Between the Notes

Mariya Olehivna Muzychuk – Monika Bobrowska-Soćko
30th Frauen-Bundesliga; Hamburg, March 19, 2022
French Defence C16

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 Ne7 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 b6 7. Qg4 Ng6 8. h4 h5 9. Qg3 Ba6 10. Bxa6 Nxa6 11. Ne2 Qd7 12. Bg5. Another continuation is 12. a4 c5 13. 0-0 Rc8 14. Qd3 Nb8 15. Bg5 Nc6 16. Ng3 Nge7 17. Rfd1 cxd4 18. cxd4 Nf5? (18. ... Na5!? 19. Qf3 g6 20. c3⩲) 19. Nxf5 exf5 20. Qg3 g6 21. Rab1 0-0 22. Rb5 Nd8 23. Qf3 Ne6 24. Bf6? (⌓ 24. Qxd5) 24. ... Rxc2? (⌓ 24. ... Nc7!) 25. Qxd5 Qc8 26. Qb3 Rc1 27. Kh2 Rc3 28. Qb4 Rc4 29. Qd2 Kh7 30. d5 Nc5 31. d6+− Qd7 32. Qd5 Rxa4 33. Rxc5! bxc5 34. Be7 Kg8 35. Bxf8 Rxh4+ 36. Kg1 Kxf8 37. Qxc5 Kg7 38. Qc3 Kh7 39. e6! fxe6 40. Qf6 Qa4 41. Rc1 Rc4 42. Qe7+ Kh6 43. Rxc4 Qxc4 44. Qc7 Qf4 45. Qc5 Qa4 46. Qe3+ Kg7 47. Qxe6 Qd1+ 48. Kh2 Qd4 49. Qe7+ Kg8 50. Qd8+ Kf7 51. Qd7+ Kg8 52. Qc8+ Kf7 53. Qd7+ Kg8 54. Qe6+ Kg7 55. Qe7+ Kg8 56. Qc7 Qxf2 57. Qc4+ Kf8 58. Qc8+ Kg7 59. Qc3+ Kf7 60. Qc7+ Ke6 61. Qe7+ Kd5 62. d7 Qf4+ 63. g3 Qf2+ 64. Kh3 Qf1+ 65. Kh4 g5+ 66. Kxg5 Qc1+ 67. Kg6 Qc6+ 68. Kf7 1 : 0 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Kramnik, 10th ROMGAZ Kings Tournament in memoriam of Elisabeta Polihroniade, Mediaș 2016, match game 6 (time control: 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move). 12. ... Qa4 13. 0-0 Qxc2 14. Qe3 Qe4?! A novelty, but no improvement on 14. ... Ne7 15. Rac1 Qa4 16. Bxe7 Kxe7 17. Qg5+ Kd7 18. Qxg7 Raf8 19. Nf4 Ke8 (⌓ 19. ... Kc8) 20. Nh3 Rfg8 21. Qf6 Qd7 22. Ng5+− Fakhrutdinov – Yuferev, Eurasia Cup SKB Kontur 2018, Yekaterinburg 2018. 15. Qd2! Threat: 16. f3 Qf5 17. Ng3 trapping the Queen. 15. ... Ne7 (15. ... Nxh4?? 16. f3+−) 16. Nf4 Nb8 17. Rfe1 Qf5 18. Bxe7. 18. c4! dxc4 19. d5! at once seems to be much stronger. 18. ... Kxe7

19. c4 dxc4 20. d5. Not 20. Qb4+? because of 20. ... c5! 21. dxc5 Na6 solving all her problems. 20. ... Na6 21. d6+ Kf8 22. Rac1 cxd6 23. exd6

23. ... Kg8. Not a bad move, but the beginning of a bad idea. 24. Rxc4 Kh7? Out here is where Black’s King wanted to be, and could not have chosen a worse place! Correct was 24. ... Nc5 in order to answer 25. Qd4 by 25. ... Qf6 26. Re5 g6 with a defensible game. 25. Qd4 Nc5. The point is that now 25. ... Qf6 26. Re5 g6 is refuted by 27. Nxh5 winning at once. 26. Re5 Qb1+ 27. Kh2 Rad8. If 27. ... g6? then 28. Rg5!+− with too many threats, whilst after 27. ... f6 28. Rxh5+ Kg8 29. Rxh8+ Kxh8 30. Nxe6! Nxe6 31. Qd5 White regains the Knight with a won game.

28. Rxh5+? Muzychuk overlooks here what in better times she wouldn’t probably miss: 28. Rg5! f6 (28. ... g6 29. Nxh5!+−) 29. Nxh5!+− with a mating attack. 28. ... Kg8 29. Qe5 Rxh5 30. Nxh5 Qg6 31. Rd4 Nd7 32. Qe2 Nf6 33. Nxf6+. 33. Ng3 Rd7= was probably safer, but, as things go, the text also gives Muzychuk what she asks for, since Bobrowska-Soćko, rather than testing her chances in a Queen and Rook ending a Pawn (or two) up, contents herself with a draw by repetition. 33. ... Qxf6 34. Qd2 e5 35. Rd5 Qxh4+ 36. Kg1 Qe4 37. d7 Qb1+ 38. Kh2 Qh7+ 39. Kg1 Qb1+ 40. Kh2 Qh7+ 41. Kg1 ½ : ½.

Featured from left to right are the étoiles of OSG Baden-Baden: Rebecca Doll, Zhansaya Daniyarovna Abdumalik, Nurgyul Salimova, Mariya Olehivna Muzychuk, Anna Olehivna Muzychuk, Elisabeth Pähtz, and Thilo Gubler (team boss). Photo courtesy of German Chess Federation.

Behind the Beyond

Mobina Alinasab – Monika Bobrowska-Soćko

Knockout Women’s World Chess Championship Tournament; match game 2; Khanty-Mansiysk, November 7, 2018

Pirc Defence B09

Iranian Woman International Master Mobina Alinasab keeps on winning and being in the limelight. Of course one must always believe a little of everything. 1. e4 g6 2. d4 d6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. f4 Nf6 5. Nf3 0-0 6. e5. A radical commitment. 6. ... dxe5 7. fxe5 Nd5 8. Nxd5. It seems a strange way to handle the opening. 8. Bc4 is regarded here as the critical continuation. 8. ... Qxd5 9. Be2 c5 10. c4!? If 10. c3 then 10. ... cxd4 11. Qxd4 Qa5= Opočenský – Plater, Bratislava 1957. 10. ... Qe4. 10. ... Qd8 11. d5 b5!? is another interesting option, Oganisjn – Peralta, 22nd Open, Montcada i Reixac 2014. 11. dxc5 Nc6 12. Qd5 Qg4 13. Ng5 Qd4 14. Nf3 Qg4 15. Ng5 Qf5! Of course, Bobrowska-Soćko must play to win only. 16. Rf1 e6 17. Qe4 Qxe5 18. Qxe5 Bxe5 19. Ne4 f5! 20. Nd6 Bxh2. Something went wrong in White’s opening, and now it is Black who is a Pawn ahead. 21. Bg5 Bg3+ 22. Kd2 Be5. Perhaps Black should have looked for a safe way to develop her Queenside by 22. ... Rb8 23. Bf3 Bd7. 23. Rab1 Bf6? That doesn’t seem necessary at all, and badly delays an answer to the Queenside issue — 23. ... a5(!) seems better suited to claim an edge. 24. Bxf6 Rxf6 25. Bf3 Bd7? This is Bobrowska-Soćko’s decisive mistake. 25. ... Ne5(!) was Black’s last and best chance to fight for holding the game. 26. b4! Rb8 27. b5 Na5. 27. ... Nd8 28. Kc3 makes little difference since White’s Queenside preponderance is anyway overwhelming. 28. Kc3 e5 29. Rbd1! Threatening Kc3-b4. 29. ... Be6 30. Kb4 b6 31. c6. The d6-Knight is defended. 31. ... Kg7 32. Bd5 Bd7 33. c5 bxc5+ 34. Kxc5 Rb6 35. cxd7 Rfxd6 36. Ba8 Rxd1 37. Rxd1 1 : 0.

Mobina Alinasab (seated) vs. Monika Bobrowska-Soćko (standing). Photo © Press service of the Women’s World Championship 2018.

The Story So Far

Elisabeth Pähtz from Germany and Anna Olehivna Muzychuk from Ukraine won the ACP European Women’s Rapid & Blitz Chess Championships which took place in Tbilisi, Georgia, from March 29 to April 1, 2018. The Rapid Championship was won by Pähtz, Anastasia Mikhailovna Bodnaruk and Muzychuk securing respectively second and third places. The Blitz Championship, instead, was won by Muzychuk, with Pähtz second and Monika Bobrowska-Soćko third.

The 2018 ACP European Women’s Rapid Chess Champion Elisabeth Pähtz. Photo: Graf/Thüringer Allgemeine.

The 2018 ACP European Women’s Blitz Chess Champion Anna Olehivna Muzychuk. Photo: European Chess Union.

Symphony No. 3

Monika Bobrowska-Soćko – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
42nd Women’s Chess Olympiad; Baku, September 12, 2016
Bogo-Indian Defence E11

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4+ 4. Bd2 a5 5. Bxb4 axb4 6. g3 b6 7. Bg2 Bb7 8. 0-0 0-0 9. Nbd2 c5 10. Re1 d6 11. e4 Nc6 12. d5 exd5 13. cxd5 Ne7 14. Nc4 Ng6 15. a4 bxa3 16. Rxa3 b5 17. Rxa8 Bxa8 18. Na3 Re8 19. Nxb5

19. ... Rxe4!? This is a little more speculative than simply regaining the e4-Pawn with the Knight (19. .. Nxe4). 20. Rxe4 Nxe4 21. Qa4? 21. Nh4! at once was Bobrowska-Soćko’s best continuation on which there could follow: 21. ... Qa5 (idem to say 21. ... Qd7) 22. Bxe4 Qxb5 23. Nf5 Qxb2 24. Qa4 Qb8 25. Qa1! f6 26. Qa4 Nf8 27. Qa6 with an edge for White. 21. .. Bxd5 22. Nh4? The losing move. After 22. Nd2 Nxd2 23. Bxd5 Qe8 24. Qa8 Qxa8 25. Bxa8 Nc4 Black’s extra Pawn is not yet decisive. 22. ... Nxh4 23. Bxe4

23. ... Qe8!−+ 24. gxh4 Bxe4 25. Qa5. If, instead, 25. Nc3 Black can reply either with 25. ... Qxa4 26. Nxa4 Kf8 or 25. .. Bc6 26. Qd1 h6 winning in both cases. 25. ... Qd7 26. h3 h6 27. Nc3 Bf3 28. Kh2 Qe7 29. Qa6 Qe5+ 30. Kg1 Qe6 31. Kh2 Qg6 32. Qf1 Qf6 33. Kg3 Bc6 34. Qe2 d5 35. Qg4 d4 36. Nb1 Qe5+ 37. Qf4 Qe1. Threatening both ... Qe1-g1# and Qe1xb1. 38. Qf5 Qg1+ 39. Kf4 Qxf2+ 40. Ke5 f6+ 0 : 1. For if 41. Ke6 then 41. ... Bd7+! and it’s all over.

What a difference of mood! Photo: Polski Związek Szachowy.

Melodrama

Deimantė Daulytė – Monika Bobrowska-Soćko

Knockout Women’s World Chess Championship Tournament; playoff game 2; Krasnaya Polyana, March 19, 2015

French Defence C03

The Lithuanian Woman Grandmaster won the first playoff game and achieved a decisive advantage in the second one. In mutual time trouble Daulytė could simply give mate in one and qualify to the next round, however, she put her Queen en prise and resigned immediately. Such a chess suicide changed dramatically the contest, and Bobrowska-Soćko dominated in the next two games mini-match.

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 a6 4. Ngf3 Nf6 5. e5 Nfd7 6. Bd3 c5 7. c3 Nc6 8. 0-0 g5 9. Nb3. For 9. Bb1 g4 10. Ne1 h5 see Dembo – Bobrowska-Soćko, 40th Women’s Chess Olympiad, Istanbul 2012. 9. ... h6. With 9. ... c4 Black could win a piece, but after 9. Nxg5 cxd3 10. Nxe6! Qb6 11. Nf4 she would expose her King to a very powerful attack. 10. Nxc5 Nxc5 11. dxc5 Bxc5 12. Qe2 Qc7 13. Re1 Bd7 14. Be3 Bf8 15. Bd4 Bg7 16. b4 Rc8 17. Qe3 Nxd4 18. cxd4 Qb6 19. a3 0-0 20. Rec1 a5 21. b5 a4 22. h4 gxh4 23. Nxh4 Qa5 24. Rab1 Rxc1+ 25. Rxc1 Rc8 26. Rxc8+ Bxc8 27. Nf3 Bd7 28. Qc1 Bf8 29. Qb2 Be7 30. g3 Kf8 31. Kg2 Ke8 32. Nh2 Qe1 33. Qc2 Qa1 34. Qxa4 Qc3. It hardly makes sense to analyze such a playoff game, as it is much more about energy and stamina than about chess skill. At this point it seems better 34. ... Qxa3 35. Qxa3 Bxa3 36. Ng4 h5 37. Nf6+ Ke7 38. Nxh5 Bb2 and Black looks very close to equality. 35. Qa8+ Bc8 36. Nf3. Here, too, White has a much stronger plan: 36. b6!, paralyzing the Black Queenside. 36. ... Kd8 37. Bf1 Bxa3 38. Qa4 Be7 39. Qa2 Kc7 40. Qb1 f5. This make matters worse. It would have been better to submit to 40. ... Bd7 41. Qh7 Be8 42. Qxh6 Qc2 with a laborious defence. 41. exf6 Bxf6 42. Qh7+. White misses her chance to get a clear edge by 42. b6+ Kd6 43. Qg6! (43. ... Bxd4 44. Nxd4 Qxd4 45. Qg8). 42. ... Kb6 43. Qxh6 Bxd4 44. Qf8 Bg7 45. Qd8+ Qc7 46. Qg5 Ka7 47. Qe3+ b6 48. Nd4 Bb7? The crisis. Black should have played 48. ... Bxd4! 49. Qxd4 e5! which would have equalized the position. 49. Qa3+ Kb8 50. Nxe6 d4+ 51. Kg1 Qd7 52. Nxg7 Qxg7 53. Qd6+ Qc7 54. Qxd4 Qc1 55. Qxb6 Qe1 56. Qd8+ Ka7. And now White checkmates in one move (with a Pawn): 57. b6 mate. Instead, a soap opera tragic drama happened...

57. Qa5+?? “White w/ mate in 1, played 57. Qa5+ & eliminated herself from WWC”, Zsuzsa Polgár tweeted. 0 : 1. “It’s what chess players have to face under extreme pressure. Even a 2400 misses mate in 1 while hanging Q on same move! She needed a draw to qualify to next round and she ‘saw’ a perpetual”, Polgár said.

Deimantė Daulytė vs. Monika Bobrowska-Soćko. Photo: World Women’s Chess (@worldwomenchess)

Fire Exit

On Friday, November 16, 2012 reigning Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) (pictured above, surrounded by fans while signing autographs) was shockingly kicked out in the second round of the Women’s World Chess Championship Knockout Tournament which is taking place at Ugra Chess Academy in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. Quite incredibly, she lost both rapid tie-break games against Monika Bobrowska-Soćko, just to make even clearer that something is rotten in FIDE’s knockout format for women. Photo: Dmitry Kondratenko.

The Raffle

“[侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)], China’s 18-year-old was runner-up for the women’s world title in 2008, won it in 2010, then defended it in a match in 2011. She is clearly the all-time female No2 after Hungary’s Judit Polgár, who does not play in women’s events. But last week 侯逸凡 (Hóu) suddenly became an ex-champion in banal circumstances. She wilted in the -17C weather in Siberia which staged the 2012 knockout title contest, developed a heavy cold, and crashed 3-1 in the second round to Poland’s Monika Soćko, the last two games rapid chess”, Leonard Barden wrote in his The Guardian chess column of November 23, 2012.

Monika Bobrowska-Soćko (left) vs. 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) (right). Photo: Fédération Internationale des Échecs.

死锁 (Deadlock)

The round two of the Women’s World Championship Knockout Tournament saw top seeds falling down, just to make clearer that the format is wrong and unfair. Humpy Koneru lost her match with Natalia Oleksandrivna Zhukova, whilst Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) was forced to play the tie-break with Monika Bobrowska-Soćko tomorrow.

Monika Bobrowska-Soćko – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)

Women’s World Chess Championship Knockout Tournament; match game 1; Khanty-Mansiysk, November 14, 2012

Queen’s Indian Defence E12

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. a3 Ba6 5. Qb3. 5. Qa4 Bb7 6. Nc3 c5 was seen in Matveeva – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), China–Russia Women’s Chess Summit, Ergun 2006.
5. ... Be7 6. Nc3 c5!? Usually Black prefers 6. ... d5.
7. d5 exd5 8. cxd5 0-0 9. e4 Bxf1 10. Kxf1 d6 11. h3 Nbd7 12. Be3 a6 13. Kg1 b5 14. Qc2 Re8 15. Ne2 Bf8 16. Ng3 g6 17. Kh2 Bg7 18. Rhe1 Rc8 19. Rad1 c4 20. Kh1 Nc5 21. Bxc5. White cannot allow the Black Knight to jump to d3.
21. ... Rxc5 22. Re2 h5 23. b4 Rc8 24. e5. A desperate break due to White’s difficulty to face the powerful positional threat of ... Nf6-d7-e5-d3.
24. ... dxe5 25. Nxe5 h4 26. Nc6 Qd7 27. Nf1 Nxd5 28. Red2 Qxc6 29. Rxd5 Qf6 30. Ne3 Qb2 31. a4 Qxc2 32. Nxc2 bxa4 33. Ra5 Re2 34. Ne3 c3! 35. Rc5 Rb8! 36. Rc4 a3 37. Kg1 a2 38. Ra1 c2 39. Kf1 (39. Rxa2 c1=Q+−+)

39. ... Rxe3! 0 : 1. Very pretty conclusion by 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán). White resigns, for both after 40. fxe3 Rxb4!! as well as 40. Rxa2 Bc3!! Black promotes one of her Pawns.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Monika Bobrowska-Soćko

Women’s World Chess Championship Knockout Tournament; match game 2; Khanty-Mansiysk, November 15, 2012

Sicilian Defence B53

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Qxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bb5 Nd7!? The alternative is 6. ... Bd7 7. Bxc6 bxc6? (correct was 7. ... Bxc6) 8. e5 dxe5 9. Nxe5 e6 10. 0-0 Be7 11. Rd1± Sedina – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), Knockout Women’s World Chess Championship Tournament, Nalchik 2008, match game 2.
7. Qd2. “7. Qc4 Nb6 8. Bxc6+ bxc6 9. Qxc6+ Bd7 10. Qb7 Bc8 11. Qc6+ Bd7 s a well-known repetition”, International Master Robert Ris writes in his ChessVibes report.
7. ... g6 8. b3 Bg7 9. Bb2 0-0 10. Na4?! Ris prefers 10. 0-0, and to me 10. 0-0-0 seems even stronger.
10. ... Nf6 11. Bxc6 bxc6 12. e5 Ne4 13. Qb4 d5 14. Nd2 Bf5 15. Nxe4 Bxe4 16. 0-0 Bxc2 17. Rfc1 Be4 18. f3 Bf5 19. Rxc6 Qd7 20. Rac1. Ris: “20. Rc5 and bringing the other Rook to d1 is better”.
20. ... Bh6

21. Rc7? 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)’s cruel fata morgana. After 21. f4 White’s game is still perfectly playable.
21. ... Be3+ 22. Kh1 Qd8 23. R1c6 Bd7 24. Rc2 d4 25. R2c4 Be6 26. R4c6 Bd5. Ris: “26. ... d3 is also strong”.
27. Rc5 d3! 28. Bd4. “If now 28. Bc1 then Black wins with 28. ... Bxc1 29. Rxc1 Bxb3! 30. axb3 d2! and the Pawn carries the day; no better is 28. Bc3 Rb8! 29. Qa5 and now either 29. ... Bxf3 or – even stronger – 29. ... Bxb3 wins easily enough, as the reader can easily verify. PERHAPS the best is 28. Qe1 trying to control the first rank, but even so 28. ... Bxc5 29. Rxc5 Be6 30. Qd2 Rc8 and White’s position is beyond hope“, Grandmaster Kevin Spraggett writes.
28. ... Rb8 (28. ... Bxd4 29. Qxd4 Bxb3!)
29. Qxb8. Desperation, but if 29. Qc3 then 29. ... Bxd4 30. Qxd4 Bxb3! and the d-Pawn goes Hollywood. 29. ... Qxb8 30. Bxe3 Qa8 31. Kg1 Bxf3 32. Rc3 (32. gxf3 Qxf3−+) 32. ... Qe4 33. Bd2 Qd4+ 0 : 1. A shocking outcome: 34. Kh1 (34. Kf1 Be2+ 35. Ke1 Qg1#) 34. ... Qf2! 35. gxf3 Qf1# 0 : 1.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán). Photo: Ugra Chess Academy.