One Day, Another Day

Sophie Milliet – 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí)
2nd FIDE Women’s Grand Swiss Tournament; Douglas, November 3, 2023
Sicilian Defence B22

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. c3 Nf6 4. e5 Nd5 5. d4 cxd4 6. cxd4 d6 7. Bc4 dxe5 8. dxe5 Be7 9. 0-0 0-0 10. Qe2 Bd7 11. Nbd2?! Milliet mixes up her lines in the contradictory attempt to turn her Alapin into an attacking formation. More scientific is 11. Rd1 Bc6 12. Nd4 Bc5 13. Nc3 Nxc3 14. bxc3 Qc7 15. Bf4 Nd7 16. h4 Nb6 17. Bb3 Nd5 18. Bd2 Rae8 19. Re1 Kh8 20. h5 Bxd4 21. cxd4 f5 22. exf6 Rxf6 23. Qg4 Qf7 24. f3 Nf4 25. Re5 Rf8 26. Bxf4 Rxf4 27. Qxe6 Qxe6 28. Rxe6 Rxd4 29. Rae1 a5 30. Re7 a4 31. Bf7 Rf4 32. Rd1 h6 33. Bg6 Rc8 34. Kf2 Kg8 35. Ke3 Rff8 36. Rd6 Rfd8 37. Rxd8+ Rxd8 38. Rc7 a3 39. Bf7+ Kf8 40. Bb3 Re8+ 41. Kf4 Re7 42. Rc8+ Re8 43. Rc7 Re7 44. Rc8+ ½ : ½ Ivić – Šarić, 38th European Chess Club Cup, Durrës 2023.
11. ... Bc6 12. Ne4 Nd7 13. Bd3 Qc7! Even more accurate than 13. ... a6 14. Re1 Rc8 15. a3 h6 16. Bd2 Qc7 17. Ng3 Nc5 18. Bc4 Rfd8 19. Rac1 b5 20. Ba2 Nb6⩱ Maciejewski – Loginov, Wisła 1992.

14. Neg5?! With dubious consistency, White embarks in an adventure of no return.
14. ... h6 15. Nh7?! (15. Qe4 N5f6!)
15. ... Rfd8 16. Bb1 Qb6 17. a4 g6 18. Qd2 Nf8. Clearly not 18. ... Kxh7? because of 19. Qxh6+ (19. Bxg6+! Kg8 20. Qxh6 transposes) 19. ... Kg8 20. Bxg6! Nf8 21. Be4 with a vehement attack.
19. Nxf8 Bxf8

20. Qe2?! White does not manage to do anything constructive, thus inexorably slipping into a hopeless situation. She should have tried something like 20. Re1!?, for if 20. ... Bb4? then 21. Qxh6 Bxe1 22. Be3 Nxe3 23. Bxg6! Bxf2+ 24. Kh1 fxg6 25. Qxg6+ with a draw by perpetual check.
20. ... Qb4 21. Qe4 Rac8 22. Nd4 Be8 23. Be3 Qxb2 24. Ra2 Qb4 25. Bd2 Nc3! 26. Bxc3 Rxc3 27. Nb5 Rc4 28. Qxb7

28. ... Bc6 29. Qa6 (29. Qxa7 Bxg2!−+)
29. ... Bxg2! 30. Kxg2 Rg4+ 31. Kh1 Qc4! 32. Nc7 Qxc7 33. Qe2 Qc6+ 34. f3 Rxa4 35. Rxa4 Qxa4 36. Rg1 Bc5 37. Rc1 Bb6 38. Be4 Qd4 39. f4 Qe3 40. Qxe3 Bxe3 41. Rc4 Bxf4 42. Bxg6 Rd1+ 43. Kg2 fxg6 44. Rxf4 Rd5 45. Rf6 Rxe5 46. Rxg6+ Kh7 47. Rf6 Kg7 48. Rf4 Rg5+ 49. Kh3 a5 50. Ra4 Kf6 51. Kh4 Rb5 52. Ra3 Ke7 53. Kg4 Rf5 54. Ra4 Kd6 55. h3 Rb5 56. Ra1 Rf5 57. Ra4 h5+ 58. Kh4 Kc6 59. Re4 e5 60. Kg3 Kb5 61. Re1 a4 62. Re3 Ka5 63. Kh4 Kb4 64. Re4+ Kc3 65. Re3+ Kc2 66. Re2+ Kd3 67. Ra2 Kc3 68. Re2 a3 69. Re3+ Kb4 70. Re4+ Kb5 71. Re2 Kc4 72. Re3 a2 73. Ra3 Rf2 74. Kxh5 Rg2 75. h4 e4 76. Kh6 e3 77. h5 Rd2 0 : 1.

Today 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí) won easy, but tomorrow she will have a direct confrontation with Rameshbabu Vaishali. Photo © Anna Shtourman.

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Sophie Milliet – Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina
20th European Individual Women’s Chess Championship; Antalya, April 20, 2019
Caro-Kann Defence B12

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nf3 e6 5. Be2 Ne7 6. c3 Ng6 7. 0-0 f6 8. Be3!? A recent (rapid) game continued with 8. Na3 fxe5 9. dxe5 Bxa3 10. bxa3 0-0 11. Nd4 Nxe5 12. g4 Be4? (12. ... c5 was clearly called for) 13. Nxe6 Qf6 14. Nxf8 Nf3+ 15. Bxf3 Bxf3 16. Nxh7!+− Gaponenko – Girya, 5th Women’s World Rapid Chess Championship, Saint Petersburg 2018. 8. ... Be7. Preferable seems to be 8. ... Nd7, as played by 韦奕 (Wéi Yì) against 徐译 (Xú Yì) in the Chinese Blitz Chess Championship at 深圳 (Shēnzhèn) in 2017. 9. Nbd2 0-0 10. Ne1 Nh8. Despite her balancing efforts, also today, Goryachkina will struggle to defend an inferior position for a long time before achieving a lucky draw. 11. f4 fxe5 12. fxe5 Bg5 13. Bxg5 Qxg5 14. Ndf3 Qe3+ 15. Rf2 Nd7 16. Qd2 Qxd2 17. Nxd2 Bg6 18. Nef3 h6 19. Raf1 Bh7 20. h4 Ng6 21. g3 Ne7 22. Ne1 Rxf2 23. Rxf2 c5 24. Bb5 Nc6 25. Nb3 c4. This decision could cost Goryachkina the game. 25. ... cxd4 26. cxd4 a6 was much more to the point, as 27. Bxc6 bxc6 28. Rf3 a5 29. Rc3 a4 30. Nd2 Rc8 should hold for Black. 26. Na5 Nxa5 27. Bxd7 Bf5 28. Ng2 Rd8 29. Ba4 a6 30. Nf4 g5 31. hxg5 hxg5 32. Nh5 b5 33. Bc2 Bxc2 34. Rxc2 Nc6 35. Rf2 Rf8 36. Nf6+ Kg7 37. Nh5+ Kg8 38. Nf6+ Kg7 39. Rh2

39. ... Rh8? Goryachkina consistently invites the exchange of Rooks, so as to force a virtually lost Knight ending. Instead, 39. ... Kg6! 40. Nd7! Rf3 41. Kg2 Re3 42. Nc5 Re2+ 43. Kg1 Re1+ 44. Kf2 Rc1 45. Rh8! b4! gave more drawing chances, not only from a practical but also from a “scientific” standpoint. 40. Rxh8 Kxh8 41. Nd7 Nd8 42. a4? A chivalrous draw offer by Milliet, who could have done equally well, or ideally better, only with 42. g4?? (42. ... a5=). Nevertheless, White could have presented the bill with 42. a3 a5 43. Nb8, putting her opponent on the verge of her second débâcle in two days. 42. ... bxa4 ½ : ½.