Воронеж (Voronezh)

Semen Lomasov – Ivan Bukavshin
19th International Chess Festival; Voronezh, June 12, 2015
Sicilian Defence B44

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. Bd3 Nf6 7. 0-0 d5 8. Nd2 Be7 9. Re1 0-0 10. c3 a5 11. e5 Nd7 12. Nf3 c5. For 12. ... Re8 13. Bc2 see Sanz Alonso – Vallejo Pons, Ponferrada 1997. 13. Bf4 Ba6 14. Bc2 Rb8 15. Qd2 Re8 16. h4!? Striving for the initiative. 16. ... d4. On 16. ... Bxh4 17. Nxh4 Qxh4 18. Bg5 Qc4 20. b3 Qb5?! (safer is 20. ... Qg4 21. Bd1 Qf5 22. Bc2 Qg4=) 21. Re3 White’s attacking prospects may compensate for the Pawn. 17. cxd4 cxd4 18. Bg5 f6? Black’s Awful Judgment Day. Correct was 18. ... Bxg5 19. Nxg5 Nf8 in order to defend and plug his own weak points. 19. exf6 gxf6 20. Bh6! Take a walk on the wild side! 20. ... e5

21. Re4 Kh8?! More stubborn is 21. ... Bf8, although after 22. Bxf8 Rxf8 (22. ... Nxf8 23. Rg4+ Kh8 24. Qh6 Qe7 25. Bb3 is any better) 23. Qh6 (23. Nxd4 exd4 24. Rxd4 Bc8 25. Bf5 is also good) 23. ... Rf7 24. Bb3 Black must give up the Exchange for no compensation. 22. Nxd4!? More straightforward was 22. Bg7+! Kxg7 23. Rg4+ Kf7 24. Qh6 Ke6 25. Ng5+ Kd5 26. Be4+ and White wins the Queen. 22. ... exd4? A crucial mistake! After 22. ... Bb4 23. Bg7+! Kxg7 24. Rg4+ Kh8 25. Qh6 Re7 26. Nc6 Qf8 27. Qxf8+ Rxf8 28. Rxb4! axb4 29. Nxe7 Black has no compensation for the Pawn, but he succeeded in avoiding checkmate. 23. Rxd4 Rb7 24. Bg7+! A combination of deflection. 24. ... Kxg7 25. Rg4+ Kf8. Or 25. ... Kh8 26. Qh6 and mate next move. 26. Qd5 1 : 0. For if 26. ... Bc5 there follows mate in three by 27. Rg8+ Ke7 28. Rg7+ Kf8 29. Qf7 mate.

Semen Lomasov
Photo: chessmoscow.ru

Tears Dry on Their Own

The Moscow Dream Team (from the left): Alina Anatolyevna Kashlinskaya, Valentina Evgenyevna Gunina, Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk, Ekaterina Valentinovna Kovalevskaya and Olga Alexandrovna Girya.

• Moscow Team Brings 11 Sets of Medals Back from Sochi, Without the Aid of Mercenaries, Chess-News.ru, May 12, 2015

任務中失蹤

• 国象女团赛格鲁吉亚胜中国夺冠 侯逸凡赵雪缺阵, sports.sina.com.cn, April 28, 2015
• 国象世锦赛中国女队季军收官 名将侯逸凡未参赛, sports.workercn.cn, April 29, 2015

საქართველო (Georgia)

Georgia wins gold medals in Women’s World Chess Team Championship

Georgia über alles
Photo: Liu Yupeng

Georgia brilliantly concluded the event by defeating the host country and three-times World Champions China. Georgia took the gold medal with 17 match points, conceding only one tie to Russia. Still holding a hope for the gold medal in case of Georgia’s failure in the final round, Russia put up a powerful performance against USA, convincingly winning the match 3½ – ½ and the silver medal as well. China is third with 11 match points, winning the bronze.

Giving flowers
Photo: Liu Yupeng

鞑靼人

Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk – Natalia Andreevna Pogonina
23th Women’s Russian Chess Championship; Kazan, December 1, 2014
Queen’s Gambit Declined D37

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 0-0 6. e3 Nbd7 7. c5 Nh5 8. b4 Nxf4 9. exf4 c6 10. Bd3 Qc7. The alternative is 10. ... b6 11. 0-0 a5 12. a3 Qc7 13. g3 Ba6 14. Bxa6 ½ : ½ Grischuk – Kramnik, World Championship Candidates, Kazan 2011. 11. g3 b6 12. 0-0 a5 13. a3 Ba6 14. Bxa6 Rxa6 15. Qe2 Ra7 16. f5 e5 17. dxe5 bxc5 18. bxc5 Re8 19. e6 Nxc5 20. exf7+ Kxf7 21. Rac1 Raa8 22. Qd1 Qd6. “Black seems OK in this position, but there is the nagging problem of his King being a bit exposed. Had Natalia’s King been on g8 then perhaps she would even stand better!”, Grandmaster Kevin Spraggett comments.

23. Na4! “A beautiful and deep concept, that hits the nail on the head! The former women’s World Champion finds the weak spot in Pogonina’s position”, Spraggett says. 23. ... Nxa4. “The point is that after 24. ... Nd7 [...] White has another shot: 24. Nb6!! Nxb6 25. Rxc6!! winning! After 25. ... Qd8 26. Rxb6! Qxb6 27. Ne5+! and mates or wins the Queen”, Spraggett says. 24. Rxc6! An inspired zwischenzug. 24. ... Qd8 Clearly not 24. ... Qxc6 on account of 25. Ne5+ with Queen and Pawn for Rook and Bishop. 25. Qxa4. “White has won an important Pawn while Black lacks coordination. The game continued sharply:”, Spraggett writes. 25. ... Bf6 26. Rd1 Re7 27. Rc5! Qd7 28. Qb3! Qxf5 29. Rdxd5 Qe6 30. Rc6! Rb8 (30. ... Qxc6 31. Rd6++-) 31. Ng5+! Bxg5 32. Qf3+ 1 : 0. A beautiful game!

Opening Ceremony of the 23th Women’s Russian Chess Championship. Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk wears a traditional Tartar hat. Photo: Etery Kublashvili.

喀山

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Just two lines by Clarabelle Cow

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Ekaterina Kovalevskaya – Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk
23th Women’s Russian Chess Championship; Kazan, November 28, 2014
English Opening A13

1. c4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 3. e3 Nf6 4. b3 c5 5. Bb2 Nc6 6. cxd5 exd5 7. Be2 Be7 8. 0-0 d4. For the more usual 8. ... 0-0 9. d4 Bg4 see (inter alia) Petrossiàn – Hort, Sarajevo 1972. 9. exd4 Nxd4 10. Nxd4 cxd4 11. d3 0-0 12. Nd2 Bf5 13. Nf3 Bc5 14. Rc1 Qd6 15. Rc4 b5 16. Rxd4 Bxd4 17. Nxd4 Bd7 18. Qd2 Rac8 19. h3 h6 20. Bf3 Rfe8 21. Qa5 a6 22. Bb7?? A tragic mirage. 22. ... Rb8 23. Bf3. Back all, since 23. Qxa6 Qxa6 24. Bxa6 is refuted by 24. ... Rb6.

23. ... b4! The threat is ... Re8-e5 trapping Her Majesty. 24. Bc6. A desperate piece sac, trying to get out from her grave. 24. ... Bxc6 25. Qxa6 Rbc8 26. Rc1 Nd5! Sic et simpliciter. 27. Nf5. On 27. Nxc6 Rxc6 28. Qxc6 Re1+! wins. 27. ... Qf4 28. Nxg7 Bb7! 0 : 1. For if 29. Rxc8 then 29. ... Bxc8.

Ekaterina Kovalevskaya vs. Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk
Photo: Ruchess.ru