Steady On

Alexandra Konstantinvna Kosteniuk – 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn)

Women’s World Chess Championship Knockout Tournament; match game 1; Khanty-Mansiysk, November 15, 2018

French Defence C07

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 c5 4. exd5 Qxd5 5. dxc5 Qxc5 6. Ngf3 Nf6 7. Bd3 Be7 8. 0-0 Nbd7 9. a4 Qc7 10. Nb3 b6 11. a5 Bb7 12. a6!? A novelty of dubious theoretical quality, which hardly improves on 12. axb6 axb6 13. Rxa8+ Bxa8 14. Qe2 0-0= Rogić – Palac, 4th Marko Jarić Menorial (Blitz Chess Tournament), Stari Mikanovci 2011. 12. ... Bd5 13. Nbd4 Rd8 14. Qe2 0-0 15. c4 Ba8 16. Nb5 Qb8 17. Nfd4? 17. Bc2 Nc5 18. b4 Nce4 19. Rb1 seems a sounder way for White to proceed. 17. ... Nc5 18. Bc2

18. ... Nxa6! Kosteniuk seems to have been surprised by 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn)’s take, which is grounded on obvious tactics (19. Rxa6!? Qb7! 20. Nc6! Bc5!? would be quite unbalanced, but certainly favourable to Black). On the other hand, White’s move turns out to be much worse: 19. Be3? Rd7 20. f3 Nb4 21. Ba4 Bc5 22. Rad1 Rfd8 23. Qf2 Qc8. Also good was 23. ... Qe5! 24. Rfe1 a6! winning material. 24. Nc3 Nc6. Like in most of her other games, 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) prefers to play safely, relying upon her remarkable technique. Even here, 24. ... Rxd4! 25. Rxd4 Bxd4 26. Bxd4 Nd3 appeared a neat solution to cash in on her own positional superiority. 25. Nxc6 Bxc6 26. Bxc5 bxc5 27. Rxd7 Bxd7 28. Bc2 Be8 29. Rd1 Rxd1+ 30. Bxd1 h6. In the end, facts bear 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) out in her aims. 31. Qe3 Qc7 32. Bc2 Qd6 33. Ne2 Bc6 34. Nc3 Nd7 35. b3 a5 36. Ne2 Bb7 37. Qc3 Qc7 38. Qd3 Nf6 39. Nc3 Bc6 40. Qe3 Qd6 41. Ne2 Bd7 42. Nc3 Qd4 43. Kf2 Kf8 44. Ne2 Qxe3+ 45. Kxe3 Ke7 46. Nc3 Kd6 47. g3 Bc6 48. Bd1 Nd7 49. f4 f5 50. g4 Nf6 51. h3 Bg2 52. gxf5 Bxh3 53. fxe6 Bxe6 54. Bf3 Bf5 55. Kd2 h5 56. Nb5+ Kd7 57. Nc3 h4 58. Ke3 Ke6 59. Bd1 g6 60. Na4 Kd6 61. Nc3 Nh5 62. Bf3 h3 63. Nd5 h2 64. Kf2 Bc2 65. Kg2 Bxb3 66. f5 Bxc4 67. Ne3 Bf7 68. fxg6 Nf4+ 69. Kxh2 Nxg6 70. Bd1 Ke5 71. Kg3 Kd4 72. Kf2 Ne5 73. Nf5+ Kc3 74. Nd6 Bd5 75. Nb5+ Kd2 76. Ba4 Bc6 77. Kg3 Bxb5 0 : 1. “The position after the opening was very unclear and complicated. Somehow she missed 18. ... Nxa6 and I after that am just a Pawn up. Eventually she didn’t hold it, and I won”, 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) said afterwards.

居文君 (Jū Wénjūn). Photo © Press service of the Women’s World Championship 2018.

Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk. Photo © Press service of the Women’s World Championship 2018.

A Board With a View

Yesterday 17th Women’s World Chess Champion 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) (pictured above, right) has been spending a goodly part of her day off next to Grandmaster Pavel Vladimirovich Tregubov (pictured above, left), one of the two commentators (together with Alexander Sergeyevich Morozevich) of the Women’s World Chess Championship Knockout Tournament, supporting him to provide live coverage of the two tie-breaks. And given that Tregubov is also the husband of Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk — who was playing the tie-break against Anna Olehivna Muzychuk — such a help cannot but be regarded as a noble treasury of Chinese kindness. Photo © Press service of the Women’s World Championship 2018.

Seasonality

Mariya Olehivna Muzychuk – Zhansaya Abdumalik

Women’s World Chess Championship Knockout Tournament; tie-break game 3; time control: 10 minutes plus 10 seconds; Khanty-Mansiysk, November 14, 2018

8/8/N7/1K1k4/8/r7/8/2R5 b - - 0 86

Position after 86. Kb6xb5

The younger Muzychuk sister needed to play till the last blitz game just to be sure of winning over the very gifted Kazakhstani Woman Grandmaster Zhansaya Abdumalik. The third tie-break game (ten minutes) was characterised by something momentous, as after defending in an endgame Rook + Knight vs. Rook Abdumalik could have claimed a draw according to the fifty-move rule, despite being mated in two moves. Instead, she resigned. So Muzychuk advances to semi-final, with a ticket for the “coming soon” Women’s Candidates Tournament, and probably being happy not to have to stuff her sweater into the suitcase. 86. ... Rb3+ 87. Nb4+ Kd4 88. Rc4+ Ke5 89. Kc5 Rb1 90. Nc6+ Ke6 91. Re4+ Kf5 92. Re8 Rc1+ 93. Kd5 Rd1+ 94. Nd4+ Kf4 95. Rf8+ Kg4 96. Ke4 Re1+ 97. Kd3 Re7 98. Rf1 Re8 99. Rf7 Rd8 100. Re7 Ra8 101. Ke4 Kg5 102. Re6 Ra4 103. Rb6 Rc4 104. Ra6 Rb4 105. Ke5 Rb1 106. Nc2 Rb3 107. Ke4 Rb8 108. Re6 Ra8 109. Nd4 Ra4 110. Rb6 Rc4 111. Ra6 Rb4 112. Ra5+ Kg4 113. Ra1 Kg5 114. Ke5 Kg6 115. Rg1+ Kf7 116. Rf1+ Kg6 117. Rf6+ Kg5 118. Rf4 Rb1 119. Ne6+ Kg6 120. Rg4+ Kf7 121. Rg7+ Ke8 122. Nc7+ Kf8 123. Rd7 Re1+ 124. Kd6 Rd1+ 125. Nd5 Re1 126. Ra7 Re2 127. Nf4 Re1 128. Ne6+ Kg8 129. Rg7+ Kh8 130. Rf7 Ra1 131. Re7 Rd1+ 132. Ke5 Re1+? Both 132. ... Rf1 and 132. ... Kg8 would have lead to a theoretical draw. 133. Kf6 Rf1+ 134. Kg6 Rg1+ 135. Ng5 1 : 0. “It wasn’t easy at all, my opponent fought very well. Two times I won the first game and then couldn’t even make a draw in the second ones. I tried to be calm and maybe this helped me”, Muzychuk eventually said about her tie-break victory.

Mariya Olehivna Muzychuk vs. Zhansaya Abdumalik. Photo © Press service of the Women’s World Championship 2018.

Many Lives

Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk – Anna Olehivna Muzychuk

Women’s World Chess Championship Knockout Tournament; tie-break game 1; time control: 25 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; Khanty-Mansiysk, November 14, 2018

Sicilian Defence B33

It took only two tie-break games for Kosteniuk to overcome Muzychuk’s resistance, thus going through to semi-final, and, however bad may be her final result, entitling herself to a place of honour in the “coming soon” Women’s Candidates Tournament. 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5 9. Nd5 Be7 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. c3 Rb8 12. Nc2 Bg5 13. Be2 0-0 14. 0-0 Be6 15. Qd3 a5 16. Rfd1 Ne7 17. Nxe7+ Bxe7 18. Ne3 Qd7 19. Nd5 Rfd8!? An interesting novelty that could work as well as 19. ... Bd8 20. Rd2 b4 21. cxb4 axb4 22. Qb3 Bb6 23. Nxb6 Rxb6 24. Bc4 Bxc4 25. Qxc4 Rc8 26. Qd3 h6 27. h3 Qc6 28. Rad1 Qc5 29. Qb3 Qc4= Zagrebelny – Rogozenko, 10th Goodricke International Open Chess Tournament, Calcutta 1999. 20. Qg3 Qa7 21. Rd2 b4 22. Rad1 bxc3 23. Nxc3 h6 24. b3 Qc5 25. Na4? As they say, “A Knight on the rim is dim”. A sounder course would have been 25. Rd3(!) Rf8(!) with an approximately balanced game. 25. ... Qa7? With 25. ... Qb4(!) Black would have immediately put her finger in the wound, gaining — at least momentarily — the upper hand. 26. Bg4 Qc7 27. Bxe6 fxe6 28. Qg4 Qc8 29. Rd3 d5 30. Qg6 Bf6 31. Rg3 Qc2 32. Rf1 Kh8 33. Qf7!? Kosteniuk, bravely, does not hesitate to go into the wild, burning all bridges behind her. 33. ... d4! It’s clear, however, that Muzychuk, too, plays for the win. 34. Rh3 Rf8 35. Qxe6 d3! 36. Qc4 Rbc8? Muzychuk keeps pursuing tactics, thus missing the time to decisively tighten the grip on White’s position: 36. ... Rfd8! 37. Qe6 Bg5! 38. Qxe5 d2 39. Nc3 Rbc8 40. Nd1 Qxd1! 41. Rxd1 Rc1 with overwhelming effect. 37. Qxd3 Qxa2? 38. Nb6! The Knight finally re-enters into the board. 38. ... Rc2. It’s a gamble, but 38. ... Rcd8 39. Nd5 would have left White with a powerful advantage.

39. Qd6? It was hard to resist such a temptation, but indeed White should have contented herself with 39. Nd7 Rd8 40. Qb5 grinding out a more prosaic win. 39. ... Be7! 40. Qxe7 Rcxf2? The right move with the wrong Rook! Consequential was 40. ... Rfxf2! 41. Rxf2 Rxf2 as after 42. Qe8+ Kh7 43. Nd7 (or 43. Rg3 Qb1+! 44. Kxf2 Qc2+ with perpetual check) 43. ... Rxg2+ 44. Kh1 Qf2 45. Nf8+ White has no more than perpetual check. 41. Qxf8+. Sic et simpliciter. The win is now very easy: 41. ... Rxf8 42. Rxf8+ Kh7 43. Rf1 Qc2 44. Kh1 Qxe4 45. Rg3 Qd4 46. Na4 h5 47. h3 e4 48. Re1 g6 49. Rge3 Qb4 50. Rc1 Qd2 51. Rce1 Qb4 52. Nb2 Kh6 53. Nd1 a4 54. bxa4 Qxa4 55. Nf2 Qc2 56. Nxe4 Qa2 57. Kh2 Qa5 58. h4 Qe5+ 59. g3 Qb5 60. Ng5 Qf5 61. Nh3 Qg4 62. Nf4 g5 63. Re6+ Kh7 64. Re7+ Kg8 65. Rc7 1 : 0.

Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk vs. Anna Olehivna Muzychuk. Photo © Press service of the Women’s World Championship 2018.

Queenkeeping

居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) – Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova

Women’s World Chess Championship Knockout Tournament; match game 1; Khanty-Mansiysk, November 12, 2018

Queen’s Pawn Game A40

In spite of her lively play, 17th Women’s World Chess Champion 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) did not succeed — at least today — in breaking the resistance put up by the young Uzbekistani Woman Grandmaster Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova. 1. d4 e6 2. c4 b6 3. e4 Bb4+ 4. Bd2 Bxd2+ 5. Qxd2 d5 6. Bd3 Ba6 7. cxd5 Bxd3 8. Qxd3 exd5 9. Ne2. If 9. Qg3 then 9. ... dxe4 10. Qxg7 Qf6 11. Qg4 Nc6 12. Nc3 Qg6 13. Qxe4+ Qxe4+ 14. Nxe4 Nxd4 15. 0-0-0 0-0-0= Girya – van Foreest, 80th Tata Steel GpB, Wijk aan Zee 2018. 9. ... Ne7 10. e5 c5 11. 0-0 0-0 12. Nbc3 Nbc6 13. f4 Qd7 14. b3 Rac8 15. Rad1 Rfd8 16. dxc5 bxc5. A typical position with hanging Pawns has suddenly arisen. 17. Ng3. 17. Ne4(!) seems a little more intriguing. 17. ... Qe6 18. Rfe1 c4! 19. bxc4 Nb4 20. Qe2 dxc4!? Maybe there’s nothing wrong with it, but 20. ... Qb6+ 21. Kh1 dxc4 seems safer.

21. Rd6! 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) puts all her energy in the exploitation of her plusses, but — quite unfortunately — she won’t be able to produce a forced win. 21. ... Rxd6 22. exd6 Ned5 23. Nxd5. Interesting also was 23. Qxe6 fxe6 24. f5!, but after 24. ... e5! (24. ... Nxc3 25. fxe6 may well turn into a nightmare) 25. Rxe5 Nxc3 26. d7 Rf8 27. Rc5 Rd8 28. Rc8 Nc6 29. Rxc6 Rxd7 30. Rxc4 Nxa2 it takes much imagination to figure that Black can’t eventually save herself. 23. ... Nxd5 24. Qxe6 fxe6 25. f5! e5! (25. ... exf5?? 26. d7+−) 26. Rxe5 Nf6 27. Ne4 Rd8 28. Kf1 Nxe4 29. Rxe4 c3 30. Rc4 Rxd6 31. Rxc3 Ra6 32. a3 Kf7 33. Kf2 Kf6 34. g4 h5 35. gxh5 Kxf5 36. Rg3 Ra4 37. Kg2 Kf6 38. Kh3 Ra5 39. Kh4 Ra4+ 40. Kh3 Ra5 41. Kh4 Ra4+ 42. Kh3 Ra5 ½ : ½.

居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) vs. Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova. Photo © Press service of the Women’s World Championship 2018.

And Then There Were Seven

Antoaneta Stefanova – Anna Olehivna Muzychuk

Women’s World Chess Championship Knockout Tournament; tie-break match game 2 (25+10); Khanty-Mansiysk, November 11, 2018

Queen’s Pawn Game D00

The eight quarter-finalists are finally decided. They are (in alphavetical order): Zhansaya Abdumalik, 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn), Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk, Ekaterina Aleksandrovna Lagno, Anna Olehivna Muzychuk, Mariya Olehivna Muzychuk, 雷挺婕 (Léi Tǐngjié), and Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova. 1. d4 d5 2. Bf4 Nf6 3. e3 Bf5 4. c4 e6 5. Nc3 Bb4 6. Qb3 Nc6 7. a3 Bxc3+ 8. bxc3 Na5!? A sensible novelty by Muzychuk that may improve on 8. ... 0-0 9. Nf3 (more critical seems to be 9. Qxb7 to which Black can reply with both 9. ... e5!? or 9. ... Qe8!?) 9. ... Na5 10. Qb4 b6! 11. Be2 c5! with great play for Black, Stefanova – Koneru, 3rd SportAccord World Mind Games, Women’s Blitz Event, 北京 (Běijīng) 2013. 9. Qa4+? The erratic manoeuvres of White’s Queen will promptly cause Stefanova serious discomfort. A little better seems 9. Qb4 (9. ... b6!?). 9. ... c6 10. c5 b5 11. Qd1. Too much back-and-forth. 11. ... Ne4! 12. Rc1 g5! 13. Bg3 h5! Black already took the offensive. 14. f3 Nxg3 15. hxg3 Nc4 16. Bxc4 bxc4 17. g4

17. ... Bd3! 18. gxh5 Rb8 19. Qd2 Qa5 20. e4 f6? An unnecessary precaution, which does give White time to counterattack. Simply 20. ... Qxa3 21. Qxg5 Rb2 (and if, for instance, 22. Qe5 then 22. ... Rg8−+) would have won right off. 21. e5! Qxa3 22. exf6 Rb2 23. Qxg5?? But Stefanova misses her last chance to give Muzychuk a bit of overtime work by 23. Qe3 Kf7 24. Qe5 (24. Qxg5?? Rxg2!−+), though after 24. ... Rb7 25. Ne2! Qb2! Black should still maintain an encouraging advantage. 23. ... Rxg2!−+ 24. f7+ Kxf7 25. Qf4+ Kg8 26. h6 Qb2 27. Qe3 Kh7! Now White is in a deadly zugzwang and cannot avoid mate. 28. Qf4 Qf2+ 0 : 1.

Anna Olehivna Muzychuk and Anotaneta Stefanova riding on the rollercoaster. Photo © Press service of the Women’s World Championship 2018.

Last Chance Reunion

The impending 64-player Women’s World Chess Championship Knockout Tournament has been announced to be the last one of the controversial series inaugurated in 2000. FIDE President Arkady Vladimirovich Dvorkovich, indeed, respected his electoral promise to reform the Women’s World Chess Championship format system, as it is said in a statement published on the FIDE website last October 22: “Following the change in the system of the Women’s World Championship, the amendment to the regulations of the Women’s World Championship 2018 has been made: all semi-finalists except for the eventual winner will qualify to the forthcoming Women’s Candidate Tournament of the 2019-2020 cycle”. A parade of Queens will write the last words of a long and short story at the Ugra Chess Academy in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia since November 2, 2018. 17th Women’s World Chess Champion 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) will take part in it, thus putting at stake the crown she conquered just a few months ago. She knows that she could go down in history as the shortest time Women’s World Champion ever, but she said that, whatever it is, she won’t make a drama of it. 16th Women’s World Chess Champion 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí), too, will be in the race, in a kind of armistice, after having been excluded from the national team for the whole of the 43rd Olympiad. Instead, four-time Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), a long time opposer of the current format system, while being discharged by both the Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE) and the Chinese Chess Association, fled in search of higher skies in Great Britain, where she was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to study for a Master’s Degree in Education at the University of Oxford. As for chess, she’s probably waiting for brighter opportunities in the future. Humpy Koneru returns after a long absence due to her pregnancy, just to find out that nothing has changed since then. And then there are Anna Olehivna Muzychuk and Mariya Olehivna Muzychuk, the Ukrainian Sister Queens, once again together in Russia to make the big shot. And last but not least the Russian stars: Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk, Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina, Valentina Evgenyevna Gunina, who hope to deny the saying that nemo propheta in patria. And so on, until. Here is the list of all participants.

From left: 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí), 余少腾 (Yú Shǎoténg), and 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) spotted on the flight from Moscow to Khanty-Mansiysk. Photo: Russian Chess Federation (@ruchess_ru).

Most of the other participants were apparently traveling on the same flight, such as Anna Olehivna Muzychuk (centre) and Mariya Olehivna Muzychuk (right). Photo: Russian Chess Federation (@ruchess_ru).

The Lottery Ticket

In spite of her disappointing result at the recent 19th European Individual Women’s Chess Championship in Vysoké Tatry, Slovakia, former Women’s World Champion Mariya Olehivna Muzychuk, who placed 14th by virtue of having the best tie-breaks of the twelve players tied at 7 points, eventually took the last available spot for qualifying at the next Knockout Women’s World Chess Championship Tournament.

The Importance of Not Being Arcovazzi

Chess-News.ru‏ (@Chess__News)

The participants in the Women’s World Chess Championship Knockout Tournament will receive their money prizes in the next few days.

Photo © David Llada

Broadcast delay

On the occasion of International Women’s Day, President of Ukraine Petro Oleksiyovych Poroshenko awarded Vice Women’s World Chess Champion Anna Olehivna Muzychuk the Order of Princess Olga of 3rd degree by Presidential Decree No. 56/2017.

Anna Olehivna Muzychuk’s arrival at Lviv Danylo Halytskyi International Airport on March 4, 2017. Photo: city-adm.lviv.ua.

Lonely But Not Alone

Chess-News.ru‏ (@Chess__News)

Anna Olehivna Muzychuk: “The Women’s World Chess Championship Knockout Tournament in Tehran has been the most problematic of all”. For further details, visit: http://chess-news.ru/node/22843.

Finally back home in Lviv, Ukraine, Vice Women’s World Chess Champion Anna Olehivna Muzychuk lamented her restless month in Tehran, Iran. “Being alone in Iran is not easy”, she told xsport.ua. “I had to solve any problem on my own”. Starting with logistics. She had neither time nor way of visiting the city, except for the last day when she finally got out of the hotel to meet the Ukrainian Ambassador in Iran in his residence. Then other trivial problems confronted her. The hotel was too noisy due to constant works in progress. The venue of play was abnormally hot. And finally, the last and most significant burden: “I was without a coach. I had nobody, and no help. No support and no assistance, neither for chess nor for daily life. By comparison, my Chinese opponent could enjoy a coach, an interpreter, and a support group. No wonder she was more balanced than me”.

Muzychuk family staged a triumphal welcome for Anna Olehivna at Lviv Danylo Halytskyi International Airport on March 4, 2017. Her sister Mariya Olehivna — at present still the only Women’s World Chess Champion in the genealogical family tree — proudly stands beside her. Photo: Oksana Vatseba.

Shéhérazade

• Dylan Loeb McClain, Does Women’s Chess Have a Problem?, The Huffington Post, March 5, 2017

Dylan Loeb McClain, former chess columnist for The New York Times and now writer-on-demand of World Chess, the official partner of FIDE, reviews the Women’s World Chess Championship Knockout Tournament that had just ended, with special regards as to the controversies that have accompanied it. Among various amenities, such as the hijab issue (which indeed looks much more elegant than the Ku Klux Klan’s hood), he notes how the absence of the world’s women’s No. 1 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) may play an influential role in the future development agenda of the women’s chess movement. As it is well known, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) disdained the knockout format, regarding it as unreasonably unpredictable and subjective, and asked to FIDE’s lawmakers to equate men’s and women’s World Chess Championship systems. FIDE officials, however, preferred to “defend the unpredictable” as a more appealing format to sponsors and audience. Furthermore, most of the chess élite showed very little interest in the gender equality issue, and raised their voice only against the mandatory Iranian dress code. With all due respect to such an argument, no wonder that the unpredictable ended up to be the only certainty.

René Magritte, Shéhérazade, 1947. Photo courtesy of harpersbazaar.com

The Ides of March

Anna Olehivna Muzychuk – 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí)

Women’s World Chess Championship Knockout Tournament; match game 3; Tehran, March 1, 2017

French Defence C11

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 c5 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Be3 Be7 8. Qd2 0-0 9. dxc5 Bxc5. The alternative is 9. ... Nxc5 10. 0-0-0 a6 11. Qf2 b6 12. Nd4 Qc7 13. g3!? Bb7 14. Bg2 Na5 15. f5!? Qxe5 16. Bf4 Qf6 17. h4 e5! 18. Nxd5! Bxd5 19. Bg5 Qd6 20. Bxe7 Qxe7 21. Bxd5 exd4 22. Bxa8 Rxa8 23. Rhe1 Qc7 24. b4 Nc6 25. bxc5 bxc5 with dynamic balance, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn), 15th Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival, Catalan Bay 2017. 10. 0-0-0 Qa5 11. a3 Be7!? For 11. ... Rb8 12. Bxc5 Nxc5 13. Qe3 Qb6 14. Nd4 Nxd4 15. Qxd4 Bd7 16. h4 see Eljanov – Gagare, Isle of Man International Masters, Douglas 2016. 12. Bd3! If it were a novelty, one should wonder why – but, of course, it’s not. The fierce Ukrainian Grandmaster just aims straight for mate! 12. ... a6!? 13. h4! b5? 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí)’s being oblivious to the danger, innocently plays what she planned to do...

14. Bxh7+! Just the start of a devastating attack. Muzychuk thought for almost half an hour before sacrificing, thus suggesting that she was just improvising. I think, instead, she was well inside her preparation. 14. ... Kxh7 15. Qd3+ Kg8 16. Ng5 f5!? No better is 16. ... g6 17. h5! and White’s attack develops itself. 17. Nxd5! That’s Muzychuk’s novelty, which appears to be almost as strong as 17. Qe2! Bxg5? 18. hxg5 g6 19. Qf3 Ne7 20. Nxd5! Nxd5 21. Rxd5 Kf7 22. Rdd1 1 : 0 Zaas – Greig, NAPZ Higher Class Tournament, by correspondence, 2014. 17. ... b4!? 18. Nxe7+ Nxe7 19. Bd2? Too cautious. Best was the immediate 19. Qd6! as after 19. ... bxa3 20. b4! Black is in a valley of tears (20. ... a2 21. Kb2 Rb8 22. c3+−). 19. ... Rb8?? 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí) got too upset to keep nerves calm and steady. Nevertheless, after 19. ... Nd5! 20. Qf3 (Δ Qf3-h5), it was not easy to find the right defensive idea: 20. ... Ra7!! 21. Qh5 N7f6! 22. exf6 gxf6 and, miraculously, the Black Rook on the seventh rank keeps everything under control. 20. Qd6! Now White wins by brute force. Muzychuk, who was a bit short of time, must be only careful not to make blunders. 20. ... Qc5 21. Bxb4 Qxd6 22. Bxd6 Ng6 23. Nxe6 Re8 24. Bxb8 Rxe6 25. g3 Bb7 26. Rh2 Nc5. Now Muzychuk ends the game in very pretty style. 27. Rd8+ Kh7 28. Bd6! Black is in zugzwang. 28. ... Ne4 29. h5 Nh8 30. h6! Nf7 31. Rd7 Rxd6 32. Rxf7 1 : 0.

Muzychuk vs. 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí). Photo © David Llada.

Common Sense Not Needed

Grandmaster 余少腾 (Yú Shǎoténg), head coach of the Chinese women's team participating in the surreal Women’s World Chess Championship Knockout Tournament in Tehran, Iran, exchanged some impressions with 梓沫 (Zǐ Mò) of Sina Sports about the fast and furious climb of 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí), the most veiled of the Chinese pretenders and China’s last hope to hold the Knockout crown and eventually negotiate a “royal dignity pact” with the “Warlords” which may allow to resuscitate both the Queen and the Queendom. “Today’s games were too unpredictable and subject to ups and downs, and 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí) was very lucky to qualify for the final”, 余少腾 (Yú Shǎoténg) said. “Nevertheless, the tie-break games reflected all her excellent qualities in rapid play, such as resilience, tenacity, and psychological endurance. Her opponent in the final, Anna Olehivna Muzychuk, is notoriously very strong. I hope 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí) may have a good rest tomorrow, so she can play at her best in the final”.

谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí) as Joan of Arc. Photo: qipai.org.cn.

Halfway Home

Anna Olehivna Muzychuk – Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk

Women’s World Chess Championship Knockout Tournament; match game 2; Tehran, February 24, 2017

Sicilian Defence B44

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4!? Nc6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nf6 6. Nc3 Bc5!? For the more probing 6. ... Bb4 7. Nxc6 bxc6 8. Bd3 e5 9. 0-0 Bc5 see Karjakin – Grischuk, 23rd Russian Team Chess Championship, Sochi 2016. 7. Nxc6 bxc6? If Kosteniuk’s aim of revenge was actually founded on the ill-conceived text error, we cannot but conclude that, after yesterday’s débâcle, she did not believe that it was possible to hit back at the will of Caïssa. For 7. ... dxc6 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Bf4 Ke7 10. f3 Rd8 11. g4 Nd7 12. 0-0-0 e5 13. Bg3 f6 14. Be2 Nf8 15. Kb1 Ne6 16. Na4 Bd4 see A. Muzychuk – 孙翼男 (Sūn Yìnán), 16th World Youth Chess Championship Girls Under-12, Oropesa del Mar 2001. 8. e5 Ng8 9. Ne4! According to databases, this is a novelty, but only because – I guess – no one deliberately enters such a position just to lose... 9. ... Qb6. 9. ... Qa5+ 10. Bd2 Bb4 might perhaps be a bit less worse than the text. 10. Nxc5 Qxc5

11. Qd6! It certainly was not difficult to find it. Black will be left packed and inexorably undeveloped. 11. ... Qxd6 12. exd6 a5 13. b3 Nf6 14. f3 0-0 15. Be3 Ne8 16. 0-0-0 e5 17. Bd3 g6. The maybe previoulsly planned 17. ... f5 would have been effectively met by 18. Rhe1 Nxd6 19. Bc5 Rf6 20. Rxe5 Nb7 21. Re8+ Kf7 22. Rf8+ Kg6 23. Rxf6+ Kxf6 24. Bd4+ Kg6 25. g4+-, as shown by Georges Bertola in his commentary for Europe Échecs. 18. Bh6 Ng7 19. Rhe1 f6 20. f4! “Very sad position for Alexandra Kosteniuk... Her next best moves would be to propose draw and let Anna Muzychuk fly to the final”, reads the tweet of Europe Échecs, but 12th Women’s World Chess Champion quite proudly decides to drink the bitter chalice to the end. 20. ... Re8 21. fxe5 fxe5 22. Rd2 Re6 23. c5 Ba6 24. Bxa6 Rxa6 25. Bxg7 Kxg7 26. Rde2 Kf6 27. Rf1+ Kg7 28. Ref2 e4. Also 28. ... Ra7 is met by 29. Rf7+ Kh6 30. Re7. 29. Rf7+ Kh6 30. Re7 1 : 0.

Muzychuk vs. Kosteniuk. Photo © David Llada.

Winds of Fury

Anna Olehivna Muzychuk – Antoaneta Stefanova

Women’s World Chess Championship Knockout Tournament; match game 1; Tehran, February 20, 2017

Spanish Game C95

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 0-0 9. h3 Nb8 10. d4 Nbd7 11. Nbd2 Bb7 12. Bc2 Re8 13. Nf1 Bf8 14. Bg5 h6 15. Bh4 Qc8 16. dxe5 dxe5 17. N3d2 Nh7!? 18. Ne3 Nc5 19. Nd5 a5 20. a4 bxa4 21. Bxa4 Nxa4 22. Qxa4 Re6 23. Nc4 Bc6 24. Qd1 a4 25. Bg3 f6 26. b4! axb3 27. Rxa8 Bxa8 28. Qxb3 Ng5 29. Ra1. With the threat of Nd5xc7. 29. ... Bxd5 30. exd5 Re8 31. Ra7. Muzychuk keeps the initiative with temperament and character. Now the threat is d5-d6. 31. ... Bc5 32. Rb7

32. ... Nxh3+!!? After very long thought, the passionate Stefanova came up with a wild Knight sacrifice, aiming for a win–win outcome. It is very interesting, but also very imprudent, given that now she is left with two minutes for reaching the time control. The cool 32. ... Kh8(!) would have prevented White’s most immediate threats and maintained quite an unclear position. 33. Kf1. Of course not 33. gxh3?? Qxh3 and Black’s attack would triumph. 33. ... Nf4?? With no more time for dreaming, Stefanova’s lost lucidity. Stockfish’s first line 33. ... Nxf2 34. Bxf2 Qf5 35. Qa2! Kh7! (with the threat of ... Re8-a8) seems very appealing (even if not winning). 34. d6! And finally Muzychuk hits her opponent a blow she cannot survive. 34. ... Qe6? One mistake leads to another. However, even after 34. ... Kh8 35. dxc7 Qd7 36. Rb8 Black is doomed. 35. dxc7 Nd5 36. Qb5 Bf8 37. Nb6 Nxb6 38. Rxb6 Qg4 39. f3 1 : 0.

Anna Olehivna Muzychuk. Photo © David Llada.

Antoaneta Stefanova. Photo © David Llada.

Eyeliner

If nothing else, Georgian Woman Grandmaster Nino Khurtsidze while deeply meditating on her chess games in the Women’s World Chess Championship Knockout Tournament in Tehran, Iran had the luck of being pictured by the eye of David Llada, so in the end it won’t matter whether she wins or loses. Photo: David Llada. For all Mr. Llada’s pictures from Teheran, please visit his Facebook account.

The g-Pawn

诸宸 (Zhū Chén) – 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn)

Women’s World Chess Championship Knockout Tournament; match game 1; Tehran, February 14, 2017

Nimzo-Indian Defence E27

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. f3 d5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 0-0 7. cxd5 exd5 8. e3 Nh5

9. g4?? 9th Women’s World Chess Champion 诸宸 (Zhū Chén) makes the world aware of her adhesion to the current Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)’s Manifesto, and like her countrywoman, she delivers to the g-Pawn the divine message. 9. ... Qh4+ 10. Kd2 Ng3. White can resign. What follows now is to understand why you have to write the moves down on the scoresheet. 11. Qe1 Nxf1+ 12. Qxf1 f5 13. gxf5 Bxf5 14. c4 c5 15. Bb2 cxd4 16. Bxd4 Nc6 17. Ne2 dxc4 18. Qg2 Bg6 19. Rac1 b5 20. f4 Nxd4 21. Nxd4 Rad8 22. Rhf1 Qf6 23. Qg1 Qa6 24. Rc3 b4 25. axb4 Qa2+ 26. Kd1 Qb1+ 0 : 1.

诸宸 (Zhū Chén) vs. 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn). Photo: David Llada (‏@davidllada).

Entr’acte

Natalia Andreevna Pogonina – Mariya Olehivna Muzychuk

Women’s World Chess Championship Knockout Tournament; match game 3; Krasnaya Polyana, April 4, 2015

Queen’s Gambit Declined D45

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Bd3 0-0 8. 0-0 dxc4 9. Bxc4 b5 10. Be2 a6 11. Ng5. “It was a difficult game with unbalanced material – three Pawns for a piece. I did not expect 11. Ng5 from Natalia, as she never played it before, and I had to recall everything at the board. It took about half an hour, but I think I did not forget anything”, then Muzychuk said. 11. ... Qc7 12. e4 Bxh2+. Probably not played on the spur of the moment. If 12. ... h6 might follow 13. e5 hxg5 14. exd6 Qxd6 15. Bxg5 Qxd4 16. h4 Bb7 17. Rad1 Qc5 18. Qd2 b4 19. Na4 Qa5 20. b3 c5 21. h5 with adequate compensation for the Pawn, Nepomniachtchi – Korobov, 16th European Individual Championship, Jerusalem 2015. 13. Kh1 c5 14. e5 cxd4 15. exf6 Nxf6 16. f4 Bg3 17. Qd3 dxc3 18. Qxg3 h6 19. Nh3. “19. Nh3 was a first new move for me, I only examined 19. Nf3 previously. So I was out of my book, but I think my position was quite good. Three Pawns should be enough for a piece”, Muzychuk said. 19. ... Ne4 20. Qe1. Black has three Pawns for the Bishop, but “Before the endgame, the gods have placed the middlegame”, Siegbert Tarrasch said. And in the middlegame White Bishop pair and Kingside initiative might be very dangerous. 20. ... Bb7 21. Bf3 cxb2 22. Bxb2 Qc2 23. Bxe4 Bxe4 24. Rf2 Qd3 25. Kh2 Rfd8. With Bishops of opposite colour, the attacker has the advantage in the middlegame, so everything depends on the next few moves. If Black is able to swap Queens before White’s attack succeeds.

26. Rc1. It was worth considering 26. a4 for lifting the Rook to the Kingside via a3. 26. ... Rac8 27. Rxc8 Rxc8 28. a3. If 28. Rd2 then 28. ... Rc2 with equality. 28. ... Bd5. Grandmaster Aleksander Delchev recommends 28. ... Rc2 29. Rxc2 Qxc2 30. Qf2 Qb1 31. Qd4 f6 32. Nf2 Bd5 33. Nd1 Kh7 34. Ne3 Bc6 35. Bc3 Qe4 36. Qxe4+ Bxe4 37. g4 Kg6 with about even chances. 29. Rd2. But Pogonina misses her chance with 29. f5! Rc4 30. fxe6 Bxe6 31. Qe5 Rg4 32. Nf4 and white has some winning prospects; for example: 32. ... Qg3+ 33. Kg1 Bd7 34. Qc7 (Delchev’s analysis). 29. ... Qg6 30. Qe5. Now 30. f5 Qxf5 31. Qg3 Qg6 32. Qxg6 fxg6 33. Nf4 Kf7 34. Nxd5 exd5 35. Kg3 (or 35. Rxd5 Rc2 with equality) 35... g5 36. Rxd5 Rc2 37. Rf5+ Ke6 38. Rf2 Rxf2 39. Kxf2 g6 leads nowhere (Delchev’s analysis). 30. ... f6 31. Qe3. Black is now getting out of danger. If 31. Qd6 then 31. ... Rc6! is a good reply. 31. ... Rc4 32. Rf2. Intending f4-f5. 32. ... Qf5 33. Bc3 Ra4 34. Bd2 a5 35. Qc5 Qd3 36. Bc1 Qc4 37. Qxc4 Rxc4 38. Bb2 b4 39. axb4 Rxb4. “When I got the passed a-Pawn in the endgame, I realized I can bring it to а2 with a nearly winning position. I don’t know if I really had a win, but it was quite hard to find at the board”, Muzychuk said. 40. Bc3 Rb5 41. Rd2 a4 42. Bb2 Rb3 43. f5. Better late than never! 43. ... a3 44. Bd4 Rb4. “[...] I knew my position is much better, but I could not see the win. I could play 44. ... a2 instead of 44. ... Rb4, but it would be an easy draw for White because of the opposite-colored Bishops”, Muzychuk said. 45. Nf4. “Everything seemed to work out, and the resulting Rook ending seemed drawish to me”, then Pogonina said. 45. ... a2 46. Nxd5. What about 46. fxe6 instead of 46. Nxd5? – then asked Anastasia Karlovich. “Oh no, somehow I was reluctant to give my opponent a new Queen”, Pogonina answered. 46. ... Rxd4 47. Nxf6+ gxf6 48. Rxa2 e5 49. Ra8+ Kf7 50. Ra7+ Ke8 51. Ra6 Ke7 52. Ra7+ Rd7 53. Ra6 Kf7 54. Kg3 Kg7. After 54. ... h5! “I was planning to attack this Pawn with 55. Kh4. Not sure about its evaluation, should analyze the position later”, Pogonina said. 55. Kg4 Re7 56. Ra3 Kh7 57. Ra6 e4 58. Ra2 e3 59. Re2 Rg7+ 60. Kh4 Rg8 61. g4 Re8 62. Kg3 h5 63. gxh5 Kh6 64. Kf4 Re5 65. Rxe3 Rxe3 66. Kxe3 Kxh5 67. Kf4 ½ : ½.

Natalia Andreevna Pogonina vs. Mariya Olehivna Muzychuk. Photo: Anastasiya Karlovich.

Walking on Sunshine

Mariya Olehivna Muzychuk – Dronavalli Harika

Women’s World Chess Championship Knockout Tournament; blitz game 2; Krasnaya Polyana, March 31, 2015

1r6/7R/1Pnpk3/P1p2p1p/2P1PP1P/2K1B3/8/8 w - - 0 45

Muzychuk must now be very careful only to avoid a stalemate! 45. Rh6+ Ke7 46. e5! Nxa5 47. exd6+ Kd7 48. Bxc5 Nb7 49. Bb4 Re8 50. c5 Nd8 51. Rh7+ Kc6 52. Rc7+ Kb5 53. b7 Nc6 54. Rc8 Re3+ 55. Kd2 Rh3 56. Rxc6! 1 : 0. “After winning Bronze medal in World Championship still it is very depressing, this is what sport is...”, Harika finally tweeted.

Anna Olehivna Muzychuk congratulates her younger sister. Photo: Anastasiya Karlovich.