Goryachkina grabs the lead

by Johannes Fischer
1/18/2020 – With a convincing win in game eight, challenger Aleksandra Goryachkina took the lead in the Women's World Championship match against defending champion Ju Wenjun. After 8 of 12 games, it is now 4½ : 3½ to Goryachkina. | Photo: Eteri Kublashvili / wwcm2020.fide.com
This DVD offers a complete repertoire for handling this solid opening, often featuring a dynamic approach to pose the opponent more practical problems. Both of the main continuations 3...Nf6 and 3...Be7 are covered in two separate parts.

A crucial win in Game 8

In games six and seven of the competition, Goryachkina had the black pieces twice in a row and was able to successfully neutralize her opponent's first-move advantage. In game eight, the challenger successfully took the initiative when it was her turn to move first. In a variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined, Goryachkina was able to demonstrate the advantages of her bishop and a compact pawn structure.

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1.c4 e6 2.Nc3 d5 3.d4 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 c6 6.e3 h6 7.Bh4 Be7 8.Bd3 Ne4 9.Bg3 Nxg3 10.hxg3 Nd7 11.Nf3 This natural looking move is actually a novelty. Nf6 12.Qc2 Be6 13.0-0-0 Qc7 14.Kb1 0-0-0 15.Na4 Kb8 16.Nc5 Bxc5 17.dxc5 Bg4 18.Rc1 Bxf3 19.gxf3 The engines rate the post-exchange position as roughly balanced. But in the game the bishop comes into its own. d4 20.e4 g5 21.Qd2 Nd7?! After this knight retreat Goryachkina launches her pawns into the fray. The engines recommend 21...Qe7 and after 22.f4 to cold-blodedly take on e4, e.g. Nxe4 23.Qe1 Rhe8 24.f3 Nf6 25.Qxe7 Rxe7 26.Rxh6 Nd7 27.fxg5 Re3 28.Be4 Ne5 with equality. 22.f4 f6 23.Rh5 gxf4 24.gxf4 Nf8 25.f5 Qg7 26.Qf4+ Ka8 27.Qh2! The white queen is surprisingly good on h2: she increases the pressure on the black h6-pawn, supports her own pawns and also keeps an eye on the black king. Nd7 28.f4 Qf8?! After this black falls into hard times. Tougher was 28...Kb8 to avoid the pin which soon proves fatal. 29.b4 b6 30.e5 bxc5 31.Qh1! Nb8 32.Be4 Rh7 33.Rxc5 Rb7 34.Bxc6 Nxc6 35.Qxc6 White has won a pawn, but the white king is exposed and the black d-pawn looks menacing. Yet, the white queen on c6 paralyzes Black's counterplay and the passed d-pawn alone can't do much. d3 36.Rb5 Rdb8 37.e6 Qd8 38.Rh1 d2 39.Rd5 Qc8 40.Qxc8 Rxb4+ 41.Ka1 Rxc8 42.Rxd2 Kb7 Nach 42...Rxf4 43.e7 Re4 44.Rd8 Kb7 decides 45.Rb1+ 43.Rd7+ Kb6 44.e7 Re8 45.Re1 Black gave up. Sooner or later the e-pawn will cost her a rook. 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Goryachkina,A2578Ju,W25841–02020WCh Women 20208

With this victory, the 21-year-old Goryachkina has come a big step closer to winning the world title. Ju must now win at least one of the four remaining games to defend her title.

A clash of styles: Shanghai and Vladivostok | Photo: Official site

Match standings

Goryachkina,A
2578
½
½
½
0
1
½
½
1
4.5
Ju,W
2584
½
½
½
1
0
½
½
0
3.5

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All games and commentary

 
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1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Be7 5.g3 0-0 6.Bg2 dxc4 7.Ne5 c5 8.dxc5 Qxd1+ 9.Nxd1 Bxc5 10.0-0 Nc6 E06: Closed Catalan: Early deviations 11.Bxc6 bxc6 12.Be3 Bb6 13.Bxb6 axb6
14.Nxc6N Predecessor: 14.Nc3 Bd7 15.Rfd1 Ra7 16.Rd6 Rc8 17.Nxc4 Be8 18.Nxb6 ½-½ (31) Ponomariov,R (2648)-Dominguez Perez,L (2762) Budva 2019 14...Bb7 15.Nb4 Nd5 16.Nxd5 Bxd5 17.Nc3 Bc6 18.Rfd1 Rfd8 19.f3 Kf8 20.Kf2 Ke7 21.Rxd8 Rxd8=       Endgame KRB-KRN 22.Ke3 e5 23.Rd1 Ra8 24.a3 Ke6 25.Na2 Ba4 26.Rd2 f6 27.Kf2 Bc6 28.e4 g6 29.Ke3 f5 30.exf5+ gxf5 31.f4 h5 32.fxe5 Kxe5 33.Rd4 b5 34.Nc3 Ra7 35.Ne2 Be8 36.Rd8 Re7 37.Nf4 Kf6+ 38.Kd2 Re5 39.Nd5+ Kf7 40.Rd6 Bc6 41.Nf4 Much weaker is 41.Rxc6?! Rxd5+ 42.Ke1 Re5+ 43.Kf1 Re3= 41...Bf3 42.h4 42.Rh6± 42...Bg4 42...Ke7= 43.Ra6 Kd7 43.Rd5 Better is 43.Ra6± 43...Kf6 43...Rxd5+= keeps the balance. 44.Nxd5 Ke6 44.Rxe5 44.Rd7± 44...Kxe5± KB-KN 45.Ke3 Bd1 46.Ng6+ Kf6 47.Nf8 Ke5 48.Nd7+ Ke6 49.Nb8 Kd5 50.Na6 Ke5 51.Nb4 Black should prevent Na2. Bg4 52.Nc2 Bd1?       52...Kd5= and Black stays safe. 53.Nd4+- Ba4 54.Ne2! Bd1 55.Nd4? Only move: 55.Nc3!+- Ba4 56.Kf3 55...Ba4= 56.Nc6+ Kd6 57.Nd8 Ke5 58.Nf7+ Ke6 59.Ng5+ Ke5 60.Nh3 Bd1 61.Nf4 Bg4 62.Ng2 Bd1 63.Ne1 Bg4 64.Nc2 aiming for Nd4. Bd1 65.Nb4 Ba4 66.Na2 Nc3 is the strong threat. Bb3?       66...Bd1!= and Black is okay. 67.Nc3+- Ba4 68.Kf3 Kd4
And now ...Kd3 would win. 69.Ke2! Kc5 70.Ke3? 70.Nxa4++- bxa4 71.Ke3 70...Bc2= 71.Ne2 Bd1! Strongly threatening ...Bxe2. 72.Nd4 Bg4 73.Nc2 Bd1 74.Nb4 Bg4 75.Na2 Bd1 76.Kd2 Bf3 77.Nc3 Bc6 78.Ke3 Bd7
78...Bg2= remains equal. 79.Ne2!± b4 80.axb4+ Kxb4 81.Kd2 81.Nd4± 81...Bc6 The position is equal. 82.Nf4 Bf3 83.Ne6 Bg4 84.Kc2 Bf3 85.Nd4 Bg4 86.Kd2 Kc5 87.Ke3 Kd5 88.Nb5 Kc5 89.Nc3 Kb4 90.Kd4 Kb3 91.Nd5 Be2 92.Ne3 Bd3 93.Kc5 Be2 94.Kd5 Bd3 95.Kd4 Be2 96.Kc5 Bd3 97.Kd4 Accuracy: White = 70%, Black = 62%. ½–½
  • Start an analysis engine:
  • Try maximizing the board:
  • Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
  • Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
  • Drag the split bars between window panes.
  • Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
  • Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Goryachkina,A2578Ju,W2584½–½2020E06FIDE WWCC 20201.1
Ju,W2584Goryachkina,A2578½–½2020C67FIDE WWCC 20202.1
Goryachkina,A2578Ju,W2584½–½2020D41FIDE WWCC 20203.1
Ju,W2584Goryachkina,A25781–02020D16FIDE WWCC 20204.1
Goryachkina,A2578Ju,W25841–02020A18FIDE WWCC 20205.1
Ju,W2584Goryachkina,A2578½–½2020C67FIDE WWCC 20206.1

Commentary by Nigel Short and Hou Yifan

Translation from German: Macauley Peterson

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Johannes Fischer was born in 1963 in Hamburg and studied English and German literature in Frankfurt. He now lives as a writer and translator in Nürnberg. He is a FIDE-Master and regularly writes for KARL, a German chess magazine focusing on the links between culture and chess. On his own blog he regularly publishes notes on "Film, Literature and Chess".

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