Daylight Saving

Alice Lee – Irina Borisivna Krush

2nd American Cup — Women’s Champions Bracket; match game 2; Saint Louis, March 25, 2023

Bogo-Indian Defence E11

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4+ 4. Bd2 Bxd2+ 5. Qxd2 d5 6. cxd5. That’s a strange way to go all out for a win as the text gives White little or nothing.
6. ... exd5 7. Nc3 Bf5 (7. ... c6 8. e3 0-0 9. Bd3 Nbd7 10. 0-0 Qe7 11. a3 ½ : ½ Dražić – Savić, GM Third Saturday 122, Novi Sad 2019)
8. e3 0-0 9. Bd3 Bxd3 10. Qxd3 c6 11. 0-0 a5 12. Na4 Ne4 13. Rac1 Nd7 14. Nc5 Ndxc5 15. dxc5 Qe7 16. Nd4

16. ... a4 (16. ... Nxc5 17. Qa3 b6 18. Nxc6⩲)
17. f3 Nxc5 18. Qa3 b6 19. Nxc6 Qf6 20. Nb4 Rad8. 20. ... d4 at once seems likewise possible; for example: 21. Nd5 Qd6 22. e4 f5 23. Nxb6 Qxb6 24. Qxc5 Rab8 with a dynamic equilibrium.
21. Rfd1. Possibly the wrong Rook, as Black can now make the advance ... d5-d4.
21. ... d4 22. e4. Had the other Rook been on d1, White could now play 22. exd4 Rxd4 23. Nd5 Qe5 24. Ne7+! Kh8 25. Nc6 winning material, since ... Rd4xd1 is not check!
22. ... Rd6 23. Nd5 Qg5. Perhaps simpler was 23. ... Qe5 24. Nxb6 Rxb6 25. Rxc5 Qb8 26. Qxa4 Rxb2 27. Qxd4 Rxa2 28. Rg5 g6 29. h4 Qb2! coming down to a four Rooks ending in which White’s extra Pawn counts for nothing.
24. Nxb6! Alea iacta est.

24. ... Nxe4? A clear oversight, overlooking White’s 25th move. She ought to play 24. ... Rg6 25. g3 Rxb6 (25. ... Nxe4 26. Nd7 Rd8 27. fxe4 Rxd7 28. Rc5! Qd8 29. Rdc1 Qf8 30. Qxa4 might be a bit more difficult for Black) 25. ... Rxb6 26. Rxc5 Qf6 27. Rd2 d3! 28. Rf5 Qh6 29. Qc3 Qe3+ 30. Kg2 Rfb8 31. Rd5 Qxd2+! 32. Qxd2 Rxb2 33. Rxd3 Rxd2+ 34. Rxd2 Kf8 and Black, despite the minus Pawn, should draw the ending.
25. Nc8! A deadly zwischenzug. In all probability White was expecting 25. fxe4? Rxb6= with equality.
25. ... d3. Desperation, but if 25. ... Rg6 (menacing mate at g2), then 26. Ne7+ forking King and Rook.
26. fxe4 Rd7 27. Qc5 Qd8 28. Nb6 Rd4 29. Nd5 Rxe4 30. Rxd3 Rfe8 31. Rdd1 Qh4 32. Qf2 Qxf2+ 33. Kxf2 Re2+ 34. Kf3 Rxb2

35. Re1! Rd8 36. Re2! An elegant display of technique by Lee.
36. ... Rb5 37. Ne7+ Kf8 38. Rc8 Rxc8 39. Nxc8 Rf5+ 40. Ke4 g6 41. Nd6 Rf1 42. Kd4 f5 43. Nc4 Kg7 44. Kd3 f4 45. Ke4 Kf6 46. Nd2 Rh1 47. Nf3 g5 48. Re1 1 : 0.

Nice comeback from Lee, but in the end — like last year — it was Krush who had the last word, taking her second straight title on a tie-breaker. Photo © Lennart Ootes/Saint Louis Chess Club.

No Parachute

Irina Borisivna Krush – Alice Lee

2nd American Cup — Women’s Champions Bracket; match game 1; Saint Louis, March 24, 2023

English Opening A22

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 e4 4. Ng5 c6!? “Alice Lee bringing some interesting prep to the game with 4. ... c6 😱”, one commentator from the Saint Louis Chess Club tweeted. “The idea is that when Irina captures the d4 Pawn, ... d7-d5 comes with a tempo, and Black will have more space and activity... or so Alice hopes”.
5. Ngxe4 Nxe4 6. Nxe4 d5 7. cxd5 cxd5 8. Ng3 h5 9. e3 (9. h4 Bg4!)
9. ... h4 10. Bb5+. The alternative is 10. Ne2 Nc6 11. d4 Qf6 “when despite the closed nature of the position, it is not so easy for White to consolidate and complete development”, Grandmaster Max Illingworth writes. “This was demonstrated in a couple of Aronian – Praggnanandhaa games in the [...] 2022 FTX Crpyto Cup, where Pragg scored 1½/2 by playing 12. ... Qg6 (even as a theoretical novelty after 12. Nc3) to keep the White King in the centre⁣⁣”.
10. ... Nc6 11. Ne2 Bd6 (11. ... h3 12. g3 a6 13. Bxc6+ bxc6 14. Qa4 Qf6 15. Qf4 Qe6 16. Nd4 Qg6 17. Qe5+ Be7 18. b4 Bd7 19. Bb2 Kd8 20. f4 Qg4 21. f5 Bxb4 22. Rf1 Re8 23. Ne6+ fxe6 24. Rf4 exf5 25. Rxg4 Rxe5 26. Rxb4 Re4 27. Bd4 c5 28. Bxc5 Rxb4 29. Bxb4 Bb5 30. Bc3 g6 31. Rb1 Kd7 32. Rb4 g5 33. a4 Bc6 34. Kf2 a5 35. Rb1 Bxa4 36. Ra1 Bc2 37. Rxa5 Rxa5 38. Bxa5 g4 39. d4 Ke6 40. Bc7 Be4 ½ : ½ Nyzhnyk – Sevian, 4th Spring Chess Classic—A, Saint Louis 2022)
12. 0-0 Qf6 13. f3 Bd7 (13. ... a6!?)
14. d4 0-0-0 15. Bd2 Bc7 16. Bd3 Qd6 17. f4 g5. Will White guess what her opponent is looking for?
18. Qb3 Rhg8 19. Kh1 g4 20. Rfc1

20. ... Qf6?! Black sacrifices a second Pawn in the hope of gaining an attack upon White’s King.
21. Qxd5 g3?! This is the corollary of the previous move, but Krush’s cool defence proves convincing enough.
22. Qf3. Not 22. h3? by reason of 22. ... Bxh3! 23. Rxc6! bxc6 24. Ba6+ Kb8 25. Qb3+ Bb6 26. gxh3 Qf5 27. Kg2 Qe4+ 28. Kg1 Qf5 with a draw by repetition.
22. ... Bg4 23. Qf1

23. ... Bxe2?? Such an absurd move, by which she deprives herself of a good attacking piece, leaving her opponent in complete command of the light squares. If nothing else, after 23. ... Kb8 24. Be4! gxh2 25. Bf3 Qh6 Black might still hope to make something out of it.
24. Bxe2 h3 25. Bf3! Lee might have overlooked this move.
25. ... hxg2+ 26. Bxg2 gxh2

27. Qf3! That’s all. Now White has an irresistible attack, while Black has no capacity to carry out any threat against the adverse King, which found its safest shelter behind the h2-Pawn. The rest is a massacre.
27. ... Rg6 28. Rc2 Rdg8 29. Be1 Kb8 30. Rac1 Qf5 31. b4 Bd6 32. a4 f6 33. b5 Ba3 34. bxc6 Rxg2 35. Rxg2 Rxg2 36. c7+! Kc8 37. Qxg2 Bxc1 38. Qg8+ Kxc7 39. Qc4+ Kd7 40. Qxc1 Qh3 41. Bd2 Qf3+ 42. Kxh2 Qf2+ 43. Kh1 Qf3+ 44. Kg1 Qg3+ 45. Kf1 Qf3+ 46. Ke1 f5 47. Qc4 Qg3+ 48. Kd1 1 : 0.

Lee was defeated in a bold attempt to catch by surprise and attack her expert opponent. Photo © Austin Fuller/Saint Louis Chess Club.

A Fair Deal

Alice Teresa Lee – Irina Borisivna Krush

2nd American Cup — Women’s Champions Bracket; match game 2; Saint Louis, March 22, 2023

Queen’s Gambit Declined D38

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. Qa4+ Nc6 8. a3 Bxc3+ 9. bxc3 0-0 10. e3 dxc4 11. Bxc4 Bd7 (11. ... e5 12. 0-0 Bg4 13. Bd5! Bd7 14. Qb3 exd4 15. cxd4 Rab8 16. Rac1 Rfc8 17. Rc3 Na5 18. Qc2 c6 19. Ne5⩲ Makogonov – Ragozin, 10th USSR Chess Championship, Tbilisi 1937)
12. 0-0 Rfd8 13. Qc2 Na5 14. Be2. The alternative was 14. Ba2 c5 15. Ne5 Bb5 16. Rfe1 Rac8 with more or less equality.
14. ... c5 15. Ne5 Rac8. 15. ... Be8 at once was also possible, and after 16. Qb2 Rac8 White should be careful not to transpose into the game (17. f4?! Qe7).
16. Qb2. Of course, 16. Nxd7= was still in order here.
16. ... Qe7. And Black, on her turn, could move her Bishop to a4 or e8.

17. f4?! It was her last opportunity to play 17. Nxd7 with even chances.
17. ... Be8! 18. Rac1. After 18. Bd3 b5⩱ White’s pseudo-Pillsbury Setup won’t yield her anything.
18. ... f6 19. Nc4 Nxc4 20. Bxc4 Kh8 21. e4 Bc6 22. e5. Lee has to think long and hard to defend a somewhat unpleasant position. If 22. Rfe1 then 22. ... b5 23. Bxe6 Qxe6 24. d5 Bxd5 25. exd5 Qxd5 26. Qxb5 Rb8 with at least equality.
22. ... f5 23. Bb3 Bd5 24. Rcd1 Bxb3 25. Qxb3 Rd5 26. dxc5 Qxc5+ 27. Kh1 Rcd8 28. Rxd5 Qxd5 29. Qxd5 Rxd5. It shouldn’t take too much for White to draw, but Lee was very much short of time.
30. Kg1 Kg8 31. Rb1 b6 32. Rb4 Rc5 33. c4 g5 34. g3 Kf7 35. Kf2 gxf4 36. gxf4 Kg6 37. Kg3 Kh5 38. a4 Rc7 39. a5 bxa5 40. Ra4 Rb7 41. Rxa5 Rb3+ 42. Kf2 Kg4 43. Ra6 Rb6 44. Ra4 Rb2+ 45. Ke3 Rb3+ 46. Kd4 Kxf4 47. c5 Rb7 48. Ra6 Re7 49. Rd6 a5 50. c6 a4 51. Rd7 Re8 52. Ra7 Rc8 53. c7

53. ... a3? Krush is also in time-trouble and falls victim of a Fata Morgana mirage. The right move was 53. ... h5! 54. Kc5 Kxe5 55. Kc6 f4 56. Ra5+ Ke4 57. Rxa4+ Ke3 with a draw.
54. Kc5 Kxe5 55. Kc6 f4 56. Rxa3! That’s the difference! Suddenly White is winning!
56. ... Kf5

57. Ra5+? Both 57. Kb7 and 57. Kd7 would win in all lines, as after 57. ... Rxc7+ 58. Kxc7 the White King is too near and the Black King is too far!
57. ... Ke4? 57. ... Kg4! 58. Kd7 Rxc7+ 59. Kxc7 f3 draws.
58. Kd6? Here, still, both 58. Kb7 and 58. Kd7 would win for White: 58. ... Rxc7+ 59. Kxc7 f3 60. Kd6 and once again the White King is near enough.
58. ... f3 59. Re5+ Kd3 60. Rxe6 Rxc7 61. Rxc7 f2 62. Rf6 Ke2 63. Re6+ Kd3 64. Rf6 Ke2 65. Re6+ Kd3 66. Rf6 Ke2 67. Re6+ ½ : ½.

Truly, Lee paid dear for her missed chance, eventually ending up losing both rapid playoffs. Photo © Lennart Ootes/Saint Louis Chess Club.

Line to Tomorrow

Irina Borisivna Krush – Alice Teresa Lee

2nd American Cup — Women’s Champions Bracket; match game 1; Saint Louis, March 21, 2023

Caro-Kann Defence B10

1. c4 c6 2. e4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. cxd5 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Bc4 Bg7 7. Nge2 0-0 8. 0-0 Nbd7. 8. ... Na6 is perhaps sounder, and if 9. d4 then, by transposition, 9. ... Nc7 10. Nf4 b6 11. a4 Bb7 12. Qb3 Rb8 13. Be3 a6!? (Conquest – D. I. Bronstein, 6th NatWest Young GMs, London 1989) when, as Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov and Mikhail Yakovlevich Podgaets wrote in their book “Caro-Kann Defence: Panov Attack”, Batsford, London, 2006, p. 81, “the Queen on b3, faced with the imminent break ... b6-b5, is starting to feel uncomfortable”.
9. d3 a6 10. a4 b6 11. h3. Here 11. Nf4 Bb7 12. Re1⩲ seems to offer better chances for White, Șubă – Andrés González, 22nd Open, Collado Villalba 2005.
11. ... Bb7 12. d4

12. ... b5! A beautiful Pawn sacrifice that yelds Black plenty of compensation.
13. axb5 Nb6 14. Bd3 axb5 15. Rxa8 Qxa8 16. Bxb5 Nfxd5 17. Nxd5 Bxd5 18. Nf4 Bb7 19. Re1 e6 20. Bf1 Rd8

21. Qb3. White finally returns her plus Pawn, thus resigning herself to a draw.
21. ... Bxd4 22. Be3 Bxe3 23. Qxe3 Nd5 24. Nxd5 Rxd5 25. b4 Bc6 26. g3 Rd7 27. b5 Bb7 28. Qe5

28. ... Qa3! With the deadly threat of ... Qa3-f3.
29. Qb8+ Kg7 30. Qe5+ Kg8 31. Qb8+ Kg7 32. Qe5+ Kg8 ½ : ½.

Lee concentrating before the big clash with Krush. Photo © Lennart Ootes/Saint Louis Chess Club.

Armageddon’s Arrow

Irina Borisivna Krush – 于润荷 (Jennifer Yú)

61st U.S. Women’s Chess Championship; Armageddon game; time control: 5 minutes for White, 4 minutes for Black, with a 2 second increment after the 60th move; Saint Louis, October 20, 2022

King’s Indian Attack A07

1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. 0-0 e5 5. d3 Ne7 6. Nbd2 0-0 7. e4 d4 8. Ne1 Nbc6 9. f4

9. ... Bg4?? A dramatic lapsus manus by 于 (Yú), by which a clear piece is lost! Now it should be only a matter of a few minutes for Krush, but, as Emanuel Lasker used to say, “The hardest game to win is a won game”.
10. Qxg4 f5 11. Qe2 Qd7 12. Nef3 Rae8 13. fxe5 Nxe5 14. Nxe5 Bxe5 15. exf5 Nxf5 16. Ne4 b6 17. Bd2 c5 18. Rf2 Re7 19. Raf1 Rfe8 20. Bh3 Rf7

21. g4 Nd6 22. Nxd6 Bxh2+ 23. Kxh2?? White complicated things quite a bit, but after 23. Rxh2 Rxe2 24. Nxf7 she would still be winning. The move in the text gives Black unexpected chances.
23. ... Qxd6+ 24. Kh1 Rxe2 25. Rxe2 Qd5+? (⌓ 25. ... Qg3!)
26. Kg1 Rxf1+ 27. Bxf1 Qf3 28. g5! Qg4+ 29. Rg2 Qd1 30. Bf4 Qf3 31. Rf2 Qg4+ 32. Bg2 Qd1+ 33. Kh2 Qe1 34. Bd5+ Kg7 35. Bg3 Qe8 36. Kg2 h5 37. Rf7+ Kh8 38. Kf1 Qe3 39. Rf8+ Kg7 40. Rf7+ Kh8

41. Bf2?? 41. Bf4 Qe8 42. Rxa7 would have won easily for White, but alas for Krush, time is tyrant!
41. ... Qc1+ 42. Be1 Qxg5 43. Be4 Qg4 44. Bf2 Qd1+ 45. Kg2 Qg4+ 46. Kh2. At first Krush made an illegal move, as it left her King in check. Then the inflexible referee made her move her King and gave her a symbolic time penalty — as she had only a few seconds anyway — which consisted in 于 (Yú) getting two minutes added to her clock.
46. ... Kg8 47. Rf3 h4 0 : 1. White overstepped the time limit.

于 (Yú) played Krush four times in the 61st U.S. Women’s Championship to set the record of blundering a Bishop in two of their games: “Turns out I really dislike light squared Bishops”, she finally joked. Photo © Lennart Ootes/Saint Louis Chess Club.

Bounceback

Irina Borisivna Krush – 于润荷 (Jennifer Yú)

61st U.S. Women’s Chess Championship; tie-break game 2; time control: 10 minutes plus 2 seconds per move; Saint Louis, October 20, 2022

Slav Defence D10

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. cxd5 cxd5 4. Bf4 Nf6 5. e3 Nc6 6. Bb5 Qa5+ 7. Nc3 Bd7 8. Ne2 e6 9. 0-0 a6 10. Bd3 Be7 11. a3 b5 12. Nb1 Qb6 13. Nd2 Na5 14. b4 Nc4 15. Nb3 0-0 16. Nc5 Bxc5 17. dxc5 Qb7 18. Bc2 h6 19. Qd3 e5 20. Bg3 g6 21. Qc3 Rfe8 22. f3 Bc6 23. Bb3 Qe7 24. Rfe1 Rad8 25. Bh4 Qe6 26. Bf2 Nd7 27. a4 Nb8 28. axb5 Bxb5 29. Rec1 Qc6 30. e4 d4 31. Nxd4 exd4 32. Bxd4 Ne5

33. Bd5? White allows Black to take the upper hand. If 33. Bxe5 then 33. ... Rd3 34. Qb2 Rxb3 35. Qxb3 Rxe5 with an uneven balance of force and material.
33. ... Rxd5! 34. exd5 Qxd5 35. Re1

35. ... Nc4?? 于 (Yú) blunders away the game as she sounds the clarion call for Armageddon! With 35. ... Nbc6! Black would have consolidated her advantage.
36. Rxe8+ Bxe8 37. Bh8+− f6 38. Qxf6 Qf7 39. Qc3 Bb5 40. Rd1 Nc6 41. Bf6 Qe6 42. Re1 Qd7

43. h4 Nd2 44. Be5 Nxe5 45. Qxe5 Nc4 46. Qf6 Qf7 47. Qd8+ Kg7 48. Re7 1 : 0.

The second game was all another story: 于 (Yú) took too many things for granted and was mercilessly punished by Krush. Photo © Lennart Ootes/Saint Louis Chess Club.

Just Ten Minutes

于润荷 (Jennifer Yú) – Irina Borisivna Krush

61st U.S. Women’s Chess Championship; tie-break game 1; time control: 10 minutes plus 2 seconds per move; Saint Louis, October 20, 2022

Benoni Defence A56

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 e5 4. Nc3 d6 5. g3 g6 6. Bg2 Bg7 7. e4 0-0 8. Nge2 Nbd7 9. 0-0 Ne8 10. h3 f5 11. f4 Nc7 12. Be3 exf4 13. Bxf4 Ne5 14. b3 Bd7 15. Qd2 b5 16. exf5 gxf5 17. cxb5 Nxb5 18. Rae1 Qf6 19. Nd1 a5 20. a4 Nd4 21. Nxd4 cxd4 22. Nf2 Rfb8 23. Nd3 Re8 24. Rc1 Rab8 25. Rc7 Bc8 26. Nc1 Rb4 27. Re1 Qd8 28. Rc2 Ba6 29. Kh2

29. ... Qb6? Better is 29. ... d3! 30. Rc6! Nxc6 31. Rxe8+ Qxe8 32. dxc6 when White’s dangerous passed Pawn provides compensation for the Exchange.
30. Qf2? (30. Rc6!+−)
30. ... d3 31. Be3 Qb7 32. Rd2 Qd7 33. Bf4 Rbb8 34. Bxe5 Bxe5 35. Nxd3 Bxd3 36. Rxd3 Kh8 37. Rf3 Rg8 (⌓ 37. ... Qg7)

38. Rxe5! dxe5 39. Rxf5 Rxb3? (39. ... Rg7)
40. Rf7 Qd6 41. Be4 Rg7 42. Rf8+ Rg8 43. Rf7 Rg7 44. Rf8+ Rg8

45. Qf7! Qxf8 46. Qxh7# 1 : 0.

于 (Yú) showed all her strength of character as well as her fickle talent in the first game of the tie-breaker. Photo © Lennart Ootes/Saint Louis Chess Club.

Win-Win-Lose

于润荷 (Jennifer Yú) – Irina Borisivna Krush
61st U.S. Women’s Chess Championship; Saint Louis, October 18, 2022
King’s Indian Defence E76

The jokes of fate can be cruel. Due to a curious coincidence, 于 (Yú) has both her closest rivals, Krush and Thalia Cervantes Landeiro, to meet in the last two rounds! This means, as arbiter Chris Bird says, that “even if 于润荷 (Jennifer Yú) beats Irina Krush in rd 12 [today], it still might not guarantee her the 2022 U.S. Women’s Championship as she has to play Thalia Cervantes, who is on a 4 game winning streak, in the last round!”. Whether one believes in divination or not, it’s just the case to say that Cervantes Landeiro won today as well, thus raising to 5 the number of her winning streak.

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 g6 4. Nc3 Bg7 5. e4 d6 6. f4. The Four Pawns Attack, which does not sound exactly like a declaration of peace.
6. ... 0-0 7. Nf3 e6 8. dxe6!? fxe6 9. Be2. More reserved than 9. Bd3 Nc6 10. 0-0 Nd4 11. Ng5!? e5! 12. f5!? h6! 13. Nh3 gxf5 14. exf5 b5!?∞ Christiansen – Kasparov, Interzonal Tournament, Moscow 1982 — “Despite its age, this game is very important for an understanding of the line”, Grandmaster Viktor Petrovich Moskalenko writes in his book “An Attacking Repertoire for White with 1. d4: Ambitious Ideas and Powerful Weapons”, New In Chess, Alkmaar, 2019, p. 22.
9. ... Nc6 10. 0-0 b6 11. Ne1?! A novelty of doubtful value, which could be the fruit of improvisation. Theoretical subjects of study are as follows:
a) 11. Ng5 Nd4 12. Bd3 Qe7 13. Qe1 Bd7 14. Bd2 Rad8 15. Kh1 Nh5 16. Qd1 Bf6⇄ Fridman – Conquest, 4th EU Individual Open Chess Championship, Liverpool 2008;
b) 11. Kh1 Bb7 12. Be3 Qe7 13. Qd2 Rad8 14. Rae1 Kh8 15. f5 exf5 16. exf5 gxf5 17. Bg5 Qd7 18. Bd3 (Piket – Nunn, 54th Hoogovens International Chess Tournament, Wijk aan Zee 1992) 18. ... Nb4 19. Bb1 Rde8⇄ (Bologan’s analysis).
11. ... Bb7 12. Be3 Nd4 13. Bd3 Qe7 14. Nc2 Nd7 15. Rb1 Rf7 16. Qd2 Raf8 17. Rbe1 e5

18. Nd5? An error of bad judgment, dropping a Pawn for no good reason. 18. f5! was almost an imperative.
18. ... Bxd5 19. exd5 Nxc2 20. Bxc2 exf4 21. Rxf4 (21. Bxf4 Qf6∓)
21. ... Rxf4?! Black should have taken on b2 at once. The interpolation of the moves that follow only helps White to give a sense to her opening flop.
22. Bxf4 Bd4+ 23. Kh1 Qf6. If 23. ... Rxf4? then 24. g3! and Black has nothing better than 24. ... Rf7 25. Rxe7 Rxe7 with an unbalanced equilibrium.
24. g3 Ne5 25. Qe2 Bxb2

Black has won a Pawn after all, but under less favourable circumstances, as now White can claim some compensation.
26. h4! Bd4 27. Kg2 Qe7 28. Rf1 Qd7 29. Bxe5 Re8? A wrong finesse which could cost Krush the game. Simply 29. ... Bxe5 would have kept the situation under control.

30. Qf3! Bxe5 31. Ba4?? A true pseudo-deflecting hallucination, which instead costs 于 (Yú) the point. The presence of Bishops of opposite colour just suggests that 31. h5!→ would have given White a virtually irresistible attack.
31. ... Qxa4 32. Qf7+ Kh8. Is it really possible that 于 (Yú) didn’t notice that the Black Rook is still defended? Yes. Apparently. Or maybe no.
33. h5 gxh5 34. Rf5 Bd4 35. Rg5 Qc2+ 36. Kh3 Qe4 37. Rxh5 Qh1+ 38. Kg4 Qe4+ 0 : 1.

于 (Yú)’s nerves betrayed her at last. Photo © Crystal Fuller/Saint Louis Chess Club.

Nothing to Add

Alice Teresa Lee – Irina Borisivna Krush
1st American Cup — Women’s Championship Match; game 2; Saint Louis, April 28, 2022
Slav Defence D16

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 dxc4 5. a4 e6 6. e3 c5 7. Bxc4 cxd4 8. exd4 Nc6 9. 0-0 Be7. A typical isolated Queen’s Pawn position, something analogous to a Queen’s Gambit Accepted where White has an extra tempo (a2-a4) which is more harmful than useful. 10. Re1 0-0 11. Bg5 h6 12. Bh4 b6 13. Rc1. In such a situation, an objective evaluation may also result in an early armistice: 13. Qd2 Bb7 ½ : ½ Cebalo – C. Horváth, 13th Croatian Team Chess Championship, Rabac 2004. 13. ... Bb7

14. Bf1?! An unpretentious move, strategically antithetical, which only aims at turning a must-win game into a fight of nerves and endurance. In a not-too-recent past, White carried out an artificial regrouping by 14. Bd3 Nb4 15. Bb1 Nh5 16. Re5, but after 16. ... Bxh4 17. Rxh5 g6! 18. Rb5 Nd5 Black neutralised and rejected every attacking thought his opponent had, Korobov – Papin, 10th Aeroflot Open, Moscow 2011. 14. ... Rc8 15. Bg3 Nb4 16. Ne5 Nfd5 17. Qb3 Bg5 18. Rcd1 Qe7 19. Nc4 Bf4 20. Nb5 Bxg3 21. hxg3 Ba8 22. Be2 Rfd8 23. Rc1 a6 24. Nc3. If 24. Nbd6?! then 24. ... Rc7 25. Ne4 Nf4 would get Black closer to her dreams. 24. ... Rc7 25. Red1 Rdc8 26. Ne5 Bb7 27. Bh5 g6 28. Bf3 Kg7 29. Rb1 h5 30. Ne2 a5

31. Rbc1. White did nothing, after all, and Krush contents herself with exchanging as many pieces as possible, thus heading for a draw that means the win for her. 31. ... Rxc1 32. Rxc1 Rxc1+ 33. Nxc1 Qc7 34. Ne2 Nf6 35. Bxb7 Qxb7 36. Qc4 Ng4 37. Nxg4 hxg4 38. Nc3 Nd5 39. Nxd5 Qxd5 40. Qxd5 exd5

The last ditch is a dead drawn King and Pawn ending. 41. Kf1 f5 42. Ke2 g5 43. f4 gxf3+ 44. Kxf3. With a last desperate hope for 44. ... g4+?? 45. Kf4 Kf6 46. b3 and Black is in zugzwang. But no. 44. ... Kf6 45. g4 f4 46. Ke2 Ke6 47. Kf3 Kf6 48. Ke2 Ke6 49. Kf3 Kf6 50. Ke2 ½ : ½.

Krush’s resilience proved to be an insurmountable disillusionment for her opponent. Photo: Crystal Fuller/Saint Louis Chess Club.

The Eighth Day of the Week

Irina Borisivna Krush – Alice Teresa Lee
1st American Cup — Women’s Championship Match; game 1; Saint Louis, April 27, 2022
English Opening A13

1. c4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 3. g3 a6 4. b3 d4 5. e3 c5 6. exd4 cxd4 7. Bg2 Nc6 8. 0-0 Bc5 (8. ... Nf6 9. d3 Be7 10. Na3 0-0 11. Qe2 Nd7 12. Nc2 e5 13. Rb1 a5 14. a3 Re8 15. Nd2 Bf8 ½ : ½ Contin – Lalić, 21st Bratto Chess Open, Castione della Presolana 2001) 9. d3

9. ... h6? An ugly move which weakens the light squares and the Pawn skeleton without providing anything in return. It is only the inexperience of youth that can have induced Lee to concede to her opponent — an eight-time U.S. Women’s Champion — such a big strategic advantage for the mere chimera of something messed up. Much better seems to be 9. ... Nf6 10. Ba3 Bxa3 11. Nxa3 0-0 with reasonable play. 10. Ba3 Bxa3 11. Nxa3 Nge7 12. Nc2 Qd6 13. Qd2 e5 14. b4

14. ... g5? The corollary to 9. ... h6 implies new weaknesses and nothing that resembles a counter-attack, but Black’s situation was already uncomfortable enough, since even a move like ... f7-f6 — which is in itself congruent — would lay bare the weakness of the light squares. 15. a4 Ng6 16. c5 Qc7 17. Na3 Be6 18. Qb2 0-0 19. Nd2

From a strategic standpoint, it is already a “cat and mouse” game, but Black’s next move makes it become a “big game”. 19. ... a5? Another impatient kick which hastens the collapse of the Queenside. On the other hand, White would maintain her manifest advantage against most plausible moves at Black’s disposal by means of Na3-c4. 20. Nb5 Qd7 21. bxa5 Rxa5 22. Nd6 Rb8. Clearly not 22. ... Rxc5?? on account of 23. Ne4 with the double threat of Ne4-f6+ and Ne4xc5. 23. Rfb1 Ra7. If 23. ... Nge7 there might follow 24. N2c4 Bxc4 25. Nxc4 Rxc5?! 26. Qa3 (or also 26. Qb6) winning the Exchange. 24. N2c4 Bxc4 25. Nxc4 Nce7. 25. .. Nge7 26. a5 is very discouraging, too. 26. Qb6. Also strong is 26. Qb5 Qxb5 (26. ... Qe6 27. c6+−) 27. Rxb5 and the b7-Pawn falls in a few moves. 26. .. Nc8 27. Qf6 Qe8 28. a5 Kh7 29. a6 Nf8 30. axb7 Rxa1 31. Rxa1 Ne7 32. Nd6

32. ... Qd7 33. Qxf7+ Kh8 34. Qf6+ Kg8 35. Qxe5 Nfg6 36. Qxd4 Kh7 37. Ra8 Nf4 38. Qe4+ Neg6 39. gxf4 1 : 0.

The mission has become (almost) impossible, but who knows? Photo: Lennart Ootes/Saint Louis Chess Club.

A Class Apart

The Extra

Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk – Irina Borisivna Krush

2nd Online Chess Olympiad Playoff; Russia – United States; Final match game 2; time control: 15 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; chess.com, September 15, 2021

Sicilian Defence B66

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 a6 9. Nxc6. From a theoretical standpoint this should be an objectionable move as it strengthens Black’s centre, but computers and algorithms are not so dogmatic. 9. ... bxc6 10. Bxf6. The strategic alternative 10. Bf4 d5 11. Qe3 0-0 12. Be2 a5 13. Qg3 Ba6 14. Bf3 Nd7 15. h4 turned out not to be adequate for achieving theoretical acceptance: 15. ... Bf6 16. e5 Be7 17. Bh6 g6 18. Bxf8 Bxf8 19. h5 Bg7 20. hxg6 hxg6 21. Be2 Bxe2 22. Nxe2 Nxe5 23. c3 a4 24. a3 Nc4 25. Rh4 Qb6 26. Rxc4 dxc4 27. Qf4 Rb8 28. Rd2 Bf8 29. Nd4 Rb7 30. Qe4 Rd7 31. Re2 c5 32. Nc2 Qd6 33. Ne3 Bh6 34. Qa8+ Rd8 35. Qxa4 Qh2 36. Kb1 Qg1+ 37. Ka2 Bxe3 38. fxe3 Qf1 39. Qc2 Rd1 40. b3 Rc1 0 : 1 Lagno – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), 2nd SportAccord World Mind Games, Women’s Rapid Tournament, 北京 (Běijīng) 2012. 10. ... gxf6 11. Bc4 0-0 12. Rhe1TN (12. h4 Kh8 13. g4 d5 14. Bb3 Bb7 15. Rhe1 Qc7 16. Kb1 Rad8 17. exd5 cxd5 18. f4 Qa5 19. Qd3 Rg8 20. g5 d4 21. Ne2 f5 22. Nxd4 Bc5 23. Qe3 Be4 24. Re2 Qb6 25. Red2 Bb4 26. Re2 Bc5 27. Red2 Bb4 28. Re2 Bc5 29. Red2 Bb4 30. Re2 Bc5 ½ : ½ Vocaturo – Greenfeld, 35th European Chess Club Cup, Ulcinj 2019) 12. ... Kh8 13. Re3 Rg8 14. f4 d5! 15. Qe2! Bd6

16. e5 fxe5 17. fxe5 Bc5. 17. ... Bf8! 18. Kb1 Qe7 19. Bd3 Rg7 was a sound defence, probably preferable to the text. 18. Rh3 Qg5+. Her best seems to be 18. ... f5!? 19. exf6 Qxf6 20. Rf1 Qg5+ 22. Kb1 e5! offering a Pawn to give new horizons to her pair of Bishops. 19. Kb1 dxc4? And finally Krush swallows the bait — by now there was hardly anything better than 19. ... Qxg2 20. Qh5 Qg6 21. Qh4→ and White’s attack continues.

The refutation is as spectacular as it is pretty forced: 20. Ne4! Qxe5. If 20. ... Qxg2 then 21. Rxh7+!! Kxh7 22. Nf6+ Kh8 (idem to say 22. ... Kh6) 23. Qh5+ Kg7 24. Qh7+ Kf8 25. Qh6+ Ke7 (25. ... Qg7 26. Rd8+ Ke7 27. Rxg8! Δ 27. ... Qxh6 28. Re8#) 26. Nxg8+ Ke8 (26. ... Qxg8 27. Qf6+ Ke8 28. Rd8#) 27. Nf6+ Ke7 28. Qh8 followed by mate in two. 21. Rh5 f5. 21. ... Qg7 22. Rg5+− avoids instant mate but at cost of surrender of any illusions.

22. Ng5! Qc7. Of course the Queen is taboo due to 23. Rxh7#, whilst 22. ... Qg7 would be equally followed by 23. Qe5! forcing mate in two moves. 23. Qe5+! Rg7 24. Rd8+! Qxd8 25. Rxh7+ Kg8 26. Qxg7# 1 : 0.

In White Ink

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Irina Borisivna Krush
1st Online Nations Cup; United States – China (25+10); chess.com, May 7, 2020
Sicilian Defence B52

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Bd7 4. c4. This used to be Ukrainian Grandmaster Oleg Mikhailovich Romanishin’s favourite in the 1970s and ’80s. 4. ... Bxb5. After 4. ... Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. d4 cxd4 7. Nxd4 Bg7 8. Be3 Nc6 9. f3 0-0 10. 0-0 Nxd4 11. Bxd4 Bxb5 12. cxb5 Qa5 13. Qd3 Qb4 14. Rfd1 Rfc8 15. a3 Qb3 16. Qe2 e6 17. Rd3 White put a lot of pressure on the d-file ending up winning at move 48, 侯逸凡 (Hóu​ Yì​fán) – Ushenina, Women’s Grand Prix 2013–2014, 4st stage, Khanty-Mansiysk 2014. 5. cxb5 Nf6 6. Nc3 g6 7. d4 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Bg7 9. 0-0 0-0 10. Be3 Nbd7 11. Qe2 Rc8. 11. ... d5 was worth considering here: 12. exd5 Nb6 13. Rfd1 Nfxd5 14. Nxd5 Nxd5 15. Bg5 Qd7 16. a4 ½ : ½ Sjugirov – Khegay, 1st European Universities Championships, Yerevan 2015. 12. Rfd1 Re8 13. Rac1 e6!? This is a novelty and also an improvement on 13. ... Rc7?! 14. a4! Qb8 15. a5 Rec8? 16. a6! Nxe4?! (16. ... bxa6 17. Nc6 is not pleasant either) 17. Nd5+− David – Ki. Georgiev, 18th Festival “Città di Padova”, Padua 2015. 14. Nb3 Nb6 15. Na5

15. ... d5? A grave error that leads to an immediate débâcle, but Krush’s been pursuing a mirage — otherwise 15. ... Rc7 was solid enough. 16. e5 Nfd7 17. Nxb7. Black not only loses an Exchange, but her whole position falls apart as well. 17. ... Qh4 18. Nd6 Bxe5 19. g3 Qf6 20. Nxc8 Rxc8 21. f4 Bb8 22. Bxb6 Nxb6

23. Nxd5! exd5 24. Rxc8+ Nxc8 25. Qe8+ Kg7 26. Qxc8 Qb6+ 27. Kg2 Qxb5 28. Qc3+ Kg8 29. Rd2 Bd6 30. Qb3 Qa6 31. Qxd5 Be7 32. f5 Bf6 33. fxg6 hxg6 34. Rf2 Kg7 35. Qf3 Qe6 36. Qxf6+! 1 : 0. The King and Pawn ending is an easy win for White.

Everything and More

Irina Borisivna Krush – 于润荷 (Jennifer Yú)
58th U.S. Women’s Chess Championship; Saint Louis, March 22, 2019
Caro-Kann Defence B13

1. c4 c6 2. e4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5 Be6 7. a3 Qd7 8. Be2 Rd8 9. Bxf6 exf6 10. c5 g6 11. Nf3 h5 12. b4 Bh6 13. b5 Ne7 14. h4 Kf8 15. a4 Kg7 16. a5 Nc8 17. b6 a6 18. Na2 Ne7 19. Nb4 Qc8 20. Ra3 Rde8 21. Rc3 Bd7 22. 0-0 Bc6 23. Ne1 Nf5 24. Nxc6 Qxc6 25. Nc2 Nxh4 26. Nb4 Qe6 27. Bd3 Bf4 28. c6!?? At the cost of only a Pawn White succeeded in achieving most of the Panov Attack’s strategic goals, and now 27. Bc2 followed by Bc2-b3 seemed strong enough to bring Black serious worries, but Krush, utterly oblivious to any danger on the Kingside, goes for a sharper Queenside breakthrough. 28 ... Bd6 29. Rc5! This is the pretty pointe of White’s 28th move and certainly an unexpected blow for 于 (Yú). 29. ... Bxc5 30. dxc5 bxc6 31. Nxa6 Qe5 32. Nc7 Re7

33. Qa4? It sounds as if Krush has the right idea but the wrong way to do it. Maybe; maybe not! Best seems to be 33. a6 Qg5 34. g3 Re3! 35. Kh1! Rf3! (35. ... Rxg3 36. fxg3 Qxg3 37. Qe2 Qh3+ only leads to a draw) 36. Kh2! Qg4! 37. a7 Rxf2+ 38. Rxf2 Qxd1 39. gxh4 Qxd3 40. b7! with incalculable complications and uncertain outcomes. 33. ... Qg5 34. g3 Nf3+ 35. Kg2 Ne1+ 36. Rxe1 Rxe1. Now the threat is ... Qg5-c1. 37. Qf4 Qg4! 38. f3. 38. Qxg4 hxg4 is of no avail, as Black does threaten ... Re1-h1-h2 mate 38. ... Qd7 39. a6 Qe7 40. Qd2. Or 40. a7 Qxc5 41. a8=Q Qg1+ 41. Kh3 Qh1 mate. 40. ... Ra1 0 : 1.

Irina Borisivna Krush (left) vs. 于润荷 (Jennifer Yú) (right). Photo © Lennart Ootes/Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis.

Make Space

Bela Khotenashvili – Irina Borisivna Krush
1st Cairns Cup; Saint Louis, February 13, 2019
Queen’s Pawn Game D02

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Bf4 c5 4. e3 Nc6 5. Nbd2 cxd4 6. exd4 g6 7. c3 Bg7 8. h3 0-0 9. Bd3. Mutatis mutandis, another route to the same destination is 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Bd3 Nf6 5. c3 Nc6 6. Bf4 g6 7. Nf3 Bg7 8. Nbd2 0-0 9. h3 (Caro-Kann Defence B13). 9. ... Bd7 10. 0-0 Qc8 11. Re1 a6!? If 11. ... Bf5 then 12. Bb5 Re8 13. Ne5 with at least an edge for White, Bodnaruk – Burmakin, 19th Chigorin Memorial Open, Saint Petersburg 2011. On the other hand, Krush’s move doesn’t seem to be working too well either. 12. Ne5 Nxe5 13. dxe5 Ne8 14. Bg5 Qd8 15. Qb3 Nc7 16. Qxb7 Rb8 17. Qa7 Ne6 18. Bh4 Rxb2 19. Nb3 g5!? 20. Bg3 Bb5? So far Krush’s quite creatively managed to avoid the worst, but her last move is on the wrong track. Probably best was 20. ... a5!? (Δ ... a5-a4) in order to reply to 21. Nxa5 with 21. ... Qc7 looking forward with reasonable hope to find compensation.

21. Bf5! Nf4 22. Bxf4 gxf4 23. Qd4! Threatening both c3-c4 and Qd4xf4. Black is in trouble. 23. ... Bc4? As argued by Krush herself after the game, 23. ... Re2 at once would have avoided much suffering, though after 24. Rxe2 Bxe2 25. Qxf4 White remains a Pawn to the good and the better game. 24. Qxf4 e6? Falling victim to a tactic, but also 24. ... Qb6 25. Nd4 would have given Black a very hard time. 25. Qc1! Re2 26. Rxe2 Bxe2 27. Bxh7+! Kxh7 28. Qc2+ Kg8 29. Qxe2 Qc7 30. f4! Qxc3 31. Rf1! In conclusion, White is only a Pawn ahead, but Black’s castle is a helpless target for attack. 31. ... a5 32. Kh2 a4 33. Rf3 Qb4 34. Nc1 Rb8 35. Nd3 Qd4 36. Qd1 Rc8 37. Rg3 Qe4 38. Qg4 Qg6 39. Qd1 Qe4 40. Qg4 Qg6. They both repeated moves to reach time control. However, Khotenashvili doesn’t have to think too hard to score her second victory in the tournament: 41. Qh4 Qh7 42. Qe7 Qe4. 42. ... Qf5 43. Qf6 Qh7 44. Nc5 leads to the very same situation. 43. Qf6 Qh7 44. Nc5 Kh8 45. Qxf7 Rxc5 46. Rg5 Rc8 47. Rh5 Qxh5 48. Qxh5+ Kg8 49. Qg6 1 : 0.

Bela Khotenashvili vs. Irina Borisivna Krush. Photo © Crystal Fuller/Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis.