The Outsiders

Mariya Muzychuk – 章晓雯 (Zhāng Xiǎowén)
2nd Chess Women Masters Tournament; 无锡 (Wúxī), April 10, 2012
French Defence C11

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 dxe4 5. Nxe4 Be7 6. Bxf6 gxf6 7. Nf3 f5 8. Nc3 a6 9. Qd2 b5 10. 0-0-0 b4 11. Na4 Bb7 12. Qe3 Qd5 13. Nc5 Bc6. The a2-Pawn is taboo: 13. ... Bxc5? 14. dxc5 Qxa2 15. Qd4 0-0 16. Ng5 Nd7 17. Bc4 (clearly not 17. Qxd7?? on account of 17. ... Rad8 and wins) 17. ... Qa1+ 18. Kd2 Qa4 19. Nxe6! fxe6 20. Bxe6+ Rf7 21. Rhe1 Nf8 22. Bxf7+ Kxf7 23. Qc4+ Kf6 24. Qh4+ Kg6 25. g4! with an irresistible attack. 14. b3 Bb5 15. a4 Bxf1 16. Rhxf1 Rg8. Out of the known track: 16. ... Nc6 17. Rfe1 Rg8 18. Nd3 (or 18. g3 Bd6 19. h3 a5 20. Nd3 0-0-0 21. Nde5 Rgf8 22. Nxc6 Qxc6 23. d5 exd5 24. Nd4 Qb6 25. Nxf5 Bc5 26. Qf3 Qf6 27. Kb1 c6 28. Re2 Rde8 29. Rde1 Re6 30. Qg4 Qg6 31. Qf4 Rfe8 32. Rxe6 Rxe6 33. Rxe6 Qxe6 34. Ne3 Bxe3 35. fxe3 Qxh3 36. g4 Qh1+ 37. Kb2 Qe4 38. Qxf7 Qxg4 39. Qxh7 ½ : ½ A. Muzychuk – Drozdovskij, 2nd Pfalz Open, Neustadt an der Weinstraße 2009) 18. ... Bd6 19. g3 Rg4 20. Nb2 Re4 21. Qd3 Bf8 ½ : ½ Bezgodov – Kiriakov, Russian Team Championship, Sochi 2007. 17. g3 Nc6 18. Rfe1 Rg4. This looks a bit committal. Black is hoping for 19. h3? Rxd4! with excellent chances for a dynamic advantage.

19. Rd2!! The most difficult move in the whole game. 19. ... Nxd4? Oblivious to the danger. At first sight, 19. ... Bd6 20. h3 Rg8 appears a lesser evil. 20. Nxe6! Now White, with a neat “petite combinaison”, wins first the Black e-Pawn and then the Black f-Pawn. 20. ... fxe6. Else 20. ... Qxe6 21. Nxd4 Qxe3 22. Rxe3 f4 23. Re4 Kf8 24. Nf5 Bf6 25. Rd7 and White totally dominates the board. 21. Rxd4 Rxd4 22. Nxd4 Bc5 23. Qxe6+ Qxe6 24. Nxe6 Bxf2 25. Nxc7+ Kd7 26. Re2 Kxc7 27. Rxf2 Rf8 28. Rf4. Black’s f-Pawn is doomed. 28. ... a5 29. g4 Kd6 30. Rxf5 Rxf5. Equivalent to resignation. 31. gxf5 Ke5 32. c3 bxc3 33. Kc2 Kxf5 34. Kxc3 h5 35. h4 Kg4 36. b4 axb4+ 37. Kxb4 Kxh4 38. a5 Kg3 39. a6 h4 40. a7 h3 41. a8=Q Kh2 42. Qf3 1 : 0.

Mariya Muzychuk
Photo: blog.sina.com.cn

Wildwood Flower

章晓雯 (Zhāng Xiǎowén) – 倪诗群 (Ní Shīqún)
Women’s Chinese Chess Championship; 兴化 (Xīnghuà), May 22, 2015
Russian Defence C42

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Nc3 Nxc3 6. dxc3 Be7 7. Be3 Nc6 8. Qd2 Ne5 9. 0-0-0 0-0 10. h4 c6 11. Kb1 Qa5 12. Nxe5! Less trustworthy appears 12. Bg5 Be6 as in the game Michelle Catherina – 倪诗群 (Ní Shīqún), 32nd World Junior Chess Championship Girls, Pune 2014. 12. ... Qxe5. If 12. ... dxe5 then 13. Bc4 gives White a lasting initiative. The text move on the other hand is no better. 13. Bg5 Bxg5 14. hxg5 Bf5 15. f4. 章晓雯 (Zhāng Xiǎowén) rightly ignores the d6-Pawn and she focuses on developing her attack. 15. ... Qa5 16. Bd3. Intending g2-g4. 16. ... g6 17. Rh4! Bxd3 18. Qxd3 f5? Disastrous! In any case, after 18. ... Qf5 19. Qd4! Black cannot survive long.

“Position before White’s 19th move. What can one say? The open h-file and active White Queen spell mortal danger for the Black monarch... a good tactician needs no hint!”, Grandmaster Kevin Spraggett said. 19. Rxh7! Easily crushing! 19. ... Kxh7 20. Rh1+ Kg8 21. Qd4 Qd8 22. Rh8+ Kf7 23. Rh7+ Ke6 24. Qe3+ Kd5 25. Qd3+ Ke6. Or 25. ... Kc5 26. Qd4+ Kb5 27. Qb4+ Ka6 28. Qxb7+ Ka5 29. b4+ Ka4 30. Qa6+ and mate next move. 26. c4 d5. Helpmate, but other moves also lose very quickly. 27. Qe3+ Kd6 28. c5 mate.

章晓雯 (Zhāng Xiǎowén)
Photo: sports.sina.com.cn

比萨斜塔

沈阳 (Shěn Yáng) – 章晓雯 (Zhāng Xiǎowén)
3rd Women Masters Chess Tournament; 无锡 (Wúxī), June 2, 2013
King’s Indian Defence E97

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Be2 0-0 6. Nf3 e5 7. 0-0 Nc6 8. d5 Ne7 9. b4 a5 10. Ba3 Nh5 11. c5 axb4 12. Bxb4 Nf4 13. Nd2. Departing from their game in the previous year’s tournament: 13. Bb5 Bg4 14. cxd6 cxd6 15. a4 f5 16. Ra3 Rc8 17. Re1 Bh6 18. h3 Bh5 19. a5 fxe4 20. Nxe4 Rc1 21. Qa4 Nxh3+ 22. Kf1 Bxf3 23. Rxf3 Rxe1+ 24. Kxe1 Rxf3 25. gxf3 Nf5 26. Bd7 Nf4 27. Be6+ Nxe6 28. dxe6 Qc8 29. e7 Nxe7 30. Bxd6 Qc1+ 31. Ke2 Nc6 32. Bc5 Bf8 33. Be3 Qb2+ 34. Kf1 Qb4 35. Qa2+ Kg7 36. Ng5 Nd8 37. Qd5 Qd6 38. Qb5 Qa6 39. Qxa6 bxa6 40. Bb6 Nc6 41. Ne6+ Kf7 42. Nc7 Nb4 43. Be3 Bd6 44. Na8 Nc6 45. Bd2 Bb4 46. Ke1 Bxd2+ 47. Kxd2 Nxa5 48. Nc7 Nb3+ 49. Kc3 Nc5 50. Kc4 h5 51. Kxc5 h4 0 : 1 沈阳 (Shěn Yáng) – 章晓雯 (Zhāng Xiǎowén), 2nd Women Masters Chess Tournament, 无锡 (Wúxī) 2012. 13. ... f5 14. Re1 Nxe2+ 15. Qxe2 dxc5 16. Bxc5 b6 17. Bxe7. If 17. Bb4 then 17. ... Ba6 18. Nb5 Rf7 with a dynamically balanced position. 17. ... Qxe7 18. Qc4 Kh8 19. Nb5 Ba6 20. a4 Qd7 21. Qc6 Qxc6 22. dxc6 Bxb5 23. axb5 Rad8 24. Nf3 fxe4? A careless move. After 24. ... Bf6 it was doubtful whether White could claim any advantage. 25. Ng5! That’s right! The direct 25. Rxe4 Rd5 leads nowhere. 25. ... Rd5? Black goes rapidly from bad to worse. The last ditch try was 25. ... e3! 26. fxe3 e4 27. Ra4 Bh6 28. Ne6 Bxe3+! 29. Kh1 Bd2 with excellent chances of survival due to the powerful passer. 26. Ne6 Rxb5 27. Nxf8 Bxf8 28. Red1 Rc5 29. Rac1 Ra5. More stubborn is 29. ... Rxc1 30. Rxc1 Bc5, although after 31. Re1 White retains significant winning chances. 30. Rd8 Kg8 31. g4 Ra7 32. Rcd1 Kf7 33. R1d7+ Be7. On 33. ... Kg8 34. Rc8 wins. 34. Rh8 Ke6 35. Re8 1 : 0.

沈阳 (Shěn Yáng) performing a simultaneous exhibition with her students in 国际象棋常青藤 (Chess Ivy) – idem to say 北京 (Běijīng) Chess Club.

Greek gift sacrifice

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – 章晓雯 (Zhāng Xiǎowén)

2nd “火炬地产杯” (“Torch Real Estate Cup” Chinese Chess League; 石家庄 (Shíjiāzhuāng), April 25, 2006

French Defence C11

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 c5 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Be3 a6 8. Qd2 b5 9. a3 Bb7 10. Qf2 Qa5 11. Rb1!?TN (11. Ra2 Qb6 12. Ne2 b4 13. Nd2 a5 14. Nb3 c4 15. Nd2 Ba6 16. c3 bxa3 17. bxa3 Bxa3⩱ Hodgson – Chandler, Watson Farley Williams Tournament, London 1990) 11. ... b4 12. axb4 Qxb4 13. Bd3 cxd4 14. Nxd4 Nxd4 15. Bxd4 Bc5 16. Bxc5 Nxc5 17. 0-0 0-0 18. Ne2 a5 19. Nd4 Ba6? A catastrophic mistake. 19. ... Nxd3 20. cxd3 Ba6 was correct and good enough to hold balance.

20. Bxh7+! “Elementary, my dear Watson”. 20. ... Kxh7 21. Nc6. 21. Qh4+ Kg8 22. Nc6 transposes into the game. 21. ... Qb7 22. Qh4+ Kg8. (22. ... Kg6? 23. g4! Rh8 24. f5+ exf5 25. gxf5 mate) 23. Ne7+ Qxe7 24. Qxe7 Bxf1 25. Qxc5 Rfc8 26. Qf2 Bc4 27. b3 Bb5 28. f5 exf5 29. Qxf5 Rc6

30. c4! Bxc4 (30. ... dxc4 31. e6!+−) 31. bxc4 dxc4 32. Qd7 Re6 33. Rf1 Rxe5 34. Rxf7 Rg5 35. h4 Rg6 36. Qd5 Raa6 37. Rf6+ Kh7 38. Qh5+ 1 : 0.