Monday, February 20, 2017

The Veiled Crown

倪诗群 (Ní Shīqún) – Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk
Women’s World Chess Championship Knockout Tournament; match game 1; Tehran, February 20, 2017
Sicilian Defence B31

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 4. 0-0 Bg7 5. Re1 Nf6 6. Nc3 0-0 7. e5 Ne8 8. Bxc6 dxc6 9. d3 Nc7 10. Ne4 Ne6 11. Be3 b6 12. Qd2 Re8 13. Re2!? 倪诗群 (Ní Shīqún)’s New Deal. The development idea besides is an interesting one, even if it seems just a bit static. For 13. Bh6 Bh8 14. Neg5 f6 15. Nxe6 Bxe6 16. Qf4 see Marković – Velimirović, 53rd Yugoslav Chess Championship, Belgrade 1998. 13. ... Nd4 14. Nxd4 cxd4 15. Bf4 Qd5 16. Ng3 c5 17. b3 Bb7 18. f3 b5 19. Rae1 a5 20. Bh6 Bh8 21. Qf4 Qe6


22. h4. White starts her operations on the Kingside. 22. ... a4 23. h5 axb3 24. axb3 c4! Just in time for countering White’s raid on the opposite wing. 25. bxc4 bxc4 26. dxc4 Rac8. Not 26. ... Qxc4? 27. e6! and White breakthroughs. 27. hxg6 hxg6 28. Qxd4 Rxc4 29. Qf2 Rec8 30. Nf1. Intending something like Nf1-e3-g4, but Black is alert. 30. ... Ba6 31. Rd2 R4c5 32. f4 Bxf1! Best for saving the day. 33. Rxf1 Qf5 34. Rfd1 Rxc2 35. Rd8+ Rxd8 36. Rxd8+ Kh7 37. Qh4 Qh5. The only move, but a sufficient one. 38. Bg5 f6 39. exf6 Qxh4 40. Bxh4 Bxf6 41. Bxf6 ½ : ½. So everything is just where they left it. In the next game Kosteniuk will have White.

倪诗群 (Ní Shīqún). Photo © David Llada.

Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk. Photo © David Llada.

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