A Lucky Thing

Polina Sergeevna Shuvalova – 朱锦尔 (Zhū Jǐn’ěr)
FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2022–23; 1st stage; Astana, September 21, 2022
Spanish Game C78

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 7. c3 d6 8. d4 Bb6 9. Be3 Bg4 10. dxe5 Nxe5 11. Bxb6 Bxf3 12. gxf3 cxb6 13. f4 Nc4 14. Bxc4. Too committal is 14. e5 dxe5 15. Bxc4 bxc4 16. fxe5 Ne4 17. Qg4 Qd5 18. Re1 Nc5 19. Na3 b5 20. Nc2 h5 21. Qd4 0-0-0⩱ Wahls – M. Adams, 15th German Schach Bundesliga, Hamburg 1995.
14. ... bxc4 15. Nd2 0-0 16. Qf3 b5 17. Kh1 g6 18. Rg1 Kh8 19. Rad1 Qe7 20. Rde1 Rad8 21. Re3 Nh5 22. Nf1 Qf6 23. Rg4 d5 24. e5 Qf5 25. Ng3 Nxg3+ 26. hxg3 d4 27. cxd4 Rxd4 28. Kg2 Qh5 29. Re1 Rd3 30. Qe2 Qf5 31. Rh4 (⌓ 31. Rg5 Qe6 32. f5 Qd5+ 33. Kg1 Re8)
31. ... Qe6 (⌓ 31. ... Kg7 Δ 32. Reh1 Rh8)
32. Qe4 Kg7 33. g4 Qd5 34. f5

34. ... Re8? This could cost Black dear. She had to play 34. ... Qxe4+ 35. Rxe4 g5! with at least equality.
35. Qxd5. Or, by inversion, 35. f6+! Kg8 36. Qxd5 Rxd5 37. Rh6! Rexe5 38. Reh1 Kf8 39. Rxh7 Ke8 40. Rg7 with a winning advantage.
35. ... Rxd5 36. f4? White was still in time for 36. f6+! Kg8 37. Rh6! transposing into the line given above.
36. ... g5 37. f6+ Kg8 38. Rh5 gxf4 39. Kf3 b4 40. Ke4 Rd6 41. Rf5 c3 42. bxc3 bxc3 43. Rc1 Rc6 44. Kxf4 c2 45. Ke3 h6 46. g5 Kh7 47. gxh6 Kg6 48. Rf2 Rxe5+ 49. Kd4 Rec5 50. Rh2 Kh7 51. a3 Rc4+ 52. Kd5 Rc3 53. Kd4 Rxa3 54. Rcxc2 Rxf6 55. Rcf2 Raf3 56. Rxf3 Rxf3

Black has an extra Pawn, but with correct play the ending must be drawn.

57. Ke5□ Rb3 58. Kf6 Rb7 59. Ra2 Ra7 60. Ra3 a5 61. Ra4 Kg8

62. Rg4+?? This careless check throws away the draw, allowing Black to win the h-Pawn by a King’s triangulation. White could draw in more ways than one, 62. Kg5 Kh7 63. Kf6!= being an instructive one.
62. ... Kh8!□ 63. Ra4 Kh7!□ 64. Ra1 a4 65. Ra3 Kg8 66. Ke5 Ra6 67. Rg3+ Kh8! 68. Ra3 Kh7 69. Rf3 f6+ 70. Kd4 0 : 1.

Not an easy win for 朱锦尔 (Zhū Jǐn’ěr), but one that counts for two. Photo: Anna Shtourman/FIDE.

Once Upon A King

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – Polina Sergeevna Shuvalova
FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2022–23; 1st stage; Astana, September 18, 2022
Scotch Game C45

1. e4 e5. Being asked about who first caught the other one by surprise, Goryachkina answered: “I think we surprised each other”.
2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. e5 d5 6. Bb5 Ne4 7. Nxd4 Bd7 8. Bxc6. If, dogmatically, 8. Nxc6?! then 8. ... bxc6 9. Bd3 Bc5! 10. Bxe4 Qh4! leaving Black with the Bishop pair and a crushing initiative, Lichtenhein – P. C. Morphy, 1st American Chess Congress, New York 1857.
8. ... bxc6 9. 0-0 Be7 10. f3 Nc5. Not less objectionable is 10. ... Ng5 11. f4 Ne4 12. f5! c5 13. Ne2 Bb5 14. Na3! Bc6 (14. ... Ba6? 15. c4!±) 15. c4! d4 16. Nf4 Bg5 17. Nd3 Rb8 18. Qe2 h6 19. Bf4 Rb6 20. Rae1 Ba8 21. Qg4± Sveshnikov – Ferčec, 1st Open, Nova Gorica 1996.
11. Be3 0-0 12. Nc3 a5 13. Qd2 a4 (13. ... Ra6 14. Nb3⩲ Ninov – Chudinovskikh, 6th Open, Prague 2007)
14. Rad1 a3 15. b3 Na6

16. Nde2 Bf5?! Black’s move loses time and ends up helping White to regroup her Knights to get at new targets on the Kingside. 16. ... Re8 17. f4 Bb4 18. h3 f6= seems to be preferable.
17. Ng3 Be6 18. Nce2 c5 19. c3 Qd7?! (19. ... c4!? 20. bxc4 bxc4 21. Qe1 Qe8 22. Nd4⩲)
20. Nh5! Threatens Be3-h6.
20. ... Kh8 21. Bg5 Rad8?! (21. ... d4!? 22. cxd4 Nb4 23. h4⩲)

22. Qc1! With an eye to both wings.
22. ... Nb8 23. h3! Nc6 24. Bxe7 Qxe7 25. f4 Bc8. If 25. ... c4 then 26. f5! and the Black Bishop must retreat to c8 anyway.
26. Qxa3 f6 27. exf6 gxf6 28. Neg3 Qe3+ 29. Kh2 Qxc3 30. Rc1 Qb4 31. Qxb4 Nxb4 32. Rxc5

32. ... Nxa2? Sheer desperation. Black gives up the Knight to advance the d-Pawn to queen, but White’s mating attack comes first. It is just the case to note, however, that the endgame — or, to say it more properly, the semi-endgame — was close to a technical win for White, whatever Black played.
33. Rxc7 d4 34. Ra1 d3 35. Rxa2 d2 36. Raa7 1 : 0

Goryachkina being about to make her first move, the one Bobby Fischer used to call “best by test”. Photo: Anna Shtourman/FIDE.

The Night Before

The newly crowned European Women’s Team Chess Champions, namely in alphabetical order: Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina, Valentina Evgenyevna Gunina, Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk, Ekaterina Aleksandrovna Lagno, and Polina Sergeevna Shuvalova appeared as special guests on the most popular late night talk show Evening Urgant on November 25, 2021. Photo: Вечерний Ургант (@Urgant_Show).

10（十）

雷挺婕 (Léi Tǐngjié) – Polina Sergeevna Shuvalova

1st Julius Bär Challengers Chess Tour; 1st stage; Polgár Challenge; time control: 10 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; chess24.com, April 9, 2021

Giuoco Piano C54

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. 0-0 0-0 7. Bd2? That must have been a mouse slip, as it is very likely that the intended move was 7. Nbd2. In any case, the Bishop does not do anything on d2 and seriously hampers White’s development. Needless to say, such a loss of time can cost very dear, especially in open games. 7. ... a6 8. Bb3 Re8 9. h3 h6 10. Re1 Be6 11. Bxe6 Rxe6 12. Nh4 d5 13. Nf5 Ne7 14. Nxe7+ Qxe7 15. Be3 Rd8 16. Bxc5 Qxc5 17. Nd2 dxe4 18. dxe4 Red6. White did her best to make of necessity virtue, but, to be sure, Black stands much better, as her Rooks dominate the d-file. 19. Nb3 Qc4 20. Qc2 b6 21. Re2

21. ... Qa4. Now and afterwards Black very probably had to play more energetically. For instance: 21. ... Nh5! 22. g3 Qe6 23. Kh2 Rd3 with a crushing advantage. 22. Rae1 c5 23. c4 Nh7. Eventually heading to d4, via g5 and e6. 24. Nc1 Qxc2 25. Rxc2 Ng5 26. f3 Ne6 27. Ne2

27. ... Rd1. This helps White relieve pressure. By 27. ... Rd2 28. Rec1 R8d3 she would firmly hold her grip on White’s position. 28. Rxd1 Rxd1+ 29. Kf2 g5. A tacit offer of peace. 29. ... Nd4 30. Nxd4 exd4 was Black’s last best bet to keep playing for a win. 30. Nc3 Ra1 31. a3 Nd4 32. Rd2 Rc1 33. Na4 b5 34. Nxc5 Rxc4 35. Nd7 Nc6 36. Nf6+ Kg7 37. Ng4 h5 38. Ne3 Rc1 39. Nf5+ Kf8 40. Rd7 Ke8 41. Rc7 Rc2+ 42. Kf1 f6 43. Ne3 Rc1+ 44. Kf2 Kd8 45. Rf7 Rb1 46. Rxf6 Rxb2+ 47. Kf1 Kd7 48. Nd5 a5 49. Nb6+ Kc7 50. Nd5+ Kd7 51. Nb6+ Kc7 52. Nd5+ Kd7 ½ : ½.

Wall of Fame

“Of course I’m happy about my performance”, Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina finally said. “But I would be even happier if I had won the second game of the tie-breaker instead of the Armageddon on my opponent’s nerves. Well, at least I have something to work on”. Pictured, from left to right, first row: Yulia Nikolaevna Grigorieva, Valentina Evgenyevna Gunina, Leya Rafisovna Garifullina, Goryachkina, Polina Sergeevna Shuvalova, Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk, Alina Anatolyevna Kashlinskaya, Olga Alexandrovna Girya. Second row: FIDE President Arkady Vladimirovich Dvorkovich (second from left), Natalia Andreevna Pogonina (fourth from left), and Marina Evgenievna Guseva (fifth from left). Photo: Eteri Kublashvili/Russian Chess Federation.

Three Times and Out

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – Polina Sergeevna Shuvalova

70th Russian Women’s Chess Championship Superfinal; Armageddon game; time control: 5 minutes for White, 4 minutes for Black; Moscow, December 16, 2020

Queen’s Pawn Game D01

Goryachkina inscribed her name for the third time on the roll of honour of the Russian Women’s Chess Championship, but not before defeating Shuvalova in the final Armageddon following two “incomprehensible” draws in the rapid tie-breaks. 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nc3 d5 3. Bf4 e6 4. Nb5 Na6 5. e3 Be7. The last classical game of the Women’s World Championship match between 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) and Goryachkina continued instead: 5. ... Bb4+ 6. c3 Be7 7. a4 0-0 8. Bd3 c6 9. Na3 c5 10. Nf3 Ne4 11. h3 f5 12. Nb5 c4 13. Bxe4 fxe4 14. Ne5 Nb8 15. 0-0 a6 16. Na3 Nd7 17. Nc2 Qe8= Goryachkina – 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn), Vladivostok 2020, Women’s World Chess Championship match game 12. In the end Goryachkina managed to win and take the match to the tie-breaker. 6. Nf3 0-0 7. Be2 c6 8. Nc3 c5 9. 0-0 Bd7 (9. ... Nb4 10. Nb5 a6 11. Bc7 Qe8= Rodríguez Vila – Fier, 5th Floripa Chess Open, Florianópolis 2019) 10. Ne5 Rc8 11. a3 Nc7 12. dxc5 Bxc5 13. Bd3 a6 14. Qf3 Nb5 15. Bg5

15. ... Nxc3 16. Bxf6 Qxf6?? Blundering the Exchange at least. Instead, 16. ... gxf6! would have maintained equality, both materially and positionally, moving Shuvalova closer to a draw — and hence to the title. 17. Nxd7 Qxf3 18. gxf3 Rfd8?? Another error, turning the Exchange into a clear piece down. 19. Nxc5 Rxc5 20. bxc3 Rxc3 21. a4 Rd7 22. Rfb1 g6 23. Rb6 Kg7 24. f4 Kf6 25. Rab1 Rcc7 26. Kg2 h5 27. Kf3 1 : 0. “Polina Sergeevna Shuvalova has set the bar high. In the first half she scored six out of six, but in the second half I managed to equalise the score and get through to the tie-breaker, where I played quite well, even though I wasn’t able to win the second game, which disappointed me very much. But, on the other hand, I was lucky enough in the Armageddon”, Goryachkina said afterwards.

So here they were, at the Armageddon grand finale (which, after all, was not the end of the world). Photo: Eteri Kublashvili/Russian Chess Federation.

After Sunset

Olga Alexandrovna Girya – Polina Sergeevna Shuvalova
70th Russian Women’s Chess Championship Superfinal; Moscow, December 16, 2020
Queen’s Gambit Declined D44

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. e4 Bb4 6. Bxc4 Nxe4 7. 0-0 Nf6 8. Qa4+ Nc6 9. Ne5 Rb8 10. d5 exd5 11. Nxc6 bxc6

12. Nxd5 Nxd5 13. Qxc6+ Qd7 14. Qxd5. It was originally Fabiano Caruana who showed how this particular line should be handled by Black. Thus, if 14. Bxd5 then 14. ... 0-0 15. Qxd7 Bxd7 16. Be3 Bd6 17. b3 a5 18. Rfd1 a4 19. Rac1 axb3 20. axb3 Rfe8 21. h3 Be6 22. Bxe6 Rxe6 23. Bc5 Bxc5 24. Rxc5 g6 25. Rxc7 Rxb3 26. Rcd7 Rb8 27. Rd8+ Rxd8 28. Rxd8+ Kg7 ½ : ½ Aronian – Caruana, 6th Norway Chess, Stavanger 2018. 14. ... Qxd5. It may be a new move, but only from a formal perspective. A recent game went 14. ... 0-0 15. Qxd7 Bxd7 16. Rd1 Bg4 17. f3 Bc5+ 18. Kf1 Be6 19. Bxe6 fxe6 20. b3 Bd6 21. h3 Rf5 22. Bd2 Rd5 23. Be1 Bf4 24. g3 Bd6 25. f4 h5 26. h4 Kf7 27. Ke2 Rbb5 28. Kf3 Rf5 29. Rac1 e5 30. Rc4 exf4 31. gxf4 ½ : ½ Mamedyarov – Caruana, 45th SchachBundesliga, Berlin 2019. 15. Bxd5 0-0 16. Be3 Bd6 17. b3 a5. Caruana docet. 18. Rac1 Bd7 19. Rfd1 a4 20. bxa4 Bxa4 21. Rd4 Bd7 22. a4 Be6 23. Bxe6 fxe6 24. Re4 Rb2. The game is now equal, and justly ends in a draw.

25. g3 Ra2 26. Rcc4 e5 27. Kg2 Kf7 28. Rh4 Kg8 29. Rhg4 Kf7 30. Rh4 Kg8 31. Rhg4 Kf7 32. h4 Rb8 33. h5 Ra8 34. Bc5 Rf8 35. Kh3 g6 36. hxg6+ hxg6 37. Be3 Ra8 38. Kg2 Kf6 39. Kf3 Kf7 40. Rh4 Kg7 41. Kg2 Kf6 42. Rcg4 Kf5 43. Rg5+ Kf6 44. Rh6 Rg8 45. Rg4 Kf5 46. Kf3 Kf6 47. Rh7 Ra8 48. Bg5+ Ke6 49. Be3 Kf6 50. Rh6 Rg8 51. Rc4 Ra8 52. Rhh4 Kf7 53. Rhe4 Kf6 54. Kg4 Kf7 55. f4 exf4 56. Bxf4 Kg7 57. Red4 Ra3 58. Re4 Ra5 59. Bxd6 cxd6 60. Red4 Kh6 61. Kh3 ½ : ½.

If nothing else, Shuvalova did enough to get through to the tie-breaker against Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina. Photo: Eteri Kublashvili/Russian Chess Federation.

In crastinum differo res severas

Polina Sergeevna Shuvalova – Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina
70th Russian Women’s Chess Championship Superfinal; Moscow, December 15, 2020
Spanish Game C67

The long-awaited showdown between the two Tsarinas of the 70th Russian Women’s Championship Superfinal ended badly for the gambling industry, as they agreed a “Grandmaster draw” after only 15 moves, in fact postponing everything till tomorrow, when, in the eleventh and last round, Shuvalova will play Black against last year’s Russian Women’s Champion Olga Alexandrovna Girya, and Goryachkina will play White against Tatyana Anatolyevna Getman. 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. 0-0 Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. dxe5 Nxb5 7. a4 Nbd4 8. Nxd4 d5 9. exd6 Nxd4 10. Qxd4 Qxd6

11. Qe4+. Or 11. Qe3+ Be6 12. Nc3 a6 13. Rd1 Qc6 14. Rd3 Bc5 15. Qg3 f6 16. Bf4 0-0 17. Bxc7 Bf5 18. Rd2 Rf7 19. Bf4 Bb4 20. Rad1 Bxc3 21. Qxc3 Qxc3 22. bxc3 Rc8 23. Rd8+ Rxd8 24. Rxd8+ Rf8 25. Rxf8+ Kxf8 26. a5 Kf7 27. Kf1 Bxc2 28. Ke2 Ke6 29. Be3 Kd5 30. Bb6 Kc4 31. Kd2 Be4 32. g3 Bc6 33. f4 h5 34. h4 Kd5 35. Ke3 Ke6 36. Bc7 Kf5 37. Bb6 Bd7 38. Bc7 Ba4 39. Bb6 Kg4 40. Kf2 Bc6 ½ : ½ 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) – Goryachkina, Vladivostok 2020, Women’s World Chess Championship match game 11. By a curious coincidence, even then, in the penultimate game of their Women’s World Championship match, 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) and Goryachkina delayed all decisions until the day after. 11. ... Qe6 12. Qd4 Qd6 13. Qe4+ Qe6 14. Qd4 Qd6 15. Qe4+ ½ : ½.

That’s a pas de deux that only two contemporary dancers would have dared perform today. Photo: Vladimir Leonidovich Barsky/Russian Chess Federation.

A Way to Wish

Yulia Nikolaevna Grigorieva – Polina Sergeevna Shuvalova
70th Russian Women’s Chess Championship Superfinal; Moscow, December 14, 2020
Queen’s Indian Defence E14

Shuvalova might well say with Shakespeare, “All’s well that ends well”, but her lucky escape, which was basically due to the lack of technique by her opponent, clearly indicates that she will need all her creativity and strength to fly on the final sprint. 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. e3 Bb7 5. Nc3 d5 6. cxd5 exd5 7. g3 Bd6 8. Bg2 a6 9. 0-0 Nbd7 10. b3 0-0 11. Bb2 Qe7 12. Rc1 Rfe8 13. Ne1 Ne4 14. Nd3 Rad8!? A novelty in place of 14. ... g6 15. Qc2 Rac8 16. Nf4 Ndf6 17. Nce2 Ng4 18. Nc3 Ngf6 19. Nce2 Ng4 20. Nc3 Ngf6 ½ : ½ Ofitserian – Levin, 25th Chigorin Memorial, Saint Petersburg 2017. 15. Re1 g6 16. Qc2 Rc8 17. Qe2 h5 18. f4 c5 19. Nxe4 dxe4 20. Ne5 cxd4 21. exd4 Nf6 22. Rxc8 Rxc8 23. Bh3 Rc7 24. Rf1 Ba3

25. f5 Bxb2 26. Qxb2 gxf5. 26. ... g5! may be more effective at neutralising White’s attack. 27. Qd2. In turn, 27. Bxf5! Nd5! 28. Qf2 gives White strong attacking chances. 27. ... Nd5 28. Bxf5 (28. Qh6 Qf6=) 28. ... e3 29. Qd3 Qg5 30. Nf3 Qh6 31. Re1 Re7 (31. ... Qf6! 32. Ne5 Ne7) 32. Ne5 h4 33. Qe4 f6? Shuvalova’s nerves break. Both 33. ... hxg3 (34. Qg4+ Qg7) and 33. ... Qg5 seem to leave Black with a tenable game.

34. Be6+!+− Rxe6 35. Qg4+ Kh7 36. Qf5+! Kg7 37. Qxe6 fxe5 38. Qd7+ Kh8 39. Qxb7 Qf6 40. Qb8+ Kh7 41. Rf1 e2 42. Qb7+ Qg7 43. Qxg7+ Kxg7 44. Re1. White came out with the Exchange ahead in a clearly won endgame. 44. ... exd4 45. Rxe2 hxg3 46. hxg3 Kf6 47. Kg2 Nc3 48. Rd2 Ke5 49. Kf3 b5 50. g4 a5 51. g5 Kf5 52. Rxd4 Kxg5 53. a4 bxa4 54. bxa4 Kf5 55. Rc4 Nd5 56. Rc5 Ke5 57. Rxa5 Kd4 58. Rb5 Kc4 59. Rb8 Nb4

60. Ke4?? In such a position it was more difficult to draw than to win, and yet Grigorieva did it! Instead, 60. a5 was — among many others — a clear win (60. ... Nc6 61. a6!+−). 60. ... Na6!= 61. Ra8 Nc5+ 62. Ke5 Kb4 63. a5 Kb5 64. Ra7 Na6 65. Kd6 Nb4 66. Ra8 Na6 67. Kd7 Nc5+ 68. Kc8 Na6 69. Ra7 Nc5 70. Kb8 Na6+ 71. Ka8 Nc5 72. Rc7 Na6 73. Ra7 Nc5 74. Kb8 Na6+ 75. Kb7 Nc5+ 76. Kc7 Na6+ 77. Kd6 Nb4 78. Rb7+ Kxa5 79. Kc5 Na6+ 80. Kc4 Ka4 81. Rb6 Ka5 82. Rb5+ Ka4 83. Rb1 Ka5 84. Kd4 Nb4 85. Kc3 Na6 86. Kc4 Nc7 87. Rh1 Kb6 88. Rh7 Kc6 89. Rh6+ Kd7 90. Kc5 Ne6+ 91. Kd5 Nc7+ 92. Ke5 Nb5 93. Ra6 Nc7 94. Rb6 Ne8 95. Ke4 ½ : ½.

Thus, as effect of today’s results, the gap between Shuvalova and Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina remained much the same. Photo: Eteri Kublashvili/Russian Chess Federation.

Giant in a Vintage Dress

Polina Sergeevna Shuvalova – Alisa Mikhailovna Galliamova
70th Russian Women’s Chess Championship Superfinal; Moscow, December 13, 2020
Spanish Game C65

Today, Shuvalova showed the first signs of fatigue in eight rounds, and, as an effect of a grave oversight at move 28, she got herself into an endgame two Pawns down, which Galliamova won elegantly. 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. Nbd2 Nd7 7. 0-0 0-0 8. c3 Re8 9. Nc4 b5!? Apparently a novelty. A recent game continued 9. ... Bf8 10. Be3 a5 11. Qc2 a4 12. d4 exd4 13. cxd4 Nb6 14. Ncd2 h6 15. Ne5 Bb4 with more or less equality, Anand – Aronian, 5th Grand Chess Tour, 7th stage Tata Steel India Blitz, Kolkata 2019, while 9. ... a6 transposes to well known paths; for instance: 10. b4 Bd6 11. Qb3 Nf8 12. Bg5 Qd7 13. Be3 Ng6 14. Nfd2 Bf8 15. d4 Qe7 16. dxe5 (16. Nxe5 seems more to the purpose) 16. ... Be6 with a very comfortable equality, Karjakin – Aronian, Candidates Tournament 2014, Khanty-Mansiysk 2014. 10. Na5 Qf6 11. a4 a6. Of course more than one of White’s following moves may be of quite questionable merit, as Shuvalova soon ends up struggling to save the day: 12. b4 Bf8 13. Nb3 Nb6 14. axb5 cxb5 15. Be3 Bg4 16. h3 Bh5 17. g4 Bg6 18. Nfd2 Na4 19. Qc2 Qc6 20. Rac1 Rad8 21. Rfd1 Rd7 22. f3 Red8

Now White finds a creative way out of her discomfort, though at the cost of a Pawn: 23. d4! exd4 24. cxd4 Qxc2 25. Rxc2 Bxb4 26. Rdc1 Ba3 27. Ra1 Bb4

28. f4? A grave error, which loses a second Pawn. White ought to play 28. Rc6 a5 29. d5 f6 30. Nd4 Nc3 31. Nc2 with fair compensation for the Pawn. 28. ... Bxd2 29. Nxd2 Bxe4 30. Nxe4 Re7 31. Bf2 Rxe4 32. Rxc7 Rxf4. The endgame, with two Pawns more, proves a win for Black. 33. Ra7 h5! 34. gxh5 Rd5 35. Ra3 Rxh5 36. Rxa6 Rg5+ 37. Rg3 Rxg3+ 38. Bxg3 Rxd4 39. Ra8+ Kh7 40. Rb8 Rd5 41. Kg2 Rf5 42. h4 Nb2 43. Kh3 Nd3 44. Kg4 Kg6 45. Rb6+ f6 46. Rb7 b4 47. Bb8 Rd5 48. Kf3 Rd8 49. Bg3 Rd4 50. Ke3

50. ... Nc5! Easy but pretty. 51. Rb6. Or 51. Kxd4 Nxb7 52. Kc4 Nc5! 53. Kxb4 (53. Kxc5 b3−+) 53. ... Ne4 winning easily. 51. ... Rd3+ 52. Kf4 b3 0 : 1.

Despite her bad day, Shuvalova still leads the dance, but only by half a point ahead of Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina, who contented herself by drawing with Marina Evgenievna Guseva. Photo: Vladimir Leonidovich Barsky/Russian Chess Federation.

A Nemesis

Polina Sergeevna Shuvalova – Natalia Andreevna Pogonina
70th Russian Women’s Chess Championship Superfinal; Moscow, December 10, 2020
Nimzo-Indian Defence E20

Shuvalova implacably continued her winning streak, taking her sixth win in a row while extending her lead over Goryachkina to 1½ points. As for the game itself, Shuvalova herself summed it up best: “The result of the opening was very encouraging for me, and I also took a big time advantage. But Natalia Andreevna is very able in defending the worst positions, and at a certain point I allowed counterplay. Probably after that, most of my advantage was gone; we had about equal time, and a complex endgame appeared on the board. Then it seems to me that we were just playing out, as we were already very tired. Quite probably oversights and mistakes were made on both sides. Overall, I got an edge, but there was an opportunity for her to equalise. However, now it was harder for Natalia Andreevna to defend herself, and I managed to win”. 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Bb4+ 5. Nc3 0-0 6. Nf3 dxc4 7. 0-0 Nc6 8. Qa4 Bd6. Theoretically speaking, Black should have preferred 8. ... Nd5, after which may follow 9. Qc2 Be7 10. Rd1 Ncb4 11. Qd2 c5 12. dxc5 Nxc3 13. bxc3 Nd5 14. Qc2 Qc7 15. Ng5 Bxg5 16. Bxg5 Qxc5 17. Rd4 Ne7 18. Bxe7 Qxe7 19. Rxc4 Rb8 20. Qb2 e5 21. Qb4 Re8 22. Bc6 Qxb4 23. Rxb4 Rd8 24. a4 b6 25. a5 Bb7 26. Bxb7 Rxb7 27. axb6 axb6 28. Rab1 Rc7 29. R1b3 Rdc8 30. Rxb6 f6 31. g4 Rxc3 ½ : ½ Jones – Koneru, 17th Gibraltar Chess Festival, Catalan Bay 2019. 9. Qxc4 a6 10. Rd1 Qe8 11. Bg5 Nd5 12. Ne4 Be7 13. Bxe7 Qxe7 14. Rac1 Rd8 15. a3 Bd7 16. Nc5 Rab8 17. b4 h6 18. h4 Be8 19. e3 Na7 20. Ne5 Nb5 21. Qb3 c6 22. Be4 Nbc7 23. Bb1 f6 24. Nc4 b6 25. Nd3 Bh5 26. Re1 Nb5 27. Nd2 Be8 28. a4 Na7 29. e4 Nc7 30. Qc3 a5 31. bxa5 b5 32. e5 f5 33. axb5 (33. Bc2 bxa4 34. Bxa4 Nab5 35. Qc5 Qxc5 36. Nxc5 Nxd4 37. Kg2⩲/±) 33. ... Naxb5 34. Qc5 Qxc5 35. Nxc5 Nxd4 36. Bd3 Rd5 37. Kg2 Ra8 (37. ... Bh5=) 38. a6 Ndb5 39. Ndb3 Nxa6 40. Bc4 Nxc5 41. Nxc5 Rd2 42. Bxe6+ Bf7 43. Bxf5 Raa2 44. Rf1 Bd5+ 45. Be4 Nc7

46. Rc3? (46. Kg1) 46. ... Re2? (46. ... Rdc2! 47. Rc1 Rxf2+ 48. Kh3 Rae2) 47. Kf3 Bxe4+? (47. ... Kf7) 48. Nxe4 Ne6 49. Rd1 c5 50. Re3 Nd4+ 51. Kg4 Rec2 52. h5 Ra4 53. f4 Kf7 54. Rb1 Rb4 55. Ra1 Nb5 56. Ra6 Ke7 57. Rg6 Kf8 58. Rb6 Nd4

59. Nxc5! Rxb6 60. Nd7+ Ke7 61. Nxb6 Rc5 62. Rd3 Ne6 63. Rd7+ Kf8 64. Rd6 Kf7 65. Nd5 Ra5 66. Rd7+ Kf8 67. Nc7 Nc5 68. Rd5 Ke7 69. Kf5 1 : 0.

In the end, it’s like if Beth Harmon finally found her nemesis, and her life weren’t that fictional anymore. Photo: Eteri Kublashvili/Russian Chess Federation.

High Five

Valentina Evgenyevna Gunina – Polina Sergeevna Shuvalova
70th Russian Women’s Chess Championship Superfinal; Moscow, December 9, 2020
Queen’s Gambit Declined D38

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bf4 Ne4 7. Rc1 Nc6 8. Nd2 g5 9. Be3 Nxc3 10. bxc3 Ba3 11. Rb1 f5 12. g3 Bd6 13. Rg1 Qe7 14. Nf3 f4 15. gxf4 gxf4 16. Bd2 b6 17. Qb3 Be6 18. c4 dxc4 19. Qb5 Bd7 20. Qh5+. Maybe the beginning of White’s problems. Worth considering was 20. Bh3 0-0-0 21. Qxc6 Bxh3 22. Qa8+ Kd7 23. Qd5 Kc8 24. Qa8+ with a draw by perpetual check. 20. ... Kd8 21. Qd5 Qe6 22. Qxe6 Bxe6 23. Ng5 Bd5. “Apparently, the endgame was favourable to me; now it’s important to note that 24. Rb5 is answered by 24. ... Ne7”, Shuvalova said afterwads. 24. e4 fxe3 25. fxe3

25. ... h6? Shuvalova: “I have to say that after 24. e4 fxe3 25. fxe3 I felt quite unhappy as I intended to play 25. ... Bxh2, but then, for some reason, I ended up playing 25. ... h6”. 26. Rb5! Shuvalova: “Of course I had contemplated 26. Rb5, but I didn’t calculate it in detail, and apparently after that all or most of my advantage just disappeared”. 26. ... c3 27. Bxc3 Ne7

28. Nh3? Shuvalova: “I think that, instead of 28. Nh3, Valentina Evgenyevna ought to have played 28. Rxd5 Nxd5 29. Nf7+ with the better game. After the Knight retreat, I regained my advantage, which eventually I managed to turn into a win, yet not without difficulty”. 28. ... Bxh2 29. Rg4 Bd6 30. Nf4 h5 31. Rg5 Bxf4 32. exf4 c6 33. Rb2 Ke8 34. Rh2 h4 35. Bb4 Kf7 36. Bd6 Rh6 37. Be5 Rg8 38. Bd3 h3 39. Rxg8 Kxg8 40. f5 Bg2 41. Kf2 Kf7 42. Kg3 Nd5 43. Be2 Rh7 44. Kg4 Nf6+ 45. Kf4 b5 46. Bd1 a5 47. Bb3+ Bd5 48. Bd1 a4 49. Ke3 Rh4 50. Kd3 Bg2 51. Bg3 Rh8 52. Ke3 Nd5+ 53. Kd2 Ra8 54. Be5 Rg8 55. Bh5+ Ke7 56. Kd3 Rg5 57. Bg6 Rg4 58. Kd2 b4 59. Bh5 Rg8 60. Bd1

60. ... b3! 61. axb3 a3 62. Kc1 Ra8 63. f6+ Kf8 64. Bd6+ Kg8 65. f7+ Kxf7 66. Bh5+ Ke6 67. Bxa3 Rxa3 68. Bg4+ Kd6 69. Bxh3 Bxh3 70. Kb2 Ra8 71. Rxh3 Kc7 72. Rh1 Kb6 73. Rc1 Rf8 74. Ka3 Rf4 75. Rc4 Rf2 76. Rc1 Rd2 77. Rc4 Nc7 78. b4 Nb5+ 79. Kb3 Rd3+ 0 : 1.

Lose to Win

Divya Deshmukh – Polina Sergeevna Shuvalova

1st Online Chess Olympiad Final India – Russia; Match 2; time control: 15 minutes plus 5 seconds per move. chess.com, August 30, 2020

King’s Indian Attack A07

Here is one of the two games India forfeited on time due to Internet connection shut down in yesterday’s Olympic Final, and that motivated the injured party to present an appeal to FIDE President Arkady Vladimirovich Dvorkovich, who, after a carefuly scrutiny, decided to split the gold medal among both finalists. 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 e6 4. 0-0 b5 5. d3 Be7 6. Nbd2 Bb7 7. c3 0-0 8. Qc2 c5 9. Re1 Nc6 10. e4 Qc7 11. Nf1 Rfd8 12. e5 Nd7 13. Bf4 a5 14. h4 a4 15. a3 h6 16. Ne3 Nb6? Rather than going West, Shuvalova ought to bring her Knight closer to the Kingside with 16. ... Nf8, as 17. Ng4 h5 18. Nf6+! gxf6 19. exf6 Bd6 20. Qd2 Nh7 (not 20. ... Bxf4?? because of 21. gxf4 followed by f4-f5) 21. Bh6 Ne5! 22. Nxe5 Bxe5 23. Bg7 Bxg3! 24. fxg3 d4∞ would result in a complex but rather balanced game. 17. Ng4 Bf8. The sense of this move may be questionable, for that does not prevent at all White from playing Bf4xh6. 18. Qd2. Of course, 18. Bxh6! was the most obvious move, but Deshmukh’s one is very strong as well. 18. ... Kh7 19. d4 Nd7 (19. ... Nc4? 20. Qc2+ Kh8 21. Bxh6!+−)

“The Nagpur girl was in the middle of this picturesque maneuver when she got logged out of the server! She was all set to launch a massive attack on the Kingside, piling up on the b1-h7 diagonal with Bg2-f1-e2-d1-c2-b1 and Qd2-c2!”, Satanick Mukhuty writes in his report for ChessBase India. 20. Bf1!! c4 21. Be2 Ne7. If 21. ... Na5 then 22. Bd1! Nb3 22. Bc2+ Kh8 23. Qe3 Nxa1 24. Rxa1 and, though the Exchange down, White has an overwhelming attack. 22. Bd1 Nf5 23. Bc2 Ra6 24. Kg2 Qc8 25. Rh1. Deshmukh, who was almost out of time, failed to spot 25. Nxh6! gxh6 26. g4 winning immediately. 25. ... Kg8 0 : 1. White dominates the board, but her time expired. “The first reaction was of disappointment and we did not know that server had crashed. I had a really good position”, Deshmukh finally told Asian News International (ANI).

The Fleeting Moment

Désirée Di Benedetto – Polina Sergeevna Shuvalova
32nd World Youth Chess Championship Girls Under-18; Porto Carras, October 29, 2018
Semi-Tarrasch Defence D41

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 0-0 11. Bc4 b6 12. 0-0 Nd7 13. Rad1 Bb7 14. Rfe1 Rc8 15. Bb3 Re8 16. h3 Nf6 17. Qf4 Nh5 18. Qh2 Nf6? Better to trust the man who never loses: 18. ... h6 19. Ne5 Nf6 20. Qf4 b5 21. Re3 Rc7 22. Nd3 Rc3 23. Nc5 Rxe3 24. Qxe3 Bc6 25. Rc1 Qb6= Mamedyarov – 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén), Candidates Tournament, Berlin 2018. 19. d5! Di Benedetto bravely plays all out to accomplish her “mission impossible”. 19. ... exd5 20. e5 Nd7 21. Nd4 Rc5!? A novelty that is neither better nor worse than 21. ... f6 22. e6 Nc5 23. Nf5 Nxb3 24. axb3 Rc6 25. Qg3 with a powerful initiative, Mulyar – Burke, 12th Philadelphia Open, Philadelphia 2018. 22. Ba4!? Ra5 23. Bc6! Qc8. Now engines advocate 24. Bb5! which leaves White with a powerful bind and serious threats such as e5-e6 or Rd1-c1. Di Benedetto plays more naturally: 24. Bxd7! Qxd7 25. f4! Rxa2 26. f5 Ra4? Black goes straight into her opponent’s hands, but there weren’t particularly good moves. For instance, if 26. ... Kh8 then 27. e6! with vehement attack. Comparatively best was perhaps 26. ... Qe7, though after 27. f6 Qf8 28. Qg3 White keeps the upper hand. 27. f6! Kh8. Not 27. ... gxf6? because of 28. exf6 Kh8 29. Qc7!! and finis. 28. Qf4 Rg8 29. fxg7+ Rxg7. Di Benedetto has played a fantastic game and is now about to take Shuvalova off the crown:

30. Re3?? But she incredibly misses 30. Qf6! with the double threat of Nd4-f5 and Rd1-d3-g3, against which Black has no decent defence (30. ... Qxh3?? 31. Qxg7+!). 30. ... Qe7! 31. Qf6. Just too late. 31. ... Qxf6 32. exf6 Rg8 33. Re7 Bc8 34. Rxf7. Not surprisingly, after missing her big chance, White disintegrates. The rest does not require comment. 34. ... Bxh3 35. Rd2 Bg4 36. Nc6 Bh5 37. Re7 Rf4 38. Re5 Rxf6 39. Ne7 Re8 40. Rdxd5 Bf7 41. Rd7 a5 42. Rb5 a4 43. Nc6 Re1+ 44. Kh2 Be8 0 : 1.