Hay que endurecerse sin perder jamás la ternura

• Roberto M. López de Vivigo, Yaniet Marrero, entre aperturas y sombras, Trabajadores, June 7, 2015

Yaniet Marrero López
Photo: Trabajadores

Echo

Yaniet Marrero López – Meri Arabidze
Women’s World Chess Championship; Krasnaya Polyana, March 21, 2015
Sicilian Defence B41

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. c4 Nf6 6. Nc3 Qc7 7. Be2 b6 8. 0-0 Bb7 9. Qd3 Nc6 10. Nxc6 dxc6 11. f4 Rd8. For 11. ... Bc5+ 12. Kh1 0-0 13. e5 Rad8 14. Qh3 see 侯逸凡 (Hóu​ Yì​fán) – Nana Dzagnidze, Women’s Grand Prix, Khanty-Mansiysk 2014. 12. Qh3 c5 13. e5. Sharp play on the part of White. 13. f5 appears to me to be the more consistent and most effectual line of play. 13. ... Ne4 14. f5 Nxc3 15. bxc3 exf5 16. e6. White boldly sacrifices her second Pawn. 16. ... fxe6 17. Bh5+ g6 18. Bxg6+ hxg6 19. Qxh8. White has won the Exchange, but Black’s powerful initiative more than compensate for the loss. 19. ... Qc6

20. Rf3? The lesser evil was 20. Qh3, although after 20. ... Rd3! Black still retains a clear advantage. 20. ... Rd1+ 21. Kf2 Qe4! With the threat of ... Qe4-e1 mate. Yaniet could well resign here. 22. Qxf8+ Kxf8 23. Bh6+ Ke8 24. Rxd1 Qh4+ 25. Rg3 Qxh6 26. Rgd3 Be4 27. Rh3 Qf4+ 28. Kg1 Bxg2 29. Rg3 Be4 30. Rf1 Qh6 31. a4 g5 32. Re3 g4 33. Rfe1 Ke7 34. R1e2 Bc6 0 : 1.

Yaniet Marrero López vs. Meri Arabidze
Photo: Anastasiya Karlovich

¡Hasta la Victoria Siempre!

Yaniet Marrero López – Elina Danielian
Women’s World Chess Championship; Krasnaya Polyana, March 18, 2015
Caro-Kann Defence B12

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5. The Advance Variation. 3. ... Bf5 4. Nd2 e6 5. Nb3 Nd7 6. Nf3 Ne7 7. Be2. White has chosen positional play, in slow, slow motion. 7. ... Nc8 8. 0-0 Be7 9. a4 0-0 10. a5 a6 11. Be3 Na7 12. Ne1 c5 13. Nxc5 Bxc5. We should have preferred 13. ... Nxc5 14. dxc5 Nc6 as in the game Galkin – Ivanchuk, World Chess Cup, Khanty-Mansiysk 2007. 14. dxc5 Nxe5 15. g4 Bg6 16. f4 Nc4 17. Bxc4 dxc4 18. f5 exf5 19. gxf5 Qxd1 20. Rxd1 Bh5 21. Rd7 Rfe8 22. Ng2 Nc6 23. Rxb7 Ne5 24. Bf4 Nf3+ 25. Kf2 g5 26. fxg6 hxg6 27. h4 Nd4 28. Ne3 Re4 29. Rb8+ Rxb8 30. Bxb8 Rxh4 31. Nd5 Nc6 32. Bf4 Kg7 33. Re1 Rg4? On the wrong track! Black should have played 33. ... Bg4 34. Kg3 Rh5 35. Nc7 Bd7 36. Nxa6 Nxa5 37. Nb8 Bb5 38. Ra1 Nc6 with considerable survival prospects. 34. Re8 g5 35. Bd2 f6 36. Re6 Rd4 37. Bc3 Rxd5 38. Rxc6 Rf5+ 39. Kg3 Kg6 40. Rxa6. A Black Pawn has fallen, therefore Elina is condemned to a desperate-looking endgame. 40. ... Rf3+. If 40. ... Rxc5 then 41. Rxf6+ Kh7 42. a6 and Black is hopeless. 41. Kg2 Rf5 42. c6 Bf3+ 43. Kg1 Rc5 44. c7 g4 45. Rxf6+. An elegant “dual” is 45. Be5! Kf5 46. Bd6 and Black must give up her Rook. 45. ... Kg5

46. Rf7? Yaniet slipped into an apprehensive half-slip. After 46. Be5! Black is virtually in Zugzwang. 46. ... Bb7 47. Kf2? A grave error. 47. Kh2 was called for. 47. ... Kg6? Black misses her chance of forcing a Bishops of opposite colours endgame by 47. ... Rf5+ 48. Rxf5+ Kxf5 which would greatly increase the prospects of a draw. The rest is easy. 48. Rf6+ Kg5 49. a6 Bd5 50. Rd6 Be4 51. Re6 Kf4 52. Bd2+ Kf5 53. Re7 c3 54. Bxc3 Rc4 55. Rxe4 1 : 0.

Yaniet Marrero López vs. Elina Danielian
Photo: Vladimir Barsky

Dubler Vázquez (@DublerV)

¡Oh Cuba! ¡Oh ritmo de semillas secas!

Cubana enfrentará difícil prueba en Copa Mundial de Ajedrez La Habana, 4 mar.– La cubana Yaniet Marrero tendrá un estreno exigente ante la armenia Elina Danielian durante la Copa Mundial de Ajedrez, convocada desde el próximo día 16 en el balneario ruso de Sochi. La página digital de la Federación Internacional difundió que sus 2 mil 222 puntos Elo sitúan a la caribeña en el escaño 52 del ordenamiento de salida, donde Danielian es decimotercera gracias a 2 mil 488. Ambas rivalizaron durante la sexta fecha de la Olimpiada Mundial de Tromsø y el resultado favoreció a la europea, quien, además de Gran Maestra entre hombres, suma seis coronas en un país donde el Ajedrez es de los deportes más populares. Medallista olímpica en el 2010 y titular de casa en el 2011, Yaniet la enfrentará ahora en dos partidas clásicas, y en caso de empate definirían en rápidas. La ganadora de ese match parece llamada a vérselas con la conocida alemana Elisabeth Pähtz (2 479), favorita ante la georgiana Meri Arabibze (2 374). [Read more].

• Cubana enfrentará difícil prueba en Copa Mundial de Ajedrez, Radio Nuevitas, March 4, 2015

Yaniet Marrero López

Yaniet Marrero López – Nguyễn Thị Mai Hưng
39th Women’s Chess Olympiad; Khanty-Mansiysk, September 21, 2010
Sicilian Defence B27

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 g6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Qxd4 Nf6 5. e5 Nc6 6. Qa4 Nd5 7. Qe4 Nc7 8. Nc3 Bg7 9. Bf4 0-0 10. 0-0-0 Rb8? This move looks too slow. Black needs to seek some counterplay by 10. ... Ne6 11. h4 Qa5; for example: 12. Rd5 Qb4 13. Bc4 Na5 14. Nd2 Nxf4 15. Rb5 Qxb5 16. Bxb5 a6 17. Ba4 Ne6 18. Nd5 Re8 19. Nb6 Rb8 20. f4 Nc6 21. Nf3 Nc5 22. Qc4 d6 23. Bxc6 bxc6 24. Nxc8 Rexc8 25. Ng5 e6 26. Rd1 Nb7 27. exd6 Bxb2+ 28. Kd2 Nxd6 29. Qc5 Ba3 30. Qa7 h6 31. Qxa6 hxg5 32. Ke2 Ra8 33. Qd3 gxh4 34. g4 hxg3 35. Qxg3 Nf5 36. Qc3 Bf8 37. Rd7 Ra4 38. Kf3 Ra3 0 : 1 Mammadova – Khalifman, Nakhchivan 2013. 11. h4! Ne6. No better looks 11. ... b5 12. h5 b4 13. hxg6 hxg6 14. Be3 bxc3 15. Qh4 f6 16. Qh7+ Kf7 17. Bd3 Rg8 18. Bxg6+ Kf8 19. exf6 exf6 20. Bc5+ Ne7 21. Rhe1 d6 22. Rxd6 cxb2+ 23. Kb1 Be6 24. Rxd8+ Rxd8 25. Bf5 Rd5 26. Bxe7+ Kxe7 27. Qxg8 1 : 0 Odeev – Duman, Kocaeli 2008. 12. h5! a6? This move constitutes another loss of time. Now White’s attack plays itself. 13. hxg6 hxg6 14. Bc4! Nxf4 15. Qxf4 b5 16. Qh4 Re8 17. Bxf7+! Or 17. Qh7+ Kf8 18. Bxf7! Kxf7 19. Ng5+ Kf8 20. Qxg6 Nxe5 21. Rh8+! Bxh8 22. Nh7 mate. 17. ... Kxf7 18. e6+!? A divertissement. More straightforward was 18. Ng5+ Kf8 19. Qf4+ leading to a quick mate. 18. ... dxe6 19. Qf4+ Bf6 20. Rh7+ Kg8 21. Qh6 Qxd1+ 22. Nxd1 Nd8 23. Qxg6+ Kf8

24. Ng5! 1 : 0.