Two all-Chinese matches await
After Pool B of the Women’s Candidates Tournament came to an end in Khiva, only Chinese players remain in competition at the World Championship cycle. Tan Zhongyi, the winner in Uzbekistan, will face Lei Tingjie, winner of Pool A, to decide who will face Ju Wenjun, the reigning world champion. The final of the Candidates between Tan and Lei is scheduled to take place early next year, while the World Championship match between the winner and Ju is supposed to be played during the summer.
In Saturday’s game, Aleksandra Goryachkina found herself in a clearly inferior position following a tactical error in the late opening phase, but was later able to all but restore the balance after her opponent played an inaccurate move.
But a well-known situation decided the game later on: after a tense, quite successful defence, another mistake followed!
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5 Nbd7 6.e3 Qa5 7.cxd5 Nxd5 8.Rc1 h6 9.Bh4 Nxc3 10.bxc3 Ba3 11.Rc2 b6 12.Nd2 Ba6 13.c4 0-0 14.Bd3 c5 15.0-0 cxd4 16.exd4 Rfe8 17.Qe2 17...Rac8? 17...Bf8 17...Bb4 18.c5! Qa4? 18...Bxd3 19.Qxd3 bxc5 19...Bb4 20.Nc4 Qa6 21.a3 Ba5 22.Qb3 Rc6 23.Nd6 Rb8 24.Qf3 bxc5 25.Qxf7+ Kh7 26.Ne8 Rxe8 27.Qxe8 cxd4± 20.Nc4 19.Bxa6 Qxc2 20.Bxc8 Rxc8 21.Qa6 Rc7 22.Bg3?! 22.Bd8+- 22...e5 23.Nf3 Bxc5 24.dxc5 Nxc5 25.Qa3 f6 26.Rc1 Qg6?! 26...Qe2 27.Nh4 27.Ne1 Qf7 28.f3 Qd7 29.Bf2 27...Qf7 28.Rd1 28.f3 Qd7 29.Bf2? g5 28...Rd7 29.Rxd7 Qxd7 30.h3 e4 31.Bb8?! 31.Ng6 31...g5! 32.Qxa7 32.Ng6 Kf7 32...gxh4? 32...Qe6! 33.Nf5 Qxf5 34.Qxb6 33.Qxb6 Ne6 34.a4 Kf7 35.a5 Nd4 36.Qc7 Ke8 37.Qc4 Qb7 38.Qg8+ Kd7 39.Qf7+ Kc6 40.Qc4+ 1–0
These video courses feature a black repertoire against 1.d4, 1.Nf3 and 1.c4. The recommended variations are easy to learn and not difficult to remember, but also pose White serious challenges.

Russia’s Aleksandra Goryachkina was the last non-Chinese player to be eliminated from the current Women’s World Championship cycle | Photo: Timur Sattarov / FIDE
All games - Pool B
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1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.Bxc6 dxc6 6.Nbd2 Nd7 7.0-0 0-0 8.Nc4 Re8 9.Kh1 9...b6N 9...Bf8 10.Ng1 Nc5 11.Ne2 a5 12.Ng3 b5 13.Ne3 a4 14.Nef5 Re6 15.f4 exf4 16.Bxf4 10.Ng1 Nf8 11.Ne2 Ng6 12.Ng3 Be6 13.Ne3 f6 14.Ngf5 Qd7 15.Qf3 Kh8 16.Rg1 Nf4 17.g3 17.Rd1= 17...Nh3 18.Rf1 Ng5 19.Qe2 Nf7 20.b3 20.Qg4? g6 21.Qh4 gxf5-+ 20...Nd6 21.Nh4 Nb5 22.Bb2 Bd4 23.Bxd4 Nxd4 24.Qd1 c5 25.c3 Nc6 26.Qe2 26.Qc2 26...a5 27.f4 a4 28.Rab1 axb3 29.axb3 Red8 30.Rfd1 Ra3 30...exf4 31.gxf4 Ra3 31.Qc2 b5 32.Nf3 32.f5 Bf7 33.Nf3 32...Qf7 32...exf4-+ 33.gxf4 Qd6 33.Nd2 33.Qc1 Rda8 34.Rg1 33...exf4-+ 34.gxf4 f5? 34...Qh5-+ 35.Ng2 Rda8 35.exf5 35.Rg1 fxe4 36.Nxe4 Qxf4 37.Qg2 35...Bxf5 36.Nxf5 Qxf5 37.Ne4 Ne7 37...Qxf4 38.Qg2 Ne5 39.Nxc5= 38.Qf2 Ng6 39.Qxc5 Qxc5 40.Nxc5 Nxf4 41.Ra1 ½–½ - Start an analysis engine:
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Kosteniuk,A | 2521 | Goryachkina,A | 2584 | ½–½ | 2022 | C65 | FIDE Womens Candidates Pool-B 2022-23 | 1.1 |
Tan,Z | 2514 | Lagno,K | 2563 | ½–½ | 2022 | D35 | FIDE Womens Candidates Pool-B 2022-23 | 1.1 |
Goryachkina,A | 2584 | Kosteniuk,A | 2521 | ½–½ | 2022 | C88 | FIDE Womens Candidates Pool-B 2022-23 | 1.2 |
Lagno,K | 2563 | Tan,Z | 2514 | ½–½ | 2022 | B52 | FIDE Womens Candidates Pool-B 2022-23 | 1.2 |
Kosteniuk,A | 2521 | Goryachkina,A | 2584 | 0–1 | 2022 | C50 | FIDE Womens Candidates Pool-B 2022-23 | 1.3 |
Tan,Z | 2514 | Lagno,K | 2563 | ½–½ | 2022 | D39 | FIDE Womens Candidates Pool-B 2022-23 | 1.3 |
Tan,Z | 2514 | Lagno,K | 2563 | 1–0 | 2022 | D23 | FIDE Womens Candidates Pool-B 2022-23 | 1.5 |
Lagno,K | 2563 | Tan,Z | 2514 | ½–½ | 2022 | B31 | FIDE Womens Candidates Pool-B 2022-23 | 1.6 |
Tan,Z | 2514 | Lagno,K | 2563 | ½–½ | 2022 | D23 | FIDE Womens Candidates Pool-B 2022-23 | 1.7 |
Lagno,K | 2563 | Tan,Z | 2514 | ½–½ | 2022 | B31 | FIDE Womens Candidates Pool-B 2022-23 | 1.8 |
Goryachkina,A | 2584 | Tan,Z | 2514 | ½–½ | 2022 | D37 | FIDE Womens Candidates Pool-B 2022-23 | 2.1 |
Tan,Z | 2514 | Goryachkina,A | 2584 | ½–½ | 2022 | D36 | FIDE Womens Candidates Pool-B 2022-23 | 2.2 |
Goryachkina,A | 2584 | Tan,Z | 2514 | ½–½ | 2022 | E11 | FIDE Womens Candidates Pool-B 2022-23 | 2.3 |
Tan,Z | 2514 | Goryachkina,A | 2584 | 1–0 | 2022 | D52 | FIDE Womens Candidates Pool-B 2022-23 | 2.4 |
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It is the program of choice for anyone who loves the game and wants to know more about it.
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