The Same Today

Sabrina Vega Gutiérrez – Alexei Dmitrievich Shirov

3rd Salamanca Chess Festival; time control: 40 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; Salamanca, February 6, 2021

Sicilian Defence B23

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Qxd4 Nc6 5. Qd2 g6 6. b3 Bh6 7. f4 f5 8. Bb2 Nf6 9. Nh3?! An unimpressive novelty. A recent game went 9. 0-0-0 fxe4 10. Kb1 Qa5 11. Nge2 Rf8 12. h3 g5 13. Nd4? gxf4 14. Bb5 Bd7 15. Qe2 e3 16. Nd5 Nxd4 17. Bxd7+ Kxd7 18. Nxf6+ Rxf6 19. Rxd4 Rg6 20. Rhd1 Rc8 21. Rd5 Rc5 22. c4 Rxd5 23. Rxd5 Qb4 24. Kc2 a6 25. Bc3 Qb6 26. Bd4 Qc6−+ Jones – Donchenko, ACP-ChessBase Knockout 2020, playchess.com, July 28, 2020, final match game 3 (time control: 10 minutes plus 5 seconds per move). 9. ... fxe4 10. Ng5 Rf8 11. Bc4 Qb6

12. Rf1?? A catastrophic mistake, which precipitates Black into an early surrender. Castling (Queenside only) was playable, with good or better prospects of equality. 12. ... e3−+ 13. Qd1 Bg4 14. Be2 Bf5 15. Bd3 Qa5 16. Bxf5 Qxf5 17. Qd3 Bxg5 18. fxg5 Qxg5 19. Qb5 (19. Qe2 Nd4−+) 19. ... Qxg2 20. 0-0-0

20. ... 0-0-0. Symmetrical castles — but what a difference! 21. Rfe1 Qxh2 22. Kb1 d5 23. Nxd5 e2 24. Rxe2 Rxd5 25. Qxd5 Qxe2 26. Bxf6 Rd8! 0 : 1.

For Shirov’s sake, first Sabrina Vega Gutiérrez, and then Elisabeth Pähtz did not object to his final victory in the 3rd Salamanca Chess Festival. Photo: Ajedrez Salamanca.

A Chair to Sit on

Sabrina Vega Gutiérrez – David Antón Guijarro

3rd Salamanca Chess Festival; time control: 40 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; Salamanca, February 3, 2021

Sicilian Defence B90

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. h3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. Be3 Nbd7 9. f4 Rc8 10. Qf3 exf4 11. Qxf4!? A variation in theme. Likewise after 11. Bxf4 Ne5 12. Qf2 Be7 13. 0-0-0 Ng6 14. Bh2 Rxc3! 15. bxc3 Nxe4 16. Qe1 d5 Black gains excellent compensation for the Exchange, Golubov – Oparin, 21st Chigorin Memorial, Saint Petersburg 2013. 11. ... Be7 12. 0-0-0

12. ... Rxc3! And thus Black declares war on his opponent. 13. bxc3 Qc7 14. g4 Ne5 15. g5 Nfd7 16. h4 Qxc3 17. Bd4 Qb4 18. Bb2 0-0 19. a3 Qa4 20. Nd4

20. ... d5! Black’s counterattack gives him a good enough compensation for the Exchange. 21. Qg3 Rc8 22. Rh2 Bd6 23. exd5. The situation is highly uncertain, and no prediction of the outcome can be made. One possibility was 23. Nxe6 Nc4! 24. Qc3! Be5 25. Rd4 fxe6 26. Bxc4 Rxc4 27. Rxc4 dxc4 28. Qh3 Bxh2 29. Qxe6+ Kf8 30. Bxg7+! Kxg7 31. Qe7+ with a draw by perpetual check. 23. ... Bxd5. 23. ... Bg4!? 25. Rd2 Nc5 was perhaps more promising.

24. Nf5? White makes a grave mistake that spoils all the good things done so far. She ought to play 24. Nb5! Nd3+! 25. Qxd3 Bxh2 26. Nc3 Qf4+ 27. Kb1 Bc6 28. Bh3 Rc7 29. Qe2⩲ with an edge. 24. ... Be4!−+ 25. Nxd6 Rxc2+ 26. Kb1 Rxh2+ 27. Ka2. Or 27. Nxe4 Qc2+ followed by mate. 27. ... Rxb2+! 0 : 1.

Antón Guijarro was back in record time from Wijk aan Zee to sit punctually at 4.00 P.M. facing Vega Gutiérrez at the Colegio Mayor de Fonseca in Salamanca, Spain. Photo: Lydia González/Salamanca RTV al día.

Time to Think

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Sabrina Vega Gutiérrez

2nd Chess Festival Eighth Centenary 2019 of Salamanca University; time control: 40 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; Salamanca, November 28, 2019

English Opening A13

In her fourth round game against Sabrina Vega Gutiérrez, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) wasn’t able to handle the “slow rapid” time control, and the melodramatic way in which she “self-mated” shows how far from the board she has taken herself, since she has been spending her sabbatical year studying at the University of Oxford. 1. Nf3 d5 2. e3 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. b3 Be7 5. Bb2 0-0 6. Qc2 c5 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. Nc3 Nc6 9. h4 Nxc3. Alternatively, a key line may be 9. ... h6 10. g4!?∞↑ Carlsen – Ganguly, 5th World Rapid Chess Championship, Doha 2016. 10. Bxc3!? A new take on quite a recent game: 10. dxc3 f5 11. Rd1 Qe8 12. g4 fxg4 13. Ng5 Qh5 14. Bg2 Ne5 15. c4 with an ideal attacking position, Cornette – Niemi, 5th TV2 Fagernes International, Fagernes 2018. 10. ... Nb4 11. Qb1 Nd5 12. Ng5 f5 13. Bb2 Bf6 14. Bc4 Bd7 15. e4 Bxb2 16. Qxb2 fxe4 17. Qe5 Rf5 18. Qd6 (18. Qxe4? Qf6 19. 0-0 h6∓)

18. ... Qc7 19. Qxc7 Nxc7 20. Nxe4? 20. 0-0 h6 21. Nxe4 Bc6 is somewhat easier for Black, but quite tenable. 20. ... Bc6 21. Ng3 Re5+ 22. Kf1 Rd8 23. Rd1 Bb5? (23. ... Nd5!∓) 24. f3 Red5 25. Ne4 b6 26. Ke2 Bxc4+ 27. bxc4 Rd3 28. a4 e5 29. a5 Ne6 30. axb6 axb6 31. Rb1 Nf4+ 32. Kf1 R8d4 33. Rxb6 Rxc4 34. Kf2 h6 35. Rb8+ Kh7 36. Ra1 Rd7? 36. ... Rxe4! 37. fxe4 Rxd2+ 38. Kf3 Rd3+ 39. Kg4 Nxg2 is dynamically balanced. 37. Raa8 Kg6 38. Ra6+ Kh7 39. g3 Nh5? 40. g4? Simply 40. Ke3 would have left Black short of good moves. 40. ... Nf6 41. Rxf6 Rxe4 42. Rff8. 42. Rxh6+ Kxh6 43. fxe4 Rxd2+ 44. Ke3 Rh2 is a dead draw. 42. ... Rxd2+ 43. Kg3 Ree2 44. h5?? And here is 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)’s blundering self-mate. 44. Rh8+ Kg6 45. Rb6+ Kf7 46. g5 hxg5 47. h5! gives White sufficient counterplay for a draw. 44. ... Rg2+ 0 : 1. For mate in two follows.

Small Things of Absolute Importance

After being awarded the first prize ex aequo at the Women Chess Stars awarding ceremony in Valencia, Spain, Anna Olehivna Muzychuk and Mariya Olehivna Muzychuk moved yesterday to Ontinyent, a municipality in the comarca of Vall d’Albaida in the Valencian Community, to give a simultaneous exhibition and, hopefully, to open new horizons for themselves, too. Photos: Horta Noticias.

Agua de Valencia

Anna Olehivna Muzychuk and Mariya Olehivna Muzychuk took part on Sunday, February 4, 2018 in the Women Chess Stars, a 6-player round robin tournament held in the Assembly Hall of Mercantile Athenaeum in Valencia, Spain jointly organised by the Valencian Community and the chess club Laboratorio SyS in Paterna. Time control was 10 minutes per player, plus 5 seconds time per move. And in the end, the Muzychuk sisters won first prize ex aequo with 4½ points out of 5, conceding only one draw (each to the other). Sabrina Vega Gutiérrez, Cécile Haussernot, Marta García Martin, and Laura Unuk were the other participants.

Mariya and Anna Muzychuk. Photo: Cadena SER.

From left: Sabrina Vega Gutiérrez, Laura Unuk, Anna Olehivna Muzychuk, Mariya Olehivna Muzychuk, Cécile Haussernot, and Marta García Martin. Photo: levante-emv.com.

Mariya Olehivna Muzychuk – Cécile Haussernot
Women Chess Stars; Valencia, February 4, 2018
Tarrasch Defence D33

1. Nf3 c5 2. c4 Nc6 3. Nc3 e6 4. g3 Nf6 5. Bg2 d5 6. cxd5 exd5 7. d4 Bg4 8. Bg5 Be7 9. dxc5 d4 10. Bxf6 gxf6!? Looking for something sharper than the old routine 10. ... Bxf6 11. Ne4 Be7 12. 0-0 0-0 13. Rc1 with a steady edge for White, Salwe – Fahrni, Karlsbad 1911. 11. Ne4 f5 12. Nd6+ Bxd6 13. cxd6 Qxd6 14. 0-0 f4!? Given the time format, Haussernot’s tricky play may be very interesting. 15. Qd3 0-0-0 16. Rac1 Kb8

17. Ng5!? 17. Qb5 d3! 18. exd3 a6 19. Qb6 Nd4 might even give Black enough compensation for the Pawn, so Muzychuk tries her luck with another bolt. 17. ... Ne5?? 17. ... Qe7 18. Qb3 Rhg8! seems to be okay for Black. The text is simply disastrous. 18. Qb5!+− f3!? 19. exf3 Bd7 20. Qb3 Bc6? 20. ... Qa6 seems just a little better, though after 21. Qc2 (or 21. f4) Black cannot hope to last much long in office. 21. f4. 21. Rxc6 Nxc6 22. Nxf7 may be equally (if not more) telling. 21. ... Bxg2 22. Kxg2 Qg6 23. Rfe1 Nd3 24. Re7 Qa6 25. Rcc7 Ne1+ 26. Kg1 b6 27. Qxf7 1 : 0. For mate follows very shortly.