Pride and Prejudice

Antoaneta Stefanova – Inna Grigoryevna Gaponenko-Yanovska
20th European Individual Women’s Chess Championship; Antalya, April 22, 2019
French Defence C09

Five players ended up tying for first place in the 20th European Individual Women’s Chess Championship, each with 8/11, by virtue of the victory of 10th Women’s World Chess Champion Stefanova over Gaponenko-Yanovska. Now, irony of fate (or of the tie-breaks), they finished respectively 5th and 4th, with Alina Anatolyevna Kashlinskaya winning gold, Marie Rachel Sebag silver, and Elisabeth Pähtz bronze. 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 c5 4. Ngf3 Nc6 5. exd5 exd5 6. Bb5 Qe7+ 7. Be2 Qc7 8. dxc5 Bxc5 9. Nb3 Be7 10. c3 Nf6 11. Bg5 0-0 12. 0-0 Be6 13. Nfd4 Rad8. More usual and better is 13. ... Rae8 14. Re1 Ne4 as played recently in Erenburg – Shtembuliak, 12th Philadelphia International, Philadelphia 2018. 14. Bh4 Bc8 15. Bd3 Ne4. 15. ... Rfe8 first would have been perhaps safer. 16. Bxe7 Nxe7 17. Re1 f5 18. f3 Nd6 19. Ne6 Bxe6 20. Rxe6 Qb6+ 21. Kh1 Ng6 22. Qd2. In sum, White’s centralisation is already quite too heavy, whatever ideas Black had in mind when playing 13. ... Rad8. 22. ... Rde8 23. Rae1 Rxe6 24. Rxe6 Rf7 25. Nd4 Qd8 26. Qe3 Nf8 27. Re5 Ng6 28. Rxd5 Re7 29. Qd2 Nf4

30. Rxd6! Qxd6 31. Nxf5 Qxd3 32. Nxe7+ Kf7 33. Qxf4+ Kxe7. The most Gaponenko-Yanovska was able to get is a Queen endgame two Pawns down, which Stefanova, with careful play, must win. 34. Qb4+ Ke6 35. h4 b6 36. Kh2 Qd2 37. Qc4+ Ke7 38. b4 g5 39. Qe4+ Kd6 40. hxg5 Qxg5 41. c4 Qh6+ 42. Kg3 Qg7+ 43. Kh3 Qh6+ 44. Qh4 Qc1 45. Qd8+ Kc6 46. Qc8+ Kd6 47. c5+ Kd5 48. Qd7+ Ke5 49. Qe7+ Kd4 50. Qd6+ Kc4 51. c6 Kb5 52. c7 Ka6 53. Qd7 Qh6+ 54. Kg3 Qg6+ 55. Kf2 Qc2+ 56. Ke3 Qc1+ 57. Ke4 Qe1+ 58. Kf5 Qb1+ 59. Ke5 Qe1+ 60. Kf6 Qa1+ 61. Kf7 1 : 0.

On the Way Home

Marina Brunello – Jovana Vojinović-Rapport
20th European Individual Women’s Chess Championship; Antalya, April 22, 2019
Caro-Kann Defence B13

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Bf4 Nc6 5. c3 Bf5 6. Nd2 e6 7. Ngf3 Bd6 8. Bxd6 Qxd6 9. Nh4 Bg6 10. Nxg6 hxg6 11. Nf3 Nf6. A recent game continued with: 11. ... Nge7 12. Bd3 Nf5 13. g3 0-0-0 14. Qe2 Qc7 15. Kf1 Rhe8 16. Kg2 e5 17. Bxf5+ gxf5 18. dxe5 Nxe5 19. Rhe1 f6 20. Nd4⩲ Tristan – Valerga, 22nd Copa Mercosur, Buenos Aires 2018. 12. h3 Ne4 13. Bd3 Qf4 14. Qe2 Nd6 15. g3 Qf6 16. h4 Rh5 17. 0-0-0 0-0-0 18. Rhe1 Qe7 19. Kb1 Kb8 20. Qd2 Qc7 21. Qf4 Rc8 22. Ne5. Threatening Ne5xf7 followed by Bd3xg6. 22. ... Rhh8 23. Rc1 Na5 24. Re3 Rhe8 25. Rce1 Ka8

26. Nxf7! Brunello bravely goes for a promising Knight sacrifice for three Pawns and — even more importantly — a powerful Kingside Pawn majority. 26. ... Nxf7 27. Qxc7 Rxc7 28. Rxe6 Rxe6 29. Rxe6 Nc6 30. Rxg6 Nfd8 31. Rd6 Rf7 32. f4 Re7 33. Kc2 Re3 34. Rg6 Re7 35. Kd2 Ne6 36. Bf5 Nc7 37. Rd6 Re8 38. Bg4 Rd8 39. Rg6 Ne8 40. h5 Kb8. Time control reached, White finally mobilises her majority: 41. Be6! Rd6 42. f5! Kc7 43. g4 Kd8 44. g5 Ne7 45. h6! Nxg6 46. fxg6 gxh6 (46. ... Rxe6?? 47. h7+−) 47. gxh6 Rxe6 48. h7 Rxg6 49. h8=Q Rd6. Brunello has squeezed the most from her Pawns, but of course the game is far from over, as her opponent can — not unrealistically — cultivate the hope for a fortress on the Queenside. 50. Qe5 b5 51. Qg5+ Nf6 52. Qg7 a6 53. Qb7 Ne8 54. a4 Nc7 55. b3 Kd7 56. Qb8 bxa4 57. bxa4 Rc6 58. Kc2 Rc4 59. Kb3 Rc6 60. Qf8 Rb6+ 61. Kc2 Rc6 62. Qf5+ Kd6 63. Qh3 Rc4 Rc4 64. Kb3 Kc6 65. Qg3 Kd7 66. Qg6 Kc8 67. Qf7 Kb8 68. Qd7 Kb7 69. Kc2 Kb6 70. Kd2 Rc6 71. Qh7 Rc4 72. Qb1+ Kc6 73. Qb3 Kd7 74. Ke3 Rc6 75. Kf4 Rf6+ 76. Ke5 Re6+ 77. Kf5 Rc6 78. Qa3 Kc8 79. Qb2 Kd7 80. Qd2 Kc8 81. Qd3 Kb7 82. Qh3 Kb6 1 : 0. There’s no win in the final position, indeed — but somehow, after quite a long broadcasting blackout, the magic result appeared on the screen, which meant for Marina Brunello to finish at 16th place with 7/11.

A group picture taken backstage after or before the awarding ceremony. The first from right is Marina Brunello, the third from left is Olga Anatolyevna Zimina (40th with 6½), and, finally, next to her is Maria Palma (116th with 3½). Photo: Turkish Chess Federation.

Behind the Lines

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – Olga Sergeyevna Badelka
20th European Individual Women’s Chess Championship; Antalya, April 21, 2019
Queen’s Gambit Declined D39

A lot of people can still win the European women’s title, but the top seed Goryachkina is not one of them — objectively speaking, she never appeared too interested in it. 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Bg5 dxc4 6. e4 c5 7. Bxc4 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Bxc3+ 9. bxc3 Qa5 10. Bb5+ Nbd7 11. Bxf6 Qxc3+ 12. Kf1 gxf6 13. h4 a6 14. Rh3 Qb4 15. Be2 Ne5 16. Rb1 Qd6 17. Rc3 Bd7!? This is a novelty — but a concept of questionable meaningfulness — as Black returns the Pawn without any prospect of additions. More critical is 17. ... 0-0 18. h5 Rd8∞ 19. Qb3 Bd7 20. Rd1 Qf8 21. Rc7! Qh6! 22. Rxb7 Qf4? (22. ... Bb5! 23. Nxb5 axb5 24. Rxb5 Rxd1+ 25. Qxd1 Rxa2 should be enough for a draw) 23. g3! Qxe4 24. f3 Qd5 25. Qxd5 exd5 26. h6± Giri – Harikrishna, 2nd 深圳 (Shēnzhèn) Masters “读特杯” (“Dú Tè Cup”), 深圳 (Shēnzhèn) 2017. 18. Rxb7 Rd8 19. Rb2 (19. h5!? h6 20. Ke1!?±) 19. ... 0-0 20. Rd2 Bb5 21. Bxb5 axb5 22. Nb3 Qb6 23. Qc1 h5 24. Rg3+ Ng6 25. Rxd8 Rxd8 26. Qh6 Qc7

A pyrotechnic draw concludes the story: 27. Rxg6+ fxg6 28. Qxg6+ Qg7 29. Qxh5 Qd7 30. Qg6+ Qg7 31. Qh5 Qd7 32. Qg6+ ½ : ½.

Thru the Chairs

Natallia Kusenkova – Marina Brunello
20th European Individual Women’s Chess Championship; Antalya, April 21, 2019
Queen’s Gambit Accepted D23

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Qc2 dxc4 5. Qxc4 Bf5 6. g3 e6 7. Bg2 Nbd7 8. 0-0 Be7 9. Nc3 h6 10. Re1 Ne4 11. Qb3 Qb6 12. Nh4 Bxh4. 12. ... Qxb3 just did not make good sense after 13. axb3 Bb4 14. Nxf5 exf5 15. Bxe4 fxe4 16. Bd2 Bxc3 17. bxc3 f5 18. Ra5 0-0 19. h4 a6 20. Kg2 Rad8 21. Bf4 Rc8 22. c4 Nb6 23. Rd1 Rf7 24. Be3 Rd8 25. Rd2 Nc8 26. d5 Ne7 27. dxc6 Rxd2 28. Bxd2 Nxc6 29. Rd5 Kf8 30. h5 Ke7 31. e3 Kf6 32. Kh3 Ke6 33. Bc3 b6 34. Kg2 Rc7 35. Kf1 b5 36. Rc5 bxc4 37. bxc4 Kd6 38. Rxf5 Ne7 39. Ra5 Ra7 40. Bxg7 Nc6 41. Bf8+ Ke6 42. Ra4 a5 43. g4 Ne5 44. Bxh6 Rb7 45. c5 1 : 0 Botsari – M. Brunello, 44th Greek Team Chess Championship, Achaea 2016. 13. gxh4 Ndf6 14. f3 Nxc3 15. bxc3 Qc7 16. e4 Bh7!? A new idea, trying to improve on 16. ... Bg6 17. e5 Nd5 18. Ba3 Bf5 19. c4 Ne7 20. Bd6 Qb6 21. Qe3 Rd8 22. a4 Qa5 23. f4 Rd7 24. Red1 Bg4 25. Bxe7 Rxe7 26. Rd2 Rd7 27. d5 cxd5 28. cxd5 exd5 29. Rb1 0-0 30. Rb5 Qxa4 31. Rbxd5 Qa1+ 32. Kf2 Rc7 33. Be4 Rc3 34. R5d3 Rxd3 35. Qxd3 b6 36. Bh7+ Kh8 37. Be4 Qc1 38. Qd6 Re8 39. Bc2 Qh1 40. Kg3 Qf3 mate, Harðarson – M. Brunello, 31st Reykjavik Open, Reykjavík 2016 — Black being content with the result, but maybe not happy with the opening. 17. Ba3 g5 18. Rab1 b6 19. hxg5? This gives sense and meaning to Black’s purposes. White ought to have played 19. d5! to focus herself against the Black King stuck in the centre. 19. ... hxg5 20. Bc1? After this Black is able to decidedly take the offensive. 20. Rb2 0-0-0∞ was probably best. 20. ... Bg6 21. Bxg5 Qxh2+ 22. Kf1 Rg8! 23. Qc4. Not 23. Bxf6? on account of 23. ... Bxe4!−+ nor 23. f4 because of 23. ... Nh5→ with powerful attack. 23. ... Bxe4 24. Rxe4 Rxg5 25. Qxc6+ Ke7 26. Qb7+ Nd7 27. Rg4 Rag8 28. Rxg5 Rxg5 29. Rb2 Qf4 30. Rc2

30. ... Rd5? Quite strangely, Brunello loses a tempo and a Pawn — which will prove to be too much of a gift. Instead, with 30. ... Rb5! at once Black could do harm by infiltrating both Queen and Rook: 31. Qe4 Rb1+ 32. Kf2 Qh2! 33. Qg4 Qg1+ 34. Kg3 Nf6 35. Qg5 Qd1 with good winning prospects. 31. Qxa7 Rb5? 31. ... Ra5 32. Qb7 Rb5 may transpose into the line given above, even though with the difference that Black would be a Pawn down, thus allowing White, at the end of the variation, to exchange Queens and head for a drawish endgame by returning the Pawn. 32. Qa3+ Nc5? Black melts into a mirage. By now she had nothing better than 32. ... Kf6 33. Qc1 Qxc1+ 34. Rxc1 Rb2 35. a4 Kf5 with a drawish endgame, though a little easier for Black. 33. Qc1? With 33. dxc5 White would have awakened her opponent to the sad reality. 33. ... Qxc1+ 34. Rxc1 Nd3 35. Rd1 Nf4 36. Rd2 Rb1+ 37. Kf2 Rc1 38. Bf1 Rxc3 39. Rb2 Nd5 40. Ba6 Rc7 41. Bd3 f5 42. Rc2 Ra7 43. Bc4 Kd6 44. Rb2 Rh7 45. Kg1 Rg7+ 46. Kf2 Rh7 47. Kg1 Kc7 48. Bxd5 exd5 49. Rh2 Rf7. Of course, the King and Pawn ending would be drawn, although accurate play is required: 49. ... Rxh2 50. Kxh2 Kc6! 51. Kg3 Kb5 52. Kf4 Kc4 53. Ke5 b5 54. f4 b4= with a draw soon coming. 50. Rh6 f4 51. Kf2 Kb7 52. Rd6 Rf5 53. Ke2 Kc7 54. Re6 Rf8 55. Re7+ Kd6 56. Rb7 Kc6 57. Ra7 Kb5 58. Kd2 Kb4 59. a3+ Kb5 60. Rb7 Ra8 61. Rf7 Rxa3 62. Rxf4 Kc4 63. Rf6 b5 64. f4 b4 65. f5 Kxd4. Maybe White gave a little too much rope to her opponent so far, but a draw was still easily achievable, for instance by 66. Kc2 — instead, Brunello’s stubborness paid off: 66. Rf8?? Ra2+−+ 67. Kc1 Rf2 68. f6 Kc3 69. Rc8+ Kb3 70. Rf8 d4 71. f7 d3 72. Rd8 Rf1+ 73. Kd2 Rxf7 74. Kxd3 Kb2 75. Kc4 Rf4+ 76. Kd3 b3 77. Kd2 Kb1 78. Kd1 Rf5 79. Kd2 b2 80. Rd7 Ra5 81. Rb7 Ka1 0 : 1.

Tell-Tale

Inna Grigoryevna Gaponenko-Yanovska – Alina Anatolyevna Kashlinskaya
20th European Individual Women’s Chess Championship; Antalya, April 20, 2019
French Defence C07

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 c5 4. exd5 Qxd5 5. Ngf3 cxd4 6. Bc4 Qd7 7. 0-0 Nc6 8. Nb3 a6 9. Nbxd4 Nxd4 10. Qxd4 Qxd4 11. Nxd4 Nf6 12. Be2 e5 13. Nb3 Be6 14. Rd1 Be7!? The recent script theory was not too encouraging for Black: 14. ... Rc8 15. c3 Be7 16. Bf3 e4 17. Be2 0-0 18. Nd4 Bg4 19. Bxg4 Nxg4 20. Bf4 Rfd8 21. h3 Nf6 22. Nf5 Bf8 23. Bg5± Salem – Goganov, 7th World Rapid Chess Championship, Saint Petersburg 2018. Kashlinskaya changes the Rooks placement and some other minor things. 15. Bf3 Rb8 16. Bd2 e4 17. Be2 0-0 18. Nd4 Bg4 19. Bxg4 Nxg4 20. Bf4 Rbd8 21. h3 Bf6 22. hxg4 Bxd4 23. c3 Bb6 24. Rxd8 Rxd8 25. Re1

25. ... f6? Probably Black had to play 25. ... e3! 26. Bxe3 Bxe3 27. Rxe3 f5! 28. gxf5 Rd1+ 29. Kh2 Rd2 winning back a Pawn and seeming to have good compensation for the other one. 26. Kf1 g5 27. Bc1 Re8 28. f3. Now the e-Pawn is doomed, and no compensation is in sight. 28. ... e3 29. Ke2 Kf7 30. Rd1 Kg6? A little more tenacious would be 30. ... Re7, although after 31. b3! White must sooner or later find her way to the win. 31. Rd7 h5 32. gxh5+ Kxh5 33. Rh7+ Kg6 34. Rxb7 Re6 35. g4 f5 36. gxf5+ Kxf5 37. b4 Rc6 38. a4 Kf4? This loses on the spot, but even after 38. ... Rxc3 39. Rxb6 Rxc1 40. a5! White must win. 39. Rxb6! 1 : 0. With only two rounds to go, Gaponenko is now the sole lead.

Inna Grigoryevna Gaponenko-Yanovska (right) vs. Alina Anatolyevna Kashlinskaya (left). Photo: Turkish Chess Federation.

Non-working time

Sophie Milliet – Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina
20th European Individual Women’s Chess Championship; Antalya, April 20, 2019
Caro-Kann Defence B12

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nf3 e6 5. Be2 Ne7 6. c3 Ng6 7. 0-0 f6 8. Be3!? A recent (rapid) game continued with 8. Na3 fxe5 9. dxe5 Bxa3 10. bxa3 0-0 11. Nd4 Nxe5 12. g4 Be4? (12. ... c5 was clearly called for) 13. Nxe6 Qf6 14. Nxf8 Nf3+ 15. Bxf3 Bxf3 16. Nxh7!+− Gaponenko – Girya, 5th Women’s World Rapid Chess Championship, Saint Petersburg 2018. 8. ... Be7. Preferable seems to be 8. ... Nd7, as played by 韦奕 (Wéi Yì) against 徐译 (Xú Yì) in the Chinese Blitz Chess Championship at 深圳 (Shēnzhèn) in 2017. 9. Nbd2 0-0 10. Ne1 Nh8. Despite her balancing efforts, also today, Goryachkina will struggle to defend an inferior position for a long time before achieving a lucky draw. 11. f4 fxe5 12. fxe5 Bg5 13. Bxg5 Qxg5 14. Ndf3 Qe3+ 15. Rf2 Nd7 16. Qd2 Qxd2 17. Nxd2 Bg6 18. Nef3 h6 19. Raf1 Bh7 20. h4 Ng6 21. g3 Ne7 22. Ne1 Rxf2 23. Rxf2 c5 24. Bb5 Nc6 25. Nb3 c4. This decision could cost Goryachkina the game. 25. ... cxd4 26. cxd4 a6 was much more to the point, as 27. Bxc6 bxc6 28. Rf3 a5 29. Rc3 a4 30. Nd2 Rc8 should hold for Black. 26. Na5 Nxa5 27. Bxd7 Bf5 28. Ng2 Rd8 29. Ba4 a6 30. Nf4 g5 31. hxg5 hxg5 32. Nh5 b5 33. Bc2 Bxc2 34. Rxc2 Nc6 35. Rf2 Rf8 36. Nf6+ Kg7 37. Nh5+ Kg8 38. Nf6+ Kg7 39. Rh2

39. ... Rh8? Goryachkina consistently invites the exchange of Rooks, so as to force a virtually lost Knight ending. Instead, 39. ... Kg6! 40. Nd7! Rf3 41. Kg2 Re3 42. Nc5 Re2+ 43. Kg1 Re1+ 44. Kf2 Rc1 45. Rh8! b4! gave more drawing chances, not only from a practical but also from a “scientific” standpoint. 40. Rxh8 Kxh8 41. Nd7 Nd8 42. a4? A chivalrous draw offer by Milliet, who could have done equally well, or ideally better, only with 42. g4?? (42. ... a5=). Nevertheless, White could have presented the bill with 42. a3 a5 43. Nb8, putting her opponent on the verge of her second débâcle in two days. 42. ... bxa4 ½ : ½.

Value of time

Marina Brunello – Olga Alexandrovna Girya
20th European Individual Women’s Chess Championship; Antalya, April 20, 2019
Sicilian Defence B33

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5 5. Nb5 d6 6. N1c3 a6 7. Na3 Be6 8. Nc4 Rb8 9. a4 Nf6 10. Bg5 Nb4 11. a5!?

11. ... d5! This is a clear improvement on 11. ... Qc7 12. Ne3 Be7 13. Ra4 Qc5 14. Qd2 Rd8 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. Ncd5⩲ Fataliyeva – Daulytė-Cornette, 18th European Individual Women’s Chess Championship, Riga 2017. 12. exd5 Nbxd5 13. Nxd5 Qxd5. Black has comfortably equalised, but apparently Brunello had already decided to take a day off: 14. Qe2?? Ne4! 15. Rd1?? Qxc4 0 : 1. Everyone can agree that freedom and time are worth losing a chess game for.

One Spring Friday Before Easter

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – Jolanta Zawadzka
20th European Individual Women’s Chess Championship; Antalya, April 19, 2019
Queen’s Gambit Declined D31

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 Nf6 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 c6 7. Nf3 0-0 8. a4 b6 9. Ba3 Re8 10. cxd5 exd5!? This is certainly playable, but probably not more convincing than 10. ... cxd5 11. Bb5 Bd7 12. Bd3 Nc6 13. Bd6 Ne4= 赵骏 (Zhào Jùn) – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), 42nd Chinese Chess Championship, 兴化市 (Xīnghuà) 2011. 11. Rc1 Ne4 12. Nd2!? 12. Bd3 Ba6 13. 0-0⩲ was simpler and probably better. 12. ... Nxd2 13. Qxd2 Qg5 14. h4 Qf6 15. c4 Ba6

16. cxd5? Strangely, Goryachkina makes a trivial mistake which leaves White in a very uncoordinated and uncomfortable position. The text would have made sense only after ... Nb8-d7, so as to meet ... Ba6xf1 with the zwischenzug Rc1xc6. 16. ... Bxf1 17. Kxf1 cxd5∓ 18. h5!? h6! The interpolation of h4-h5 and ... h7-h6 only helps Black, as White has no realistic chance of mounting a Kingside attack. 19. Qd3 Qe6 20. Rh4? White’s artificial Rook lift marks the ultimate separation of White’s Rooks from each other, in fact conceding the open c-file to Black. Since 20. Rc7 Nd7 21. f3!? Rec8∓ may likewise lead to unpleasant results, it’s not easy to give good advice. 20. ... Nd7 21. Rf4 Rac8. Whatever White plays, Black will take command of the c-file, with consequences easy to imagine. It’s already enough for Goryachkina, who quickly disintegrates: 22. g4 Nf6 23. Qd1 Rxc1 24. Bxc1 Rc8 25. Bd2 a5 26. Kg2 Rc4 27. Rf5 Qe4+ 28. Kh3 Rc2 29. Re5. Or 29. Bxa5 Nxg4! winning by force (but not 29. ... bxa5?? on account of 30. f3!). 29. ... Qd3 30. g5 hxg5 0 : 1.

Ready Player Two

Bela Khotenashvili – Marina Brunello
20th European Individual Women’s Chess Championship; Antalya, April 19, 2019
Réti Opening A07

1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 c6 4. 0-0 Bf5 5. d3 e6 6. Nh4 Bg4 7. h3 Bh5 8. Qe1 Be7 9. f4 Bg6. 9. ... Nfd7 10. Nf3 f5 11. e4 Bxf3 12. Bxf3 0-0 13. Nc3 fxe4 14. dxe4 d4 15. Nd1 e5 16. Nf2 c5 17. Qe2 Nc6 18. Bg4!↑ is just one of the countless exemplary games by Vladimir Borishovich Kramnik in which he built a splendid victory by elegant and simple means, Kramnik – Adhiban, 42nd Chess Olympiad, Baku 2016. So perhaps Black should prefer something like 9. ... h6 10. Kh1 Nbd7 11. e4 dxe4 12. dxe4 g5!? 13. fxg5 hxg5 14. Bxg5 Qc7 15. Nd2 0-0-0 16. Nc4 (Stefanova – Kosteniuk, Women’s Grand Prix 2015–2016, 1st stage, Monte Carlo 2015) and now Grandmaster Kevin Spraggett recommends 16. ... Ne5 17. Nxe5 (17. Bf4 Nfd7∞) 17. ... Qxe5 18. Bf4 Qxb2∞ with unclear play. 10. Nd2 Nfd7!? This doesn’t seem to add anything to 10. ... Qb6+ 11. Kh1 Nfd7 12. Ndf3 f6 13. Nxg6 hxg6 14. e4!± which likewise resulted in a clear advantage for White (even though in the end Black won!), Stefanova – Kosteniuk, ACP European Women’s Rapid Chess Championship, Kutaisi 2015. But superstition is not an exact science. 11. Ndf3 Nc5 12. b4 Na4. 12. ... Ne4!? seems a little more consistent, so as to reply to 13. Bb2 with 13. ... Bf6 — now, instead, there’s no easy way back for the Black Knight on a4. 13. Bd2

13. ... Qb6+? 13. ... 0-0! was probably a must (or a lesser evil, according to the viewpoints). 14. Kh1 d4? After this macabre corollary Black’s position rapidly falls apart. 15. Qf2! Bf6 16. g4! Bxh4 17. Nxh4 Na6 18. f5 exf5 19. Nxf5 0-0-0. 19. ... Bxf5 20. gxf5 (but 20. Qxf5 0-0 21. Rae1 seems also good for White) 20. ... 0-0-0 21. e4+− is hardly better. 20. Nxg7 Kb8 21. Nf5 Nc7. By now demoralised, Brunello tries to invent some moves more just to make her defeat less bitter. 22. Bg5 Ne6 23. Bxd8 Qxd8 24. Qg3+ Ka8 25. Qd6 Qg5 26. Nxd4 h5 27. Nxe6 1 : 0. For mate or loss of the Queen follows.

Marina Brunello tried very hard to take Bela Khotenashvili off guard, but luck was not on her side. But after all, tomorrow is another day, and tomorrow she will play against Olga Alexandrovna Girya. Photo: Turkish Chess Federation.

Afoot and Afloat

Anastasia Mikhailovna Bodnaruk – Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina
20th European Individual Women’s Chess Championship; Antalya, April 18, 2019
French Defence C18

Goryachkina, for all her Round Seven game, literally sit on the edge of the abyss, finally surviving an absolutely lost cause. 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. Qg4 cxd4 8. Qxg7 Rg8 9. Qxh7 Qc7 10. Ne2 Nbc6 11. f4 dxc3 12. h4 Bd7 13. h5 0-0-0 14. Qd3 d4 15. h6 Kb8 16. Rb1. Another try is 16. h7 Rh8 17. Rh6 Bc8 18. g4 b6 19. Ng3 Bb7 20. Ne4 Ng6 21. Ng5 Ka8 22. Bg2 Na5 23. Be4 Bxe4 24. Nxe4 Nc4 25. Nf2 Nb2 26. Qe4+ Kb8 27. Kf1 Ne7 28. Rh3 Qc4+ 29. Qe2 Qa4 30. Ne4 Nc4 31. Rb1 Nd5 32. Nc5 Nd2+ 33. Bxd2 Qxc2 34. Na6+ Kb7 35. Nc5+ Kb8 36. Na6+ Kb7 37. Nc5+ Kb8 38. Na6+ Kb7 ½ : ½ Bodnaruk – Sedina, 18th European Individual Women’s Chess Championship, Riga 2017. 16. ... Bc8. Goryachkina adopted a line much favoured by Ukrainian-Italian International Master Elena Sedina, without, however, bringing it any improvement. 17. h7 Rh8 18. g4 b6 19. Bg2 Bb7 20. Be4 Ng6. 20. ... Nd5 didn’t bring Sedina good luck at all: 21. Rh6 Qc8 22. Qg3 Na5 23. f5 Ne3? 24. Bxe3 Bxe4 25. Nxd4 Nc4 26. Qf4 1 : 0 Bosiočić – Sedina, 18th Open, Trieste 2016. 21. Rh5 Nf8 22. a4. Another matter of study is 22. Bxc6 Qxc6 23. Nxd4 Qe4+ 24. Be3 Nxh7 25. Qxe4 Bxe4 26. Rb4 Rdg8 27. f5 Rxg4 28. fxe6 fxe6 29. Nxe6 Rhg8 30. Rc4 Bxc2 31. Rxc3 Rc8 32. Rxc8+ Kxc8 33. Nd4 Bg6 34. Rh6 Kd7 35. Ke2 Be4 36. Bf2 Ng5 37. e6+ Kd6 38. Nb5+ Ke7 39. Bh4 Bf5 40. Rh5 Re4+ 41. Kf2 Rf4+ 42. Ke3 Re4+ 43. Kf2 Rf4+ 44. Ke3 ½ : ½ Hoolt – Sedina, 37th Women’s Chess Mitropa Cup, Le Castella 2018. White’s play seems largely improvable. 22. ... f6? A new nuance with regard to 22. ... f5? which, however, quite paradoxically ended up rewarding Black: 23. exf6 Nd7 24. Bxc6 Qxc6 (on 24. ... Bxc6 25. Nxd4 White stands much better) 25. g5?? (25. Qxd4 seemed very strong here) 25. ... Nc5−+ Alquist – Hernando Rodrigo, 16th Open Internacional de Sants, Barcelona 2014. 22. ... Nd7!? 23. Ba3 Ndxe5!?∞ is probably the best continuation, even though further study is needed to assess its actual merit. 23. Bxc6!? 23. exf6 might transpose into the game mentioned in the previous note. 23. ... Qxc6 24. Nxd4 Qd5 25. Be3 fxe5? Black doesn’t seem to have any feeling at all for her own position. 25. ... Nxh7 26. Rxh7 f5!∞ was very uncertain, with chances for both colours. Now Black is really lost!

26. Rb5!+− Qg2 27. Nc6+! Bxc6 28. Qxd8+ Kb7 29. Rb4!? Even stronger was 29. Qe7+! Ka6 (or 29. ... Kc8 30. Rb4 Qxc2 31. Qxa7 with a more prosaic win) 30. Ra5+!! with mate in a few moves. 29. ... Ng6 30. Qf6? Simply 30. Qd3+− would have left Black without resource. 30. ... Qxc2! 31. Qf7+. White has nothing better than a draw by perpetual, for if 31. fxe5 then 31. ... Qd3! with harsh equality. 31. ... Ka8. Not 31. ... Ka6?? 32. Qxe6+− Be4 on account of 33. Rxb6+! and mate in two moves. 32. Qg8+ Kb7 33. Qf7+ Ka8 34. Qg8+ Kb7 35. Qf7+ ½ : ½.

Hitchhiking through Eurasia

Marina Brunello – Iulija Vladislavivna Osmak
20th European Individual Women’s Chess Championship; Antalya, April 18, 2019
French Defence C02

Marina Brunello scored another heavy win, and probably now she can start believing that everything must still happen. 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Qb6 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. Be2 cxd4 7. cxd4 Nh6 8. Bxh6!? This seems to have come as a destabilising surprise to Osmak. In her round-two game with Elisabeth Pähtz, just a few days ago, Brunello continued 8. Bd3 Bd7 9. Bc2 g5 10. h3 Nf5 11. Bxf5 exf5 12. 0-0 h6 13. Nc3 Be6 14. Na4 Qb5 15. h4 g4 16. Ne1 Be7 17. g3 Rc8 18. Be3 b6 19. Ng2 Na5 20. Nf4 Nc4 21. Nc3 Qa5 22. Qb3 Kd7 23. Rfc1 Rc6 24. Rc2 Nxe3 25. fxe3 Rhc8 26. Rac1 Rc4 27. a3 R8c6 28. Kf2 a6 29. Nb1 Rxc2+ 30. Rxc2 Rxc2+ 31. Qxc2 Qb5 32. Nc3 Qc4 33. Qa4+ Qxa4 34. Nxa4 Kc6 35. Nc3 a5 36. Ke2 Bf8 37. Kd2 Be7 38. Kc2 Bf8 39. Kb3 b5 40. Na2 Be7 41. Kc2 Bf8 42. Nc1 Be7 43. Nb3 Bd8 44. Nc5 Bc8 45. Kd2 Be7 46. Kc3 Bf8 47. Nh5 Be7 48. Nf6 Be6 49. Nh5 Bc8 50. Nf4 Bd8 51. Kd3 Be7 52. Kc2 Bd8 53. Kd1 Be7 54. Nfd3 Bd8 55. Ke2 Be7 56. Kd2 ½ : ½ M. Brunello – E. Pähtz, 20th European Individual Women’s Chess Championship, Antalya 2019. 8. ... gxh6. The critical line is 8. ... Qxb2 9. Nc3! Qxc3+ (9. ... gxh6 10. Nb5!↑ may well be uncomfortable for Black) 10. Bd2 Qa3 11. 0-0 with some compensation for White for the Pawn, Mantovani – Yemelin, 24th European Chess Club Cup, Kallithea 2008. 9. Qd2 Bg7 10. Nc3 0-0 11. 0-0 f6 12. exf6 Rxf6 13. Rad1!? Here Brunello prefers a solid approach, thus nullifying the surprise effect of her opening choices. More straightforward seems 13. Rac1 Rg6 14. Na4 Qd8 15. Rfd1 Rg4 16. h3 Rxd4 17. Nxd4 Nxd4 18. Nc3 Bd7 19. Bd3 Qf6 20. Ne2 Nxe2+ 21. Qxe2 e5 22. Bc4 dxc4 23. Rxd7 b5 24. Rcd1 a5 25. Rb7 1 : 0 Teclaf – Sieciechowicz, 8th Ferdynanda Dziedzica Memorial, Trzcianka 2018. 13. ... Bd7 14. Ne1 Raf8 15. f4 R6f7 16. Nc2 Qxb2 17. Nb5 a6 18. Rb1 Qxa2 19. Ra1 Qb2 20. Rfb1. White sees no sense in repeating moves with 20. Rab1, so it’s worthwhile trying. 20. ... Qxa1. Only engines can afford an objective assessment of 20. ... Qxc2 21. Qxc2 axb5 22. g3 Nxd4 which indeed seems fine for Black. 21. Rxa1 axb5 22. Rf1 b4 23. Nxb4 Nxb4? It was much tougher to break through after 23. ... Nxd4! (24. Bh5 Re7). Instead, now White’s Queen step by step manages to infiltrate Black’s defence and ultimately succeeds in forcing material gain. 24. Qxb4 Rxf4

25. Rd1. Changing a pair of Rooks should make White’s task a little easier, for after 25. Rxf4 Rxf4 26. g3! Black cannot take on d4: 26. ... Bxd4+?? (26. ... Rxd4?? 27. Qe7+−) 27. Kh1 Re4 28. Bh5! winning by force. 25. ... Bc6 26. Qb6 Kh8 27. Bf3 Ra8 28. h3 Ra4 29. Kh1 Rf8 30. Qc5 Rc4? Black’s Rook loses itself on an adventure of no return. With 30. ... Raa8! Black could still hope for a stubborn defence. 31. Qd6 Ra8 32. Qxe6 Rxd4 33. Rxd4 Bxd4 34. Bxd5 Re8 35. Qf7 Re1+ 36. Kh2 Be5+ 37. g3 Re2+ 38. Kh1 Bxd5+ 39. Qxd5 Re1+ 1 : 0.

Up Ahead

Gunay Vugar qizi Mammadzada – Marina Brunello
20th European Individual Women’s Chess Championship; Antalya, April 16, 2019
Russian Defence C42

Marina Brunello cooly kept her nerve and cashed in a precious half a point, surviving a game which had not begun too well. 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Bd3!? This clumsy but venomous move used to be Alexander Sergeyevich Morozevich’s favourite, and could well have come as a surprise to Brunello. 5. ... Nf6 6. 0-0 Be7 7. c3 Bg4 8. Bc2 0-0 9. d4 c5 10. Qd3!? Here is a straightforward novelty instead of 10. h3 Bh5 11. Re1 Nc6 12. g4 Bg6 13. Bxg6 hxg6 14. d5 Ne5 15. Bf4⩲ Short – Đào Thiên Hải, 42nd Chess Olympiad, Baku 2016 — which, however, could still be regarded as a more fruitful approach on long terms. 10. ... Nc6 11. Bg5 g6 12. Na3 Kg7 13. h3. After 13. Qe3 Ng8! Black defends well enough. 13. ... Bxf3 14. Qxf3 h6 15. Be3 cxd4 16. cxd4 d5 17. Qf4 Ng8 18. Bb3 Nb4 19. Nb5 Qa5 20. Nc3 Rad8 21. Rad1 Rd7 22. Rfe1 Rfd8 23. h4 h5 24. Bc1 Bf6

25. Re3. Any appearance to the contrary notwithstanding, Black might even have never been in danger of losing the game, but White could probably still play for a win by 25. g4! — well, no one knows how it would have ended, thus all’s well that ends well. 25. ... Qb6 26. Rf3 Qe6 27. Rg3 Ne7 28. a3 Nbc6 29. Bc2 Kf8 30. Be3 Qd6 31. Qh6+ Bg7 32. Qg5 Bf6 33. Qh6+ Bg7 34. Qg5 Bf6 ½ : ½.

Seated in the forefront: Gunay Mammadzada (right) vs. Marina Brunello (left). Photo: Turkish Chess Federation.

Stage Door

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – Khanim Balajayeva
20th European Individual Women’s Chess Championship; Antalya, April 16, 2019
Queen’s Gambit Declined D36

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bg5 Nbd7 6. e3 Be7 7. Bd3 0-0 8. Nf3 c6 9. Qc2 Re8 10. 0-0 Nf8 11. h3 Ne4 12. Bf4 Nxc3 13. bxc3 Bd6 14. Bxd6 Qxd6 15. c4 dxc4 16. Bxc4 Be6 17. Bd3 h6 18. Rfe1 Rad8 19. a4 Bc8 20. Rab1 Re7 21. Rec1 Ne6 22. Bh7+ Kf8 23. Bf5 g6 24. Bd3 c5 25. Bc4 cxd4 26. Qb2 Ng5 27. Nxd4 Qf6 28. Nb5 Qxb2 29. Rxb2 a6 30. Nd4⩲ Ne6? 30. ... Rc7! followed by ... Kf8-e7 would have apparently saved Black from the nightmare she’d endured since. 31. Bxe6 Bxe6 32. Nxe6+ fxe6 33. Rcb1 Rdd7 34. Rb6 h5 35. R1b4. Perhaps White’s endgame is not a mathematical win yet, but it appears very hard for Black to cope with her three Pawn islands, all of them vunerable. 35. ... Kf7. 35. ... g5 36. h4! wouldn’t be of any avail. 36. Kh2 Kf6 37. Kg3 Rc7 38. h4 Kg7 39. Re4 Kf6 40. f3! Rc2 41. Rf4+ Kg7 42. Rfb4 Rcc7 43. Kf4 Kf6 44. g4! Kf7 45. g5! Red7 47. Re4 Re7 48. Kf3 Rc1 49. Reb4 Rcc7 50. Ke4. White has made continuous progress, and if Black does nothing, the end must come pretty soon. 50. ... a5 51. Rb1 Rc4+ 52. Ke5 Rxa4 53. e4 Rc4 54. R1b5 Rcc7 55. Rxa5 Rc1 56. Ra7 Rc5+ 57. Kd4 Rcc7 58. Rb5

58. ... Red7+? This is probably the losing move, allowing White to penetrate with overwhelming effect. Black ought rather to give up a Pawn by 58. ... e5+! 59. Rxe5 Rcd7+ 60. Rd5 Rc7! aiming at building a fortress. 59. Ke5 Ke7 60. Ra8 Kf7 61. Rh8 Kg7 62. Re8 Re7 63. Rxe7+ Rxe7 64. Kd6 Kf8 65. e5! Black ended up in zugzwang. 65. ... Ke8. 65. ... Kf7 66. Rb4 Ke8 67. Ra4 leads to the very same conclusion. 66. Ra5 Rh7 67. Kxe6 Kf8 68. Kf6 1 : 0.

Not an easy way for her, but today Goryachkina managed to squeeze out a win from quite a sterile-looking Exchange Variation of the Queen’s Gambit Declined by virtue of a masterly display of endgame technique. Photo: Turkish Chess Federation.

Playing Through the Tough Times

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – Marina Evgenievna Guseva
20th European Individual Women’s Chess Championship; Antalya, April 15, 2019
Sicilian Defence B50

The top seed Goryachkina continues her erratic course, this time having to be content with a draw (as White) against Guseva. 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. c3. Goryachkina, apparently not in her best form, cannot even rely upon a dynamic opening repertoire, which makes her mission quite impossible. 3. ... Nf6 4. Be2 g6 5. 0-0 Bg7 6. Bb5+ Nc6. If 6. ... Bd7 then 7. Bxd7+ Qxd7 8. Re1 0-0 9. d4 cxd4 10. cxd4 d5 11. e5 Ne4 12. Nc3 Nxc3 13. bxc3 Nc6 (13. ... e6 14. h4 Nc6 15. h5!↑ Goryachkina – Narva, ACP European Women’s Blitz Chess Championship, Monte Carlo 2017) 14. h4 Rac8 15. h5 Nd8 16. Bd2 Qg4 17. h6 Bh8 18. Qb3⩲ Goryachkina – Dordzhieva, 5th Women’s World Rapid Chess Championship, Saint Petersburg 2018. 7. d4 0-0 8. d5 Na5 9. Re1 e6 10. Bf1 Re8. Possibly better is 10. ... exd5 11. exd5 Bf5 12. Na3 b6 13. Bf4 a6 14. Rc1 Be4 15. Bg5 Re8 16. b4 Nb7 17. b5 axb5 18. Nxb5, provided Black does not continue with 18. ... h6? on account of 19. Bxf6 Bxf6 20. Nd2 winning material, Anand – Gelfand, World Chess Championship Knockout Tournament, Groningen 1997, match game 2. 11. Na3!? Goryachkina’s own footnote to a well-known story. After 11. b4 exd5! 12. bxa5 dxe4 13. Cfd2 d5! Black has more than enough for the Knight, Biliškov – Palac, 20th Open, Zadar 2013, whilst 11. c4 exd5 12. exd5 Rxe1 13. Nxe1 Bf5 features lines quite similar to those of the actual game, Biliškov – Brkić, 21st Croatian Team Chess Championship, Šibenik 2012. 11. ... exd5 12. exd5 Rxe1 13. Nxe1 Bf5 14. Nac2 Rc8 15. Ne3 Bd7 16. c4 a6 17. Rb1 b5 18. cxb5 axb5 19. b4 cxb4. 19. ... Nb7! 20. Bb2 Ne4 seems more solid. 20. Rxb4 Qe8 21. Bb2 Ne4? Guseva could have paid dearly for such a mistake. 21. ... Nc4 22. Bxc4 bxc4 23. Rxc4 Nxd5 was playable enough for Black to somehow hold her own. 22. Bxg7 Kxg7 23. Qd4+ Nf6

24. Qb6? The obvious 24. g4 (Δ g4-g5) was the most natural and best, giving Black a very hard time; for instance: 24. ... h6 25. h4 g5!? (after 25. ... Qxe5 26. Qxe5 dxe5 27. Nf3 White wins at least a Pawn, with much the better game) 26. Rxb5!+− (26. ... Bxb5 27. Nf5+). 24. ... Nc4 25. Bxc4 bxc4 26. Qxd6 c3! 27. Qf4. White might have realised now that if 27. Rb7 Black would have replied with 27. ... Rd8! somehow getting sufficient counter-play for the Pawn. 27. ... Nxd5 28. Qd4+ Nf6 29. Rb6 Be6 30. g4 Qd8 31. Rd6 Qa5 32. Nd5 Bxd5 33. Qxf6+ Kg8 34. Qe5 c2 35. Nxc2 Qxa2 36. Qxd5 Qxd5 37. Rxd5 Rxc2 ½ : ½.

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina vs. Marina Evgenievna Guseva — Elina Danielian is watching with much interest. Photo: Kasia Selbes/Turkish Chess Federation.

Rush for the Gold

Marina Brunello – Nana Dzagnidze
20th European Individual Women’s Chess Championship; Antalya, April 15, 2019
Siciian Defence B90

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nf3 Be7 8. Bc4 0-0 9. Bb3 Nc6 10. Bg5 Nd7!?TN 11. Be3! Psychologically strong. A draw is not the end of the world for Brunello. 11. ... Nf6 12. Bg5 Na5!? Dzagnidze obviously is not happy nor willing to draw by repetition, but... 13. Bxf6! Bxf6 14. Nd5 Nxb3 15. axb3. The consequence is a very standardised position in which White, thanks to her possession of the key d5-square, may claim a slight but lasting edge. Furthermore, the fact that Dzagnidze dislikes this kind of “strategic” games will certainly influence the outcome.

15. ... Be7 16. Nd2 f5? Dzagnidze already gets impatient to take over the initiative, but her nervous counter-attack — which implies a Pawn sacrifice on d6 — just won’t work. Black ought to play 16. ... b5 17. Nf1 g6 18. Nfe3⩲ f5!? which, if nothing else, results in a much better version of her own idea. 17. Nc4± fxe4? Consistently velleitary. 18. Nxe7+ Qxe7 19. Qxd6 Qg5 20. Qd5+ Kh8 21. 0-0 Bh3 22. Ne3 Rf4 23. Kh1 Bg4 24. Qxb7 Raf8 25. Qxa6. All Black’s Queenside Pawns disappeared, so now the win must be only a matter of time, provided, of course, not to fall into last-ditch mating tricks on the other flank. 25. ... h5 26. Nxg4 hxg4 27. Qe2 R8f6 28. g3 Rh6. Black sets a last trap (even knowing it won’t succeed): 29. gxf4?? Qxf4 30. f3 exf3 31. Qf2 g3! 32. Qxf3 Rxh2+ 33. Kg1 Qd4+ 34. Rf2 Qxf2+ 35. Qxf2 Rxf2 with a likely draw. 29. Ra6 Rxa6 30. Qxa6 Rf8 31. Qe2 e3 32. Kg2 Rf3 33. fxe3 Rxe3 34. Qc4 Qd8 35. Qxg4 e4. And now after 36. Rf7 it’s all over, but, as heartbeats ticked by, Brunello repeated moves to gain time on the clock: 36. Qh3+ Kg8 37. Qe6+ Kh7 38. Qh3+ Kg8 39. Qe6+ Kh7. And now, finally, the end: 40. Rf4 Re2+ 41. Kh3 1 : 0.

In the Middle of the Line

Elena Gennadievna Tomilova – Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina
20th European Individual Women’s Chess Championship; Antalya, April 14, 2019
Caro-Kann Defence B17

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Ng5 Ngf6 6. Bd3 Qc7!? 6. ... e6 is much more usual here. Instead, the text is a little controversial, because it concedes much to White’s initiative. 7. Ne2. From a historical standpoint, the critical line is 7. N1f3 e6 (probably best is 7. ... h6 8. Ne6!? fxe6 9. Bg6+ Kd8 10. 0-0 with excellent positional compensation for the Knight, de Firmian – Adorjan, 2nd World Team Chess Championship, Lucerne 1989) 8. Qe2 h6 9. Bg6! hxg5 10. Bxf7+ Kd8! 11. Nxg5 Nb6 (van der Wiel – Karpov, 1st Euwe Memorial, Amsterdam 1987) and now, according to Grandmaster Nick de Firmian, with 12. g3 White would have maintained a powerful initiative. 7. ... h6!? A very provocative move, inviting White to offer her Knight on e6. Once here, even a tactician like Mikhail Nekhemyevich Tal prudently preferred to content himself with 7. ... e6 8. Bf4 Bd6 9. Qd2 Bxf4 10. Nxf4 0-0 11. 0-0-0 e5 12. Nfe6 fxe6 13. Nxe6 Qd6 14. Nxf8 Kxf8 15. dxe5 ½ : ½ Nunn – Tal, 6th Grandmasters Association World Cup Tournament, Skellefteå 1989. 8. Nf3. Being the weaker player, Tomilova had to play 8. Ne6!? without thinking twice, for after 8. ... fxe6 9. Nf4 Nb8 10. Ng6 Rg8 11. 0-0 White has no material but plenty of positional compensation for the sacrificed Knight — Black’s Kingside is dramatically paralysed. 8. ... e6 9. Bf4 Bd6 10. Bxd6 Qxd6 11. 0-0 0-0 12. Ng3 b6 13. Re1. A new move instead of 13. Qe2 Bb7 (as in Ginsburg – Ovsejevitsch, 1st Darmstadt International, Darmstadt 2001), which, however, may well transpose into the actual game. 13. ... Bb7 14. Qe2 c5 15. Ne4 Qc7 16. dxc5 Nxe4 17. Bxe4 Bxe4 18. Qxe4 Nxc5 19. Qc4 b5! Black now takes the initiative on the Queenside, trying hard to squeeze something out of nothing. 20. Qe2. 20. Qxb5 Rfb8 21. Qc4 Rxb2 22. Rab1 Rb6!⩱ is just a little better for Black, but not that much. 20. ... Rfd8 21. Rad1 Na4 22. c3? This is an obvious mistake which gives sense and purpose to what Black wants to do. Best was 22. Rxd8+ Rxd8 23. Qxb5 Qxc2 with a hardly improvable feeling of initiative; for instance: 24. b3 Nc3 25. Qc4 Rd1! with unclear but about equal play. 22. ... Qc4. Most engines do not agree with Black’s move, but a drawish 4 vs. 3 Pawns on the same side Rook endgame was the last thing Goryachkina wanted. 23. Nd4? After this second mistake White’s game falls apart. Both 23. Rb1! and 23. Rc1! offer a tough defence. 23. ... Qxe2 24. Rxe2 b4!−+ 25. Rc1 Rac8 26. Rec2

26. ... Nxb2! 27. cxb4 (27. Rxb2?? Rxd4!−+) 27. ... Rxc2 28. Nxc2 Rc8. Threatening to win at once by ... Nb2-d3. White parries the threat, but cannot free herself of the pin on the c-file. 29. f3 Na4 30. Kf1 Nb6 31. Ke2 Nd5 32. a3. Of course, 32. Kd2 is of no use because of 32. ... Rd8 with no way out for White. 32. ... Nf4+ 33. Kd2 Rd8+ 34. Ke3 Nxg2+ 35. Kf2 Rd2+ 36. Kg3 g5 37. Ne1. Somehow White finally freed herself, but at the cost of leaving His Majesty impotent in a mating net: 37. ... Ne3 38. Kh3 Kg7 39. b5 h5 40. Rc5 Kg6 41. a4 f5 42. Re5 f4 43. Ng2 g4+! 44. fxg4 hxg4+ 45. Kh4 Rxg2 0 : 1. For after 46. Rxe6+ Kf5 mate follows in a few moves.

After brilliantly winning the top women’s prize in the “unisex” 20th European Individual Chess Championship at Skopje last month, Goryachkina appears just a little less inspired in the “women-only” version — at least so far. Photo: Turkish Chess Federation.

West Side Story

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – Çisel Anaçoğlu
20th European Individual Women’s Chess Championship; Antalya, April 13, 2019
King’s Indian Defence E84

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 0-0 6. Be3 Nc6 7. Nge2 a6 8. Qd2 Rb8. The interesting alternative is 8. ... Na5 9. Nf4 b5 10. h4 h5 11. g4 e5 12. dxe5 dxe5 13. Nfd5 b4 14. Na4 Nc6 15. 0-0-0 Nd4 16. Qxb4 Nxd5 17. cxd5 Qf6 18. Bxd4 exd4 19. gxh5 Qxf3 20. Bd3 Qxh5 21. Kb1 Bd7 22. Nc5 Bb5 23. Bxb5 axb5 24. Qxb5 d3 25. Qxd3 Rfb8 26. Rd2 Ra5 27. Nb3 Ra4 28. Rc2 Qe5 29. h5 gxh5 30. Re2 Rbb4 31. Qc3 Rxe4 32. Qxe5 Bxe5 33. Rxe4 Rxe4 34. Nd2 Rb4 35. Rxh5 Bxb2 36. Nb3 Ba3 37. d6 Rb7 38. dxc7 Rxc7 39. Ra5 Bb4 40. Rb5 Rc4 41. a4 Be1 ½ : ½ Goryachkina – Chigaev, 13th Ugra Governor’s Cup, Khanty-Mansiysk 2017. 9. Rc1 Bd7 10. Nd1 e5. If 10. ... b5 then 11. c5! with a distinct space advantage for White, Caruana – Jones, 13th European Individual Chess Championship, Plovdiv 2012. 11. d5 Ne7 12. Nf2 Ne8. Of course, Black cannot but go ahead with the thematic push ... f7-f5. 13. g4!? It appears to be a crude novelty, and indeed, from a strategic standpoint, 13. g3(!) should make more sense, as after 13. ... c5 14. b4 b6 15. Bg2 f5 16. 0-0 Nf6 17. Rb1⩲ White can enjoy his Queenside positional initative without fear of being mated on the other flank, Rowson – Arakhamia-Grant, 91st British Chess Championship, Scarborough 2004. 13. ... f5 14. gxf5 gxf5 15. Bg5 Nf6 16. Rg1 Rf7. Also worth considering was 16. ... Kh8! eventually followed by ... f5-f4. 17. Ng3 c5 18. Bd3 Qc8 (18. ... f4 19. Nf5 Nxf5 20. exf5 Kh8∞)

19. Kd1!? Looking for safety, White’s King walks for an artificial way of castling Queenside. Curiously, White is caressing the idea of an attack on the Kingside. 19. ... f4 20. Ne2 b5 21. Kc2 Qb7 22. Kb1 bxc4. 22. ... b4 was possible, either here or at the previous move, but Black apparently feared — probably not wrongly — that White’s Kingside attack might eventually succeed. 23. Bxc4 a5 24. Ka1 Qb4 25. Qc3 Nc8 26. Nd3 Qxc3 27. bxc3 Nb6 28. Rb1 Bc8? In spite of any previous clues of mistakes, this, and only this, appears to be Black’s decisive error. Instead, 28. ... Kf8! (in order to reply to 29. Rb2 with 29. ... Be8! 30. Rgb1 Nfd7 31. Bb5 Rc8!=) seems to be very playable for Black. 29. Bb5! Sic et simpliciter. Now White is ready to continue with c3-c4, Ne2-c3, Rb1-b2, and Rg1-b1, decisively crushing Black’s position, who seems to have no defence. 29. ... Nfd7 30. c4! Nf8 31. Rb2 Bd7 32. Ba6 Ba4 33. Rgb1 Nfd7 34. Nc3 Ra8 35. Rxb6 Nxb6 36. Rxb6 Be8 37. Rxd6 Bf8 38. Rb6 Rg7 39. h4 Bh5 40. d6 h6 41. Bf6 1 : 0.

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina (left) vs. Çisel Anaçoğlu (right). Photo: Turkish Chess Federation.

Once Below a Time

Marina Gajčin – Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina
20th European Individual Women’s Chess Championship; Antalya, April 12, 2019
5r2/4k3/2p1p3/5p1P/3P2n1/5K2/4R3/1B6 b - - 1 56

Position after 56. Rf2-e2

The top seed’s tribulations also continued throughout her second round game. After many uncertain oscillations, she finally got a Rook and Knight vs. Rook and Bishop ending with a Pawn to the good. Sure, it would have taken extreme accuracy to cash it into a win, but after the cumbersome 56. ... Rf6? the game inevitably moved towards a draw. No doubt 56. ... Kf6 57. Ba2 e5 gave Black, if not absolute certainties, at least much better chances to exploit her extra Pawn. 57. Kf4 Nh6 58. Rg2 Nf7 59. Bc2 Rh6 60. Bd1 Rh8 61. Bf3 Rd8 62. Ke3 Rd6 63. Rc2 e5 64. dxe5 Nxe5 65. Bg2 Kf6 66. Rc5 Re6 67. Kd4 f4 68. Rc3 f3 69. Bxf3 Nxf3+ 70. Rxf3+ Kg5 ½ : ½.

Marina Gajčin (right) vs. Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina (left). Photo: Turkish Chess Federation.

Back to Back

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – Mónica Calzetta Ruiz
20th European Individual Women’s Chess Championship; Antalya, April 11, 2019
Benkö Counter-Gambit A58

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina saved her first round game almost miraculously, just to confirm to herself that being the top seed in the 20th jubilee European Individual Women’s Chess Championship doesn’t mean that everything will come easy. 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5!? 4. cxb5 a6 5. bxa6 g6 6. Nc3 Bg7 7. e4 0-0 8. Be2 Qa5 9. Bd2 Bxa6 10. e5 Ne8 11. Nf3 d6 12. e6! fxe6 13. Ng5 Rf5 14. Nxe6? An unnecessary loss of time, instead of which 14. 0-0! seems to give White a powerful initiative. 14. ... Bxe2 15. Nxe2 Qa6! Improving on 15. ... Qa4? of Sirosh – Ladva, 50th Ilmar Raud Memorial, Viljandi 2016, which incongruently offered and allowed White to exchange Queens, increasing the value of his extra Pawn. 16. Nxg7 Nxg7 17. 0-0 Rxd5 18. Nf4 Rd4 19. Qb3+ c4 20. Qc2 Nc6 21. Be3 Rf8! 22. Ne2. Not 22. Bxd4? Nxd4 23. Qe4 because of 23. ... Rxf4! winning at once. 22. ... Rh4! 23. Bg5 Rg4 24. f4 Nf5 25. Qe4? White’s position was quite uncomfortable in any case (especially due to her dark square weaknesses), but the text seems to worsen the situation, offering Black not too hidden tactical motifs. 25. ... Qb6+! 26. Kh1 h6 27. Bxh6. White has nothing better than giving up the Bishop for a fistful of Pawns, for if, instead, 27. h3 there would have followed 27. ... Rg3! 28. Bxh6 Re3! 29. Qxc4+ d5! 30. Qxd5+ e6 with too many threats. 27. ... Nxh6 28. h3 Kg7 29. Rac1. Not 29. hxg4?? on account of 29. ... Rh8! winning on the spot. 29. ... Nf5 30. Rxc4 Ne5! 31. Rc3 Rh4 32. Rb3 Qa6 33. Ra3 Qc4 34. Qxc4 Nxc4 35. Rc3 Nxb2 36. g4 Nh6 37. Kg2 Nf7 38. Rb1 Na4 39. Rc7 Nc5 40. Rxe7 Ra8. The time control is reached, and Goryachkina cannot but contemplate her disaster. 41. Rb2 Ra3 42. Ng1 Rh8 43. Nf3 Nd3 44. Ng5

44. ... Nxb2?? An incredible error which offers Goryachkina an escape from defeat. Simply 44. ... Nxf4+ 45. Kf1 Kf6 would result in an easy win for Black. 45. Rxf7+ Kg8 46. Rb7! Nd3 47. Rb8+ Kg7 48. Rb7+ Kg8. Black cannot avoid perpetual check (48. ... Kf6?? 49. Rf7 mate). 49. Rb8+ Kg7 50. Rb7+ ½ : ½.

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina (right) vs. Mónica Calzetta Ruiz (left). Photo: Turkish Chess Federation.

The Lottery Ticket

In spite of her disappointing result at the recent 19th European Individual Women’s Chess Championship in Vysoké Tatry, Slovakia, former Women’s World Champion Mariya Olehivna Muzychuk, who placed 14th by virtue of having the best tie-breaks of the twelve players tied at 7 points, eventually took the last available spot for qualifying at the next Knockout Women’s World Chess Championship Tournament.