Lost & Found

Mariya Olehivna Muzychuk – Meri Arabidze
19th European Individual Women’s Chess Championship; Vysoké Tatry, April 18, 2018
Sicilian Defence B40

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 Nc6 4. Nc3 a6 5. d4 cxd4 6. Nxd4 Qc7 7. Be3 Nf6 8. a3 b6 9. Rc1 Bb7 10. Be2 Nxd4 11. Qxd4 Bc5 12. Qd3 0-0 13. 0-0 Rfd8 14. b4 Bxe3 15. Qxe3 d6 16. Rfd1 Rab8. Another modus vivendi is 16. ... Qc6 17. Bf3 Qc7 18. Na4 Nd7 19. Qd4 Bc6 20. b5 Nc5! 21. Nxb6 Qxb6 22. bxc6 e5 23. Qd5 Rac8= Solovjova – Sirotkina, 1st Rudenko Memorial, Saint Petersburg 2005. 17. f3 Nd7? A new move and an unfortunate one. After 17. ... h6 18. Bf1 Ba8 19. Ne2 Nd7 20. Nd4 Nf8 Black somehow succeeded in consolidating his position, Jeitz – Srebrnič, 20th Czech Open, Pardubice 2009.

18. Nb5! In her last games Muzychuk found back her self-confidence and was able to play creatively. And maybe, in any event, she should be content to come back home with something that sometimes may even be more important than a medal. 18. ... axb5 19. cxb5 Nc5 20. e5! dxe5. 20. ... Rbc8 21. exd6 Rxd6 22. Rxd6 Qxd6 23. bxc5 bxc5 24. a4 also produces an endgame similar to that of the game, where, in spite of material equality, White’s duo of passers on the Queenside should make the difference. 21. bxc5 Rxd1+ 23. Bxd1 Qa5 24. Be2. The situation is sufficiently clear that White can put the autopilot in a “win” mode. 24. ... Rd8 25. Kf2 e4 26. b6! Qa8. 26. ... Qxc5+ 27. Rxc5 Rd6 28. Rb5 followed by the advance the a-Pawn is also completely hopeless for Black. 27. Qe7 Re8 28. Qb4 e5 29. fxe4 Bxe4 30. Rc7 Rb8 31. Bf3 Bxf3 32. gxf3 Qa6 33. b7 h6 34. Qb3 Kh7 35. Qxf7 Qb6+ 36. Kg2 Qb2+. Or 36. ... Qg6+ 37. Qxg6+ Kxg6 38. a4 and finis. 37. Kh3 Rg8 38. Rc8 1 : 0.

ಕಸೂತಿ (Kasuti)

Dronavalli Harika – Meri Arabidze
Women’s World Chess Championship; Krasnaya Polyana, March 27, 2015
Torre Attack D03

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. Bg5 c5 4. e3 d5 5. Nbd2 Be7 6. c3 Nbd7 7. Bd3 b6 8. 0-0 Bb7 9. Ne5 Nxe5 10. dxe5 Nd7 11. Bxe7 Qxe7 12. f4 0-0 13. Qh5 f5. The alternative was 13. ... g6 14. Qe2 f5 15. exf6 Nxf6 16. e4 dxe4 17. Nxe4 Nxe4 18. Bxe4 Bxe4 19. Qxe4 Rae8 20. Rad1 Qf7 21. g3 Qf5 22. Qxf5 exf5 23. Rfe1 Rxe1+ 24. Rxe1 Kf7 25. Kf2 Rd8 26. Re3 Rd2+ 27. Re2 Rxe2+ 28. Kxe2 Ke6 ½ : ½ Gudmundsson – Matanović, 15th Chess Olympiad, Varna 1962. 14. exf6 Nxf6 15. Qg5 Rae8 16. Nf3 Nd7 17. Bb5 Qxg5 18. Nxg5 Bc8 19. Rad1 Re7 20. Bxd7 Bxd7 21. Nf3 Be8 22. Ne5 Bg6 23. Nxg6 hxg6 24. g3 Rd8 25. Rd2 e5 26. Rfd1 exf4 27. exf4 Red7 28. Kf2 Kf7 29. Kf3 Kf6 30. h4 Rd6 31. Rd3 R8d7 32. Kg4 Rd8 33. Re1 d4 34. cxd4 cxd4? It doesn’t lose the game, but 34. ... Rxd4 was nuch safer. 35. Kf3 Kf7 36. Re5 Rc8 37. Re4 Rcd8 38. b3 R8d7 39. a4 Rd5 40. b4 a6 41. g4 Rd8 42. Re5 R5d6 43. Ke4 R8d7 44. f5 gxf5+ 45. Rxf5+ Kg8 46. h5 Kh7 47. Rg5 Kh6 48. Kf4 Kh7 49. Re5 g6 50. Ke4 Kg7 51. Rg5 Re7+ 52. Kf4 a5 53. bxa5 bxa5 54. Rxg6+ Rxg6 55. hxg6 Rd7 56. Ke5 Kxg6 57. Rxd4 Rb7 58. Kd5 Kg5 59. Kc5 Kh4 60. Rc4 Rb8 61. Kd5 Rb7 62. Rc5 Rb4 63. Rc4 Rb8 64. Ke5 Kg5 65. Rc5 Rb4 66. Rxa5 Rxg4 67. Ra6 Kh5 68. a5 Rg5+ 69. Kd4 Rg4+ 70. Kc5 Rg5+ 71. Kb6 Rg6+ 72. Kb7 Rg7+ 73. Kc8 Rg5? 73. ... Rg8+ 74. Kd7 Rg7+ 75. Ke8 Rg5 transposes to the game. 74. Kd7? (74. Ra8!+-) 74. ... Rg7+ 75. Ke8 Rg5 76. Kf7 Rc5 77. Kg7

77. ... Rc7+? This proved to be a fatal mistake according Nalimov’s endgame tablebases. All four 77. ... Kg5, 77. ... Kg4, 77. ... Rd5 and 77. ... Rg5+ would have led to a draw. 78. Kf6 Rc5 79. Ra8 Kh4 80. a6 Rc6+ 81. Kf5 Rc5+ 82. Kf4 Rc4+ 83. Ke3 Rc7 84. Rb8 Kg5 85. Rb7 Rc4 86. Kd3 Ra4 87. Rb6 Kf5 88. Kc3 Ke5 89. Kb3 Ra1 90. Kc4 Ra2 91. Rh6 Ra1 92. Kc5 Ra2 93. Kb6 Rb2+ 94. Kc7 Ra2 95. Kb7 1 : 0.

Dronavalli Harika vs. Meri Arabidze
Photo: Anastasiya Karlovich

Selfie

Viktorija Čmilytė – Meri Arabidze

Women’s World Chess Championship Knockout Tournament; tie-break game 1; Krasnaya Polyana, March 25, 2015

Bogo-Indian Defence E11

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4+ 4. Bd2 Qe7 5. g3 Bxd2+ 6. Qxd2 Nc6 7. e3 d5 8. Bg2 Qb4 9. Ne5 Qxd2+ 10. Nxd2 Nxe5 11. dxe5 Ng4 12. Nf3 f6 13. Rc1 c6 14. exf6 Nxf6 15. Ne5 Ke7 16. Ke2 Nd7 17. Nxd7 Bxd7 18. e4 dxc4 19. Rxc4 e5 20. f4 Be6 21. Rc3 Rhd8 22. f5 Bf7 23. b3 a5 24. Rb1 Rd4 25. Rd3 c5 26. Rc1 Kd6 27. Rdc3 b6 28. Ke3 a4 29. Bf1 axb3 30. axb3 Ra2 31. Bc4 Bxc4 32. bxc4 Rxh2 33. Rb3? This finesse is a fatal loss of time. Correct was 33. Ra1 Rdd2 34. Ra7 g6 with equality. 33. ... Kc7 34. Ra1 Kb7 35. Rab1 Rd6 36. Rc3 h5 37. Kf3? Obviously, after 37. Re1 Rdd2 White is in serious trouble, but the text move is much worse. 37. ... Rdd2. Black wins immediately by 37. ... g5! 38. Rcb3 (on 38. fxg6 Rf6+ 39. Ke3 Rhf2 forces a quick mate) 38. ... g4+ 39. Ke3 Rg2-+. 38. Rcb3 Kc7 39. Ra3

39. ... Kb7. All chess engines give the following forced win: 39. ... g5!! (threatening ... Rd2-d3 mate) 40. fxg6 Rdf2+ 41. Ke3 Re2+ 42. Kd3 Reg2 43. Re1 Rxg3+ 44. Re3 Rxe3+ 45. Kxe3 Rh3+ finis. 40. Rab3 Kc8 41. Ra3. Errare humanum est, perseverare autem diabolicum. Anyway, after 41. Re1 Rdf2+ 42. Ke3 Rc2 Black should win in the short-medium-long run. 41. ... Rdf2+ 42. Ke3 Re2+ 43. Kd3 Reg2 0 : 1. “Today I lost the first rapid game as White almost without a fight, which was very unfortunate”, then Čmilytė said.

Meri Arabidze. Photo: Eteri Kublashvili.

Echo

Yaniet Marrero López – Meri Arabidze
Women’s World Chess Championship; Krasnaya Polyana, March 21, 2015
Sicilian Defence B41

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. c4 Nf6 6. Nc3 Qc7 7. Be2 b6 8. 0-0 Bb7 9. Qd3 Nc6 10. Nxc6 dxc6 11. f4 Rd8. For 11. ... Bc5+ 12. Kh1 0-0 13. e5 Rad8 14. Qh3 see 侯逸凡 (Hóu​ Yì​fán) – Nana Dzagnidze, Women’s Grand Prix, Khanty-Mansiysk 2014. 12. Qh3 c5 13. e5. Sharp play on the part of White. 13. f5 appears to me to be the more consistent and most effectual line of play. 13. ... Ne4 14. f5 Nxc3 15. bxc3 exf5 16. e6. White boldly sacrifices her second Pawn. 16. ... fxe6 17. Bh5+ g6 18. Bxg6+ hxg6 19. Qxh8. White has won the Exchange, but Black’s powerful initiative more than compensate for the loss. 19. ... Qc6

20. Rf3? The lesser evil was 20. Qh3, although after 20. ... Rd3! Black still retains a clear advantage. 20. ... Rd1+ 21. Kf2 Qe4! With the threat of ... Qe4-e1 mate. Yaniet could well resign here. 22. Qxf8+ Kxf8 23. Bh6+ Ke8 24. Rxd1 Qh4+ 25. Rg3 Qxh6 26. Rgd3 Be4 27. Rh3 Qf4+ 28. Kg1 Bxg2 29. Rg3 Be4 30. Rf1 Qh6 31. a4 g5 32. Re3 g4 33. Rfe1 Ke7 34. R1e2 Bc6 0 : 1.

Yaniet Marrero López vs. Meri Arabidze
Photo: Anastasiya Karlovich