Notes from Underground

Chess-News.ru‏ (@Chess__News)

The “Case of Mihaela Sandu”: crime and punishment? Natalia Oleksandrivna Zhukova — the head signatory of the j’accuse letter against Mihaela Sandu (pictured above) — was banned by FIDE Ethics Commission for three months with a proviso (in fact, the penalty is suspended for one year, provided that Zhukova will not repeat again irresponsible and unjustified accusations), while all others signatories have been severely warned for their reckless and unjustified attitude to accuse Sandu of cheating. For further details, see chess-news.ru/node/23084.

Баклава (Baklava)

Mariya Muzychuk – Anastasia Mikhailovna Bodnaruk
15th European Individual Women’s Chess Championship; Plovdiv, July 11, 2014
Sicilian Defence B52

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Bd7 4. Bxd7+ Qxd7 5. 0-0 Nc6 6. c3 Nf6 7. d4 Nxe4 8. d5 Ne5 9. Re1 Nf6 10. Nxe5 dxe5 11. c4 g6 12. Rxe5 Bg7 13. Nc3 0-0 14. Re2. For 14. Bg5 h6 15. Bh4 see Andreikin – Sjugirov, II World’s Youth Stars, Kirishi 2004, while for 14. Re1 Ne8 15. Bg5 see Sedina – Neuman, 22nd Mitropa Cup, Pula 2003. 14. ... Qg4. Somewhat strange but not necessarily bad.

15. Qb3. 15. Rxe7 Qxc4 leads nowhere. 15. ... Rfe8 16. h3 Qd7 17. Bf4. Intending Nc3-b5. 17. ... e6!? Black prefers the weakness of an isolated Pawn on e6 rather than to commit herself on the Queenside. For instance, if 17. ... a6? then 18. Na4 and White’s advantage is already overwhelming. 18. dxe6 Rxe6 19. Rxe6 fxe6. It doesn’t make sense to sacrifice a Pawn by 19. ... Qxe6 since after 20. Qxb7 Re8 21. Qb5 Black has no compensation at all. 20. Rd1 Qf7 21. Qb5 b6 22. Qc6 Rf8 23. Be3 h6? The beginning of an ambitious, but wrong plan of counter-attack. Comparatively best was 23. ... Qe8(!) so as to considerably reduce White’s advantage. 24. Rd6 g5? The hysterical sacrifice of a Pawn cannot help Black’s cause. On the other hand, after 24. ... Re8 25. a4 g5 26. a5 White should shatter her opponent’s position on the Queenside before Black can really become dangerous on the Kingside. 25. Rxe6 g4 26. Nd5 gxh3 27. Nxf6+ Bxf6 28. gxh3. Simpler was 28. Bxh6! Bd4 29. Bxf8 Qxf2+ (on 29. ... h2+ 30. Kh1 Qxf2 31. Rg6+ Bg7 32. Rxg7+ Kxf8 33. Qf3+ White forces an elementary King and Pawn endgame) 30. Kh2 hxg2 31. Qxg2+ Qxg2+ 32. Kxg2 Kxf8 33. b3 when White has a won endgame. 28. ... Bg5. More tenacious is 28. ... Qg6+, though after 29. Qg2 Kf7 30. Qxg6+ Kxg6 31. b3 h5 32. Rd6 White remains a clear Pawn ahead and, with proper play, she should win. 29. Qe4 Kh8 30. h4 Bf6 31. Bxh6 Bd4 32. Be3 Bg7 33. Rg6 Rg8. Or 33. ... Bxb2 34. Qg2! substantially transposing into the game. The rest is easy. 34. Qg4 Qxg6 35. Qxg6 Bxb2 36. Qxg8+ Kxg8 37. Kg2 Kf7 38. Kf3 a6 39. a4 Ke6 40. Ke4 Kd6 41. h5 Kc6 42. h6 Kd6 43. Bf4+ Ke6 44. h7 Bd4 45. Bc7 Kf7 46. Be5 1 : 0.

Mariya Muzychuk (here against Salome Melia)
Photo © Boyan Botev

Common law

Steve Giddins (@GiddinsSteve)

The Shame of the Cities

• The Letter Was Not an Open One, The Organizers Requested It, Chess-News.ru, June 5, 2015

Before writing the notorious letter, Zhukova claims she many times approached the chief arbiter Tomasz Delega and the organizers, with a request to delay the broadcast of the games. But in response, the latter required that a letter be written, requesting such action, else they would do nothing. “Maybe they were hoping that I would not want to spend time on preparation of the text. In fact, I would have loved to concentrate only on preparing for the game, but, alas, I had no choice”. [Read more].

Chess-News.ru (@Chess_News)

Not in their names

• Two Participants Withdrew their Names from Anti-Sandu Letter, Chess-News.ru, June 1, 2015

Ekaterina Valentinovna Kovalevskaya and Anastasia Sergeyevna Savina removed their signatures from the second letter against Mihaela Sandu.

Not guilty and not proven

Mihaela Sandu – Antoaneta Stefanova
16th European Individual Women’s Chess Championship; Chakvi, May 25, 2015
Pirc Defence B08

1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nf3 c6 4. Nc3 d6 5. Be2 Nf6 6. 0-0 0-0 7. a4 Qc7 8. h3 a5!? Improvisation? The theoretical line 8. ... e5 would lead to a Pirc tabiya. 9. Bf4 Nh5 10. Be3 e5 11. dxe5 dxe5 12. Nd2 Nf4 13. Nc4 Be6 14. Nb6 Nxe2+ 15. Qxe2 Ra6 16. Nc4 b5 17. axb5 cxb5 18. Nd2 b4 19. Nd5 Bxd5 20. exd5 f5 21. Nb3 f4 22. Bc5 f3 23. Qe3 fxg2 24. Rfd1 Rc8 25. d6 Qc6 26. Ba7 Nd7 27. Nxa5 Qb5?? A gross blunder. After 27. ... Qa8 28. Nb3 Rxa1 29. Rxa1 Qd5 Black is fine. 28. Qb3+ Kh8

29. c4! Her Majesty is trapped! 29. ... Qxa5 30. Rxa5 Rxa5 31. Be3. The rest is easy for White. 31. ... Rb8 32. c5 Rxc5 33. Bxc5 Nxc5 34. Qf7 Rg8 35. Qc4 Nb7 36. Qxb4 Nd8 37. Qc4 1 : 0.

Mihaela Sandu
Photo: GSP

感恩节

“At this moment I am in a terrible state, but I want to thank everyone who supported me. This supports means a lot to me and helped me cope with the worst situation I was ever in my life! I am down right now but I hope to come back one day even stronger”.

• Mihaela Sandu Thanks People for Their Support “In the Worst Time of My Life”, Chess-News.ru, May 31, 2015

The Blair Witch Project

• Alexey Dreev: “In Sandu’s games, There is Not a Single Sign of ‘Intelligent Cheating’”, Chess-News.ru, May 30, 2015

John Saunders (@Johnchess)

From Romania with Love

Letter of support by the Romanian Chess Federation

Woman Grandmaster Mihaela Sandu

女為悅己者狂 (Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios)

The two letters in which 15 players raised suspicions of cheating against Mihaela Sandu
Photo: Chess-News.ru

Witch-hunt

• Dennis Monokroussos, A New Cheating Scandal, The Chess Mind, May 29, 2015
• Cheating at the European Women’s Championship?, chess24.com, May 29, 2015
• Romania Demands Observance of Ethics, Chess-News.ru, May 30, 2015
• Mihaela Sandu Responds to the Organising Committee in a Written Complaint, Chess-News.ru, May 30, 2015

Jan Gustafsson (@GMJanGustafsson)

Nigel David Short (@nigelshortchess)

Lawrence Adam Trent (@LawrenceTrentIM)

Mihaela Sandu
Photo: Chess-News.ru

Penny Lane

Antoaneta Stefanova – Alina Anatolyevna Kashlinskaya
16th European Individual Women’s Chess Championship; Chakvi, May 21, 2015
King’s Indian Defence A05

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. 0-0 c5 5. d4 0-0 6. dxc5 Na6 7. Be3 Ne4 8. Bd4 Nexc5 9. Bxg7 Kxg7 10. Qd4+. For 10. Nc3 Ne6 11. e4 d6 12. Qe2 Nac7 13. Rfd1 see Benkovic – Vombek, Portoroz 2005. 10. ... Kg8 11. Nc3 d6 12. Rfd1 Bd7 13. e4 Bc6 14. a3 Rc8 15. Qe3 Qb6 16. Nd5 Bxd5 17. exd5 Qxb2 18. Qxe7. Antoaneta has been too hasty in regaining her Pawn. She ought to play 18. Nd4 (Δ Rd1-b1) first, and only after 18. ... Qb6 will the White Queen take the e7-Pawn. 18. ... Rfe8 19. Qxd6 Ne4. The position is now reversed, and Black will obtain a lasting initiative for the Pawn. 20. Qd7 Nac5 21. Qg4. “Something has gone wrong with the former Women’s World Champion’s opening and Stefanova now finds herself on the defensive. Probably she was now anticipating Black capturing the c-Pawn and after 22. Rd1-f1 try to get some counterplay based on her passed Pawn”, Grandmaster Kevin Spraggett said.

21. ... Nxf2! An intuitive sacrifice which forces the enemy King out into the open. 22. Kxf2 Ne4+ 23. Kg1 Rxc2 24. Qh3. 24. Bh1 is refuted by 24. ... Nf2! 25. Rdb1 (what else?) 25. ... Re1+!, e.g. 26. Rxe1 Nh3+! 27. Qxh3 Qb6+ and mate in three moves, while after 24. Bf1 is quite convincing 24. ... Qc3 (Δ ... Qc3-e3+) 25. Qf4 g5! (Spraggett’s analysis). 24. ... Qb6+ 25. Nd4. Obviously, 25. Rd4? Ng5! loses on the spot. 25. ... Rd2 26. Rxd2 Nxd2 27. Qg4 Re4!! Possibly the most difficult move in the game! “Black cleverly uses multiple tactical themes to created threats and make progress. If now 28. Bxe4 there would follow the forcing 28. ... Qxd4+ 29.Kg2 Qxa1 (threatening mate on f1) 30. Bd3!? Qe5 31. Qc8+ Kg7 32. Qxb7 Qd4! 33. Be2 Ne4! and the Queen and Knight duo are unstoppable”, Spraggett said. 28. Qc8+ Kg7 29. Qc3 Rxd4. “And now the simplest winning plan is to simplify with 29. ... Qxd4+ 30. Qxd4 Rxd4 31. Rd1 Kf6! when the ending offers no hope. (In the game Kashlinksaya played the less accurate 29. ... Rxd4, but won anyway in 64 moves”, Spraggett said. 30. Rd1 Kf8 31. Qc8+ Kg7 32. Qc3 f6 33. Kh1 Ne4 34. Qxd4 Nf2+ 35. Qxf2? The only chance was to defend the endgame a Pawn behind: 35. Kg1 Nxd1 36. Qxb6 axb6. 35. ... Qxf2 36. d6 Qe2 37. Ra1 Qd2 38. Bf3 Qxd6 39. Bxb7 Qb6 40. Bg2 Qb2 41. Rd1 Qxa3. Black’s preponderance of Pawns is decisive. The rest is a matter of technique, as they say. 42. Bd5 Qc3 43. Rg1 Qd3 44. Ba2 f5 45. Rg2 a5 46. Rf2 a4 47. Kg2 a3 48. h4 Qe3 49. Bb1 Qe1 50. Ba2 Qe4+ 51. Kg1 h6 52. Rf4 Qd3 53. Kg2 Kf6 54. Rf2 g5 55. hxg5+ Kxg5 56. Bf7 Qd6 57. Ba2 Kg4 58. Rf4+ Qxf4 59. gxf4 Kxf4 60. Kf2 h5 61. Bb1 h4 62. Ba2 Ke4 63. Bb1+ Kd4 64. Kg2 f4 0 : 1.

Alina Anatolyevna Kashlinskaya
Photo: Chess-News.ru