An Appointment with the Queen

Stavroula Tsolakidou – 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí)
FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2024–25; 2nd stage; Shimkent, November 8, 2024
English Opening A13

1. c4 e6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 d4 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. 0-0 Bc5 6. d3 a5 7. Nbd2 e5 8. Nb3. 8. a3 h6?! (⌓ 8. ... Nf6) 9. b4! axb4 10. Nb3 Be7 11. axb4 Rxa1 12. Nxa1 Nxb4 13. Nxe5 gave White the better game in Shevchenko – S. Brunello, 44th French Team Chess Championship, Chartres 2024.
8. ... Be7 9. a4 Bf5 10. Ne1 Nf6 11. f4

11. ... e4! Black sacrifices a Pawn for the initiative.
12. Nc2? Gives Black the upper hand. Comparatively best was 12. g4! Bxg4 13. dxe4 0-0 14. Nd3 Be6⩱ with a much easier game for Black, but still nothing definitive.

12. ... Qd7! 13. dxe4 Bxe4 14. Ncxd4 Bxg2 15. Kxg2 Nxd4. Black could also have castled long.
16. Qxd4 Qc6+ 17. Rf3 0-0 18. Be3 Bb4 19. Qd3 Rad8 20. Bd4?! Rfe8 21. h3? This precipitates the end. However, also after 21. c5 h5! Black keeps her bind.
21. ... Ne4! 22. Kh2? Oblivious to the threat.

22. ... Nc5! 0–1. White resigns, for she either loses a piece (23.Nxc5 Bxc5) or gets mated (23.Qd1 Nxb3 24. Rxb3 Rxd4! 25. Qxd4 Rxe2+).

谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí) showed herself in great form, even though, due to the imminence of her World Championship match with 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn), she couldn’t reveal all her secrets. Photo: Konstantin Chalabov/FIDE.

Hidden Rhythms

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – Stavroula Tsolakidou
FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2024–25; 2nd stage; Shimkent, November 2, 2024
Sicilian Defence B30

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 e6 4. 0-0 Nge7 5. Re1 Nd4 6. Nxd4 cxd4 7. c3 a6 8. Bf1 Nc6 9. b4 Bd6 10. Bb2 dxc3 11. dxc3 Qc7 12. h3 0-0 13. Nd2 b6

14. Nc4!? Probably an improvement on Cheparinov – Caruana, 45th Chess Olympiad, Budapest 2024, which continued 14. a3 Bb7 15. c4 Bh2+ 16. Kh1 Be5 17. Qb3 Bxb2 18. Qxb2 a5 19. Kg1 axb4 20. axb4 Ne5 21. Qd4 h6 22. Rec1 Nc6 23. Qc3 Rxa1 24. Rxa1 Rc8 25. Qb2 d6 with more or less equality.
14. ... Bh2+ 15. Kh1 Bf4. Likewise 15. ... b5 16. Ne3 Be5 17. a4⩲ leaves White with a slight, but lasting, edge.
16. Bc1 Rb8 17. a4 b5 18. Bxf4 Qxf4 19. Qd2 Qxd2 20. Nxd2 d6 21. Red1 Rd8 22. Nb1. The Knight is heading to a3 where it attacks the b-Pawn. Black has not yet succeeded in getting in her comfort zone due to the relative weaknesses on b5 and d6.
22. ... Kf8 23. axb5 axb5 24. Na3 Na7 25. Nc4! bxc4 26. Rxa7

26. ... Bb7? Probably the losing move. Black would have had little or nothing to worry about after 26. ... Rb7! 27. Ra5 Rbd7 followed by the advance of her d-Pawn.
27. Rd4! d5. Consistent but useless as it does not prevent White from winning a decisive Pawn.
28. Bxc4! Bc6. If 28. ... dxc4 then 29. Rxb7! Rxb7 30. Rxd8+ Ke7 31. Rc8 winning another Pawn.
29. exd5 exd5 30. Ba6. Goryachkina conducts the ending with refined and irreproachable technique.
30. ... Rd6 31. Rc7 Rf6 32. f3 Rb6 33. Bd3 g6 34. Kg1 Rb7 35. Rc8+ Ke7 36. Kf2 h5 37. h4 Kd7 38. Rh8 Kd6 39. Kg3 Ke5 40. Rc8 Kd6 41. Be4 Rb5 42. Rd8+ Ke5

43. f4+! Winning material by force.
43. ... Rxf4 (43. ... Ke6 44. c4+−)
44. Bxd5! 1–0. Black resigns as she loses either an Exchange (44. ... Bxd5 45. Rxf4) or a piece (44. ... Rxd4 45. cxd4+ Kf6 46. Bxc6).

A crystal-clear strategy may make what is difficult look easy. Photo: Konstantin Chalabov/FIDE.

Blackbird

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – Stavroula Tsolakidou
14th European Women’s Team Chess Championship; Terme Čatež, November 18, 2021
Slav Defence D10

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. cxd5 cxd5 4. Bf4 Nc6 5. e3 Nf6 6. Nc3 a6 7. Be2 Bf5 8. Nf3 e6 9. Qb3 Bd6. Tsolakidou might now regret her opening choice since Goryachkina plays it well with both colours: 9. ... Ra7 10. 0-0 Be7 11. h3 0-0 12. Rfc1 Nd7 13. Na4 h6 14. Bg3 Bg6 15. Ne1 Na5 16. Qd1 b5 17. Nc3 Nc4 18. b3 Nd6 19. Bd3 Nf5 20. Bh2 Ba3 21. Rc2 Ra8 22. Ne2 Nf6 23. Nf3 Ne7 24. Ne5 Bd6 25. Qd2 a5 26. Nc3 Bb4 27. a3 Bxd3 28. Qxd3 Bxc3 29. Rxc3 Ne4 30. Nc6 Nxc6 31. Rxc6 b4 32. axb4 axb4 33. Rf1 Ra2 34. Rc2 Ra3 35. Rc6 Qa8 36. Rcc1 Ra2 37. Rc2 Rc8 38. Rxc8+ Qxc8 39. f3 Nd2 40. Rd1 Qc3 41. Qe2 Rc2 42. Bd6 Nc4 43. Bxb4 Qb2 0 : 1 翟墨 (Zhái Mò) – Goryachkina, 11th China–Russia Summit Women, 秦皇岛 (Qínhuángdǎo) 2018. 10. Bxd6 (10. Qxb7? Na5 11. Qxa8 Qa8 12. Bxd6 Nc4∓) 10. ... Qxd6 11. Qxb7 0-0 12. Qb3. Clearly not 12. Bxa6?? on account of 12. ... Rab8 (or 12. ... Rfb8) winning the Queen. 12. ... Rfb8 13. Qa3 Qxa3 14. bxa3 Na7 15. a4 (15. Bxa6 Ne4) 15. ... Nc6. After 15. ... Ne4 16. Nxe4 Bxe4 17. Nd2 Bc2 18. Nb3 Bxb3 19. axb3 Rxb3 20. Bxa6 Nc6 21. Be2 Rb2 22. Bd1 Nb4 23. 0-0 Na2 Black’s position appears to fully compensate for the Pawn, Gledura – Ali Marandi, 18th European Individual Chess Championship, Minsk 2017. That would have been Black’s best hope of saving the day — unless of course Goryachkina had something ready to object. 16. 0-0 Rb2 17. Rfc1 h6. Tsolakidou’s novelty does not improve the assessment of the probable outcome of the game. Theory contemplated 17. ... Nb4 18. a3 Nd3 19. Bxd3 Bxd3 20. Ne5 Bf5 21. a5 g5 22. Na4 Rb5 23. Nb6 Rb8 24. a4 Rb2 25. Rc7 Bg6 26. Ra7 g4 27. Rxa6 Ne4 28. Nxg4 h5 29. Ne5 Nxf2 30. Nxg6 fxg6 31. Ra8 Rxa8 32. Nxa8 Ng4 33. a6 Nxe3 34. Nc7 1 : 0 Hera – Bobras, 35th German Schach Bundesliga, Dortmund 2014. 18. h3 g5 19. Bf1 Nb4 20. a3 Nd3 21. Bxd3 Bxd3 22. Ne5 Bc2 23. a5 Ne8

24. Ra2. Goryachkina proceeds to convert her material and strategic advantages with irreproachable technique. 24. ... Rxa2 25. Nxa2 Ba4 26. Nc3 Rc8 27. Nd3 Bb3 28. Nc5 Bc4 29. Rb1 e5 30. Rb6 Kg7 31. g4 Nf6 32. f3 Rc7 33. Kf2 h5 34. Nd1

34. ... Re7?! This allows White to liquidate into a Knight vs. Bishop ending with two Pawns up. On the other hand after 34. ... hxg4 35. hxg4 e4 36. Nb2 Bb5 37. a4 Bd7 38. Kg3 exf3 39. Nbd3! Bc8 40. Nf2 the temporary restoration of material equality is no reason for consolation since Black’s ending looks bad in any case. 35. dxe5 Rxe5 36. Rxf6 Kxf6 37. Nd7+ Ke6 38. Nxe5 Kxe5 39. gxh5 Kf6 40. Kg3 Kg7 41. Kg4 Kh6 42. Nc3 Bb3 43. h4 gxh4 44. Kxh4 f5 45. Ne2 Ba4 46. Nd4 Bd7 47. f4 Bc8 48. Nc6 Bd7 49. Nb4 Bc8 50. Nxd5 Bb7 51. Nf6 Ba8 52. Ng8+ Kg7 53. Ne7 Kf6

54. h6! 1 : 0.

Goryachkina continues to show confidence in the future of her ambitions. Photo: ECU Press.

How to Be Happy in an Unhappy World

Stavroula Tsolakidou – Valentina Evgenyevna Gunina
12th European Women’s Team Chess Championship; Hersonissos, October 28, 2017
3k4/1pr3pp/3N1q2/8/3P2Q1/3b4/6PP/2R3K1 w - - 5 37

Position after 36. ... Re7-c7

Valentina Evgenyevna Gunina’s crisis continues. In a recent interview to Yuri Volokhov for Sovetsky Sport (Александра Костенюк: Запретила бы женщинам играть с мужчинами | Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk: I am for a strict separation of women’s and men’s chess, Sovetsky Sport, October 26, 2017), Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk denied that Gunina may feel frustrated because of her (frustrated) desire to play (at least a little more often) in the men’s circuit, which is much more remunerative than the women’s one: “I think Valya can earn as much in women’s chess as well. All players who play for the Russian national team don’t have to complain about their earnings. Even though, of course, everything is relative”, Kosteniuk said. Whatever it is, today’s game was another disaster by Gunina, for the joy of all Stavroula Tsolakidou’s Greek fans. 37. Nxb7+! Ke8 (37. ... Rxb7 38. Qc8+ Ke7 39. Qxb7+ Ke6 40. Rc6+−) 38. Re1+ Kf8 (38. ... Re7 39. Qc8+ Kf7 40. Nd8+ Kg6 41. Qg4+ Kh6 42. Re6! Rxe6 43. Qh3+ Kg6 44. Qxd3+ Qf5 45. Nxe6!+−) 39. Nc5 Bf5 40. Qf4 Rc8 41. g4. The Bishop is doomed. 41. ... Kg8 42. gxf5 h6 43. Qe5 Qg5+ 44. Kh1 Qg4 45. Qe6+ Kh7 46. Qxc8 Qf3+ 47. Kg1 Qg4+ 48. Kf2 Qxd4+ 49. Kf3 Qc3+ 50. Re3 1 : 0.