The Queen’s Gambit

Daria Vyacheslavovna Charochkina – Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina
74th Russian Women’s Chess Championship; Barnaul, August 28, 2024
Queen’s Gambit D06

1. d4 d5 2. c4 ½–½.

On the day in which Ekaterina Aleksandrovna Lagno inscribed her name for the first time in the roll of honour of Russian Women’s Championship, Goryachkina (pictured above) and Charochkina tied for second only half a point behind. Photo: Eteri Kublashvili/Chess Federation of Russia.

The Drama and the Stage

Another day to forget for Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina at the Altai Regional Drama Theatre named after Vasily Makarovich Shukshin, just to confirm that when something goes wrong, it doesn’t go wrong only on stage.

Natalia Andreevna Pogonina – Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina
74th Russian Women’s Chess Championship; Barnaul, August 25, 2024
Queen’s Pawn Game D02

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. Bf4 Bf5 4. c4 e6 5. Nc3 dxc4 6. Qa4+ Nbd7 7. Qxc4 Bd6 8. Bxd6 cxd6 9. e3 0-0 10. Be2 Ne4 11. Nxe4 Bxe4 12. Qb4 Rc8 13. 0-0 Rc2 14. Bd1 Rc6 15. Nd2 Bd3 16. Re1 Qc7 17. d5 exd5 18. Qd4 Bc4 19. b3 Ba6 20. Bf3 Nf6 21. Bxd5 Nxd5 22. Qxd5 b6 23. Nf3 Rc5 24. Qd2 Bb7 25. Nd4 Qe7 26. e4 g6 27. f3 Rfc8 28. Rad1 Qf6 29. Qf2 a5 30. Rd2 b5 31. Nc2 Rc3 32. Ne3 h5 33. Qg3

33. ... Qe5!? An unnecessary Pawn sacrifice, which leaves Black with very little in return. 33. ... Rc1! offered the best prospects for equality.
34. Rxd6 Qc5 35. Kf2 Re8 36. Rd2 a4 37. bxa4 bxa4 38. Qd6 Qxd6 39. Rxd6 Kg7 40. Rb1 Bc8 41. Rb8 Kf8 42. Rb4 Ra3 43. Rd2 Be6 44. Nd5 Rd8 45. h4 Kg7 46. Ke2 Rd7 47. Rb6 Rd8 48. Rc6 Kf8 49. Rc3 Rxc3 50. Nxc3 Ra8 51. a3 Bc4+ 52. Ke3 Ke7 53. Rd4 Bb3 54. Rb4 Ra5 55. f4 Ra7 56. Kd4 Kf8 57. Rb8+ Kg7 58. Nd5 Ra6 59. Rb4 Ra7 60. g3 Rd7 61. Ke5 f5 62. Rd4?! 62. Ke6! was the best way to continue to play for a win as after the text White liquidates into a drawn Rook ending a Pawn down.
62. ... fxe4 63. Kxe4 Bxd5+ 64. Rxd5 Rb7 65. Rd3 Kf6 66. Rd6+ Kg7 67. Rd3 Kf6 68. Rc3 Rb2 69. Rc6+ Kg7 70. Rc7+ Kf6 71. Rc6+ Kg7 72. Ra6 Rb3 73. Rxa4 Rxg3 74. Ra7+ Kf6 75. Ra6+ Ke7 76. a4

76. ... Kd7? A strange blunder by an endgame virtuoso of Goryachkina’s stature. The right way was 76. ... Kf7! 77. a5 Ra3 with a book draw.
77. Ke5 Rg4 78. a5 Kc7 79. Re6? But Pogonina let slip her chance of an easy win by 79. Rb6! Rxh4 80. Rxg6, giving her opponent instead an unhoped opportunity for saving the day.
79. ... Kb7 80. Rf6 Ka7 81. a6 Ka8 82. Re6 Ka7 83. Rd6 Ka8 84. Ke4 Ka7 85. Rc6 Rg1 86. Kf3 Rf1+ 87. Kg3 Rg1+ 88. Kf2 Rg4 89. Kf3 Rg1 90. Rc5 Kxa6 91. Rg5 Rh1 92. Rxg6+ Kb7 93. f5 Kc7 94. Kf4

94. ... Rxh4+? As they say, she (he) who makes the last mistake loses. Salvation was still possible, but she should have found two “only” moves: 94. ... Kd7! 95. Kg5 Ke7! with a tablebase draw.
95. Kg5 Rh1 96. Rh6 Rg1+ 97. Kxh5 Kd7 98. Re6 Rg2 99. Kh6 Rg1 100. Rg6 Ra1 101. Kg7 Ra7 102. Re6 Ra5 103. Kg6 Ra1 104. Re2 Kd6 105. f6 Rf1 106. Kg7 Rg1+ 107. Kf8 Kd7 108. f7 Rf1 109. Rd2+ 1–0.

Goryachkina is now point behind in Championship struggle. Photo: Eteri Kublashvili/Chess Federation of Russia.

Unnoticedly

The rating favourite of the field, Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina is now half a point behind her frenemy Ekaterina Aleksandrovna Lagno after making two Großmeister-Remisen in a row (one with Lagno herself in 7 moves), which earned her more than a few perplexed looks from bystanders and kibitzers. Indeed, such a peaceful attitude may well signal that Goryachkina, whose relations with the Chess Federation of Russia are sometimes difficult to delineate, thinks or fears that the upper hierarchies of Russian chess are not rooting for her as much as Lagno.

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – Daria Stanislavovna Voit
74th Russian Women’s Chess Championship; Barnaul, Monday, August 24, 2024
Caro-Kann Defence B12

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. h4 h5 5. Bd3 Bxd3 6. Qxd3 Qa5+ 7. Nd2 e6 8. Nf3 Qa6 9. c4

9. ... Bb4. If 9. ... Nh6 then 10. b3 Nf5 11. Bb2 Be7 12. g3 Nd7 13. Qc2 g6 14. a4 b6 15. 0-0 0-0 16. Rfc1 Rfc8 17. a5!? Qb7?! (17. ... c5 18. axb6 Qxb6 19. cxd5 exd5 20. Qd3 cxd4 21. e6!) 18. a6! with the better game for White, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Shuvalova, 5th Online Women’s Speed Chess Championship Main Event, chess.com, November 13, 2023, Quarterfinal match game 7 (time control: 5 minutes plus 1 second per move).
10. 0-0 Ne7 11. Rd1 c5 12. dxc5 Nbc6 13. Qc2

13. ... Bxd2 14. Bxd2. An insipid novelty which allows Black to equalise easily and quickly. Therefore, White must retake with the Knight: 14. Nxd2 Nxe5 15. cxd5 Nxd5 (a little better may be 14. ... exd5 15. b4⩲) 16. Ne4 0-0 17. b3!± 倪诗群 (Ní Shīqún) – 肖依依 (Xiào Yīyī), 5th “一带一路” (“One Belt One Road”) Women’s World Chess Summit, 西安 (Xī’ān) 2023, (time control: 15 minutes plus 5 seconds per move).
14. ... Qxc4 15. Qxc4 dxc4 16. Rdc1 Ng6 17. Rxc4 Ngxe5 18. Nxe5 Nxe5 19. Re4 Nd7 20. Bc3 0-0 21. b4 a5 22. a3 axb4 23. axb4 Rxa1+ 24. Bxa1 Rc8 25. Re1 b6 26. Rd1 ½–½.

Bobby Fischer would say, “To get squares, you gotta give squares”. Photo: Eteri Kublashvili/Chess Federation of Russia.

Walled In

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – Olga Alexandrovna Girya
74th Russian Women’s Chess Championship; Barnaul, Monday, August 21, 2024
Spanish Game C65

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Nbd2 d6 6. c3 0-0 7. 0-0 Bb6 8. a4 a6 9. Bxc6 bxc6 10. a5 Ba7 11. h3 Re8 12. Re1 c5 13. Nc4 Rb8 14. Bg5 h6 15. Bh4 Re6 16. Nfd2 Qe8 17. b3 Nh7 18. Ne3 Rg6 19. Kh1 Ng5 20. Bg3 Ne6 21. Nf5 Nd8 22. Nc4 Be6 23. Ra3 Qd7 24. Nce3 Nc6 25. Qc2 Rb5 26. Rea1 Kh8 27. Kh2 Qc8? (27. ... Ne7!)

28. Bh4! Bd7 29. g4 Kh7 30. Nd5 Re6 31. Qd2 Bb8

The press release of the Chess Federation of Russia is exhaustive enough for a basic understanding of what there is to know: “In the game A. Y. Goryachkina – O. A. Girya, an anti-Berlin variation of the Spanish was played. Right after the opening, Black voluntarily walled in her Bishop on a7, where it remained until the end of the game. Goryachkina achieved a large space advantage, captured strongholds in the centre with her Knights, and mounted a direct attack on her opponent’s King. In order not to get checkmated, Black had to make serious material concessions, with not enough resources to find a perpetual check”.
32. Bf6! Nb4 33. cxb4 cxb4 34. R3a2 Rxd5 35. Bxg7 Rg6 (35. ... Rb5 36. Bxh6+−)
36. Ne7 Qd8 37. Nxg6 Kxg7 38. exd5 fxg6

White is two Exchanges ahead, while Black’s two Bishops count for little or nothing because of the walled off dark-squared Bishop.
39. Rc1 Bxg4!? A last desperate venture.
40. hxg4 Qh4+ 41. Kg2 Qxg4+ 42. Kf1 Qh3+ 43. Ke1 Qh1+ 44. Ke2 Qh5+ 45. f3 Qh2+ 46. Kd1 Qh1+ 47. Kc2 Qxf3 48. Qxb4 Ba7 49. Qe4 1–0.

Goryachkina easily took advantage of her opponent’s bad judgment. Photo: Eteri Kublashvili/Chess Federation of Russia.

From Behind the Curtain

Baira Sergeevna Kovanova – Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina
74th Russian Women’s Chess Championship; Barnaul, Monday, August 20, 2024
French Defence C10

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 exd5 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. h3 Bd6 6. Nc3 Nge7 7. Nb5 0-0 8. Be2 Ng6 9. Nxd6 Qxd6 10. 0-0 Bf5 11. c3 Rfe8 12. Re1 h6 13. Be3 a6 14. Bf1 Re7 15. Nd2 Rae8 16. Qf3 Nh4 17. Qh5 g5 18. Nf3 Ng6 19. h4 f6 20. Bd2 Kg7 21. Rxe7+ Ncxe7 22. g3 Qd7 23. Nh2 Nc8 24. Re1 Rxe1 25. Bxe1 Qe6 26. hxg5 hxg5 27. Qe2 Qxe2 28. Bxe2 Bb1 29. a3 Nd6 30. Ng4 c6 31. f3 Nc4 32. Bxc4 dxc4 33. Kf2 Ne7 34. Bd2 Nd5 35. Bc1 Kf7 36. Ne3 Nb6

The press release of the Chess Federation of Russia then summed up the main themes of the game: “In the Exchange French, Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina, who played Black with Baira Sergeevna Kovanova, confidently solved all opening problems. After numerous exchanges, it seemed that a draw was inevitable, especially since opposite coloured Bishops remained on the board. However, on 37th move, White made a positional error, weakening the light squares, after which Goryachkina seized the initiative. Kovanova’s attempt to gain counterplay by activating her King was unsuccessful: Black broke through the centre and achieved a decisive material advantage”.
37. f4? Besides all said above, this move also has the dramatic feature of turning the White dark-squared Bishop into an irreparably bad Bishop. Much better was therefore 37. g4, preparing f3-f4 by Kf2-g3 and, if needed, Ne3-g2.
37. ... gxf4 38. gxf4 Ke6 39. Kf3 Bd3 40. Kg4 f5+ 41. Kf3 Nd7 42. Nd1 b5 43. Nf2 Bf1 44. Bd2 Nf6 45. Bc1 Kd6 46. Nd1 Kc7 47. Be3 Bh3 48. Nf2 Bg4+ 49. Kg3 Kd6 50. Kh4 Kd5 51. Bc1 Be2

52. Kg5? Maybe White wasn’t happy with the way things were going, but only this — enabling Black to advantageously force the exchange of Knights — is the losing move! 52. Kg3! Ne4+ 53. Kg2 was still a hard way for Black to turn her advantages into something concretely fulfillable.
52. ... Ne4+ 53. Nxe4 Kxe4 54. Kf6 Bg4 55. Ke6 Kd3 56. d5 cxd5 57. Kxd5 Kc2 58. Be3 Kxb2 59. Bd4 Kxa3 60. Bb6 Ka4 61. Kd4 a5 62. Ke3 b4 63. Kd2 Ka3 64. Kc1 Ka2 65. cxb4 axb4 66. Bc5 Kb3 67. Bd6 c3 0–1.

Goryachkina is chasing her fourth Championship title after a three-year interlude in the other half of the sky. Photo: Eteri Kublashvili/Chess Federation of Russia.

Lives in Between

The Superfinals of the 77th Russian Chess Championship and 74th Russian Women’s Chess Championship kicked off on Friday, August 16, 2024, with the opening ceremony and drawing of lots being held in the Siberia Concert Hall at Barnaul, Altai Krai, Russia. Photos: Vladimir Leonidovich Barsky/Chess Federation of Russia.

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.

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – Tatyana Anatolyevna Getman
70th Russian Women’s Chess Championship Superfinal; Moscow, December 16, 2020
Queen’s Gambit Declined D31

Finally, what was predictable happened. While Goryachkina wrapped the much less rated Getman in her black widow’s web, Polina Sergeevna Shuvalova contented herself with a draw against last year’s Russian Women’s Champion Olga Alexandrovna Girya. That only means that a tie-breaker is needed to decide the issue. 1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 Bb4 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bf4 c6 6. e3 Ne7 7. Qb3 Bd6 8. Bxd6 Qxd6 9. Bd3 0-0. Theory also gives 9. ... b6 10. Nf3 Ba6 11. Bxa6 Nxa6 12. 0-0 0-0 13. Rac1 Nc7 14. Rfe1 Ne6 15. Qa4 Rac8 16. b4 Rc7 17. Rc2 Rfc8 18. Rec1 h6 19. Ne5 Nf5 20. Nd3 Ng5 21. Qb3 Ne6 22. Qb1 Qd8 23. a4 Qg5 24. Ne2 Nd6 25. Ne5 c5 26. Nf3 Qd8 27. dxc5 bxc5 28. b5 Nc4 29. Qa1 Rd7 30. Ne5 Nxe5 31. Qxe5 d4 32. exd4 Nxd4 33. Nxd4 Rxd4 34. h3 Rxa4 35. Rxc5 Rxc5 36. Rxc5 Rd4 37. Kh2 Rd7 38. Qf4 Qf8 39. Rc6 Qe7 40. Rc8+ Rd8 41. Qc7 ½ : ½ Navara – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), 9th ČEZ CHESS TROPHY, Prague 2013, match game 2 10. Nf3 Nd7 11. 0-0 Nf6 12. Rac1 Ng6 13. h3 Re8 14. a3 Qe7 15. Qb4 Qxb4 16. axb4 a6 17. Nd2 Ne7 18. Nb3 Bf5 19. Be2 Nc8 20. g4 Be6 21. f3 Nd6 22. Kf2 Rad8 23. Nc5 Bc8 24. Bd3 Nd7 25. Rfe1 f5?! It feels a bit too committal, to say the least. 26. gxf5 Nxc5 27. bxc5 Nxf5 28. Bxf5 Bxf5 29. h4 Rf8 30. Rg1 Rf6 31. Rg3 Rd7 32. Ke2 Bg6

33. Rg5 h6 34. Re5. Goryachkina continues to rack up advantages free of any risks, in the best style of Karpov. 34. ... Kh7. 34. ... Rdf7 35. Rg1! doesn’t look any better. 35. Rg1 Bc2 36. Kd2 Bb3 37. f4 Bc4. Allowing the Knight to infiltrate through the Queenside, but on other moves White goes on with h4-h5 followed by Nc3-e2-g3-f5.

38. Na4 Bb5 39. Nb6 Rc7 40. Re8. Threatening h4-f5 followed by Nb6-c8-e7-g6.

40. ... Rf5? Black’s 40th move is a losing mistake. With 40. ... Rg6! 41. Rh8+ Kxh8 42. Rxg6 Bf1! Black could have still put up a fight. 41. Nc8+− Rh5 42. Ne7 g5 43. fxg5 hxg5 44. hxg5 Kg7 45. g6 Rh2+ 46. Kc3 Re2 47. Nf5+ 1 : 0.

As it was expected Goryachkina did not fail to take her place on the stage. Photo: Eteri Kunìblashvili/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.

Ephemera

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – Olga Alexandrovna Girya

70th Russian Women’s Chess Championship Superfinal; Moscow, December 12, 2020
Queen’s Gambit Accepted D27

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. d4 dxc4 5. e3 a6 6. a4 c5 7. Bxc4 Nc6 8. 0-0 Be7 9. Qe2 0-0 10. Rd1 Qc7 11. dxc5 Bxc5 12. h3 b6 13. e4 Bb7 14. Be3 Rfd8. A juvenile game between two chess celebrities continued 14. ... Nd7 15. Rac1 Bxe3 16. Qxe3 Nc5 17. Ba2 Qe7 18. Nd4 Nb4 19. Bb1 g6 20. e5 Rad8 21. Be4 Na2!= 卜祥志 (Bǔ Xiángzhì) – Gashimov, 13th World Youth Chess Championship Boys U-14, Cannes 1997. 15. Rxd8+ Rxd8. Goryachkina said afterwards she felt she “got nothing out of the opening”, but “then Olga Alexandrovna made the rather strange decision to sacrifice the a6-Pawn. I just thought that the follow-up play wasn’t easy for her”. 16. Bxa6 Bxa6 17. Qxa6 Bxe3 18. fxe3 Na5 19. Qb5 h6 20. Ne5 Rd2. Girya has already envisioned her next Exchange sacrifice, which, instead, upset Goryachkina because — ipse dixit — “I have missed the move 24. ... Nc5”. 21. Rf1 Rc2 22. Rd1 Nb7 23. Qb3

23. ... Rxg2+ 24. Kxg2 Nc5 25. Qc2 Qxe5 26. Qf2 Nfxe4 27. Qf4 Qxf4 28. exf4 Nxc3 29. bxc3 Nxa4. “The endgame with the Exchange against two Pawns proved an easy win for me mostly because she was short of time”, Goryachkina eventually said. 

30. c4 Nb2 31. Rd8+ Kh7 32. Rc8 g5 33. Kf3 Kg6 34. Ke4 gxf4 35. Kxf4 Nd3+. 35. ... Kh5 36. Rc6 Na4 37. Rc7 Nb2 appears to hold for Black. 36. Ke4 Nf2+? Black’s Knight starts wandering astray. 36. ... Nc5+ 37. Ke5 Kg5! gives a tough challenge to White, as after 38. Kd6 Kf4 39. Rb8 (or 39. Rh8 Ke3 40. Rxh6 f5) 39. ... Na4 the eventual loss of the b6-Pawn is counterbalanced, after ... Kf4-e3, by the f-Pawn rush. 37. Ke5 Nd3+ 38. Kd4 Nb2. After 38. ... Nc5 39. Rb8 Na4 40. Ke5 Kg5 the position is apparently identical to that given above, but with the Knight on a4 instead of on c5, which allows White to play 41. Rf8 Nb2 42. Kd4 e5+ 43. Kd5 f6 44. Rg8+ Kf5 45. Rg3 h5 46. Rb3 Na4 47. Kc6 winning the b-Pawn and the game. 39. Kc3 Nd1+ 40. Kb3 Kf5 40. Kb4

40. ... Nb2? Thus, the Knight gets trapped, but after 40. ... Nc5 41. Rc6 Nd7 42. Rd6 the b-Pawn falls, and with it the game. 41. Rd8! f5 42. Rd2 Nxc4 43. Kxc4 f4 44. Kd3 Kf5 45. Rb2 e5 46. Rxb6 e4+ 47. Kd4 1 : 0.

Thanks to her win against Girya, Goryachkina narrowed the gap with Polina Sergeevna Shuvalova (who brought home her first draw after six consecutive wins) by half a point and kept pace with her purpose. Photo: Eteri Kublashvili/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.

Riding the Wave

Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk – Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina
70th Russian Women’s Chess Championship Superfinal; Moscow, December 10, 2020
Bishop’s Opening C28

1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. d3 Nc6 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Ne2 d5 6. exd5 Nxd5 7. 0-0 Be6 8. Bxd5 Bxd5 9. f4 f6. If 9. ... 0-0 then 10. f5 f6 11. Nxd5 Qxd5 12. Ng3 Rf7 13. Ne4 Bf8 14. Be3 b6 15. Qh5⩲ Kosteniuk – Shchekachev, 4th Russian Cup, Moscow 2000. 10. fxe5 Nxe5 11. Nxd5 Qxd5 12. c3 Bd6 13. Nf4 Qf7 14. d4 0-0-0 15. b4!? A novelty which does not change the theoretical assessment, the reference matrix being 15. Qa4 a6 16. Qb3 Qxb3 17. axb3 Ng6 18. Nxg6 hxg6 19. Bf4 Bxf4 20. Rxf4 Rde8 21. h3 g5 22. Rf5 Re2 23. Rf2 Rhe8 24. Raf1 Kd7 25. Rxe2 Rxe2 26. Rf2 Re1+ 27. Rf1 Re2 28. Rf2 Re1+ 29. Rf1 Rxf1+ 30. Kxf1 Ke6 31. Ke2 Kf5 32. Kf3 a5 33. c4 b6 34. Ke3 Ke6 ½ : ½ Adhiban – Giri, 79th Tata Steel Chess Tournament, Wijk aan Zee 2017. 15. ... Ng6 16. Qg4+ Qd7 17. Qxd7+ Rxd7 18. Nh5 Re8 19. Bd2

19. ... Re4. 19. ... Re2 20. Rad1 Rde7 21. g3 Nf8 22. Rf2 R2e4 is quite balanced as well. 20. g3 Bf8 21. Rae1 Rde7 22. Rxe4 Rxe4 23. Kf2 Nh8 24. Kf3 Re6 25. Nf4 Ra6 26. Ra1 b5 27. Ke4 Nf7 28. Kd3 Kd7 29. a3 Nd6 30. Bc1 c6 31. Ra2 Be7 32. Re2 Nc4 33. h4 Ra4 34. Ne6 g6 35. Nc5+ Bxc5 36. bxc5 h5 37. Rf2 Ke6 38. Re2+ Kd7 39. Rf2 Ke6 40. Re2+ ½ : ½.

The derby between Alexandra and Aleksandra ended in a draw, which must have made Goryachkina quite unhappy because she found it impossible to follow Polina Sergeevna Shuvalova’s rhythm of success. 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.

Rap to Earth

Yulia Nikolaevna Grigorieva – Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina
70th Russian Women’s Chess Championship Superfinal; Moscow, December 9, 2020
Caro-Kann Defence B12

In order to keep up with the unstoppable Polina Sergeevnaa Shuvalova (who won today her fifth game in a row, thus maintaining the sole lead with a perfect score), Goryachkina has had to take big risks out of her own control. 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Bd3 Bxd3 5. Qxd3 e6 6. Ne2 Qa5+ 7. Nd2 Ne7 8. 0-0 Qa6 9. c4 Nd7 10. b3 Nf5!?TN (10. ... c5 11. Nc3 Nc6= Graham – Conquest, 14th Four Nations Chess League — Division 1, Coventry 2005) 11. Nc3 (11. Ng3⩲ Δ 11. ... Nh4 12. f4) 11. ... Rd8 12. Nf3 Nb6 13. g4 Ne7 (13. ... dxc4!? 14. bxc4 Ne7) 14. Nd2? Maybe White should have contented herself with 14. Ng5 h6 15. Nb5! cxb5 16. cxb5 Qa5 17. Bd2 Qa3 18. Bc1 Qa5 drawing by repetition. 14. ... h5!→ 15. f3 Ng6 16. f4 hxg4 17. f5 Rh3. It was hard to resist the temptation of first penetrating with the Rook, but perhaps 17. ... Nh4 at once was more to the point. 18. Qc2 Nh4 19. fxe6 fxe6 20. Ne2 g5. To prevent Ne2-f4. The position is exceptionally complex, and what follows may be well worth further analysis.

21. Rf6. Another hard-to-resist move. 21. ... Bb4 22. Kh1? 22. Rxe6+? Kd7! gives Black a too precious tempo. Best seems 22. Ng3 Kd7 23. Qd1 after which may follow, for instance, 23. ... Bxd2 24. Qxg4 Bxc1 25. Qxe6+ Kc7 26. Rxc1 Rxg3+ 27. hxg3 Qxa2 28. Rf7+ Kb8 29. gxh4 Qxb3 with a likely draw. 22. ... Kd7! 23. Qh7+ Kc8 24. Qf7

24. ... Bxd2? 24. ... Kb8! 25. Qxe6 dxc4! appears to be Black’s strongest continuation. 25. Qxe6+ Kb8 26. Bxd2 Nf3 27. Rxf3! Forced and good. 27. ... Rxf3 28. Qxg4 Rff8 29. Bxg5 Rde8 30. c5 Rf2 31. Re1 Nc8 32. Bf4 Qd3? Yet another hard-to-resist adventure. Wiser was 32. ... Qa5 33. Ra1 Qa6 offering to repeat moves. 33. Kg1 Rxe2 34. Qxe2 Qxd4+ 35. Qe3 (35. Be3? Rg8+ 36. Kf1 Qh4↑) 35. ... Qb4 36. Bg3 Ne7 37. Qf2 Rg8 38. Kh1?! Why not first 38. e6+? 38. ... a6! 39. Rf1 d4? (39. ... Ka7!∞) 40. e6+ Ka7 41. Bd6! Nc8? Certainly not good, but 41. ... Nd5 42. Qe1 is also quite depressing. 42. Qf4? Only Grigorieva can tell why she did not attack the Rook with 42. Qf7+− (42. ... Qb5 43. Rf2). 42. ... Qb5 43. Re1 (43. Rg1! Re8 44. Qe4) 43. ... Nxd6 44. Qxd6? White picks the wrong recapture. The right way was 44. cxd6! Qd5+ 45. Qe4 Qxd6 46. e7 Re8 47. Qe6! forcing the exchange of Queens and the transition to a drawn Rook ending.

44. ... Qd3! 45. Qf4 Qc2 46. Qf3? Comparatively better was 46. Rg1 Re8 47. Qxd4, although after 47. ... Qf5 Black should be able to exploit the exposed position of White’s King. 46. ... d3−+ 47. e7 Rh8 48. Kg1. A way like another to surrender. 48. ... Qxh2+ 49. Kf1 Rg8 50. Qf2 Qh1+ 0 : 1.