The most difficult move of the game. By retaking with the Pawn, 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí) shows her aggressive intentions, and thanks to some silent Rooks-and-Queen maneuvers (really in Karpov’s grand style!) she will manage to create an attack seemingly out of nothing. 22. ... Nd7 23. Qg4 Kh8 24. Qh5 Kg8 25. Qg4 Kh8 26. Re4 Qa3 27. Rd1 Nf8 28. h4 Qc3. Harika cannot yet believe that she will find herself to defend from an attack. 28. ... h6 29. Qh5 Nh7 30. Bc1 Qa4 was probably a bit sounder. 29. h5! (Δ h5-h6) 29. ... h6 30. Bh4 Rc7 31. Red4! A powerful interference by which White threatens Bh4-f6. 31. ... Qc2. In order to met 32. Bf6?? by 32. ... gxf6 33. exf6 Qh7, but... 32. R1d3! Here is another interference! 32. ... Rc5. A rejoinder that may hasten the end, but by now Black had no good moves. 33. Rg3? A half step behind. Very much stronger seems 33. Kh2! Rxe5 (what else?) 34. Rd8 Rxd8 35. Rxd8 Kg8 36. Bf6 winning immediately. 33. ... Qh7 34. Rf4 Rc7 35. Qf3 Nd7 36. Qe2 Rf8? And finally Harika cracks under the pressure and responsibility of her historical mission. Stockfish’s “best (rescue) line” 36. ... Qb1+ 37. Kh2 Qb4 38. Rxf7 Rxc4 39. Bf6 gxf6 40. Rxd7 Rh4+ 41. Rh3 Qf4+ 42. g3 Qg4 43. Qxg4 Rxg4 44. exf6 Rf8 seems instead to offer quite certain drawing chances. 37. Be7 Rg8 38. Bd6 Rcc8 39. Rxf7 Qb1+ 40. Kh2 Nc5 41. Qe3 Qh7 42. Rg6. Totally crushed! 42. ... a5 43. Be7 Rc7 44. Rxh6! 1 : 0. A fantastic game by the most veiled of the Chinese pretenders!

谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí) vs. Dronavalli Harika
Photo © David Llada

The Four Seasons

Dronavalli Harika – Nana Dzagnidze

Knockout Women’s World Chess Championship Tournament; match game 1; Tehran, February 20, 2017

French Defence C03

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 a6 4. Ngf3 c5 5. Bd3 Nc6 6. exd5 exd5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. 0-0 Bg4 9. Nb3 Bd6 10. h3 Bh5 11. c3 Nge7 12. Re1 Qc7 13. Be3 Ne5 14. Be2 Nc4

15. Bg5! f6. Not 15. ... Nxb2? because of 16. Bxe7!! Nxd1 17. Bb5+! axb5 18. Bxd6+ winning material – that’s why computers are kept under lock and key when two human beings play each other. 16. Bc1 0-0 17. Nfd4 Bf7 18. Bg4 Kh8 19. Ne6 Bxe6 20. Bxe6. The Bishop pair implies a somewhat better position for White, but it does not seem easy to transform the better into the best. 20. ... Rad8 21. Nd4 Nc6 22. b3 Nxd4 23. cxd4 Na5 24. Bb2 Nc6 25. Bg4 Qa5 26. a3 Bb8 27. Qd3 Rfe8 28. b4 Qc7 29. g3 Ba7 30. h4 g6 31. Rxe8+ Rxe8 32. Bf3 Qd6 33. Kg2 Kg7 34. Bc3. Woman Grandmaster Tania Sachdev, commenting her countrygirl’s game for ChessBase.com, regards 34. h5 as a better way of putting pressure on Black’s shoulders; for instance: 34. ... f5 35. hxg6 hxg6 36. Rh1 Rh8 37. Rxh8 Kxh8 38. b5 “With too many weaknesses in blacks position”. 34. ... Rc8 35. Re1 Ne7 36. Bb2 Rc4 37. Qe2 Nf5 38. Bg4 Bxd4 39. Bxf5 gxf5?? A dramatic blunder by Dzagnidze, likely due to time trouble. Simply 39. ... Bxb2 40. Bd3 Rc1 was good enough to survive. 40. Qe8! Bxb2 41. Re7+ Qxe7. No other way to avoid mate. 42. Qxe7+ Kg6 43. Qe8+ Kg7 44. Qd7+ Kg6 45. h5+ Kh6 46. Qxd5 Rc2. Surrender. 47. Qb3! 1 : 0. Then, after losing the 2nd game, Harika deservedly got through the tie-break and will play 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí) in the semifinals.

Dronavalli Harika
Photo: Anastasiya Valeryevna Karlovich

Gosh-e Fil

Dronavalli Harika – Natalia Andreevna Pogonina
Women’s Grand Prix Series 2015-2016; Tehran, February 11, 2016
Queen’s Gambit Declined D37

1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Qc2 c5 6. dxc5 d4 7. Nb5 e5 8. Nxe5 a6 9. Na3 0-0 10. Nd3 Bxc5. For 10. ... Bf5 11. g3 Nbd7 12. Bg2 Nxc5 13. 0-0 Rc8 14. Qd1 Re8 15. Bf4 Qb6 16. Rb1 Nfe4 17. Be5 Bf6 18. Bxf6 Qxf6 19. Nf4 see Shimanov – Tregubov, Türkiye İş Bankası Süper Satranç Ligi, Konya 2012. 11. g3 Re8 12. Bg2 Bf8 13. 0-0 Nc6 14. Qd1 Bf5 15. Nc2 h6 16. Bd2 Qd7 17. Nf4 Be4 18. Bxe4 Nxe4 19. f3 Nxd2 20. Qxd2 Rad8 21. Rad1 Qc8 22. Kg2 Bc5 23. Rfe1 a5 24. Nd3 Ba7 25. Rc1 Rd7 26. b4 axb4 27. Ncxb4 Nxb4 28. Qxb4 Rde7 29. Rc2 Re3 30. c5 Qd7 31. Nf2. At this point White could probably have played more ambitiously. 31. ... Qd5 32. Rd1. 32. Qa5 Qf5! leads to nothing special for White, but the text allows Black to liquidate into a drawing line. 32. ... Rxe2 33. Rxd4 Qxd4! 34. Qxd4 Rxc2

35. Kh3? A serious error of judgment. White should have been content with 35. Qd7! Ree2 36. Qc8+ Kh7 37. Qf5+ forcing perpetual check. 35. ... Bxc5 36. Qd7. Too late. 36. ... Ree2. Black got gets overwhelming compensation for the Queen. Natalia Andreevna slowly but surely will convert her material advantage into a full point. 37. Ne4 h5 38. Kh4 Rxh2+ 39. Kg5 Bf8 40. a4 b6 41. Kf4 Rc4 42. Kg5 Rb4 43. Qe8 Rb3 44. Kf4 Rc2 45. g4 hxg4 46. Kxg4 Rg2+ 47. Kf4 Rg6 48. Qd7 Rh6 49. Kg3 Rg6+ 50. Kf2 Rb4 51. Ke3 Re6 52. Kf2 Re5 53. Kg3 Re7 54. Qc6 Ra7 55. Nc3 Ra5 56. Qe8 Rd4 57. Kf2 Rc4 58. Ne4 Rcxa4 59. Qc6 Ra2+ 60. Kg3 Rb2 61. Qd7 Re5 62. Qd4 Rbb5 63. Qd8 Re6 64. Kf2 Rf5 65. Ng3 Rfe5 66. Ne4 b5 67. Qd3 b4 68. Qc2 Rb5 69. Qb3 Rc6 70. Kg3 Ra5 71. Kf4 Ra3 72. Qd5 Re6 73. Qh5 Be7 74. Qb5 Ra8 75. Qb7 Rd8 76. Kg3 Re5 77. Kf2 Bf8 78. Qc7 Red5 79. Qb7 Rf5 80. Kg2 Rd3 81. Qb8 Rdxf3 82. Ng3 Rf2+ 83. Kg1 R5f3 84. Qb7 b3 85. Ne4 Rc2 86. Nd2 Rd3 87. Nf1 Bc5+ 88. Kh1 Rh3+ 0 : 1.

Natalia Andreevna Pogonina

Dronavalli Harika

All photos by Alina l’Ami

It’s the Girls!

14th Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival (@GibraltarChess)

Code Red

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Dronavalli Harika
2nd Qatar Masters Open; Doha, December 21, 2015
English Opening A15

1. g3 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Bg2 g6 4. c4 Bg7 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. h4!? Nc6 7. Nc3 Bf5 8. Qb3 Nb6 9. d3 a5 10. a4 h6 11. Bd2 Nb4 12. 0-0 0-0 13. Rfc1 Rc8 14. Qd1 c5 15. b3 Nd7 16. Rab1 b6 17. Nb5 Na2 18. Rc2 Nb4 19. Rcc1 Na2 20. Rc4 Be6 21. Rc2 Nb4 22. Rcc1 Na2 23. Rc2 Nb4 24. Rcc1 Na2 25. Rc2 ½ : ½.

A peaceful draw. Photo: Kateryna Savina.

Meaning of Life

Harika Dronavalli (@HarikaDronavali)

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Harika Dronavalli (@HarikaDronavali)