Stone staircases

Anna Ushenina – Monika Soćko
17th European Women’s Individual Chess Championship; Mamaia, June 5, 2016
Nimzo-Indian Defence E39

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 0-0 5. Nf3 c5 6. dxc5 Na6 7. g3 Nxc5 8. Bg2 d5 9. 0-0 dxc4 10. Rd1. For 10. Ne5 Nd5 11. Nxc4 Bxc3 12. bxc3 b6 see Lysyj – Dragun, European Blitz Chess Championship, Warsaw 2013. 10. ... Qa5 11. Bd2 Bd7 12. Ne5 Rfd8 13. Nxc4 Qa6 14. Ne5 Be8 15. Ne4 Ncxe4 16. Bxb4 Rdc8? It looks to me that Black uses the wrong Rook to occupy the open c-file, but I have no objective argument demonstrating it – just an impression. If it was right, then 16. ... Rac8 should be preferred. 17. Qd3 Qa4 18. Be7 Rc7 19. Bd8 Bb5 20. Qd4 Rc2 21. Qxa4 Bxa4 22. b3 Bb5 23. Bxf6 Nxf6 24. e3 Ba6? After all, Black somehow managed to hold together her own, and without this fearful move she could have hoped to survive: 24. ... Rc5! 25. f4 Nd5 indeed appears tenable. 25. a4 Rac8? Humanum est peccare, diabolicum perseverare. Black was still in time for 25. ... Rc5 26. f4 Nd5. 26. b4! Now Black’s Queenside miserably collapses and the two White connected passed Pawns won’t be stoppable. 26. ... Be2 27. Bxb7 Rb8 28. Nc6 Bxd1 29. Nxb8 Be2 30. Nc6 Bg4 31. b5 Kf8 32. a5 Nd7 33. b6 a6 34. Nb4 Rb2 35. Nxa6 Ke7 36. Bg2 Be2 37. Nc7 Rc2 38. Be4 Rc5 39. Bg2 h5 40. h3 g5 41. Re1 Rc2 42. b7 Ra2 43. Na8 Ba6

44. Nb6! Very pretty. Black ended up in a comical Zugzwang. 44. ... Nb8 45. Rd1 Bb5. Also after 45. ... Rxa5 46. Nd7! White must win. 46. Rc1 Rd2 47. Rc7+ Ke8 48. Rc8+ Rd8 49. Bf1 Ba6 50. Bxa6 Nxa6 51. Ra8 1 : 0.

Anna Ushenina
Photo: dynamo.ua

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)

Massé

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Monika Soćko
41st Women’s Chess Olympiad; Tromsø, August 10, 2014
Sicilian Defence B49

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 Qc7 7. Be3 Nf6 8. 0-0 Bb4 9. Na4 0-0 10. c4 Be7

11. c5 Nxe4 12. Bf3 Nf6 13. Rc1 g6 14. Bh6 Re8 15. Qd2 Nxd4 16. Qxd4 e5 17. Qd2 d5 18. cxd6 Qxd6 19. Qxd6 Bxd6 20. Nb6 Rb8 21. Rfd1 Bf8 22. Bg5 Kg7 23. Bxf6+ Kxf6 24. Nd5+ Kf5 25. Nc7 Be6 26. Nxe8 Rxe8 27. Bxb7 Rb8 28. Bxa6 Rxb2 29. a4 Bb3 30. Rd8 Bb4 31. Rb8 Bd2 32. Ra1 Bc3 33. Ra3 Bd5 34. Rxb2 Bxb2 35. Rd3 Bd4 36. a5 Ke6 37. g4 Kd6 38. g5 Be6 39. Bb7 Kc7 40. Be4 Bc4 41. Rh3 Kd6 42. Rxh7 Bc3 43. a6 1 : 0.

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.