Semantic memory

Anna Yuriyivna Ushenina – Lilit Maratovna Mkrtchian

Knockout Women’s World Chess Championship Tournament; match game 1; Khanty-Mansiysk, November 3, 2018

Slav Defence D15

Khanty-Mansiysk brought good luck to Anna Yuriyivna Ushenina in 2012, but very rarely history does repeat itself exactly. 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 dxc4 4. e3 b5 5. a4 b4 6. Ne4 Qd5 7. Ng3 Nf6 8. Be2 Nbd7 9. Nf3 Ba6 10. b3 e5? That’s in the book, but 10. ... c5! seems much better, Campos Moreno – Franco Ocampos, Mallorca 2000. 11. 0-0 Rd8!? 11. ... exd4 12. exd4! (12. Nxd4 Bc5 doesn’t lead anywhere, Bosboom – Middelburg, 8th Sonnevanck, Wijk aan Zee 1999) 12. ... Bd6 is hardly an improvement, as White takes twice on c4, then gives check with the Rook and places his Knight on f5. 12. bxc4 Bxc4 13. e4 Bxe2 14. Qxe2 Qe6 15. dxe5 Nxe5 16. Nxe5 Qxe5 17. Bb2 Qe6 18. Nf5

18. ... Nd7? This seems Black’s decisive mistake. After 18. ... Nxe4! (“unmounting” the f5-Knight) 19. Bxg7 Rg8 the game becomes quite drawish. 19. Bxg7 Rg8 20. Bxf8 Nxf8 21. Rad1! Now Black is tragically stuck in her twosquare reality. 21. ... Rxd1 22. Rxd1 Rg6 23. g3. An unneeded safety shield, just before going for mate. 23. ... f6 24. Rd6 Qb3 25. Rxc6 Ne6 26. Rc1 Qxa4 27. Qc4 Kf7 28. Qc8 Rg5 29. h4. 29. Rc7+! is just another mate attack. 29. ... Rg6 30. Qb7+ 1 : 0.

Anna Yuriyivna Ushenina. Photo © Press service of the Women’s World Championship 2018.

Lilit Maratovna Mkrtchian. Photo © Press service of the Women’s World Championship 2018.

Queen Cobra

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Lilit Maratovna Mkrtchian
FIDE Women's Grand Prix 2009–11; 4th stage; Jermuk, June 26, 2010
French Defence C05

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Be7 4. Ngf3 Nf6 5. e5 Nfd7 6. Bd3 c5 7. c3 Nc6 8. 0-0 a5 9. a4 cxd4 10. cxd4 Nb4 11. Bb5 0-0 12. Nb1 Nb8 13. Nc3 Bd7 14. Re1 N8c6 15. Bf4 Na7?!TN (15. ... Kh8 16. Qd2⩲↑ Kalod – Kortschnoi, 21st Mitropa Cuo, Leipzig 2002) 16. Bf1 Rb8 17. Re3 b5

18. h4!? A proclamation of her belligerent intentions, but possibly stronger was 18. Ne1 intending Re3-h3. 18. ... Bxh4? Mkrtchian very imprudently plays in her opponent’s hands. 19. Nxh4 Qxh4 20. Bg3. Even stroger seems 20. Ne2! massing on the Kingside. 20. ... Qg5 21. axb5. This and the few next moves dissipate almost all White’s initiative. 21. ... Nxb5 22. Ne2 Ra8 23. Bh2 Qf5 24. Nf4 Qc2 25. Qg4 Nxd4 26. Nh5 Qg6 27. Qh3? 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) is reluctant to resign herself to 27. Qxd4 Qxh5 with rough equality, and embarks into obscure complications. 27. ... Nf5 28. Rf3 Rfc8? Black misses her best chance here: 28. ... Kh8! 29. Rf4 Qh6 30. Ra3 d4! with excellent counterplay; a sample line is 31. Rxf5 exf5 32. Bf4 Qc6 33. Nf6 gxf6 34. Bb5 Qxb5 35. Qh6 Nd3 36. Bg5 fxg5 37. Qf6+ with perpetual check. 29. Rf4 Nh6

30. Nf6+! gxf6 31. Rxf6 Qg7? 31. ... Nf5 32. Rxg6+ fxg6 was Black’s only chance, though after 33. Bf4 White should win in the long run anyway. 32. Rxh6 Kh8 33. Bf4 Rg8

34. Bg5! 1 : 0.

Three rounds went by and finally the day came, when 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) finally achieved her first win. Photo: Aghasi Inants.