Women's Candidates: Goryachkina leapfrogs Dzagnidze

by Antonio Pereira
6/5/2019 – After winning three and drawing one in the first four rounds, Nana Dzagnidze lost for a first time at the 2019 Women's Candidates Tournament — Alexandra Kosteniuk defeated the Georgian from the white side of an Alapin Sicilian. Aleksandra Goryachkina took this opportunity to leapfrog Dzagnidze atop the standings by taking down Tan Zhongyi. Meanwhile, Valentina Gunina and Kateryna Lagno missed winning chances against the Muzychuk sisters. | Photo: Eteri Kublashvili

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The Russians get White

After concluding a "mini round robin" in the first three rounds, the Russian players in Kazan started taking on the "international" participants (this event requires all compatriots to face each other first to avoid any sort of collusion). Coincidentally, in round five, they all had the white pieces. Two of them got victories, while the other two achieved winning positions but could not turn them into full points.

Results of Round 5

NameRtg.Nt.Pts.Pts.NameRtgNt.
GM

1
GM
2546
½

2
GM
2506
1

3
GM
2554
1

4
GM
2539
½

5
GM
2513
1

Ø 2532
4/5
2522
3
1-0
GM
GM
2513

1
GM
2510
½

2
GM
2563
½

3
GM
2539
1

4
GM
2546
½


Ø 2536
2.5/5
2513
GM

1
GM
2522
½

2
GM
2554
½

3
GM
2506
0

4
GM
2513
½

5
GM
2510
1

Ø 2521
2.5/5
2546
1-0
GM

1
GM
2513
½

2
GM
2539
1

3
GM
2563
1

4
GM
2506
1

5
GM
2546
0

Ø 2533
3.5/5
2510
GM
GM
2554

1
GM
2506
½

2
GM
2546
½


4
GM
2563
1

5
GM
2539
½

Ø 2535
2.5/5
2554
2
½-½
1
GM

1
GM
2563
½

2
GM
2510
0

3
GM
2513
0

4
GM
2522
½

5
GM
2554
½

Ø 2532
1.5/5
2539
GM
GM
2506

1
GM
2554
½


3
GM
2546
1

4
GM
2510
0

5
GM
2563
½

Ø 2539
2/5
2506
½-½
1
GM

1
GM
2539
½

2
GM
2513
½

3
GM
2510
0

4
GM
2554
0

5
GM
2506
½

Ø 2524
1.5/5
2563

The youngest player in the field, 20-year-old Aleksandra Goryachkina, is now the sole leader of the tournament on an impressive 4/5 score. Nana Dzagnidze stands a half point behind her, while the oldest player in the field, 35-year-old Alexandra Kosteniuk, now shares third place with Tan Zhongyi and Kateryna Lagno, all on 2½/5. The Muzychuk sisters had a tough time in round five, but ended up saving half points — nonetheless, they are sharing last place after collecting 1½ points each.

Women's Candidates Tournament 2019

The live audience following Sergey Shipov's commentary | Photo: Eteri Kublashvili

Goryachkina 1:0 Tan Zhongyi: A double rook endgame

The players followed a line of the Catalan recently seen in Shenzhen, where Richard Rapport and Yu Yangyi split the point after 31 moves. Much like in the predecessor encounter, Goryachkina and Tan Zhongyi reached a double rook endgame with four pawns per side — in Shenzhen, however, the pawn structures were symmetrical, while in Kazan White had 4 v 3 on the kingside, with more active rooks to boot:

 
Goryachkina vs. Tan Zhongyi
Position after 26...Rxa2

This seems to be a rather harmless position, but White is certainly the one with chances to put pressure on her rival...if she manages to keep the initiative. Goryachkina did precisely that, by doubling her rooks on the seventh rank and mobilizing her kingside majority. Eventually, the youngster gobbled up Black's a-pawn and, when Tan Zhongyi was trying to keep the balance in a 3 v 2 rook endgame, Aleksandra exploited an inaccuracy by the Chinese to get a decisive advantage:

 
Position after 48.Ra7+

Instead of the Tan Zhongyi's 48...f6, 48...♚f8 was more resistant, as Black would be able to get an endgame in which White keeps the f and h-pawns (always a difficult setup to convert into a win), while in the game Goryachkina got to keep two connected passers on the e and f-files. We cannot blame Tan Zhongyi, though, as she was in a very difficult position already — and finding precise defensive continuations in these endgames is a taxing endeavour!

In the end, Goryachkina won the game after 62 moves.

Aleksandra Goryachkina

Aleksandra Goryachkina with her father Yuri (a FIDE Master), who usually travels with her | Photo: Anastasiya Karlovich

Kosteniuk 1:0 Dzagnidze: An opening experiment

The two contenders tend to skew towards dynamic positions, in which the initiative is the main asset in dispute. Kosteniuk decided to surprise her opponent with the Alapin Variation of the Sicilian Defence, going for a line that is rarely seen in the elite. Early on, the Russian offered a pawn sacrifice, which was rejected by her opponent:

 
Kosteniuk vs. Dzagnidze
Position after 8...Qd7

After 9.d5 exd5 10.cxd5 Black can capture the central pawn both with the queen or the knight (in the last game that reached this position, from 1993, Black took with the queen). Nana Dzagnidze, though, decided to go for 10...d6, after thinking for over twenty minutes. 

In the middlegame that ensued, Nana chose not to castle — instead, she "hid" her king on f8. It was very hard to evaluate the position, as both players had active chances at their disposal. Only when the time control was approaching, Dzagnidze faltered:

 
Position after 36.Bc1

Feel free to move the pieces on the diagram above

Better than Nana's 36...h4 was 36...♘b1. After the text, Kosteniuk found the correct sequence to punish the bad placement of Black's rook — 37.g5+ g6 38.f3 and it is very hard for Black to untangle. There followed 38...e4 39.g4 b1 40.c2, with the light-squared bishop on the same diagonal as Black's rook and king. Nana resigned two moves later.

Alexandra Kosteniuk

Former Women's World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk | Photo: Eteri Kublashvili


Game analysis by Alexandra Kosteniuk and Elisabeth Paehtz


Gunina ½:½ M. Muzychuk: Time trouble 

While Kosteniuk played 2.c3 against Dzagnidze's Sicilian, Valentina Gunina decided on 3.b3 against Mariya Muzychuk's 1...c5 2.f3 e6. In this game, however, the players left theory on move six, which prompted Gunina to spend over 17 minutes on move eight. The Russian kept taking her time in critical positions during the opening, and that resulted in her getting a considerable advantage later on. Sadly for her, though, she failed to find a nice shot that would have decided the game in her favour, while already in deep time trouble:

 
Gunina vs. M. Muzychuk
Position after 30...Qb7

Gunina played 31.h6 and allowed Muzychuk to get back in the game, which eventually led to a 72-move draw. Valentina, instead, could have gone for 31.♕e7+! and after 31...♜xe7 32.♖xd8+ ♚f7 White has the fork 33.♘d6+, with a clear exchange to the good.

Valentina Gunina

Valentina Gunina smiling before the battle begins | Photo: Eteri Kublashvili

In the post-game interview, a disappointed Gunina confessed she could not really calculate any lines in the critical positions with so little time on her clock.


Post-game interview with Valentina Gunina


Lagno ½:½ A. Muzychuk: Artificial play

The older Muzychuk sister, Anna, opted for the Ruy Lopez against Kateryna Lagno. The latter got a positional edge right from the get go, with Anna describing her play as "quite artificial from the very beginning" (e.g. 19...h8?!). Lagno naturally felt she was on top, but could not find a way to turn that into a tangible advantage. On move 18, for example, she could have chosen a more active plan:

 
Lagno vs. A. Muzychuk
Position after 17...h6

Kateryna chose the prophylactic 18.b3, when the more straight-forward alternatives 18.g4, 18.♘g3 or 18.a4 would have kept her initiative alive. Muzychuk knew at this point that she was in trouble and went on to find good continuations until restoring the balance. The draw was signed after 31 moves.

Kateryna Lagno

Kateryna Lagno | Photo: Eteri Kublashvili


Post-game interview with Kateryna Lagno


Standings after Round 5

Rk.NameRtg.Nt.Pts.n
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
TBPerf.
1
GM

1
GM
2546
½

2
GM
2506
1

3
GM
2554
1

4
GM
2539
½

5
GM
2513
1

Ø 2532
4/5
2522
4.0
5
2.50
2772
2
GM

1
GM
2513
½

2
GM
2539
1

3
GM
2563
1

4
GM
2506
1

5
GM
2546
0

Ø 2533
3.5/5
2510
3.5
5
0.50
2682
3
GM

1
GM
2522
½

2
GM
2554
½

3
GM
2506
0

4
GM
2513
½

5
GM
2510
1

Ø 2521
2.5/5
2546
2.5
5
2.50
2521
4
GM
GM
2513

1
GM
2510
½

2
GM
2563
½

3
GM
2539
1

4
GM
2546
½


Ø 2536
2.5/5
2513
2.5
5
1.00
2536
5
GM
GM
2554

1
GM
2506
½

2
GM
2546
½


4
GM
2563
1

5
GM
2539
½

Ø 2535
2.5/5
2554
2.5
5
0.50
2535
6
GM
GM
2506

1
GM
2554
½


3
GM
2546
1

4
GM
2510
0

5
GM
2563
½

Ø 2539
2/5
2506
2.0
5
1.50
2467
7
GM

1
GM
2563
½

2
GM
2510
0

3
GM
2513
0

4
GM
2522
½

5
GM
2554
½

Ø 2532
1.5/5
2539
1.5
5
1.00
2383
8
GM

1
GM
2539
½

2
GM
2513
½

3
GM
2510
0

4
GM
2554
0

5
GM
2506
½

Ø 2524
1.5/5
2563
1.5
5
0.50
2375
TBs: Koya, Wins with black, Wins

Commentary webcast

Commentary provided by GM Evgeny Miroshnichenko and IM Elisabeth Paehtz


All games

 
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MoveNResultEloPlayers
Replay and check the LiveBook here
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 d6 5.c3 Bd7 6.0-0 g6 7.d4 Bg7 8.Bg5 f6 9.Be3 Nh6 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.c4 C76: Ruy Lopez: Deferred Steinitz: 5 c3 Bd7 6 d4 g6 11.Bc5 Bf8 12.Bxf8 Kxf8 13.Qd2 Nf7 14.Rd1 Be8 15.Qxd8 Ncxd8 16.Bxe8 Kxe8 17.Nbd2 Nd6 18.Ne1 a5 ½-½ (29) Harikrishna,P (2744)-Mamedyarov,S (2799) Riadh 2017 11...Nf7 12.Nc3 Ne7N Predecessor: 12...0-0 13.b4 f5 14.b5 Na5 15.Bc5 Re8 16.bxa6 Bxa4 17.Qxa4 Rxa6 18.Rfd1 Qc8 0-1 (44) Zhigalko,A (2543)-Alekseenko,K (2639) Czech Republic 2018 13.Qb3 White is better. Bxa4 14.Qxa4+ Qd7 15.Qb4 b6 16.Rfd1 Qc6 17.Nd5 Nxd5 18.exd5 18.cxd5 looks sharper. Qd7 19.Rac1 Bf8 20.Qc4 Bd6 21.Ne1 18...Qd7 19.c5 bxc5 20.Bxc5 Nd6 21.Bxd6 cxd6 22.Rac1 0-0 23.Rc6 Rfb8 24.Qa3 Bf8 25.h3 Qb7 26.b3 Qb5 27.Qc1 a5 28.Nh2 f5 29.Qg5 29.Rc4= 29...Qb7 29...Rb7 30.Rdc1= Strongly threatening Rc7. Qe7 31.Qd2 e4 32.Rc7 Qe5 33.Re1 Rb5 34.Rd1 a4 35.bxa4 Rxa4 36.Rc8 Rb2 37.Qh6 37.Qg5 Ra7 38.a3 37...Qg7-+ 38.Qf4 Raxa2 39.Rf1 Rc2 39...Qe7 Hoping for ...e3! 40.Rc3 Qb7 40.Re8 40.Qxd6 Rxc8 41.Qe6+ Qf7 42.Qxc8 40...Qf7 41.Rb8 Rab2 Weaker is 41...Qxd5
42.Ng4!±      
42.Rxb2 Rxb2 43.Rd1 Qa7 ...Bh6! is the strong threat. 44.Nf1
44...Bh6!       45.Qh4 45.Qxh6 Qxf2+ 45...Kg7 45...Rc2 And now ...Kg7 would win. 46.Re1 Kg7 46.Ra1 Qxa1 Better is 46...Qf7 47.Qg3 Qf6 47.Qe7+= The position is equal. Kg8 48.Qe6+ Kf8 49.Qc8+! Ke7 50.Qc7+! Ke8 51.Qc8+! Ke7 52.Qc7+! Kf6 53.Qxd6+ Kg5 54.Qe7+ Kh5 55.g3! Bg5 56.Qxh7+ Bh6 57.Qe7 Bg5 58.Qh7+ Bh6 59.Qe7 Bg5 60.Qh7+ Accuracy: White = 48%, Black = 55%.
½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Gunina,V2506Lagno,K2554½–½2019C75FWCT 20191.1
Kosteniuk,A2546Goryachkina,A2522½–½2019C60FWCT 20191.2
Dzagnidze,N2510Tan,Z2513½–½2019C42FWCT 20191.3
Muzychuk,M2563Muzychuk,A2539½–½2019A29FWCT 20191.4
Lagno,K2554Kosteniuk,A2546½–½2019C77FWCT 20192.1
Goryachkina,A2522Gunina,V25061–02019E15FWCT 20192.2
Tan,Z2513Muzychuk,M2563½–½2019D45FWCT 20192.3
Muzychuk,A2539Dzagnidze,N25100–12019B31FWCT 20192.4
Gunina,V2506Kosteniuk,A25461–02019C45FWCT 20193.1
Goryachkina,A2522Lagno,K25541–02019D85FWCT 20193.2
Tan,Z2513Muzychuk,A25391–02019D70FWCT 20193.3
Dzagnidze,N2510Muzychuk,M25631–02019D47FWCT 20193.4
Dzagnidze,N2510Gunina,V25061–02019C01FWCT 20194.1
Kosteniuk,A2546Tan,Z2513½–½2019C43FWCT 20194.2
Muzychuk,A2539Goryachkina,A2522½–½2019C54FWCT 20194.3
Muzychuk,M2563Lagno,K25540–12019C55FWCT 20194.4
Gunina,V2506Muzychuk,M2563½–½2019B40FWCT 20195.1
Kosteniuk,A2546Dzagnidze,N25101–02019B22FWCT 20195.2
Goryachkina,A2522Tan,Z25131–02019E04FWCT 20195.3
Lagno,K2554Muzychuk,A2539½–½2019C77FWCT 20195.4
Muzychuk,A2539Gunina,V25061–02019B13FWCT 20196.1
Muzychuk,M2563Kosteniuk,A25461–02019A22FWCT 20196.2
Dzagnidze,N2510Goryachkina,A25220–12019A06FWCT 20196.3
Tan,Z2513Lagno,K25540–12019D20FWCT 20196.4
Kosteniuk,A2546Muzychuk,A2539½–½2019C81FWCT 20197.1
Goryachkina,A2522Muzychuk,M2563½–½2019A04FWCT 20197.2
Lagno,K2554Dzagnidze,N2510½–½2019B30FWCT 20197.3
Gunina,V2506Tan,Z25131–02019C42FWCT 20197.4
Goryachkina,A2522Kosteniuk,A25461–02019D39FWCT 20198.1
Tan,Z2513Dzagnidze,N25101–02019D58FWCT 20198.2
Muzychuk,A2539Muzychuk,M2563½–½2019B19FWCT 20198.3
Lagno,K2554Gunina,V2506½–½2019C60FWCT 20198.4
Kosteniuk,A2546Lagno,K2554½–½2019B06FWCT 20199.1
Gunina,V2506Goryachkina,A25220–12019B10FWCT 20199.2
Dzagnidze,N2510Muzychuk,A25390–12019A35FWCT 20199.3
Muzychuk,M2563Tan,Z25131–02019C77FWCT 20199.4
Kosteniuk,A2546Gunina,V25061–02019C65FWCT 201910.1
Lagno,K2554Goryachkina,A2522½–½2019B19FWCT 201910.2
Muzychuk,A2539Tan,Z2513½–½2019C50FWCT 201910.3
Muzychuk,M2563Dzagnidze,N2510½–½2019B31FWCT 201910.4
Gunina,V2506Dzagnidze,N25101–02019A05FWCT 201911.1
Tan,Z2513Kosteniuk,A25461–02019E21FWCT 201911.2
Goryachkina,A2522Muzychuk,A2539½–½2019D70FWCT 201911.3
Lagno,K2554Muzychuk,M2563½–½2019B33FWCT 201911.4
Muzychuk,M2563Gunina,V25060–12019B12FWCT 201912.1
Dzagnidze,N2510Kosteniuk,A25461–02019A16FWCT 201912.2
Tan,Z2513Goryachkina,A2522½–½2019B12FWCT 201912.3
Muzychuk,A2539Lagno,K25541–02019C63FWCT 201912.4
Gunina,V2506Muzychuk,A25390–12019C58FWCT 201913.1
Kosteniuk,A2546Muzychuk,M25631–02019B29FWCT 201913.2
Goryachkina,A2522Dzagnidze,N2510½–½2019A62FWCT 201913.3
Lagno,K2554Tan,Z2513½–½2019C67FWCT 201913.4
Muzychuk,A2539Kosteniuk,A2546½–½2019C47FWCT 201914.1
Muzychuk,M2563Goryachkina,A25221–02019B12FWCT 201914.2
Dzagnidze,N2510Lagno,K2554½–½2019A05FWCT 201914.3
Tan,Z2513Gunina,V25061–02019C54FWCT 201914.4

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Antonio is a freelance writer and a philologist. He is mainly interested in the links between chess and culture, primarily literature. In chess games, he skews towards endgames and positional play.

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