Game of the week

Harika, Dronavalli-Tan, Zhongyi 2017 Women’s World Tehran

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5 5.Nb5 a6 6.Nd6+ Bxd6 7.Qxd6 Qe7 8.Qd1 Nf6 9.Nc3 0–0 10.Bg5 Qe6 11.Bd3 Ne7 12.Qd2 b5 13.a4 Bb7 14.Bxf6 Qxf6 15.axb5 axb5 16.0–0 b4 17.Nb5 Nc6 18.Bc4 Ba6 19.Rfd1 Bxb5 20.Bxb5 Nd4 21.Rxa8 Rxa8 22.Bxd7 Rd8(A) 23.Bg4!?(B) Nf3+ 24.Bxf3 Rxd2 25.Rxd2(C) g6 26.h3 Qa6 27.b3 Qa1+ 28.Bd1(D) Kg7 29.Rd3 Qc1 30.Kf1 Qf4 31.f3 h5 32.Rd7 Qe3 33.Rd3 Qc5 34.h4 Qe7 35.g3 g5(E) 36.hxg5 Qxg5 37.Kf2 h4 38.gxh4 Qxh4+(F) 39.Ke2 Qh2+ 40.Ke1 Qg3+ 41.Kd2 Qf2+ 42.Kc1 Qe1 43.Kb2 f6 44.Kc1 Kg6 45.c3!(G) bxc3 46.Kc2 Qf2+ 47.Kxc3 Qa2 48.b4 Qa3+ 49.Kc4(H) Qc1+ 50.Kb5 f5 51.Bb3 f4 52.Bc4 Qb2 53.Kc5 Qf2+ 54.Kc6 Qc2 55.Kd5 Qf2 56.b5 Qb6 57.Kxe5 Qc5+ 58.Bd5 Qe7+ 59.Kd4 Qb4+ 60.Bc4 Qb2+ 61.Kc5 Qe5+(I) 62.Rd5 Qc7+ 63.Kb4 Qe7+ 64.Rc5 Qd6 65.Bd5 Kg5 66.e5 Qg6(J) 67.Be4 Qe6 68.Rc6 Qe7+ 69.Kc4 Qf7+ 70.e6 Qa7 71.b6 Qa4+ 72.Kc5 Qa3+ 73.Kb5 Kf6 74.b7 Qb3+ 75.Ka6 Ke7 76.Ka7 Qe3+ 77.Rb6 Qa3+ 78.Ra6 Qc5+ 79.Ka8(K) 1–0

A) If the Bishop moves, Black can check with his knight and discover a rook attack on the White Queen. B) 23.c3 Rxd7 24.cxd4 Rxd4 25.Qc2 Qd8 26.Rc1 would probably end up drawn which White cannot allow, so here goes ... . C) With best play, Black should not lose, but there will be no easy draw. D) White first protects all vulnerable points. E) 35...f5 36.exf5 gxf5 would create a lot of weaknesses in White’s game. F) Black will now execute a series of checks that only help White’s King to move to where it needs to be. G) Freeing up the b-pawn to travel downboard. H) If there is a magic sequence of checks to save Black, she will prove unable to find it. I)61...Qf2+ could be the answer; for example, 62.Kc6 Qc2 63.Kd5 Qf2. J) 66...Qxe5?? 67.Ba2. K) And the pieces prevail.