Tomashevsky and Goryachkina close to the title

by Sagar Shah
8/20/2015 – 10 of 11 rounds are played in the Superfinals and Evgeny Tomashevsky and Aleksandra Goryachkina have good chances to win. After a win in round nine and a draw against his closest rival, Sergey Karjakin, Tomashevsky now is half-a-point ahead of Karjakin. Goryachkina also fought off her rivals and is half-a-point ahead of the field. Games and analyses.

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The 68th Men's Russian Chess Championship and the 65th Women's Russian Chess Championship is played in Chita from 9. to 21. August. The competition is held by the Russian Chess Federation, the Elena and Gennady Timchenko Charitable Foundation and the Zabaykalsky Krai Chess Federation, with support from the government of the Zabaykalsky Krai. The competition partners are Norilsk Nickel and the Baikalsk Mining Company.

The ninth round brought a number of decisive games but no final decision about the title. Evgeny Tomashevsky won a fine game against  Ivan Bukavshin, confirming his lead.

 
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This was the most complicated game of the round and the leader Tomashevsky maintained his half point lead with this win. 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 c6 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4 dxc4 7.e4 g5 8.Bg3 b5 9.Be2 Bb7 The main line of the Moscow Variation. One of the most complex lines in chess theory. Unlike it's brother the Botvinnik system, not everything has been worked out here and there is good scope for creativity. 10.Qc2!? h4 and 0-0 are the main moves but Tomashevsky tries the same move which brought him success against Matlakov a year ago. Nh5!?N Bukavshin had come prepared with this novelty. He took only 37 seconds to make his move. 10...g4 11.Ne5 Qxd4 12.Rd1 Qc5 13.Qd2 Be7 14.Qf4± already gives White a crushing initiative. 10...Nbd7 was the main move played in 73 games. 11.Be5 Rg8 11...f6 12.Nd2 is a little uncomfortable. 12.h4 Nf4 It was Bukavshin who played the novelty but Tomashevsky kept playing fast. Here Ivan took 15 minutes! A case of hunter getting hunted?! 12...g4 13.Nh2 f6 14.Bxb8 Rxb8 15.Nxg4 Nf4 13.hxg5 hxg5 13...Nxg2+ 14.Kf1+- 14.Bxf4 gxf4 15.d5!? Played without even a moment's thought! Wow! Either Tomashevsky has some amazing preparation or he has a great feel for the position. Nd7 15...cxd5 16.0-0-0 15...b4 16.dxe6 fxe6 16...bxc3 17.exf7+ Kxf7 18.Bxc4++- 17.Na4± 15...Rxg2 16.0-0-0 15...exd5 16.exd5 cxd5 17.0-0-0± 16.0-0-0 37 minutes for the move! This is typical Tomashevsky. He is not shy in using time at critical junctures as we have already seen in the previous games too. Maybe he was deciding whether he should maintain the tension with 0-0-0 or release it with dxe6. 16.dxe6 fxe6 17.e5 looked tempting but after Qe7 18.0-0-0 0-0-0 Black is more than ok. 16...Qb6 16...Qc7 could be the safest. 17.dxe6 fxe6 18.Nd4 Nc5 19.Nxe6!? Nxe6 20.e5!? With moves like Rh7, Bh5 Qf5 etc. coming up White has excellent compensation. 16...Qf6 17.Nd4± 16...Qe7 17.Nd4± 17.dxe6 fxe6 18.Nd4 18.Rxd7!? is a natural idea when you want to prevent your opponent from castling. Kxd7 19.Qd2+ Ke8 19...Kc8! 20.Rh7 Bg7 21.Qd6 c5! 21...Qd8 22.Qxe6+ Kb8 23.Ne5 Bxe5 24.Qxe5+ Kc8 25.Bg4+ Rxg4 26.Nxb5 cxb5 27.Qf5+ Kb8 28.Qxb5 Qb6 29.Qe8+ Bc8 30.Qe5+ Qc7 31.Qxc7# 22.Nxb5 Qxd6 23.Nxd6+ Kc7 24.Nxb7 Kxb7 25.Bxc4 Rae8 26.Ng5∞ 19...Kc7 20.Qxf4++- 20.Qxf4 18...Nc5 18...0-0-0 19.Nxe6 Re8 20.Qd2 Ne5 21.Qxf4 Rxe6 22.Qf5 c5 23.Nd5 Qc6 24.Nf4+- 19.Bh5+ Having a look at this thematic sacrifice that computer comes up with. 19.Nxe6! Nxe6 20.Bh5+ Ke7 21.e5! Opening up the way for the queen to come to f5. Black is defenseless. Nd4 21...Rg7 22.Qf5+- 21...Rd8 22.Qf5 Rg7 22...Rd3 23.Qf7+ Kd8 24.Qxg8+- 23.Qf6# 22.Rxd4 Qxd4 23.Qf5 Kd8 24.Rd1± If this is the best that Black has you can understand how powerful the move Nxe6 is. 19...Ke7 20.Be2? Tomashevsky must have surely realised that this retreating move is definitely not in the spirit of the position. Yet it seems he couldn't find anything concrete for White. But I think it isn't too difficult. Have a look at the variations. 20.Nf5+!? exf5 21.exf5 also gives White excellent compensation. 20.e5! is the best and would surely cross your mind as the first candidate move. Rg7 20...Nd3+ Of course this knight cannot be tolerated on d3. 21.Rxd3 cxd3 22.Qxd3 Rd8 And now it is very important to see the killer blow 23.Nf5+! 23.Qh7+?! Rg7 24.Qh6 Rxd4 25.Qf6+ Kd7 26.Qxf8 Re7 23...exf5 24.Qxf5 Rg7 25.Ne4+- The difficult part is to assess this position. Black is lost because he has no answer to the move Bg4. But during the game when you are a rook down and you cannot see so clearly six moves into a position, this would not be easy to go for. 25.Qf6+? Kd7 26.Rd1+ Kc8-+ 25...c5 25...Qd4 26.Qf6+ Kd7 27.Rd1+- 25...Rd5 26.Qf6+ Kd7 27.Qxf8+- 25...Bc8 26.Qf6+ Kd7 27.Rd1++- and the c8 square is not available for the king. 26.Nd6+- White just strengthens his position with Rd1 before giving the killer blow with Qf6+. 21.Nf5+! 21.Nxe6!? 21...exf5 22.Qxf5 Nd3+ 23.Rxd3 cxd3 24.Bg4! 24.Qf6+?! Kd7 25.e6+ Kc7 26.Qe5+ Kd8 27.Qf6+ Kc7= 24...Rxg4 25.Qxg4 Kd8 25...Qd4 26.Rh7+ Kd8 27.Qg5+ Kc8 28.Qf5++- 26.Rh7+- All these given lines should convince you that Tomashevsky did not have to retreat with Be2. He should have opened his queen's diagonal with e5 and then sacrificed material as if he didn't care about anything in the world! 20...Rd8 20...Rg7 was also possible. 21.e5 Rg7 21...Nd3+ 22.Bxd3 Rxd4 23.Be2 22.Nf3 22.Nf5+ exf5 23.Qxf5 Nd3+ 24.Bxd3 cxd3 25.Qf6+ Kd7 26.Rxd3+ Kc8 27.Rh8+- 22...b4 22...Rxd1+ 23.Rxd1 Ke8!?∞ might be the best way to proceed. 23...Kf7 24.Qd2± 22...Nd3+ 23.Bxd3 cxd3 24.Rxd3 Rxd3 25.Qxd3 c5 26.Nxb5± 23.Ne4 Rxd1+ 23...b3 24.axb3 Nxb3+ 25.Kb1 Qa6 26.Qxc4 Qxc4 27.Bxc4 c5 28.Nd6 Bxf3 29.gxf3 Nd4∞ 24.Rxd1 c3 25.Nd6 b3! Buskavshin realises that he must play actively. But maybe it's just too late. 26.axb3 26.Qxc3 bxa2 27.Kc2 27.Qa3 a1Q+ 28.Qxa1 Nb3+-+ 27...Rxg2∞ 26...Nxb3+ 26...Qxb3 27.Qxb3 Nxb3+ 28.Kc2 Nc5 29.b4 Ba6 30.bxc5 Bxe2 31.Rb1+- Gives White a winning advantage. 27.Kb1 cxb2 28.Bc4 Nc5 29.Nh4 29.Qd2 29...Nd7 Diagram
While White's position is a picture of harmony, Black's pieces have absolutely no co-ordination amongst them. Even the b2 pawn which has reached the seventh rank is just helping white to defend his own king! 30.Ng6+ Kd8 31.Nxb7+ Kc7 31...Qxb7 32.Nxf8+- 32.Nd6 Black has won a piece and with some effort won the game. Qa5 33.Ba2 Rxg6 34.Qxg6 Qxe5 35.Ne8+ Kb6 35...Kc8 36.Qxe6+- 36.Qxe6 Qxe6 37.Bxe6 Nc5 38.Ba2 A very interesting complex battle where the positioning and function of the pieces was more important than their quantum. 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Tomashevsky,E2747Bukavshin,I26551–02015D4368th Superfinal RUS-ch Men9

Evgeny Tomashevsky

However, Sergey Karjakin kept close to Tomashevsky by winning against Peter Svidler.

 
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1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 b5 6.Bb3 Bc5 Svidler is one of the experts in the Arkhangelsk Variation of the Ruy Lopez. 7.c3 d6 8.a4 This is the second most popular move in the position. The most frequently played move is 8.d4 Bb6 9.h3 9.a4 Rb8 transposes to the game. 9...0-0 10.Re1 and so on. 8...Rb8 9.d4 Bb6 10.axb5 axb5 11.Na3 0-0 12.Nxb5 Bg4 Black gives up the b5 pawn to setup this irritating pin as well as pressure on the d4 pawn. 13.d5 13.Bc2 Bxf3 14.gxf3 Nh5 15.f4 Nxf4 16.Bxf4 exf4 17.Qg4 is the main line with pretty good results for White. 13...Ne7 14.Bc2 Qd7 15.c4 Ng6 16.h3 Bxh3!? One could say this is a brave move but on the other hand if you look at it closely, it is practically forced. The most interesting thing to note here is that this same sacrifice had been played nine years ago against Karjakin by Radjabov when the Ukrainian GM was just 16 years old with a rating of 2672! 16...Bh5 17.Qd3± followed by Bd2 gives Black absolutely no compensation for the pawn. 16...Bxf3 17.Qxf3± is also clearly better for White. 17.gxh3 Qxh3 All these moves were made quickly by Svidler which means he was still in his preparation. 18.Ng5! The only defensive move available to Black. Considering all the trainspositions we have now reached a position that has been played nine times as per the Mega-Database. 18.Ra3 looks logical but after Ng4 The knight cannot move from f3 due to the mate threat on h2 and the other knight is coming soon to h4. 19.Bg5 Qg3+ 20.Kh1 Bxf2 A deadly check is coming up on h3. 21.Qe2 21.Rxf2 Nxf2# 21...Qh3+ 22.Nh2 Qxh2# 18.Nh2 Nh4!-+ leads to a quick mate. 18...Qg3+ 19.Kh1 Qh4+ 19...Bxf2? 20.Ra3 Qh4+ 21.Rh3+- 20.Kg2 Nf4+ 20...Ng4 looks interesting but after 21.Nf3!+- 21.Nh3 I had a subtle idea of sacrificing the queen after Bxf2? But White throws in the intermediate 22.Ra3! When the game is over. 22.Rxf2 Qxh3+ 23.Kxh3 Nxf2+ 24.Kg3 Nxd1 25.Bxd1 is also slightly better for White. 22...Bc5 23.Rg3+- 20...Nh5 21.Nh3± The game Karjakin-Radjabov 2006 went 20...h6 21.Nh3 Nxe4 22.Qe2 f5 23.Ra3 Rf6 24.Rh1 Rbf8 25.b4± When White is better but the position remains complicated and both players went wrong several times in the game. 1-0 (45) Karjakin,S (2672)-Radjabov,T (2729) Cap d'Agde 2006 21.Bxf4 exf4 22.Nf3 Qg4+ 23.Kh1 Rfe8! A very strong move by Svidler bringing a new piece into the game. 24.Ra3 This was played after 18 minutes of thought. The rook stands well on a3 and will help in the defence. 24.Nh2 Qh4 25.Qf3 25.f3 Nh5-+ 25...Re5! 26.Rg1 Bxf2 27.Rg2 Bg3 28.Nd4 g6 29.Ne2 Rg5 24...Nxe4 25.Bxe4 Rxe4 26.Rc3 Ba5?! Maybe moving the bishop away from the square b6 was a mistake as we shall see in the game. 26...Qh5+ 27.Nh2 27.Kg2 Qg4+ 28.Kh1 Qh5+= 27...Qxd1 28.Rxd1 Re2! Black has two pawns for a piece and now wins the third one. 29.b4 Bxf2= +/=.Black should have decent chances to hold this position. 27.Rc1 Rbe8 28.Nh2 Qh4 28...Qxd1 29.Rfxd1 Re2 30.b4!± 29.Nd4 This move would not have been possible had the bishop been on b6. h5 30.Qd3 Qf6 31.Nc6 Bb6?! A tricky attempt would have been 31...f3!? 32.Nxf3 32.Nxa5 Rh4-+ With the threat of Rxh2 and Qh4 gives Black a winning position. 32.Qxf3 Rf4 33.Qd3 Bb6 34.Qc3 Qh4∞ When things are not at all clear. 32...Bb6 Black is still in the game. 32.b4! f3 33.Qxf3 Rf4 34.Qc3 The threat of c4-c5 forces Black to exchange the queens. Qxc3 34...Qh4 35.c5+- 35.Rxc3 Bxf2 36.Rf3 Rxf3 37.Nxf3 Black has only two pawns for a piece and is facing a strong pawn majority on the queenside. It should not be too difficult for Karjakin to convert this. Re2 38.Ng5 f6? 38...Rc2 39.Ne6 fxe6 40.dxe6 Bh4 40...Kf8 41.Ra1+- 41.e7 Bxe7 42.Nxe7+ Kh7 43.Rf4 Black will have his task cut out to make a draw here but maybe he still has his chances. g5 44.Re4 39.Ne6 h4 40.Nxc7 Bg3 41.Ne6 Rc2 42.b5 The pawns cannot be stopped, hence Peter resigned. A very interesting practical sacrifice by Svidler which was defended excellently but Karjakin. 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Karjakin,S2753Svidler,P27391–02015C7868th Superfinal RUS-ch Men9

Sergey Karjakin

Nikita Vitiugov fared less well. After his draw against Daniil Dubov he was one point behind Tomashevsky and half-a-point behind Karjakin.

 
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1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 Bf5 6.Ne5 Nbd7 7.Nxc4 Nb6 8.Ne5 a5 9.g3 Nfd7 10.Nxd7 Nxd7 11.e4 Bg6 12.f4 e6 13.Bg2 Bb4 14.0-0 f6 15.Be3 0-0 16.Na2 Be7 17.Qb3 Bf7 18.Qxb7 c5 19.e5 Rb8 20.Qa7 cxd4 21.Bxd4 fxe5 22.fxe5 Diagram
The last few moves of the game between Vitiugov and Dubov had some nice tactical shots! Have a look at them. 22...Rxb2! A simple deflection. Bxb2 is met with Bc5+. But this is just the start! 23.Rfd1 Rxg2+! A nice little exchange sacrifice. The f7 bishop will get into action now. 24.Kxg2 Bh5 25.Be3 Bxd1 26.Rxd1 Qc8 27.Qxd7 Qc2+ 28.Kg1 Bg5! Another deflection! 29.Bxg5 29.Ba7 Qxa2= 29...Qf2+ 30.Kh1 Qf3+ 31.Kg1 Qf2+ 32.Kh1 Qf3+ 33.Kg1 It was hard to imagine that in ten moves from the diagrammed position we could reach a three fold repetition after two piece sacrifices! Nice play by Dubov. ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Vitiugov,N2719Dubov,D2654½–½2015D1768th Superfinal RUS-ch Men9

The two other decisive games of round nine were played by Vladislav Artemiev who won against Dmitry Jakovenko, and Denis Khismatullin who defeated Ildar Khairullin.

 
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1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Bd3 Ne7 6.0-0 Nbc6 7.Nb3 g6 8.c4 Bg7 9.Nc3 0-0 10.Bg5 h6 11.Bh4 g5 12.Bg3 Ne5 13.Be2 N7g6 14.Qd2 b6 15.f3 Bb7 16.Bf2 Nf4 17.Na4 Nxe2+ 18.Qxe2 Nxc4 19.Qxc4 b5 20.Qb4 bxa4 21.Na5 Bc6 22.Nxc6 dxc6 23.Qxa4 Bxb2 24.Rab1 Be5 25.Qxc6 Qd2 26.Qc5 Bf6 27.Qa3 Rfd8 28.Qa4 Rac8 29.Rbd1 Qe2 30.Rxd8+ Rxd8 31.Re1 Qb2 Black is slightly better here thanks to his activity but after a move like Qb3 he has decent chances to hold. Instead Jakovenko went for a pawn grab that turned out to be really bad. 32.Qxa6? 32.Qb3 Rd2 32...Qxb3 33.axb3 Rd3 34.Rb1 should be holdable. 33.Qxb2 Rxb2 34.a3 Ra2 35.Bc5 Rc2 36.Bb6 Slightly better for Black but nothing close to winning. 32...Rd2 33.Bg3 33.Qb6? Rxf2! 34.Qxf2 Bd4-+ 33.Rf1 Bd4!-+ 33...Rxf2 34.Rxf2 Bd4 35.Qf1= is nothing special. 33...h5! The g2 pawn is not running away. Artemiev sets his sight on removing the bishop from the control of the h2 square. 34.Qc8+ 34.e5 h4 35.exf6 Rxg2+ 36.Kh1 hxg3 37.Qa8+ Kh7 38.Qe4+ Kh6-+ The checks are over and so is the game! 34...Kg7 35.Qc1 Qd4+ 36.Kh1 h4 37.Bb8 Qf2 38.Rg1 Good result for young Artemiev who beat the top seed of the event. 38.Rg1 h3 and it's curtains. 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Jakovenko,D2759Artemiev,V26710–12015B4268th Superfinal RUS-ch Men9

Vladislav Artemiev

In round ten Khismatullin continued where he had stopped in round nine by beating Artemiev.

 
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1.c4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 e6 6.a3 Bc5 7.Nb3 Bb6 8.Bf4 e5 9.Bg3 d6 10.e3 Be6 11.Bh4 h6 12.Bxf6 Qxf6 13.Be2 13.Ne4!? Qe7 14.Nxd6+ 13...0-0 14.0-0 Rad8 15.Nd2 Qe7 16.Nd5 Bxd5 17.cxd5 Nb8 18.b4 Nd7 19.Nc4 a6 20.Rc1 Diagram
White has a very pleasant edge thanks to his very strong knight on c4 and also the space advantage due to the d5-pawn. 20...Ba7 21.Rc2 f5 22.Qd3 g6 23.Rfc1 Nf6 24.Na5 24.a4!? with the idea of a5 and Nb6 could have been much better than the game continuation. 24...Rd7 25.Qb3 Qf7 26.b5 axb5 27.Bxb5 Re7 Black has a very compact structure on the kingside and if White is not careful he can launch a very dangerous attack. This is what happens in the game. 28.Rc8? How can we explain this mistake? Well first of all, the rook on f8 was not doing much. The rook on c2 goes out of his way to exchange himself for the c8 rook. After the exchange the black king is absolutely under no pressure because he has a nice home on g7. Besides a lone white rook cannot cause much damage. Due to all these reasons Rc8 turns out to be a mistake. Rxc8 29.Rxc8+ Kg7 30.Bf1 f4! When the attack is calling, Khismatullin doesn't miss his chance. With this move the bishop on a7 comes to life. 31.Nc4 31.h3 trying to stop Ng4 is met with fxe3 32.fxe3 Ne4!-+ 31...Qxd5 32.a4 fxe3 33.fxe3 Qe6 33...Ng4 would have been very strong. There is no good way to defend the e3 pawn. Why Khismatullin didn't play this is a good question. 34.Ra8 Bc5 35.h3 Rf7 36.Rb8 d5 37.Nb2 37.Rxb7 dxc4 38.Bxc4 Qxc4 39.Qxc4 Bxe3+ 40.Kh1 Rxb7-+ 37...Nd7 38.Rxb7 Qf5 39.Bb5 Qf2+ 40.Kh2 Bxe3 41.Qd1 Bf4+ 42.Kh1 Qg3 43.Qg1 Black is almost on the brink of victory. Nc5 A much simpler route to victory was 43...Be3 44.Qd1 Nf6 45.Rxf7+ Kxf7 46.a5 46.Qf3 Qe1+ 47.Qf1 Qxf1+ 48.Bxf1 Bb6-+ 46...Bf4 47.Qg1 Ng4!-+ 44.Rxf7+ Kxf7 45.a5 e4 46.Nd1 Ke6 47.a6 Bb8 48.Ne3 White has erected some sort of a blockade and it was important for Black to be patient with some move like Qd6. Instead he starts pushing his pawns which gives White a lot of counterplay. d4 49.Nc2! d3 50.Nd4+! Kf6 51.Nc6! Artemiev must be given praise for finding the only moves to keep the balance. e3 Diagram
With two pawns in your face like the ones on e3 and d3 it is extremely difficult to find the only way to draw the game. 52.Nxb8? 52.a7! was the only way to draw the game and the reason is very beautiful. White doesn't want to win a piece. He just wants to distract the bishop from the b8-h2 diagonal! Bxa7 53.Qf1+! Kg5! only way to keep the balance. 53...Qf2 54.Qa1+! Kg5 55.Qe5+ Qf5 56.Qxe3++- and it's White who emerges victorius. 54.Bxd3! Nxd3 55.Qxd3 Qe1+ 56.Kh2 Qf2 57.Nxa7 e2 58.Qd5+ Kh4 59.Qe4+ Kg5 60.Qd5+= 52.Qf1+ Bf4-+ 52...Ne4! 53.Qa1+ Kg5! Denis sees that his king is extremely safe on g5. 54.Bxd3 Nf2+ 55.Kg1 Nxh3+ 56.Kh1 Nf2+ 57.Kg1 Nxd3 Both pawns are racing towards the queening square but unfortunately the a-pawn is just too far away from the scene of action. 58.a7 e2 59.Qa5+ Kh4 60.a8Q e1Q+ 61.Qxe1 Qxe1+ 62.Kh2 Ne5! 63.g3+ 63.Qa4+ Ng4+-+ 63...Qxg3+ 64.Kh1 Ng4 If this were a real war scene then the queen on a8 and the knight on b8 would have felt really stupid for leaving 'His Majesty' all alone on the other side! A great win for Khismatullin who has now three wins in a row. 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Artemiev,V2671Khismatullin,D26420–1201568th Superfinal RUS-ch Men10

Denis Khismatullin

Meanwhile, in round ten Tomashevsky made a big step towards the title by keeping Karjakin to a draw. In the eleventh and last round Tomashevsky has to play with White against Peter Svidler and thus has good chances to become Russian Champion 2015.

Evgeny Tomashevsky

Standings after round ten

Women

The ninth round also proved to be crucial in the women's tournament because Aleksandra Goryachkina, who was leading the field, played against Alexandra Kosteniuk, who was trailing half-a-point behind Goryachkina. With a win against her rival Kosteniuk would have had good chances for the title. But Goryachkina kept her nerve, drew the game, and defended her lead.

Aleksandra Goryachkina

But there were a number of decisive games in round nine. Olga Girya, who had been unlucky in a number of games in this year's Superfinal, won against Kateryna Lagno.

 
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1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Ng5 Ngf6 6.Bd3 e6 7.N1f3 Bd6 8.Qe2 h6 9.Ne4 Nxe4 10.Qxe4 Qc7 11.0-0 b6 12.Qg4 Kf8 13.b3 Bb7 14.Bb2 Nf6 15.Qh3 Nd5 16.g3 c5 17.dxc5 Bxc5 18.Ne5 Nf6 19.Rae1 Rd8 Diagram
White has all her forces developed in order to launch an attack on the black king. And Kateryna Lagno doesn't have to be asked twice! 20.Bg6!? Played after 20 minutes of thought. Also for her previous move Rae1, Lagno had taken 33 minutes. This clearly meant that she would be under time pressure after a few moves. Ba8! A very cool defensive move found by Girya in just three minutes! In fact it is a counter attacking move as the Queen threatens to go to b7 to threaten a mate. Thanks to the f2 pawn being pinned, it would be very difficult to stave off mate without losing material. 20...fxg6 21.Qxe6!+- is just game over. 21.Nxf7 11 minutes! As is always the case with such play when you have said A you have to say B. 21.Rd1 Ke7! 22.Nxf7 Qc6-+ 21...Qb7! Threatening mate of h1 and also keeping an eye on the f7 knight. 21...Qc6? 22.Be4± 22.Be4 22.Re4 Nxe4 23.Nxd8 Ng5! 24.Nxb7 Nxh3+ 25.Kg2 Ng5! 26.f3 Bxb7 27.h4 Nh7-+ Black is a piece up and will win the game soon. 22...Qxf7 23.Bxa8 Rxa8 White has lost a piece for only a pawn. She will win back another pawn on the next move but her position remains bad. 24.Bxf6 24.Rxe6 h5 with the idea of Ng4. 25.Bxf6 gxf6 26.Qf5 Kg7 27.Rfe1 Rad8-+ Everything is defended. 24...Qxf6 25.Rxe6 Qf7 26.Qg2 Rd8 26...Re8?! 27.Rxe8+ Qxe8 The Black rook on h8 is passive and hence it doesn't make sense to exchange the other rook. 27.Qe4 Kg8 White would have had excellent compensation if his f2 point would not have been weak. 28.c3 Rd2 29.b4? 29.Re8+ Bf8 30.Rb8 Rd7 Slowly with moves like h5 and Rh6 Black will wriggle out. 29...Rxf2! 29...Bxf2+? 30.Kh1± 29...Rxf2 30.Re8+ Qxe8 31.Qxe8+ Rf8+! was the neat point behind Girya's Rxf2! 0–1
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Lagno,K2530Girya,O24870–12015B1765th Superfinal RUS-ch Women9

Olga Girya

The most uncompromising player in the women's tournament is Valentina Gunina. Only one of her ten games ended in a draw. However, in round nine she suffered a defeat against Evgenija Ovod.

 
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1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.cxd5 cxd5 How dangerous can the exchange Slav actually be? Ovod shows in this game that if Black is not careful then it doesn't really matter that her opponent is 200 points rated above her, the static nature of the position makes it extremely hard to defend. 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.Nc3 Nf6 6.Bf4 e6?! To voluntarily shut off your c8 bishop is not a great idea. Although more than 2000 games have been played with this move I think White can definitely hope for an advantage here. Instead Bf5 and a6 are better tries. 7.e3 Be7 8.h3 0-0 9.Bd3 Bd7 10.0-0 Be8 11.Rc1 Rc8 12.Ne5 a6 13.Bb1 b5 14.Qd3 b4 15.Ng4 g6 16.Nxf6+ Bxf6 17.Ne2 17.Na4 would have been ideal to take advantage of the c5 square weakness but it loses a pawn to Nxd4! 17...a5 18.Bh6 Bg7 19.Bxg7 Kxg7 With every piece getting exchanged the weakness of Black's queenside increases. 20.Rc5 Nb8 21.Rfc1 Rxc5 22.Rxc5 Qb6 23.Qd2 23.Qc2 Na6= 23...Na6 24.Rc1 Bb5 Black has a 25.Nf4! White prepares Bd3 exchanging the bishops and getting the c5 square for his knight. Rb8 26.Bd3 Nc7 27.Rc5 Bxd3 28.Nxd3 You can see that even after exchanges White maintains a nice and pleasant initiative because of the control of the c-file and weakness of the c5 square. Ne8 29.Ne5 Rb7 30.Qc2 30.Qc1 was much better. 30...Nd6 30...b3! 31.axb3 Qxb3 32.Qxb3 Rxb3 33.Rxa5 Rxb2 34.Ra7 Nd6 35.Rd7 Rb6= Here White has activity but with such less material he cannot count on too much. 31.Qa4 Ne4 32.Rxa5± White wins a pawn and is crusing towards victory. Rc7 33.Nd3 Rc4 34.Ra7 Qd8 35.Ne5 Rc7 36.Rxc7 Qxc7 37.Qd7! Qxd7 38.Nxd7 Nd2 39.Nc5 Kf6 40.b3 e5? 41.Nd7+ Blunders another pawn but Black's position was already hopeless. A fine game by Ovod and this just shows that the exchange Slav is not as harmless as it looks at first sight. Black must play actively and accurately, a task which even a strong player like Gunina couldn't achieve. 1–0
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Ovod,E2327Gunina,V25311–02015D1065th Superfinal RUS-ch Women9

 

Valentina Gunina

A highlight of the ninth round was Anastasia Bodnaruk's fine attacking game against Alina Kashlinskaya's French Defence.

 
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1.e4 0 e6 0 2.d4 1:44 d5 0 3.e5 31 c5 0 4.c3 6 Nc6 0 5.Nf3 5 Bd7 2 6.a3 0 c4 41 7.g3 4:21 Na5 1:29 8.Nbd2 1:34 Bc6 1:43 9.Bg2 21:30 Qd7 0 10.0-0 2:07 Ne7 7:08 11.Ne1 11:43 0-0-0 2:15 12.b4!? 9:27 cxb3 1:20 13.Nd3 17 Nf5 30:13 14.Re1 7:21 Ba4 0 15.Nb2 48 b5 1:19 16.Nxa4 5:28 bxa4 2 17.Bb2 25 Be7 3:22 18.c4 12:09 Kb8 1 19.Qf3 4:06 Bg5? 0 19...Rc8 20.cxd5 6:09 exd5 31 Diagram
It might seems that the position is quite calm everything is well protected. Bodnaruk shows that there are lot of hidden motifs and finishes off the game with some sparkling moves. 21.Ne4‼ 54 The knight aims to go to the c5 square where it will be a monster. dxe4 2:18 22.Rxe4! 2:27 22.Qxe4 Nb7 23.d5 Rhe8∞ 22...Nb7 9:51 23.d5! 1:31 To play in this fashion requires good sense of dynamics and also non attachment towards material. Ne7 1:47 23...Nfd6 24.exd6 Rhe8 could have minimized the damage but White is just better after 25.Rg4± 23...Rhe8 24.e6 Qxd5 25.Be5+ Nfd6 25...Ka8 26.Qxf5+- 26.Bxd6+ Qxd6 27.Rxa4+- 24.d6 44 Nc8 50 25.Rc4 1:35 Nb6 6:46 26.Rc7 11 Na5 0 27.Rxd7+- 35 White wins the queen. Excellent play by Anastasia. Rxd7 1 28.Bd4 1:02 Nac4 1 29.Re1 52 b2 1:34 30.Bxb2 27 Nxb2 5 31.Rb1 2 1–0
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Bodnaruk,A2431Kashlinskaya,A24411–02015C0265th Superfinal RUS-ch Women9

 

Anastasia Bodnaruk

Inspired by this win Bodnaruk continued in a similar vein in round ten - and won another attacking game, though with some help from her opponent Anastasia Savina.

 
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1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 0-0 5.Bd3 d5 6.Nf3 c5 7.0-0 Nc6 8.cxd5 exd5 9.dxc5 Bxc5 10.h3 Qe7 11.Nb5 11.b3 is the main move here. 11...Ne4 12.Nbd4 Bd6 13.Nxc6 bxc6 14.Qc2 Bd7 15.b3 f5 15...Ng5? would not work 16.Nxg5 Qe5 16...Qxg5 17.Bxh7+ 17.Bxh7+ Kh8 18.f4! Qxa1 19.Bb2 Qxa2 20.Bxg7+ Kxg7 21.Qxa2+- 16.Bb2 f4 16...Rae8 would have been better. 17.Bxe4 17.Rfe1! a calm little move which helps White to fight for an advantage. Rae8 18.Rad1 fxe3 19.Rxe3 Bc5 20.Bd4 Bxd4 21.Nxd4 Qf6 22.Bxe4 Rxe4 23.Rxe4 dxe4 24.b4 17...dxe4 18.Nd2 With two bishops aiming towards the white king and the queen and rook ready to join in the battle, Black has dangerous attacking possibilities. Bxh3! 18...f3!? looked tempting too. 19.Nxe4 19.Qxe4 fxg2 20.Kxg2? 20.Qxg2 Rf5 with a very complicated game 20...Qg5+ 21.Kh1 Qh6 22.h4 Rae8 The queen has no good square from where h4 could be protected. 23.Qd4 Be5-+ 19...fxg2 20.Rfd1 Bc7 20...Bf5? 21.Qc4+ Be6 22.Qxc6± 21.Ng5 Bf5 22.Qxc6 And White manages to survive and can claim a small edge. 19.gxh3 19.Nxe4 was possible and maybe the best. Bxg2!? 20.Kxg2? 20.Qc4+ Kh8 21.Kxg2 f3+ 22.Kh3 Qd7+ 23.Kh4 would convert in the game 20...f3+ 21.Kh3 21.Kg1 Bh2+ 22.Kh1 Qh4-+ 21...Qe6+ 21...Rf5?? 22.Nxd6 Rh5+ 23.Kg4 Rg5+ 24.Kxf3+- 22.Kh4 Qh6+ 23.Kg4 Qg6+ 24.Kh4 Be7+ 25.Kh3 Qg2# 19.Qxe4?! Qg5 20.Qf3 fxe3 21.Qxh3 exf2+ 22.Rxf2 22.Kh1 Qxd2-+ 22...Bc5 23.Qe6+ Kh8 24.Ne4 Bxf2+ 25.Nxf2 Rxf2 26.Kxf2 Qd2+ 27.Kg1 27.Qe2?? Rf8+-+ 27...Qxb2 With better chances for Black because of White's vulnerable king. 19...Qg5+ 20.Kh1 Qf5! 20...f3?? Black cannot forget his own weaknesses while attacking. 21.Rg1! Qh4 22.Rxg7++- 20...Qh4?? 21.Qc4+ Kh8 22.Qe6!+- And White is able to defend her weaknesses. 20...Qh6 keeping control of the e6 square is equally good. 21.Qc4+ 21.Nxe4 is maybe the best practical try where Black needs to be accurate. Qxh3+ 22.Kg1 Qg4+! 22...f3? doesnt work as White has a beautiful problem-like draw. 23.Qc4+ Kh8 24.Bxg7+ Kxg7 25.Qd4+ Kg8 25...Kf7 26.Ng5++- 26.Qc4+ Kg7 26...Rf7?? 27.Qxf7+ Kxf7 28.Ng5++- 27.Qd4+= 23.Ng3 23.Kh1 Qh5+ 24.Kg1 f3 25.Qc4+ Rf7-+ 23...fxg3 24.Qc4+ Qxc4 25.bxc4 gxf2+ 26.Rxf2 Rad8 21...Rf7? 21...Kh8 22.Kg1 Qxh3 23.Nxe4 Rae8 23...f3? 24.Bxg7+ Kxg7 25.Qd4+ Kg8= converts to the same idea that we have seen before. 24.Nxd6 Re6-+ 22.Nxe4 Re8 22...Qxh3+ 23.Kg1 Raf8 24.f3 23.Nxd6 Qxh3+ 24.Kg1 Qg4+ 24...Re6 25.Qxe6 Qxe6 26.Nxf7 Kxf7 27.exf4 Qg4+ 28.Kh1 Qh3+= 25.Kh2 Qh5+ 26.Kg2 26.Kg1 Qg4+= 26...f3+ 27.Kg3 Qg6+ 28.Qg4?? 28.Kh4 was the only move to stay in the game. Surprisingly there is no way for Black to mate the daring king. Qxd6 29.Kh3 Re6 Diagram
30.Bxg7! An important resource taking control of the h6 square. Kxg7 30...Rxg7 31.Rad1 Qe5 32.Rd8+ Kf7 33.Rd7+ Kf8 34.Rxg7 Rh6+ 35.Kg4 Kxg7 36.Kxf3 31.Qd4+ Qxd4 32.Rg1+! 32.exd4?? Rh6+ 33.Kg3 Rg6+ 34.Kh4 Rf4+ 35.Kh3 Rf5 36.Kh4 Kh6-+ followed by mate on the next move is a very nice variation. 32...Kf8 33.exd4= Only after extremely accurate play could White have held the game. 28...Qxd6+ 29.Kh3 Re6! it's all over now. 30.Rad1 Rh6+ 31.Qh4 Rxh4+ 32.Kxh4 Qh2+ A game filled with many inaccuracies but that is what makes chess interesting. When your opponent makes a practical sacrifice and you have the clock running on the side it is extremely difficult to show computer like accuracy. 0–1
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Savina,A2429Bodnaruk,A24310–12015D3765th Superfinal RUS-ch Women10

At the very top there were no changes. Goryachkina drew against Natalija Pogonina and Kosteniuk drew against Kateryna Lagno. Before the final round Goryachkina leads the field with 7.5/10, Kosteniuk follows half-a-point behind with 7.0/10.

Standings after round ten

Photos: Vladimir Barsky and Eteri Kublashvili

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Sagar is an International Master from India with two GM norms. He loves to cover chess tournaments, as that helps him understand and improve at the game he loves so much. He is the co-founder and CEO of ChessBase India, the biggest chess news portal in the country. His YouTube channel has over a million subscribers, and to date close to a billion views. ChessBase India is the sole distributor of ChessBase products in India and seven adjoining countries, where the software is available at a 60% discount. compared to International prices.

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