Le Roi a fait battre tambour

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – Alexey Vasilyevich Sarana

1st Trophée CapÉchecs Online; quarterfinal game 1; europe-echecs.com, October 25, 2020

Catalan Opening E01

In her quarterfinal two-game match against Sarana, Goryachkina was beaten 2–0, thus showing again that online chess is not her vocation. Everything happened in the first game, where she managed to lose a perfectly drawable ending. Time control is, as usual, 10 minutes plus 3 seconds per move. 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 Bb4+ 4. Nd2 d5 5. Bg2 0-0 6. Ngf3 dxc4 7. a3 Bxd2+ 8. Bxd2 Bd7 (8. ... Nc6 9. e3 Rb8 10. 0-0 b5 11. b3 Ba6 12. Qc2 Qd7 13. bxc4 bxc4 14. Rfc1 Rb6 15. Bc3 Rfb8 16. Nd2 h6 17. Qa4 Bb5 18. Qd1 Nd5 19. a4 Ba6 20. a5 Nxc3 21. Rxc3 Rb4 22. Ne4 Ne7 23. Nc5 Qb5 24. Bf1 Nf5 25. e4 Nd6 26. Qc1 Bb7 27. Qe3 Rb1 28. Rxb1 Qxb1 29. f3 Bc6 30. g4 Qa1 31. Rc1 Rb1 32. Rxb1 Qxb1 33. Qc3 Qd1 34. Kf2 Nb5 35. Qxc4 Nxd4 36. Be2 Qd2 37. Nb3 Nxb3 38. Qxb3 Qxa5 39. Qb8+ Kh7 40. Qf8 Qd2 0 : 1 Goryachkina – Bartel, 19th European Individual Chess Championship, Batumi 2018) 9. Rc1 Bb5 10. Ne5 Nc6 11. Nxc6 Bxc6 12. Bxc6 bxc6 13. Bb4 Qd5 14. 0-0 Rfd8 15. Be7 Rdb8 16. Bxf6 gxf6 17. Rc2 Rb3 18. e3 Rab8 19. Qe2 R8b6 20. Rfc1 Qf5 21. e4 Qf3 22. Qxf3 Rxf3 23. Rxc4 Rxb2 24. R1c2 Rxc2 25. Rxc2 Rxa3 26. Rxc6 Ra4 27. Rxc7 Rxd4 28. Rxa7 Rxe4. As a result, a very drawish Rook endgame with four Pawns against three on the same side has arisen. 29. Kg2 Kg7 30. Kf3 Rb4 31. h4 f5 32. Rc7 Ra4 33. Rb7 Kg6 34. Rc7 h5 35. Rb7 Rg4 36. Rb5 f6 37. Rb8 e5 38. Rg8+ Kh7 39. Rf8 Kg7 40. Ra8 f4

41. Rb8. Perhaps simpler was 41. gxf4 Rxf4+ (or 41. ... exf4 42. Ke4 Kxh4 43. f3=) 42. Kg3 Rg4+ 43. Kh3 e4 (otherwise there follows f2-f3) 44. Ra3 with a draw in hand. 41. ... fxg3 42. fxg3 Ra4 43. Rc8 Ra3+ 44. Kf2 Kg6 45. Rh8 Rb3 46. Ra8 Kf5 47. Rh8 Rb2+ 48. Ke3 Kg6 49. Kf3 Rb3+ 50. Kf2 Ra3 51. Rb8 Ra7 52. Kf3 Rc7 53. Ra8 Rc3+ 54. Kf2 Rc2+ 55. Kf3 Kf5

56. Rh8?? A losing blunder under the stress of time pressure. White had to play 56. Rg8 defending the g-Pawn and preventing the Black King from penetrating via g4. 56. ... e4+ 57. Ke3 Rc3+ 58. Kf2 Kg4−+ 59. Rg8+ Kh3 60. Rg6 Rf3+ 61. Ke2 f5 62. Rg5 Kg2 63. Rxh5 Kxg3 64. Rh8 Kf4 65. h5 Rh3 66. h6 Rh2+ 67. Kd1 Ke3 68. h7 f4 69. Ra8 Rh1+ 70. Kc2 Rxh7 71. Ra3+ Kf2 72. Ra4 Kf3 0 : 1.

Two-up

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – Nihal Sarin
1st Trophée CapÉchecs Online; europe-echecs.com, October 24, 2020
Catalan Opening E06

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 0-0 6. Nc3 dxc4 7. Ne5 Nc6 8. Bxc6 bxc6 9. Nxc6 Qe8 10. Nxe7+ Qxe7 11. Qa4 c5 12. dxc5 Qxc5 13. Be3 Qc7 14. f3 Bb7 15. 0-0!? Goryachkina just trusts in the typical Catalan opposite-coloured Bishop middle game with a slight advantage to White. Her last move may be a novelty, as a recent game continued instead: 15. Rd1 Nd5 16. Nxd5 exd5 17. Bd4 Rfe8 18. Kf2 Re6 19. Qb4 Rae8 20. Rde1 f6 21. Qd2 a6 22. g4 Qf7 23. Rhg1 R8e7 24. h4 Qg6 25. Rg2 Bc6 26. g5 f5 27. Qf4 Qh5 28. e3 Bd7 29. Rh1 Re8 30. Rc1 R6e7 31. b3 Be6 32. g6 h6 33. Rg3 Rb7 34. Kg2 a5 35. Rc2 Rc8 36. bxc4 dxc4 37. Rb2 Rxb2+ 38. Bxb2 Bd5 39. Qe5 Bxf3+ 40. Kf2 1 : 0 L. van Foreest – Elgersma, 57th International Open, Groningen 2019. 15. ... Nd5 16. Nxd5 Bxd5 (16. ... exd5 17. Bd4⩲) 17. Qa3 Qe5 18. Qc3 Qxc3 19. bxc3 Rfb8 20. Rab1 f6 21. Rfd1 a6 22. Bf4 Rb5 23. Bd6 Bc6. 23. ... Ra7 was also worth considering, in order to double Rooks by ... Ra7-b7. 24. Kf2 Rd8 25. Bc7 Rxd1 26. Rxd1 Rd5 27. Rxd5. The opposite-coloured Bishop endgame should not produce anything more than a draw, but 27. Rb1 e5 28. Rb6 Bb5 leads nowhere as well. 27. ... Bxd5 28. Ke3 e5 29. f4 exf4+ 30. gxf4 Bc6 31. Kd4 Bb5 32. e4 Kf7 33. Kd5 Ke7 34. Bd6+ Kd7 35. e5 fxe5 36. fxe5 g6?! Much better was 36. ... Bc6+ 37. Kxc4 g5 38. Kc5 Bf3= with a drawn ending. 37. e6+ Ke8 38. h4

38. ... h5? A grave error which crucially weakens the Kingside. The continuation of the game seems hard to crack, provided the Pawn is still on h7. 39. Kc5 Kd8 40. Kb4 Ke8 41. Kc5 Kd8 42. Kd4 Ke8 43. Bf4 Ke7 44. Kd5 Kf8 45. Bg5 Ke8 46. Kc5 Kf8 47. Kb4 Ke8 48. a4 Bc6 49. Kxc4? With such a time control (10 minutes plus 3 seconds per move), no wonder the rush. 49. a5! Bb5 50. Kc5 was obviously the way to keep squeezing Black.

49. ... Bxa4?? A tragic mistake likely due to time’s tick. 49. ... a5!= 50. Kb3 (otherwise there follows ... Bc6xa4) 50. ... Bd5+ is a trivial draw. 50. Kb4+− Bd1 51. c4 Bg4 52. e7 Kd7 53. Ka5 Be6 54. c5 Bf7 55. Kb6 a5 56. c6+ Kc8 57. Kxa5 Kc7 58. Kb5 Kd6 59. Kb6 Be8 60. c7 1 : 0.

Crowded In An Empty Room

Romain Édouard – Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina
1st Trophée CapÉchecs Online; europe-echecs.com, October 23, 2020
Slav Defence D10

The 18th anniversary of the Rencontres Nationales et Internationales d’Échecs will be remembered as much for its virtualisation, as there are no more queens and kings in the Salle Molière, but only their holograms through the glass screen. Time control is 10 minutes plus 3 seconds per move. 1. d4 d5 2. Bf4 Nf6 3. e3 Bf5 4. c4 c6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Qb3 Qc8 7. Rc1 dxc4 (7. ... Be7 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Bg3 0-0 10. Nf3 Nxc3 11. bxc3 c5 12. Be2 cxd4 13. Nxd4 Nd7 14. Nxf5 exf5 15. Bf3 Nc5 16. Qb1 Rd8 17. 0-0 ½ : ½ A. J. Miles – L. Portisch, 10th Interpolis Chess Tournament Tilburg 1986) 8. Bxc4 Be7 9. Nf3 0-0 10. 0-0 Nbd7 11. Rfe1 Bg4 12. Ne5!?TN (12. Nd2 Nb6 13. Bd3⩲ Vasilev – Zakharova, 41st International Chess Open, Albena 2017) 12. ... Bh5? (12. ... Nxe5 13. Bxe5 Bh5) 13. e4? (13. Bxe6!) 13. ... Nxe5 14. Bxe5 Nd7 15. Bg3 Nb6 16. Bf1 Bg5 17. f4 Bf6 18. Bf2 Qd7 19. Qb4 Rad8 20. h3 h6 21. g4 Bg6 22. Rcd1 Kh8 23. a4 Be7 24. Qb3 f5 25. a5 Nc8 26. d5. Here 26. gxf5 exf5 27. e5 gave White a big advantage, and not to say that 26. Bc4 was also very strong. 26. ... exd5 27. exf5 Bf7 28. Qc2 Bd6

29. Re5! A very strong Exchange sacrifice, especially given the time control. 29. ... Qc7 30. Bd4 Qxa5 31. f6! gxf6? Much better was 31. ... Bxe5 32. fxe5 c5 33. Be3 (Δ Be3xh6) 33. ... Qc7! apparently holding everything up.

32. Rf5? (32. Qf5! fxe5 33. Bd3+−) 32. ... Bg6 33. b4? A dramatic error in calculation that costs the game. Correct was 33. Rxf6 Bxc2 and now both 34. Rf7+ and 34. Rg6+ do not give more than a draw by perpetual check. 33. ... Qxb4−+ 34. Rxf6. Now too late. 34. ... Bxc2 35. Rxf8+ Kh7 36. Rxd8 Bc5 37. Rd7+ Kg8 38. Nxd5 Bxd4+ 39. Kh2 cxd5 40. Bg2 Bxd1 41. Bxd5+ Kf8 42. Rd8+ Ke7 43. Rxc8 Qd2+ 44. Bg2 Bf3 0 : 1.