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.

A Snow Day Off

Zhansaya Abdumalik – Mariya Olehivna Muzychuk

Knockout Women’s World Chess Championship Tournament; match game 2; Khanty-Mansiysk, November 13, 2018

Sicilian Defence B84

Once again, the younger Muzychuk sister did her “comeback” second day’s show, this time taking many risks to leave her half chair to Abdumalik. Instead, they will play the tiebreaker tomorrow. 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Be2 Nf6 7. 0-0 Bb4 8. Ndb5 Qb8 9. Be3 a6 10. a3 Be7 11. Nd4 0-0 12. f4 d6 13. Kh1 Bd7 14. Bf3 Rc8. 14. ... Nxd4 15. Bxd4 Bc6 might have been worth considering. 15. Qe1 b5 16. Qg3. Or 16. Rd1 Nxd4 17. Bxd4 e5 (17. ... Bc6 17. Qg3 produces similar themes, Pergel – Ilić, 25th European Chess Club Cup, Ohrid 2009) 18. Be3 Be6 19. Qg3 with a typical Scheveningen duel, Hossain – Maga, 6th Asian Chess Championship, Cebu City 2007. 16. ... b4 17. axb4 Qxb4 18. e5!? Abdumalik plays for a material stake, probably with a draw in mind. The most sure way to do was perhaps to play for a win: 18. Rfd1! Nxd4 19. Bxd4 Bc6 20. e5! Ne8 21. Ne4 with powerful initiative. 18. ... Nxd4 19. Bxd4 Qxd4 20. exf6 Bxf6 21. Bxa8 Rxa8. Black’s two Bishops compensate for the Exchange. 22. Qd3. A quick passage to the “draw mode”. 22. ... Qxd3 23. cxd3 d5 24. Ra3 g6 25. Rb3 a5 26. Ra1 Kg7 27. Kg1 a4 28. Rb7 Bc6 29. Rc7 Be8 30. Kf1 h5 31. Ra2 Bd8 32. Rb7 Bc6 33. Rb4 Ra6

34. Ke2? I suspect now White could have missed her golden chance to make her dream come true, as after 34. Nxa4(!) Be7 35. Nc3 Rxa2 36. Nxa2 Bxb4 37. Nxb4 the endgame appears to be drawable. 34. ... Be7 35. Rd4 Bc5 36. Rdxa4 Bxa4 37. Nxa4 Bd4 38. b4 Ra8. Instead, now the ending is winning for Black. 39. Ra3 h4 40. Kf3 f5 41. g4 Kf6 42. Ra2 Rb8 43. g5+ Ke7 44. Nb2 Rxb4 45. Nd1 Bb6 46. Rc2 Kd7 47. Nc3 Rd4 48. Rd2 Ba5 49. Ne2 Rxf4+ 50. Kxf4 Bxd2+ 51. Ke5 Ke7 52. Nf4 Bxf4+ 53. Kxf4 Kd6 54. d4 e5+ 55. dxe5+ Ke6 56. Kf3 Kxe5 57. Kg2 Kf4 58. Kh3 Kxg5 0 : 1.

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

Pin-up model

Mariya Olehivna Muzychuk – Zhansaya Abdumalik

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

Sicilian Defence B41

Kazakhstani Woman Grandmaster Zhansaya Abdumalik, 18, won the first game of her quarter-final against Mariya Olehivna Muzychuk in elegant style, thus booking in advance half a chair for the “coming soon” Women’s Candidates Tournament. 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. c4 Nf6 6. Nc3 Bb4 7. Qd3 0-0 8. e5 Ne8 9. Bf4. There are no secrets in the family wardrobe: 9. Be2 Qc7 10. Nf3 Nc6 11. Ng5 f5 12. exf6 Nxf6 13. 0-0 d6 14. a3 Bxc3 15. Qxc3 e5 16. Be3 h6 17. Nf3 Be6 18. Rac1 Ng4 19. Bd2 d5 20. cxd5 e4 21. Ne5 Ngxe5 22. dxe6 Qd6 23. Qe3 Rae8 24. Rfd1 Qd4 25. Qg3 Qxb2 26. Rb1 Qa2 27. Rxb7 g6 28. Qc3 Qxe6 29. Bxh6 Rf7 30. Rxf7 Kxf7 31. Bxa6 g5 32. Bxg5 Qg4 33. Qb3+ Kg7 34. Be3 Rb8 35. Qc2 Nf3+ 36. Kh1 Rh8 37. gxf3 Qxf3+ 38. Kg1 Qg4+ 39. Kf1 Rxh2 40. Ke1 Rh1+ 41. Kd2 Qd7+ 42. Kc1 1 : 0 A. Muzychuk – Dzagnidze, 34th European Women’s Chess Club Cup, Porto Carras 2018. 8. ... Qc7!?TN 9. a3 Bxc3+ 11. Qxc3 f6 12. Nf3 Nc6 13. Bg3 fxe5 14. Nxe5 Nxe5 15. Bxe5 d6 16. Bg3 Qc6 17. f3 e5 18. c5! White temporarily gives up a Pawn in order to open lines and diagonals. 18. ... dxc5 19. Bc4+. Of course, also good was 19. Bxe5 b5 20. Bd3 followed by long castling. 19. ... Be6 20. 0-0-0 b5 21. Bxe6+ Qxe6 22. Rhe1 b4!? 23. Rxe5 Qa2 24. axb4 cxb4 25. Qxb4. In the end it is White who has a Pawn more as well as a powerful position, counterbalanced only (but probably not enough) by her King’s exposed position. 25. ... Rc8+ 26. Rc5 a5 27. Qb5? This mistake leads to a curious reversal. White ought to have played 27. Qd4! maintaining her edge and eventually preparing to consolidate with Rd1-d3-a3.

27. ... Rf5! The c5-Rook is pinned both verically and horizontally. 28. Bf2 Qe6 29. Rd3? This second error will prove to be fatal. Comparatively best was 29. Rd2 Rfxc5+ 30. Bxc5 Nc7! 31. Qxa5 Qe1+ 32. Kc2 Nd5 with Black having more than enough compensation for the two minus Pawns. 29. ... Rfxc5+! This simply wins a piece and liquidates into an easily won ending. 30. Bxc5 Qe1+ 31. Kc2 Qf2+ 32. Kb3 Qxc5 33. Qxc5 Rxc5 34. h4 Rb5+ 35. Ka3 Kf7 36. Rd7+ Ke6 37. Ra7 h5 38. g4 hxg4 39. fxg4 Rb4 40. Rxa5 Rxg4 41. Rh5 g6 42. Rh8 Ng7 43. b4 Nf5 44. b5 Rxh4 45. Rg8 Rg4 46. b6 Nd6 47. Rc8 Rg5 48. Rb8 Kd7 49. Kb4 Kc6 50. Kc3 Nb7 51. Kd4 Kxb6 52. Re8 Kc6 53. Re5 Rg4+ 54. Ke3 Nc5 55. Kf3 Rg1 56. Re8 Kd6 57. Rc8 Ne6 0 : 1.

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