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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