Brick by Brick

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – Sarasadat Khademalsharieh
FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2024–25; 3rd stage; Monte Carlo, February 26, 2025
Spanish Game C88

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Be7 6. d3 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 0-0 9. h3 Re8 10. d4. 10. Ng5 Rf8 may sound like an invitation for a draw by repetition.
10. ... h6 11. Nbd2 Bb7 12. Re1 Bf8 13. Bc2 Nb8 14. b3 Nbd7 15. Bb2 c6 16. a4 Qc7 17. c4!? This may be a novelty. If 17. Bd3 then 17. ... d5 18. dxe5 Nxe5 19. Nxe5 Qxe5 20. Qc2 Bd6 21. Nf3 Qh5 22. e5 Bxe5 23. Nxe5 Rxe5 24. Rxe5 Qxe5 25. c4 d4 26. axb5 cxb5 27. cxb5 Qd5 28. Bf1 Rc8 29. Qd3 axb5 30. Rd1 b4 31. Bxd4 Ne4 32. Bb6 Qe6 33. Bd4 Bd5 34. Re1 Qc6 35. Qe3 Ng5 36. Qg3 Re8 37. Rxe8+ Qxe8 38. Be3 Ne4 39. Qc7 Bxb3 40. Qb7 Ng5 41. Qxb4 Bd5 42. Qg4 Qe4 43. Bxg5 Qxg4 ½–½ 陈琪 (Chén Qí) – Beliavsky, 18th Gibraltar Masters, Catalan Bay 2020.
17. ... b4 18. a5!? 18. c5 exd4 19. Bxd4 Rad8 leaves White with little or nothing.
18. ... Rad8. 18. ... exd4!? 19. Nxd4 g6 was perhaps Black’s most “thematic” treatment.

19. d5! Rc8 20. Bb1 Qd8 21. Nh2 g6 22. Ndf1 cxd5 23. cxd5 Rc5 24. Ra4

24. ... Bc8? The beginning of all trouble. Best was 24. ... Rb5! as after 25. Bd3 Nc5 26. Bxb5 axb5 27. Rxb4 (27. Ra2 Nfxe4 gives Black excellent compensation) 27. ... Qxa5 28. Qd2 Nd3! Black wins back the Exchange with at least an even game.
25. Ne3 Rxa5 26. Rxb4 Rc5 (26. ... Nb6 27. Nc4±)
27. Rc4 Rb5 28. Ba3 Qa5 29. Ra4 Qc7 30. Bd3 Rb8 31. b4 Nb6 32. Ra5 Be7 33. Qf3 Qc3 34. Qe2 Qc7 35. Rc1 Qd8 36. Nhf1 Ra8 37. Ng4 Nh5. Black is suffering on both wings. After 37. ... Nxg4 38. hxg4 she could not avoid the loss of the a-Pawn.
38. Nxh6+ Kg7? 38. ... Kf8 is comparatively better, but 39. Qf3 Nf4 40. Ng4 leaves White a Pawn ahead, with a crushing advantage.
39. Nf5+! Bxf5 40. exf5 Nf4 41. Qf3 Nxd3 42. Qxd3 Qd7 43. Rc6 Reb8 44. fxg6 fxg6

45. Bb2! With the destructive threat of Bb2xe5+.
45. ... Qf5 46. Qxf5 gxf5 47. f4 Bf6 48. Ng3 Kf7 49. Nxf5 Nc8 50. Rxc8! 1–0.

Add another to those heartbreaking case histories entitled “the Spanish Torture”, as Tartakower used to call the Ruy López. Photo: Niki Riga/FIDE.

Sara at the Palace

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez welcomed Iranian Woman Grandmaster Sarasadat Khademalsharieh with all honours at Moncloa Palace in Madrid on Wednesday, January 25, 2023. Quite inevitably, a chess class followed, as a matter of course. “How much I have learned today from a woman who inspires me”, Sánchez tweeted.

Spacetime

Sarasadat Khademalsharieh – Gunay Vugar qizi Mammadzada
1st Women’s World Chess Cup; match game 2; Krasnaya Polyana, July 19, 2021
Slav Defence D11

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 dxc4 5. Bg2 g6 6. 0-0 Bg7 7. a4 Ne4 8. Nc3 Nd6 9. e4 Bg4 10. Be3 Na6 (10. ... Qc8!? 11. Qe2 Na6 12. Rad1 0-0 13. h3 Bxf3 14. Bxf3 Nb4 ½ : ½ Štukan – Basso, Third Saturday Mix 158, Novi Sad 2021) 11. h3 Bxf3 12. Qxf3 Qb6? A novelty which is useless to say the least. But 12. ... Nb4 13. Qe2 Nd3 14. b3 also proved quite unpleasant for Black in Gelfand – Sarana, 6th Nutcracker Match of the Generations, Moscow 2020, match game 1 (time control: 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move). 13. a5 Qd8 14. Qe2 0-0 15. Rfd1 Nc7 16. f4 Qd7 17. Bf2 f5? (⌓ 17. ... e6 18. e5 Nf5 19. Qxc4 Nd5 20. Rd3 Rab8 21. Ne4±) 18. e5 Ndb5 19. Nxb5 cxb5 20. d5+− Na6 21. d6 e6 22. Qf3 Rfb8 23. b3 cxb3 24. Qxb3 Rc8 25. Rac1 Kf7 26. Qf3 Rcb8 27. g4 Kg8 28. gxf5 gxf5 29. Rd3 Kh8 30. Rdc3 Qf7 31. Kh1 Qe8

32. Rc7! Nb4 (32. ... Nxc7 33. dxc7 Rc8 34. Qxb7+−) 33. Qg3 1 : 0.

Khademalsharieh masterfully took advantage of Mammadzada’s opening inaccuracies. Photo © Anastasia Korolkova.

Afterclass

Gunay Vugar qizi Mammadzada – Sarasadat Khademalsharieh

1st Julius Bär Challengers Chess Tour; 2nd stage; Gelfand Challenge; time control: 10 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; chess24.com, June 11, 2021

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. a4 Rb8 10. a5 Ba7 11. h3 Bb7 12. Be3 Nxe4

13. d5 Bxe3 14. dxc6 Bxf2+? Khademalsharieh ends up being swallowed by a theoretical black hole. The correct move was to take with the Knight, after which White can claim a slight advantage: 14. ... Nxf2 15. Qd5 (15. Qe2 Nxh3++ 16. Kh1 Nf2+ 17. Rxf2 Bxf2 18. cxb7 Ba7 19. Bd5⩲) 15. ... Nxh3++? (⌓ 15. ... Qf6 16. Rxf2 Bc8) 16. Kh1 Qf6 17. cxb7 Nf4 18. Qc6+ Kd8 19. Nh2 Qg5 20. Na3 Ne2 21. Rf3 Ng3+ 22. Rxg3! Qxg3 23. Bxf7 Bf4 24. Nf3 Qg4 25. Nxb5 Qd7 26. Bd5 g5 27. Rf1 Rf8 28. Nxg5 Ke7 29. Ne6! Qxc6 30. Bxc6 Kxe6 31. Nxc7+ Ke7 32. Nxa6 Rbd8 33. b8=Q Rxb8 34. Nxb8 Rxb8 35. Rxf4! 1 : 0 Navara – Ganguly, 73rd Tata Steel Chess Tournament (B Group), Wijk aan Zee 2011. 15. Rxf2 Nxf2 16. Qd5. White has got an even better version of the game mentioned in the previous note as Black is now irreparably doomed.

16. ... 0-0 17. cxb7 c6 (17. ... e4 18. Ng5+−) 18. Qxc6 Nd3 19. Bd5 Nf4 20. Nbd2 Qf6 21. Qxa6 Nxd5 22. Qxb5 Nf4 23. a6 Qg6 24. Qf1 Qg3 25. Kh1 h5

26. a7 Rxb7 27. a8=Q Rxa8 28. Rxa8+ Kh7 29. Ne4 1 : 0. A pretty game of theoretical interest by the Azerbaijani talent, who on occasion is mentored by three-time Women’s World Chess Champion 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn).

16（十六）

雷挺婕 (Léi Tǐngjié) – Sarasadat Khademalsharieh

1st Julius Bär Challengers Chess Tour; 1st stage; Polgár Challenge; time control: 10 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; chess24.com, April 11, 2021

Catalan Opening E04

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Bb4+ 5. Bd2 a5 6. Nf3 dxc4 7. Qc2 c5 8. Qxc4 Bxd2+ 9. Nbxd2 cxd4 10. Nxd4TN (10. Qxd4 Qe7 11. Nc4 0-0 12. Qd6 Qxd6 13. Nxd6 Ra6 14. Rd1 Rd8 15. Nxc8 Rxc8 16. Ne5⩲ Zifroni – Galburd, 32nd Israel Team Chess Championship, Netanya 2019) 10. ... 0-0 11. N2f3 Qb6 12. 0-0 Bd7 13. Ne5 Rc8 14. Qd3 Be8 15. Rfd1 Nbd7 16. Nc4 Qa6 17. Rac1 Nc5 18. Qf3 Nce4 19. Qd3 Nc5 20. Qa3 a4 21. Rc2 Rab8 22. Rdc1

22. ... Nd5?? A grave oversight, which blunders material. Consistent was 22. ... Nce4 in order to reply to 23. Qd3 with 23. ... Nc5 still holding everything together. 23. Ne5. Stronger was 23. Nd2! actually forcing 23. ... b6 24. b4+− as in the game. 23. ... b6. Black could resist better with 23. ... Qd6, although 24. Nxf7 Kxf7 25. Rxc5 Rxc5 26. Rxc5 Nf6 27. Qc3 leaves White with a Pawn ahead and an overwhelming preponderance in position. 24. b4+− Nd7 25. Nec6 N7f6 26. b5 Qb7 27. e4 1 : 0.

The Terracotta Warriors

On Saturday, December 21, 2019, the eight participants in the 1st “一带一路” (“One Belt One Road”) Women’s World Chess Summit “秦农银行杯” (“Qín Nóng Bank Cup”) — as pictured above from left to right: Nana Dzagnidze, Sarasadat Khademalsharieh, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí), Anna Yuriyivna Ushenina, Antoaneta Stefanova, Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk, and 沈阳 (Shěn Yáng) — enjoyed visiting the 西安博物 (Xī’ān Museum). Photos: International Mind Sports Association.

Hard to Get

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Sarasadat Khademalsharieh

1st “一带一路” (“One Belt One Road”) Women’s World Chess Summit “秦农银行杯” (“Qín Nóng Bank Cup”) (25+10); 西安 (Xī’ān), December 20, 2019

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. d3 Rb8 9. Be3. If 9. Nbd2 then 9. ... 0-0 10. Re1 Bb6 11. Nf1 Ne7 12. Bg5 Ng6 13. Ne3 h6= Stephan – Godena, 30th Mitropa Cup, Merlimont 2011. 9. ... 0-0 10. Nbd2 Bb6 11. h3 Ne7 12. d4 Ng6 13. Re1 h6 14. Bc2 Re8 15. a4 c6. The immediate 15. ... c5 might have been more expedient; for instance: 16. b4 cxb4 17. cxb4 Nh5 with approximate equality. 16. Nf1 c5 17. Ng3 Qc7 18. b4 cxb4 19. cxb4 Be6 20. Rc1 Qb7 21. axb5 axb5 22. Bd3 Bd7 23. Qd2 Rec8

24. Bxh6!? 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) offers a speculative sacrifice which might work out well, especially in a rapid game. 24. ... gxh6 25. Qxh6. Threatening Nf3-g5 followed by Ng3-h5. 25. ... Rxc1 26. Rxc1 Rc8 27. Rd1 Bd8 28. Ng5 Nf4. 28. ... Nf8 was also worth considering. 29. dxe5 dxe5 30. Bb1 Be6? 30. ... Qa7 was probably best, for if 31. Rxd7 Qxd7 32. Ba2 Black can reply 32. ... Rc4! after which White has probably nothing better than 33. Nf5 Ne6 34. Bxc4 bxc4 35. Nxe6 fxe6 36. Qg6+ drawing by perpetual check. 31. Nxe6? Here White misses her strongest continuation in 31. Ba2! Bxa2 32. Nf5 N4h5 33. g4 Be6 34. gxh5 Bxf5 35. Rxd8+! Rxd8 36. Qxf6 Rd1+ 37. Kh2 with a terrific attack. 31. ... fxe6 32. Qg5+? Now White should have contented herself with 32. Nf5! to which Black would probably have replied 32. ... Qf7= with a likely draw. 32. ... Qg7 33. Qxe5 Bc7 34. Qb2 Bb6 35. Kf1 Rf8 36. Ba2 Kh8 37. Rd2 Kh7. Also very strong was 37. ... Bxf2! (38. Kxf2? Nd3+!−+) 38. Qe5 Qc7? Khademalsharieh misses 38. ... Qh6!−+ which might have changed the course of history; for instance: 39. Rd6 Bxf2! 40. Kxf2 (or 40. Nf5 Qg5−+) 40. ... Nd3+! 41. Rxd3 Ng4++! winning by force. 39. Qxc7+ Bxc7 40. Ne2 Ra8 41. g3 Nxh3 42. Bxe6 Ng5 43. Bf5+ Kg8 44. Nc3 Be5 45. Nxb5 Rb8 46. Nd4 Ngxe4 47. Bxe4 Nxe4 48. Re2 ½ : ½.

New Extensions

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – 沈阳 (Shěn Yáng)

1st “一带一路” (“One Belt One Road”) Women’s World Chess Summit “秦农银行杯” (“Qín Nóng Bank Cup”) (25+10); 西安 (Xī’ān), December 20, 2019

Giuoco Piano C53

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. 0-0 Nf6 5. d3 0-0 6. h3 h6 7. Re1 d6 8. c3 Bb6 9. Bb3 Be6 10. Nbd2 Re8 11. Ba4 a6 12. Nf1 Bd7 13. Ng3 Ne7 14. Bc2. 14. Bb3 Ng6 15. d4 (Flores – Arencibia Rodríguez, 12th Guillermo García in Memoriam Premier I, Santa Clara 2004) 15. ... c5 should also give Black good equalising chances. 14. ... Ng6 15. d4 c5 16. d5 Qc8 17. Be3 Bd8 18. b4 cxb4 19. cxb4 b5 20. a4 Qb7 21. a5 Be7. 21. ... Nf4 also came into consideration. 22. Bd3 Rac8 23. Nh2 Rc7 24. Ng4 Nxg4 25. hxg4 Bg5?! 25. ... Nf8 26. f3 Bg5 (or also 26. ... Bh4) was probably sounder. 26. Bxg5 hxg5 27. Nf5 Bxf5 28. gxf5 Nf8 29. Qh5. With the threat of Re1-e3-h3. 29. ... Nh7 30. Re3 g4. Black has nothing better than to give up a Pawn in order to distract White’s attack. 31. Qxg4 Qc8 32. Qd1 Rc3 33. Qd2 Re7 34. Bf1? White’s best was probably 34. g3, eventually followed by Kg1-g2 and Re3-e1-h1. 34. ... Rec7? An unfortunate inversion of moves which again puts Black into grave trouble. 34. ... Rc2 35. Qd1 Rec7 should hold the balance. 35. Rxc3 Rxc3 36. Bd3. 36. Bxb5! axb5 37. a6 was probably the most brilliant way to win the game. 36. ... Nf6 37. g3 Nd7 38. Kg2 Rc7 39. Qg5 Nf6 40. Rh1 Rc3

41. Qh4!+− Kf8 42. Qh8+ Ke7 43. Qxg7 Rxd3. Of course, it makes no sense for Black to propose the exchange of Queens due to her two Pawns deficit. 44. Rh6! Nxd5 45. Re6+ Kd7 46. Qxf7+ Kc6 47. exd5+ Rxd5 48. f6 e4 49. Rxe4 Rf5 50. Re2 1 : 0.

First Take

[Event "1st Women’s World Chess Summit “Qín Nóng Bank Cup”"]
[Site "西安 (Xī’ān) CHN"]
[Date "2019.12.20"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Dzagnidze, Nana"]
[Black "侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)"]
[ECO "A37"]
[Result "0-1"]
[TimeControl "25+10"]
[PlyCount "110"]

1.c4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.g3 Nc6 5.Bg2 d6 6.O-O Bf5 7.d3 Qd7 8.Re1 Bh3 9.Bh1 h5 10.Rb1 h4 11.Nd5 hxg3 12.hxg3 Nf6 13.Bd2 Nxd5 14.cxd5 Ne5 15.Nxe5 Bxe5 16.Bc3 Bxc3 17.bxc3 b6 18.e4 Rh7 19.e5 dxe5 20.Rxe5 Bg4 21.Bf3 Qd6 22.d4 cxd4 23.cxd4 Bd7 24.Qd3 Kf8 25.Rbe1 Re8 26.Qa6 Qf6 27.Qa3 g5 28.Be4 Rh8 29.Qf3 Qh6 30.Bf5 Qh2+ 31.Kf1 Bb5+ 32.R1e2 Qh1+ 33.Qxh1 Bxe2+ 34.Kg1 Rxh1+ 35.Kxh1 Bf3+ 36.Kg1 Rd8 37.a3 Rxd5 38.Rxd5 Bxd5 39.f4 e6 40.Bd3 g4 41.f5 Ke7 42.Kf2 exf5 43.Bxf5 Be6 44.Bd3 Kd6 45.Ke3 a5 46.Be2 Bd7 47.Bc4 f6 48.Ke4 b5 49.Bd3 b4 50.axb4 axb4 51.d5 Kc5 52.Bc2 Kc4 53.d6 Kc5 54.Bb3 Kxd6 55.Kd4 Be6 0-1

[Event "1st Women’s World Chess Summit “Qín Nóng Bank Cup”"]
[Site "西安 (Xī’ān) CHN"]
[Date "2019.12.20"]
[Round "5"]
[White "侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)"]
[Black "沈阳 (Shěn Yáng)"]
[ECO "C53"]
[Result "1-0"]
[TimeControl "25+10"]
[PlyCount "99"]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.O-O Nf6 5.d3 O-O 6.h3 h6 7.Re1 d6 8.c3 Bb6 9.Bb3 Be6 10.Nbd2 Re8 11.Ba4 a6 12.Nf1 Bd7 13.Ng3 Ne7 14.Bc2 Ng6 15.d4 c5 16.d5 Qc8 17.Be3 Bd8 18.b4 cxb4 19.cxb4 b5 20.a4 Qb7 21.a5 Be7 22.Bd3 Rac8 23.Nh2 Rc7 24.Ng4 Nxg4 25.hxg4 Bg5 26.Bxg5 hxg5 27.Nf5 Bxf5 28.gxf5 Nf8 29.Qh5 Nh7 30.Re3 g4 31.Qxg4 Qc8 32.Qd1 Rc3 33.Qd2 Re7 34.Bf1 Rec7 35.Rxc3 Rxc3 36.Bd3 Nf6 37.g3 Nd7 38.Kg2 Rc7 39.Qg5 Nf6 40.Rh1 Rc3 41.Qh4 Kf8 42.Qh8+ Ke7 43.Qxg7 Rxd3 44.Rh6 Nxd5 45.Re6+ Kd7 46.Qxf7+ Kc6 47.exd5+ Rxd5 48.f6 e4 49.Rxe4 Rf5 50.Re2 1-0

[Event "1st Women’s World Chess Summit “Qín Nóng Bank Cup”"]
[Site "西安 (Xī’ān) CHN"]
[Date "2019.12.20"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Ushenina, Anna Yuriyivna"]
[Black "侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)"]
[ECO "E16"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[TimeControl "25+10"]
[PlyCount "80"]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Bb4+ 5.Bd2 a5 6.Bg2 Bb7 7.O-O O-O 8.Bf4 Be7 9.Qc2 d5 10.cxd5 Nxd5 11.Bd2 Nd7 12.Nc3 N7f6 13.Rfd1 Nxc3 14.Bxc3 Be4 15.Qd2 Qd5 16.Ne1 Bxg2 17.Nxg2 Rfd8 18.f3 c5 19.Kh1 Qb7 20.Qe1 Nd5 21.dxc5 Nxc3 22.Qxc3 bxc5 23.Rxd8+ Rxd8 24.Nf4 Bf6 25.Qb3 Qc7 26.Rc1 Bg5 27.Rc4 Bxf4 28.Rxf4 Rd2 29.Qb5 g5 30.Re4 Qd6 31.Kg2 h6 32.Kf2 Qd5 33.a3 Rc2 34.Qxa5 Rxb2 35.Qc3 Rb1 36.Qc2 Ra1 37.a4 Qd8 38.Rc4 Qa5 39.Qc3 Rxa4 40.Rxc5 Qxc3 1/2-1/2

[Event "1st Women’s World Chess Summit “Qín Nóng Bank Cup”"]
[Site "西安 (Xī’ān) CHN"]
[Date "2019.12.20"]
[Round "7"]
[White "侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)"]
[Black "Khademalsharieh, Sarasadat"]
[ECO "C78"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[TimeControl "25+10"]
[PlyCount "95"]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O b5 6.Bb3 Bc5 7.c3 d6 8.d3 Rb8 9.Be3 O-O 10.Nbd2 Bb6 11.h3 Ne7 12.d4 Ng6 13.Re1 h6 14.Bc2 Re8 15.a4 c6 16.Nf1 c5 17.Ng3 Qc7 18.b4 cxb4 19.cxb4 Be6 20.Rc1 Qb7 21.axb5 axb5 22.Bd3 Bd7 23.Qd2 Rec8 24.Bxh6 gxh6 25.Qxh6 Rxc1 26.Rxc1 Rc8 27.Rd1 Bd8 28.Ng5 Nf4 29.dxe5 dxe5 30.Bb1 Be6 31.Nxe6 fxe6 32.Qg5+ Qg7 33.Qxe5 Bc7 34.Qb2 Bb6 35.Kf1 Rf8 36.Ba2 Kh8 37.Rd2 Kh7 38.Qe5 Qc7 39.Qxc7+ Bxc7 40.Ne2 Ra8 41.g3 Nxh3 42.Bxe6 Ng5 43.Bf5+ Kg8 44.Nc3 Be5 45.Nxb5 Rb8 46.Nd4 Ngxe4 47.Bxe4 Nxe4 48.Re2 1/2-1/2

Four-time Women’s World Chess Champion and Rhodes Scholar 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) scored two wins and two draws in today’s last four rounds of the inaugural eight-woman world summit in 西安 (Xī’ān), thus taking first prize, a half point ahead of Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk. Photo: International Mind Sports Association.

Chase the Wind

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí)

1st “一带一路” (“One Belt One Road”) Women’s World Chess Summit “秦农银行杯” (“Qín Nóng Bank Cup”) (25+10); 西安 (Xī’ān), December 19, 2019

Bishop’s Opening C24

1. e4 e5 2. Bc4. Curiously enough, the Bishop’s Opening used to be a favourite repertoire of both 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) and 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí). 2. ... Nf6 3. d3 c6 4. Nf3 d5 5. Bb3 a5 6. a4 Bb4+ 7. c3 Bd6 8. Nbd2. Mutatis mutandis, the slightly unnatural 8. 0-0 0-0 9. exd5 cxd5 10. Na3!? Nbd7 11. Re1 h6! 12. Nb5 Bb8 13. d4? e4 14. Nd2 Nb6 15. f3 Re8 16. Bc2 Bd7!⩱/∓ soon pushed White out of her comfort zone towards a painful defeat, 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí) – 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn), 上海 (Shànghǎi) 2018, Women’s World Chess Championship match game 5. 8. ... 0-0 9. 0-0 Re8 10. Re1 Nbd7 11. Nf1 Nf8 12. exd5 Nxd5 13. Bg5 Qc7 14. Ng3 h6 15. Bd2 Ng6. 15. ... Nf6 16. Nh4⩲↑ gives White the initiative anyway. 16. Ne4 Be7 17. h3 Bd7?! It might be losing time. The immediate 17. ... f5 18. Ng3 Kh7∞ appears to be more constructive. 18. d4! f5 19. c4! Nb4 20. c5+ Kh8? This is catastrophic. Black had to sacrifice the Exchange by 20. ... Nd5 21. Nd6! e4! retaining the vague hope of getting something to live for.

21. Nd6!+− Bxd6. If now 21. ... e4 (probably best) there might follow 22. Nf7+ Kh7 23. N3g5+! Bxg5 24. Nxg5+ Kh8 25. Nf7+ (but 25. g3! followed by Qd1-h5 is probably sounder and stronger) 25. ... Kh7 26. Bxh6! with powerful attack. 22. cxd6 Qxd6 23. dxe5 Qe7. Not 23. ... Nxe5 on account of 24. Nxe5 Rxe5 25. Bxb4 winning at least a piece. 24. Bg5! Qf8. If 24. ... hxg5 then 25. Nh4!! finis (25. ... Nf4 26. Ng6+!+−). 25. Qxd7 hxg5 26. Nxg5 Qe7 27. Qxf5 1 : 0. For if 27. ... Nf8 then 28. Bf7 with the devastating threat of Re1-e4-h4+.

Three Sheets In The Wind

[Event "1st Women’s World Chess Summit “Qín Nóng Bank Cup”"]
[Site "西安 (Xī’ān) CHN"]
[Date "2019.12.19"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Stefanova, Antoaneta"]
[Black "侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)"]
[ECO "D02"]
[Result "0-1"]
[TimeControl "25+10"]
[PlyCount "68"]

1.d4 Nf6 2.Bf4 d5 3.e3 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nd2 e6 6.Ngf3 Be7 7.Ne5 Nd7 8.Bd3 O-O 9.h4 f6 10.Nxd7 Bxd7 11.Nf3 Be8 12.h5 cxd4 13.exd4 e5 14.dxe5 fxe5 15.Bxe5 Rxf3 16.Bxh7+ Kxh7 17.Qxf3 Nxe5 18.Qf5+ Kg8 19.Qxe5 Bf6 20.Qf5 Qe7+ 21.Kf1 Bb5+ 22.Kg1 Rd8 23.h6 Qe4 24.Rh5 Be8 25.hxg7 Bxh5 26.Qxf6 Re8 27.f3 Qe3+ 28.Kh1 Bf7 29.Rd1 Re6 30.Qd8+ Kxg7 31.Kh2 Rh6+ 32.Kg3 Rg6+ 33.Kh2 Qe2 34.Rg1 Qf2 0-1

[Event "1st Women’s World Chess Summit “Qín Nóng Bank Cup”"]
[Site "西安 (Xī’ān) CHN"]
[Date "2019.12.19"]
[Round "2"]
[White "侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)"]
[Black "谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí)"]
[ECO "C24"]
[Result "1-0"]
[TimeControl "25+10"]
[PlyCount "53"]

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.d3 c6 4.Nf3 d5 5.Bb3 a5 6.a4 Bb4+ 7.c3 Bd6 8.Nbd2 O-O 9.O-O Re8 10.Re1 Nbd7 11.Nf1 Nf8 12.exd5 Nxd5 13.Bg5 Qc7 14.Ng3 h6 15.Bd2 Ng6 16.Ne4 Be7 17.h3 Bd7 18.d4 f5 19.c4 Nb4 20.c5+ Kh8 21.Nd6 Bxd6 22.cxd6 Qxd6 23.dxe5 Qe7 24.Bg5 Qf8 25.Qxd7 hxg5 26.Nxg5 Qe7 27.Qxf5 1-0

[Event "1st Women’s World Chess Summit “Qín Nóng Bank Cup”"]
[Site "西安 (Xī’ān) CHN"]
[Date "2019.12.19"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Kosteniuk, Alexandra Konstantinovna"]
[Black "侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)"]
[ECO "B95"]
[Result "1-0"]
[TimeControl "25+10"]
[PlyCount "133"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qf3 Nbd7 8.Be2 Qc7 9.O-O Be7 10.a4 b6 11.Qg3 Bb7 12.Be3 O-O 13.Bh6 Ne8 14.Bg5 Bxg5 15.Qxg5 Nef6 16.Qe3 Nc5 17.Bf3 Rac8 18.Rfd1 Rfd8 19.Nde2 Ncd7 20.g3 Ne5 21.Bg2 Nfg4 22.Qd4 Nc6 23.Qd2 h6 24.h3 Nf6 25.Rac1 Ne5 26.b3 d5 27.exd5 Nxd5 28.Nxd5 Bxd5 29.Qe3 Bxg2 30.Kxg2 Qb7+ 31.f3 Nc6 32.Nf4 Ne7 33.c4 Nf5 34.Qe5 Qe7 35.g4 Qg5 36.Qe4 Nh4+ 37.Kg3 Nf5+ 38.Kg2 h5 39.Kh2 hxg4 40.fxg4 Nh4 41.Kg3 g6 42.Ra1 b5 43.axb5 axb5 44.Rxd8+ Rxd8 45.Ra8 Rxa8 46.Qxa8+ Kg7 47.Qa1+ e5 48.Nd5 bxc4 49.bxc4 Nf5+ 50.Kf3 Nd4+ 51.Ke4 Qd2 52.Kxe5 Nb3 53.Qc3 Qd1 54.Kd6+ Kh6 55.Qh8+ Kg5 56.Qf6+ Kh6 57.h4 Qd4 58.Qxd4 Nxd4 59.Ke5 Nf3+ 60.Kf6 Nd2 61.Ne3 Nf3 62.c5 Nd4 63.Kxf7 Kh7 64.g5 Nc6 65.Ng4 Nd8+ 66.Ke7 Nc6+ 67.Kd7 1-0

On day one at 建国饭店 (Jiànguó Hotel) in 西安 (Xī’ān), three rounds of the eight-woman world summit were completed, with 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) scoring two wins and one loss. Photo: International Mind Sports Association.

Morgan le Fay

Sarasadat Khademalsharieh – Jaime Santos Latasa
17th Gibraltar Chess Festival; Catalan Bay, January 29, 2019
2r3k1/p4p1p/3q2p1/3n4/p7/6PP/PQ2PP2/3R2K1 w - - 0 28

Position after 27. ... Nb6xd5

Khademalsharieh somehow managed to survive her uninspired opening play, and, after pseudo-sacrificing a Bishop (27. Bg2xd5), she was now very close to balance, provided she had continued with 28. Qd4(!) Qe6 29. Qxd5 Qxe2 30. Kg2 h5 31. Rd2 Qc4 where Black’s extra Pawn hardly seems to carry any weight. Instead, she runs into a dramatic blunder: 28. e4?? Qb6 0 : 1. It just should be noted that 28. ... Qb4 would have had the same effect.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Lê Quang Liêm – Sarasadat Khademalsharieh
17th Gibraltar Chess Festival; Catalan Bay, January 27, 2019
Spanish Game C88

After two lucky escapes in a row, Iranian International Master Sarasadat Khademalsharieh looked a bit too tired today to be repeating herself in her game with Vietnamese Grandmaster Lê Quang Liêm. 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 b5 6. Bb3 Bb7 7. d3 Be7 8. Re1 0-0 9. Nbd2 d6 10. a4 Na5 11. Ba2 c5 12. Nf1 Rb8? The book move is 12. ... b4(!) that, in a recent game, gave raise to 13. Bd2 Bc8 14. Ne3 Be6 with reasonable play for Black, Anand – Praggnanandhaa, 1st Tata Steel Chess India Blitz, Kolkata 2018. 13. axb5 axb5 14. Ne3 Bc8 15. c3! 15. b4 Nc6 16. bxc5 dxc5 17. Bb2 Bd6 doesn’t seem to offer anything special for White, A. Ivanov – G. Golovchenko, Saint Petersburg 2002. 15. ... b4? After this, White easily gets a considerable strategic advantage, so maybe Black should have preferred 15. ... Nc6(!) eventually followed by ... Bc8-e6. 16. cxb4 cxb4 17. Bd2 Bd7 18. Nd5 Nxd5 19. Bxd5 Rb5 20. h3 Be6 21. Qa4 Qb8 22. Bxe6 fxe6 23. Rec1 d5 24. Be3 Bd6 25. Ng5 d4 26. Bd2 Re8 27. Rc2 h6 28. Nf3 Qb7 29. Rac1

29. ... Ra8? This allows White to decisively infiltrate into the enemy position, and can certainly be regarded as Black’s fatal mistake. If nothing else, 29. ... Kh7(!) would still have offered some defence. 30. Rc8+! Rxc8 31. Rxc8+ Qxc8 32. Qxb5 Nc6 33. Be1! Qc7 34. Nd2. The rest is a cat-mouse play. 34. ... Be7 35. Nc4 Bf8 36. h4 h5 37. Bd2 Be7 38. g3 Bd6 39. Kg2 Kf8 40. Qa6 Kf7 41. Qa8 Nb8 42. Nxd6+ Qxd6 43. Qb7+ 1 : 0.

Lê Quang Liêm vs. Sarasadat Khademalsharieh. Photo © John Saunders.

Midnight Express

Sarasadat Khademalsharieh – Baskaran Adhiban
17th Gibraltar Chess Festival; Catalan Bay, January 26, 2019
Semi-Slav Defence D45

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. b3 0-0 8. Be2 b6 9. 0-0 Bb7 10. Bb2 Rc8 11. e4 Nxe4 12. Nxe4 dxe4 13. Qxe4 Nf6 14. Qh4 c5 15. Rad1 Ne4 16. Qxd8. A colourless decision which brings nothing except a quite uncomfortable game. White should have looked for something between the lines of 16. Qh5 cxd4 17. Bxd4 Qe7 18. Bd3 f5 19. Bxe4 fxe4 20. Ne1 Rf5 21. Qg4 Bb8 22. Be3 Rf6 23. Bg5 Qc7 24. Qh4 Rg6 25. Be3 Rf8 26. g3 Qf7 27. Rd8 Bc7 28. Rxf8+ Qxf8 29. Ng2 e5 30. Rd1 Bd6 31. Rd2 Bc6 32. h3 h6 33. g4 Kh7 34. Qg3 Bb4 35. Rc2 Qf3 36. Kh2 Rd6 37. c5 Re6 38. cxb6 axb6 39. Bxb6 Qd1 40. Rc4 Be7 41. Be3 Qb1 42. g5 h5 43. Bc5 Bxc5 44. Rxc5 Qxa2 45. b4 Qb2 46. Qc3 Qxc3 47. Rxc3 Rg6 48. h4 Bb5 49. Ne3 Be2 50. Rc5 Kf7 51. Kg3 Ra6 52. Rxe5 Bd3 53. Ra5 Rb6 54. Ra7+ Kg6 55. Nd5 Rb5 56. Nf4+ Kf5 57. Ra5 1 : 0 Caruana – Gustafsson, 28th Mitropa Cup, Rogaška Slatina 2009. 16. ... Rfxd8 17. Rd3. New but not better than 17. Nd2 Nxd2 18. Rxd2 Be5 which gave Black fine play, Schlosser – van Wely, French Team Chess Championship Top 12, Belfort 2012. 17. ... cxd4 18. Bxd4 Nc5 19. Rdd1 f6 20. b4. Another nervous move which only makes Black’s Queenside more vulnerable to invasion. Comparatively better was 20. Be3 e5(!) with a much easier game for Black. 20. ... Ne4 21. a3 e5! 22. Ba1 a5! 23. Rb1 axb4 24. axb4 Be7 25. Rfc1

25. ... Kf8. Or likewise, 25. ... Ra8!∓ 26. Bf1 Kf8 and pretty soon White’s position will fall apart. 26. Rb3 Nd6. Adhiban decides to besiege the c4-Pawn, in fact dissipating most of his advantage. It was not too late for 26. ... Ra8!∓ and if 27. Bb2 then 27. ... Nd2 with a prompt invasion of White’s field. 27. Bb2 Ba6. And this accomplishes the impossible, which means an “unhopable“ draw for Khademalsharieh, who, together with the young Chinese Candidate Master 左一帆 (Zuǒ Yīfān), is confirming herself as one of the revelations of the Rock. 28. Nd2 Rc7 29. Bf1 Nf5 30. Bc3 Nd4 31. Ra3 Bb7 32. Nb3 Nxb3 ½ : ½.

Sarasadat Khademalsharieh vs. Baskaran Adhiban. Photo © John Saunders.

Time and Timing

Levon Grigori Aronian – Sarasadat Khademalsharieh
17th Gibraltar Chess Festival; Catalan Bay, January 25, 2019
English Opening A18

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e6 3. e4 d5 4. cxd5 exd5 5. e5 Ne4 6. Nf3 Bf5 7. d3 Nxc3 8. bxc3 c5 9. d4 Nc6. Another way is 9. ... c4 10. g3 Be7 11. Bg2 Bd3 12. Ng1 Qa5 13. Bd2 Nc6 14. Ne2 Ba3 with sharp equality, Carlsen – Aronian, 5th GRENKE Chess Classic, Baden-Baden 2018. 10. Bd3 Bxd3 11. Qxd3 cxd4 12. Nxd4 Nxd4 13. cxd4!? This might be a possible improvement on 13. Qxd4 Be7 14. 0-0 0-0 15. Rd1 Qc8 16. Be3 Rd8 17. Qd3 Bc5 18. Bxc5 Qxc5 19. Rab1 Qc7 20. Qe3 b6 21. Rd3 Rac8 22. Rbd1 Re8 23. f4 Qc4 24. R1d2 h6 25. h3 Rc5 26. Qf3 Qe4= Grandelius – Esipenko, 19th European Individual Chess Championship, Batumi 2018. 13. ... Bb4+ 14. Ke2! Qd7 15. Rb1 Be7 16. Qb5 Rd8 17. Be3 0-0 18. Rhc1 Qg4+ 19. Kf1 Rd7 20. Qa4 f6! 21. e6 Qxe6 22. Qxa7 b5 23. Qa5 b4 24. Bd2 Qe4 25. Qb5 Rfd8? This looks like bad judgment, apparently overestimating her own counter-chances on the Kingside. Correct was 25. ... Rdd8! in order to reply 26. Bxb4 by 26. ... Rb8 27. Qa5 Bxb4! 28. Rxb4 Ra8! with more than enough compensation for the Pawn. 26. Bxb4 Bxb4 27. Qxb4 Ra8 28. a4. Now White’s extra (passed) Pawn weights much more heavily than in the aforementioned line. 28. ... Rda7 29. Ra1 Qf4. Threatening ... Ra7xa4. 30. g3! Qf3 31. Kg1 h5 32. Rc3! Qg4

33. h4? Suddenly Aronian fears that he has not consolidated his position enough, and, in a quite emotional way, ends up dropping first a Pawn and then another one, eventually repairing into a draw. Instead, after 33. a5 h4 34. Qc5 it would have been very hard for Black to justify her Pawn deficit. 33. ... Rxa4! 34. Rxa4 Qd1+ 35. Kh2 Rxa4 36. Qb5 Rxd4 37. Qd7 ½ : ½.

Levon Grigori Aronian vs. Sarasadat Khademalsharieh. Photo © John Saunders.

Flying Carpet

Sarasadat Khademalsharieh – Alexander Anatolyevich Donchenko
17th Gibraltar Chess Festival; Catalan Bay, January 24, 2019
Modern Benoni A77

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 c5 4. d5 d6 5. Nc3 exd5 6. cxd5 g6 7. Nd2 Nbd7 8. e4 Bg7 9. Be2 0-0 10. 0-0 Re8 11. a4 Ne5 12. Qc2 a6. Another way is 12. ... g5!? 13. Nf3 Nxf3+ 14. Bxf3 h6!?= Gligorić – R. J. Fischer, Interzonal Tournament, Palma de Mallorca 1970. 13. Ra3 Bg4 14. Bxg4 Nfxg4 15. h3 Nf6 16. a5 Qe7. On one hand, vintage theory gives 16. ... c4!? 17. f4 Ned7 18. Nxc4 Qc7∞ Boersma – Timman, 33rd Dutch Chess Championship, Leeuwarden 1977. On the other hand, Donchenko knows his Benoni nuances very well. 17. Na4 Ned7 18. Nc3 Ne5 19. Na4 Ned7 20. Nc3. Tacitly offering a draw by threefold repetition of position (20. ... Ne5), which Black surprisingly refuses to accept: 20. ... Rac8 21. Nc4 Ne5 22. Nb6 Rc7 23. Bg5 h6 24. Bh4 c4!? Donchenko opts for a thematic Pawn sac, which, however, appears a little doubtful. The alternative was 24. ... g5 25. Bg3 Nh5 26. Bh2 Nf4 with perhaps more chances for counterplay, even if White, after 27. Kh1 or 27. f3, should get the better of it. 25. Ra4 Ned7. Or 25. ... g5 26. Bg3 Nfd7 27. Nd1(!) with a big strategic advantage for White. Black prefers to give up the Pawn, for no compensation whatsoever. 26. Nxc4 Rec8 27. Nb6 Nxb6 28. axb6 Rc5. Maybe it was a little better to exchange a pair of Rooks by 28. ... Rc4 29. Rxc4 Rxc4 (then there would have followed 30. Qb3 with great advantage to White). 29. f4! With the devastating threat of e4-e5. 29. ... Re8? This simply allows Khademalsharieh to give execution to her own threat, but also after 29. ... Qe8 30. Bf2 White would have likely arrived — soon or later — to wherever she was heading (e4-e5).

30. e5! dxe5 31. fxe5 Qxe5 32. Bxf6 Bxf6 33. Qf2. Threatening both the Rook and the Bishop. 33. ... Bg5. If 33. ... Rxc3 34. bxc3 Kg7 then 35. Re4! Qxe4 36. Qxf6+ Kg8 37. Qxf7+ Kh8 38. d6 winning handily. 34. Re4! Khademalsharieh elegantly finishes with a well-calculated sequence. 34. ... Be3 35. Qxe3 Rxc3 36. Qf2! Qxe4 37. Qxf7+ Kh8 38. bxc3 Re7 39. Qf8+ Kh7 40. Rf7+ Rxf7 41. Qxf7+ Kh8 42. d6 Qe1+ 43. Qf1 Qxc3 44. Qf8+ Kh7 45. Qe7+ Kg8 46. Qd8+ 1 : 0. For if 46. ... Kh7 then 48. Qc7+ finis.

Sarasadat Khademalsharieh vs. Alexander Anatolyevich Donchenko. Photo © John Saunders.

The Two Crowns

Sarasadat Khademalsharieh – Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk
FrauenBundesliga 2018/2019; Baden-Baden, January 13, 2019
Queen’s Indian Defence E18

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 b6 3. g3 Bb7 4. Bg2 e6 5. d4 Be7 6. 0-0 0-0 7. Nc3 Ne4 8. Bd2 d5 9. cxd5 exd5 10. Qb3 c5 11. Bf4 Na6 12. Rfd1 c4 13. Qc2 Nb4 14. Qc1 Rc8 15. h4 Qe8 16. a3 Nxc3 17. bxc3 Nc6 18. Ra2 Rd8 19. Qb1 h6 20. Ne5 Nxe5 21. Bxe5 Qa4 22. Re1 Rfe8 23. Bf3 Bc6 24. Kg2 Qb3 25. Qa1. Threatening to trap Black’s Queen with a3-a4 followed by Re1-b1. 25. ... Qa4. The situation is quite double edged: on one hand, Black enjoys a much sounder Pawn structure on the Queenside; on the other hand, White may claim the initiative on the Kingside. 26. Rh1 Bf8 27. Qc1 Qa5 28. g4 Bd6 29. Bxd6 Rxd6 30. Rh3 b5 31. g5 Qd8 32. Rg3 Kf8 33. Qf4 Rde6 34. Ra1 Qd6 35. Qd2 a5 36. Kh1 Ke7 37. h5 Kd8. Black’s King walked away from the danger, but still White can bite on the Kingside. 38. Rag1! Kc7 39. Qc2? On the eve of time control, Khademalsharieh seems to lose her thread. 39. gxh6 gxh6 40. Rg7 Rf6 was very unclear and probably quite balanced. 39. ... hxg5? Kosteniuk, too, misses her chance to test the soundness of her opponent’s speculation; after 39. ... Qxa3 40. Qf5 (40. Qh7 Qf8 can eventually transpose into the line) 40. ... Qe7 41. Bxd5 Rxe2 Black seems to come out ahead. 40. Rxg5 g6! 41. hxg6 Rh8+ 42. Rh5. No better is 42. Kg2, for after 42. ... Rh2+ 43. Kf1 Qxa3 White would face serious difficulties. 42. ... Rxh5+ 43. Bxh5 Qf4? 43. ... fxg6 44. Rxg6 Rxg6 45. Qxg6 Qxa3 seems simpler and substantially more favourable for Black. 44. g7! Two crowns for Khademalsharieh.

44. ... Bd7? Black should have at least tried 44. ... Qh4+(!) 45. Kg2 Rf6(!) 46. e4! (46. e3? Bd7!∞) 46. ... dxe4 47. g8=Q e3+ 48. f3 Qxh5 which, however much unbalanced, would have offered her much better practical chances. Now Khademalsharieh simply plays on velvet, and meets no difficulty in finishing in very elegant fashion: 45. Rg2+− Re8 46. g8=Q Rxg8 47. Rxg8 Qh4+ 48. Kg1 Qxh5 49. Qd2 Qf5 50. Qe3 Qb1+ 51. Kg2 Be6 52. Qf4+ Kc6 53. Rd8 Qg6+ 54. Kf3 Bg4+ 55. Ke3 Qe6+ 56. Qe5 b4 57. Qxe6+ Bxe6 58. axb4 axb4 59. cxb4 Kb5 60. Rb8+ Ka4 61. Kd2 Kb3 62. Kc1 Kc3 63. e3 Kb3 64. b5 Kb4 65. b6 Kb5 66. Kd2 Ka5 67. Kc3 Kb5 68. f3 Ka5 69. e4 Kb5 70. e5 Ka5 71. f4 Kb5 72. b7 1 : 0.

Sarasadat Khademalsharieh vs. Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk. Photo: Thilo Gubler.

Arctic Diary

Sarasadat Khademalsharieh – Elena Borić
41st Women’s Chess Olympiad; Tromsø, August 4, 2014
Dutch Defence A85

1. d4 f5 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. h4! c6. Also 4. ... Bg7 5. h5! Nxh5 6. e4! fxe4 7. Rxh5! gxh5 8. Qxh5+ Kf8 9. Bh6! e6 10. Nxe4 Qe7 11. Bxg7+ Kxg7 12. 0-0-0 yielded White an overwhelming attack, M. O. Muzychuk – 袁元凌 (Yuán Yuánlíng), Women’s World Chess Championship Knockout Tournament, Krasnaya Polyana 2015, match game 2. A better try could be 4. ... d6 5. h5! Nxh5 6. Rxh5! gxh5 7. e4 fxe4 8. Qh5+ Kd7 with a more unclear situation. 5. h5! Nxh5 6. Rxh5! gxh5 7. e4! Qb6? This will turn out to be a fatal mistake as exposes Black’s Queen to wander around alone where only disgrace can await her. Much better appears to be 7. ... d6 8. Qxh5+ Kd7 9. Qxf5+ Kc7 leaving White with the task to prove her compensation surpluses. 8. Qxh5+ Kd8 9. c5! Qb4 10. Nf3! b6 11. a3 Qb3 12. Ne5. White’s attack develops itself; no wonder that the end is near. 12. ... Kc7 13. Bc4 Qc2

14. Nd3. With the threat of Nd3-b4 trapping Her Majesty. 14. ... bxc5 15. Bf4+ d6 16. dxc5 fxe4 17. cxd6+ exd6 18. Qa5+ Kb7. Or 18. ... Kd7 19. Nc5+! dxc5 20. Qc7+ Ke8 21. Bf7 mate. 19. Nc5+! 1 : 0. For if 19. ... dxc5 then 20. Qc7 mate.

Sarasadat Khademalsharieh. Photo: aritearu.com.

Wire drawing

Natalia Andreevna Pogonina – Sarasadat Khademalsharieh
Women’s Grand Prix 2015–2016; 2nd stage; Tehran, February 16, 2016
Queen’s Pawn Game D02

1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. Bf4 c5 4. e3 Nc6 5. c3 Qb6 6. Qb3 c4 7. Qc2 Bf5 8. Qc1 h6 9. h3 e6 10. Be2 Rc8 11. 0-0 Be7 12. Nbd2 0-0 13. b3 cxb3 14. axb3

14. ... Nb4 15. Qa3. If 15. Ne1 then 15. ... Ne4 with an easy game for Black. 15. ... Rxc3 16. Qxa7 Qc6 17. Ne5 Qc8 18. Bb5 Nd3 19. Nxd3 Bxd3 20. Bxd3 Rxd3 21. Nf3. A temporary Pawn sacrifice which hurries Black to content herself with a draw. 21. ... Rxb3 22. Rfc1 Rc3 23. Rxc3 Qxc3 24. Rb1 Ne4 25. Qxb7 Qc2 26. Rf1 Bd6 27. Bxd6 Nxd6 28. Qd7 Ne4 29. Ne5 Nd2 30. Ra1 Ne4 31. Rf1 ½ : ½.

Sarasadat Khademalsharieh (right) with a friend (and many dolls above their heads!). Photo: Alina l’Ami.

Created Equal

Sarasadat Khademalsharieh – 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn)
Women’s Grand Prix 2015–2016; 2nd stage; Tehran, February 14, 2016
Bogo-Indian Defence E11

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4+ 4. Nbd2 0-0 5. a3 Be7 6. e4 d5 7. e5 Nfd7 8. Bd3 c5 9. 0-0 Nc6 10. cxd5 exd5 11. Qc2 h6 12. dxc5. Khademalsharieh’s style is so elegant and fairy as to make positional play look easy. She still lacks international experience and she has to sharpen her tactical sense, but she undoubtedly deserved to join the club. Now she is happy to simplify matters rather than testing her opponent’s “theory” in the most usual line 12. Re1 Re8 13. Bf5 Nf8 as occurred, for instance, in the game P. Cramling – Wahls, 27th International Chess Festival, Biel/Bienne 1994. 12. ... Nxc5 13. b4 Nxd3 14. Qxd3 f6 15. Bb2 fxe5 16. Nxe5 Bf5

17. Qg3. White’s threat (Ne5xc6) is certainly not hidden. 17. ... Nxe5 18. Bxe5 Bf6 19. Nb3 Re8 20. Rae1 Be4 21. Bxf6 Qxf6 22. Nc5 b6 23. Nxe4 Rxe4 24. Rxe4 dxe4 25. Qe3 Qg6 26. Qd4 Qc6 27. Re1 a5! 28. h4. After 28. Qxe4 Qxe4 29. Rxe4 axb4 Black regains her Pawn with equality. 28. ... axb4 29. axb4 Re8 30. Re3 Qc1+ 31. Kh2 Qc7+ 32. Kg1 Qc1+ 33. Kh2 Qc7+ 34. Kg1 ½ : ½.

Sarasadat Khademalsharieh (right) vs. 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) (left). Photo: Alina l’Ami.