Nicosia GP: Wagner beats Lagno, leads

A tactical struggle

Dinara Wagner might be the surprise of the Women’s Grand Prix in Nicosia. The German WGM got off to a great start with her win over Aleksandra Goryachkina and followed it up with another white win against Oliwia Kiolbasa. She did not lose any of her remaining games against strong opponents from the world’s elite, and is likely to have gained some respect among her colleagues.

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After the rest day, the seventh round of the tournament took place on Tuesday when Dinara Wagner played Kateryna Lagno with the black pieces, a multiple tournament winner and number four in the current women’s world ranking.

After a rather quiet start in the Rossolimo Variation of the Sicilian Defence, the game finally gained momentum and led to highly tactical and exciting intricacies, which were difficult to assess with little time on the clock. Dinara Wagner ended up prevailing with her bold decisions, and claimed her third win in this tournament.

Lagno, Kateryna2558

0–1

Wagner, Dinara2417

FIDE Womens Grand Prix-IV 2022-23 Nicosia23.05.2023[Schulz,A]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 e6 4.0-0 Nge7 5.Re1 b6 The main variation is 5...a6 6.Bf1 d5 6...b6 has also been played a few times. 6.c3 a6 7.Ba4 c4 8.d4 8.Na3 b5 9.Bc2 Ng6 10.b3 Nce5 11.bxc4 bxc4 12.Nxe5 Nxe5 13.Qe2 Qc7 14.Rf1 g5 0-1 (58) Amin,B (2680)-Carlsen,M (2856) Warsaw 2021 8...cxd3 9.Qxd3 Qc7 9...b5 10.Bc2 Ng6 11.e5 Qc7 12.h4 Bb7 13.Qe3 d6 14.exd6 Bxd6= 1-0 (58) Boulos,C (2162)-Mekhane,A (2319) Paris 2022 10.Nbd2 Ng6 11.Nf1 Be7 12.Be3 Bb7 13.Rad1 Rd8 14.Ng3 0-0 15.Bc2 b5 Black came out of the opening well and does not have an inferior position. 16.Qe2 Nf4 17.Qd2 Ng6 18.Qe2 Nf4 19.Qd2 Ng6 A silent draw offer, which White rejects. 20.Bg5 20.Qe2 Nf4= 20...f6 21.Be3 Na5 22.Qe2 22.b3 Nc6= 22...d5!?= 22...Nc4 23.Bc1 Nf4 24.Qf1 Na5 24...g5!? 25.Ne2 Ng6 26.a3 Rfe8 27.Nfd4 Bf8 28.f4 After a long period of manoeuvring, the game is now picking up speed. e5 28...Nc4!?= 29.fxe5 Qxe5 29...fxe5 30.Nf5 d5= 30.Nf4 Bd6 The X-ray attack on h2 was tempting, but is strictly rejected. Better was 30...Nc4 31.Nxg6 hxg6 32.Bf4 Qh5= 31.Nf3 Qc5+ 32.Be3 Qc7 33.Nxg6 hxg6 34.e5 This break gives White an advantage. fxe5 35.Bxg6 Rf8

36.Qd3 Stronger was 36.Qf2 and the threats of Bb6 and Qh4 are very strong. 36...Nc4 37.Bh7+? Better was 37.Bc1 Be7 38.Ng5 Bxg5 39.Bxg5 Qc5+ 40.Kh1 Rf2 41.Bh7+ Kh8 42.Be4+- 37...Kh8

38.Nh4 With the threat of Ng6 and mate soon, but Black can defend. Rf6 38...e4!? with complications and equal chances, e.g.: 39.Bxe4 Bxh2+ 40.Kh1 Ne5 41.Ng6+ Nxg6 42.Bxb7 42.Bxg6 Qg3-+ 42...Ne5 43.Qe4 Bg3 44.Rf1= 39.Bg5 Qc5+ 40.Be3?? Sets the game with the last move before the time control. Correct was 40.Kh1 and after e4 there is 41.Qh3 which results in Qxg5 42.Ng6+ Rxg6 43.Bxg6+ Qh6 44.Qxh6+ gxh6 45.b3 e3 46.bxc4 Bc5 White has an extra exchange, but Black still has counterplay with his passed pawn. 40...Nxe3 41.Rxe3 e4 42.Bxe4 Bxe4 43.Qxe4 Re6 44.Ng6+ Kg8 0–1

Thanks to this victory, Dinara Wagner is now the sole leader in this Grand Prix.

The 23-year-old from Elista was invited to the Grand Prix series via a wildcard. In 2022 she married Dennis Wagner and transferred to the German Federation. The German Federation was one of the hosts of the current series, with the Grand Prix in Munich that took place in February 2023, and awarded the wildcard to Wagner.

Attacking with the Jobava London System

The Jobava London System is a minor form of the London System. White tries to play Lf4 quickly followed by Nc3.

During the tournaments, Wagner realized that she can compete on equal terms with the world elite and thus gained more and more self-confidence, which has improved her performance.

With a rating of 2417, Wagner is nominally the weakest player in the field.

Dinara Wagner was not the only winner in round 7. Nana Dzgandidze won her game against Oliwia Kiolbasa while Bibisara Assaubayeva defeated Alexandra Kosteniuk. After her second defeat in the tournament, the former world champion is falling behind in the race for a qualification spot in the next edition of the Women’s Candidates Tournament.

Results - Round 7

Standings - Round 7

All games

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In this Videocourse we deal with different aspects of the middlegame which are important to study and improve your general understanding of chess structures.

Links

• Tournament page
• Kateryna Lagno wins Astana Women’s Grand Prix
• Kosteniuk wins Women’s Grand Prix in Munich
• Goryachkina, Zhu and Assaubayeva tie for first at New Delhi Grand Prix