Little Queenie

Veronika Veremyuk – Elifnaz Akat
25th European Youth Chess Championship U8; Poreč, September 25, 2015
Giuoco Piano C54

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d3 h6 6. b4 Bb6 7. b5 Na5 8. Nxe5 Nxc4? This is already a serious mistake since Black doesn’t get any compensation for her Pawn deficit. Correct was 9. ... d5! 10. exd5 0-0 and Black will soon recover her Pawn with reasonable play. 9. Nxc4 d6 10. 0-0 c6? Again a serious error as the weakening of the d6-Pawn leads to a swift débâcle. 11. Bf4 Bc7 12. bxc6 bxc6 13. Qa4 Bb7? The third serious error. Black should have castled. 14. Qb4 Bc8 15. Bxd6. Black is not only two Pawn down, but she also has to worry about her King in the center of an open board. 15. ... Rb8 16. Bxc7 Qxc7 17. Qc5 Ng4. 17. ... Nd7 18. Nd6+ Kf8 19. Qd4 is no better. 18. Qd6. Veronika shows sublime self-confidence! 18. ... Qxd6 19. Nxd6+ Kd7 20. Nf5 g6 21. Ng3 h5 22. h3 Nf6 23. Na3 h4 24. Ne2 Ke8 25. Nd4 Bd7 26. Nc4 g5 27. Rab1! White timely takes possession of the open b-file. 27. ... Ra8 28. Rb7 g4 29. Ne5 gxh3 30. Nxd7 Nxd7 31. gxh3 Nc5 32. Rc7. Veronika can well afford to give back a Pawn as very soon both her Rooks will penetrate to the seventh rank. 32. ... Nxd3 33. Rd1 Rg8+ 34. Kf1 Ne5 35. Nf5 Ng6

36. Rdd7 Ne5 37. Nd6+ Kf8 38. Rxf7+ Nxf7 39. Rxf7 mate.

Veronika Veremyuk
Photo: ukurier.gov.ua

Gifted Hands

Mariya Muzychuk – Hokuma Zeynalova
11th European Youth Chess Championship Girls Under 10; Kallithéa, September 8, 2001
Bird’s Opening A03

1. b3 d5 2. Bb2 c6 3. e3 Nf6 4. f4 Bg4 5. Be2 Bxe2 6. Qxe2 Nbd7 7. Nf3 e6 8. 0-0 Be7 9. d3 0-0 10. Nbd2. If 10. Ne5 might follow 10. ... Nxe5 11. fxe5 Nd7 12. Nd2 f6 13. Qg4 f5 14. Qe2 Qc7 15. Nf3 Rae8 16. Kh1 Qa5 17. a3 Qb6 18. Rab1 Bc5 19. Rfe1 a5 20. Ng5 h6 21. Nh3 Be7 22. Nf4 Bg5 23. Ng6 Rf7 24. b4 axb4 25. axb4 Nf8 26. Bd4 Qc7 27. Nf4 Nd7 28. Ng6 Kh7 29. Qh5 Nf8 30. Nf4 Bxf4 31. exf4 Ng6 32. Qf3 Rb8 33. Ra1 Rd8 34. Qf2 ½ : ½ Williams – Harikrishna, 89th British Chess Championship, Torquay 2002. 10. ... Rc8 11. Ne5 Nxe5 12. Bxe5 Nd7 13. Bb2 Bf6 14. Bxf6 Qxf6 15. Nf3 c5 16. c4 dxc4 17. dxc4 Rfd8 18. Rad1 Nb8 19. Ne5 Qe7 20. Rxd8+ Rxd8 21. Rd1 Nd7?? Just one error in calculation – indeed a huge blunder that throws away Black’s game. After 21. ... f6 22. Rxd8+ Qxd8 23. Nd3 b6 the chances are fairly even.

22. Qd3. The gifted Mariya Muzychuk – who was only 9 years old at the time – doesn’t miss her chance! 22. ... Kf8 23. Nxd7+ Ke8. Maybe Hokuma Zeynalova was still hoping to win back the Knight, but... 24. Qxh7! Surprise! 24. ... f6. Or more prosaically 24. ... Rxd7 25. Qg8+ Qf8 26. Qxf8+ Kxf8 27. Rxd7. 25. Qg8+. It is now mate next move. 1 : 0.

Young Ukrainian stars: Yuriy Kuzubov, Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin, Kateryna Lagno, Anna and Mariya Muzychuk, at a club tournament in 2001. Photo: Alexsander Martynkov.