US WOMEN’S CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP 2018 ROUND 7

Under normal circumstances a score of +3 from 7 rounds should be at least good enough for a share of the lead for defending champion IM Nazi Paikidze. Unfortunately for her the opening seven rounds have been far from normal.

FM Annie Wang has stormed to a +5 score with 6/7 by winning a lost game against Anna Sharevich! The 15 year old player has a performance rating of 2612 from the opening seven rounds.

However, Wang will face GM Krush in round 8 and second placed IM Paikidze in round 9 – two rounds that will be a stern test of her resilience.

Sharevich,Anna (2281) - Wang,Annie (2321)

US-ch Women 2018 Saint Louis (7), 25.04.2018

1.d4 e6 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c4 d5 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4 0–0 7.e3 b6 8.g4 D58: Queen's Gambit Declined: Tartakower Defence [8.Bd3 Bb7 9.0–0 Nbd7 10.Qe2 c5 11.Rfd1 cxd4 12.Nxd4 Nc5 13.Bxf6 Bxf6 14.cxd5 Bxd4 15.exd4 Nxd3 16.Qxd3 Bxd5 17.Re1 Rc8 18.Rad1 Rc7 19.Qg3 Rd7 0–1 (62) Salem,A (2638)-Carlsen,M (2837) Riadh 2017] 

8...Ne4 9.Bxe7 Qxe7 10.Rg1 

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The position is equal. 

10...Bb7N [10...Nxc3 11.bxc3 g6 12.cxd5 exd5 13.h4 c5 14.dxc5 Qxc5 15.Qd4 Nd7 1/2–1/2 (45) Sapundjiev,G (2392)-Baranowski,T (2491) ICCF email 2010] 

11.g5 hxg5 12.Nxe4 dxe4 13.Nxg5 f6 14.Nh3 e5 

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[Black should try 14...Qb4+= 15.Qd2 Qxd2+ 16.Kxd2 Kf7] 

15.c5! Bd5= [15...bxc5 16.Bc4+] 

16.dxe5 Qxe5 17.Nf4 Bf7! 18.Ng6 [18.Qg4 g5³] 

18...Qxb2 19.Ne7+ [19.Be2!³ Re8 20.Rb1 Qxa2 21.Ra1] 

19...Kh8µ 20.Be2 Qc3+ [Much worse is 20...bxc5?! 21.Rg3=] 

21.Kf1 And now Rg3 would win. 

21...Qxc5 [21...Qe5³ 22.Ng6+ Bxg6 23.Rxg6 Nc6] 

22.Ng6+‚ White attacks. 

22...Bxg6! 23.Rxg6 Qf5 24.Rg4 g6? [24...g5!³ keeps the upper hand. 25.Qa4 Nd7 26.Qxe4 Qxe4 27.Rxe4 Rae8] 

25.Rc1!+- White has strong compensation. 

25...c5 26.Qd6 [26.Rh4+ Kg7=] 

26...Kg7 27.Rd1 Rf7 28.Rf4! Qh3+ 29.Kg1 Na6 30.Bxa6? [30.Bf1!+- is the precise move to win. 30...Qc8 31.Bc4 (31.Rxe4 c4²) ] 

30...Rh8± 

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White must now prevent ...Rh5. 

31.Rxe4 [31.Qc6!±] 

31...Rh5!= 32.Rd5! aiming for Rxh5. 

32...f5! 33.Qe5+ Kh7 [33...Kh6!? 34.Qh8+ Rh7 35.Qf8+ Rg7 36.Qh8+ Rh7 37.Qf8+ Rg7 38.Qh8+ Rh7=] 

34.Be2? [34.Qf4= g5 35.Qe5 fxe4 36.Rd8 Qxh2+ 37.Qxh2 Rxh2 38.Kxh2] 

34...Rg5+µ [But not 34...fxe4?! 35.Bxh5 Qxh5 36.Qxe4=] 

35.Rg4 Rxg4+ 36.Bxg4 Qxg4+ Endgame KQR-KQR 

37.Kf1 Qh4 [37...Qc4+ is more complex. 38.Ke1 Qb4+ 39.Kf1 Qb1+ 40.Kg2 Qe4+] 

38.Qe6 Qe7 39.Qxe7 Rxe7 KR-KR 

40.Ke2 Kh6 41.f3 Kg5 Hoping for ...Rh7. 

42.Rd6? 

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[42.f4+µ was called for. 42...Kf6 43.Rd6+ Re6 44.Rd7] 

42...f4!–+ 43.e4? [43.h4+ was worth a try. 43...Kxh4 44.e4] 

43...Rh7 44.Rd5+ Kf6 45.Rd6+ Ke5 46.Rxg6 Rxh2+ 47.Kd3 Rf2 48.Rg5+ Ke6 49.Rg6+ Kf7 50.Rh6 Rxf3+ 51.Kc4 Ra3 52.Kd5 Rxa2 53.e5 f3 54.Rf6+ [¹54.e6+ Kg7 55.Rh4 Rd2+ 56.Ke5] 

54...Ke7 55.Rxf3 Rd2+ 56.Ke4 b5 57.Rh3 a5 58.Rh7+ Ke6 Strongly threatening ...Rd4+. 

59.Rh6+ Kf7 60.Rh7+ Kg6 61.Rb7 Rd4+ 62.Ke3 Rb4 63.e6 Kf6 64.e7 Kf7 65.Rc7 Rc4 66.Rb7 b4 67.Kd3 Rd4+ 68.Kc2 a4 69.Ra7 Ke8 [¹69...Rc4+ 70.Kb1 a3] 

70.Rxa4 Kxe7 [¹70...Rc4+ 71.Kb3 Rc3+ 72.Kb2 Kxe7] 

71.Kb3 Kd6 Black mates. 

72.Ra8 Rd3+ 73.Kc2 Rc3+ 74.Kb2 Kd5 75.Rh8 Re3 76.Kc2 Kc4 77.Rh4+ Kb5 78.Rh5 b3+ 79.Kb2 Kb4 80.Rh4+ c4 81.Rg4 Re2+ 82.Kc1 Rh2 83.Rf4 Ka3  0–1

Paikidze,Nazi (2352) - Zatonskih,Anna (2444)

US-ch Women 2018 Saint Louis (7), 25.04.2018

1.d4 d5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bf4 e6 4.Nb5 Na6 5.e3 Be7 [5...c6 6.Nc3 Nc7 7.Nf3 Bd6 8.Ne5 0–0 9.Qf3 Bb4 10.Bd3 Nb5 11.0–0 Nxc3 12.bxc3 Bxc3 0–1 (33) Jobava,B (2690)-Anand,V (2782) Riadh 2017] 

6.Nf3 D00: 1 d4 d5: Unusual lines 

6...0–0 7.Ne5 

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7...Ne4N [7...c5 8.c3 Bd7 9.a4 Bc6 10.Be2 Nd7 11.0–0 Nxe5 12.Bxe5 1–0 (64) Martinovic,S (2550)-Girya,O (2450) Tallinn 2016] 

8.Bd3 [8.f3= keeps the balance. 8...Nd6 9.c3] 

8...f6!µ 9.Nf3 c6 10.Nc3 Nxc3! 11.bxc3 c5 12.h4 Qa5ƒ Keeping White busy. 

13.Kd2 cxd4 14.exd4 e5 15.dxe5 Nc5 16.Ke2 Bg4 17.Kf1 Nxd3 18.Qxd3 [18.cxd3µ Qxc3 19.Rc1] 

18...Bxf3 [18...Rac8–+ 19.Bd2 fxe5 20.Nxe5 Bf5] 

19.gxf3³ Rac8 20.Rd1 Rxc3 21.Qxd5+ Qxd5 22.Rxd5 fxe5 23.Bxe5 Rcxf3 24.Bd4 b6 25.h5 h6 26.Rg1 [¹26.Kg2] 

26...Bg5 [Better is 26...Bf6µ Strongly threatening ...Bxd4. 27.Bxf6 R3xf6] 

27.Rdxg5 hxg5 28.Rxg5 Endgame KRR-KRB 

28...R8f7 29.h6 

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29...g6! 30.Rxg6+ Kh7 31.Re6 Ra3 32.Ke2 Rd7 33.c3 Rxa2+ 34.Kf3 Ra1 35.Kg2 Rf7 [35...b5µ ...b4! is the strong threat. 36.Be5 Ra3] 

36.f4! 

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36...Ra5 [Much worse is 36...Rxf4?! 37.Re7+ Kxh6 38.Be3=; 36...Rd1!µ 37.Kg3 Rf1] 

37.Be5 Ra2+ 38.Kg3 Ra1 39.Kg2 Ra2+ 40.Kg3 Ra1 41.Kg2! Rd7 Hoping for ...Rd3. 

42.Kf3 Rh1 43.Re8 Kxh6 44.Rh8+ Rh7 45.Rg8 Re1 And now ...Rf7 would win. 

46.Bd4 Rd7 47.Rh8+ Kg6 White must now prevent ...Kf5. 

48.Kg4! Re4 49.Be5 

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[49.Rf8=] 

49...Re7!µ 50.Bd4 Rd7 [50...Re8µ 51.Rh4 Rf8] 

51.Be5= Re7 [51...Rd5= 52.Bd4 Rd7] 

52.Bd4!–+ Rd7 [Black should play 52...Re8–+ 53.Rh4 Rf8] 

53.Be5³ Re7  ½–½

Krush,Irina (2422) - Foisor,Sabina-Francesca (2308)

US-ch Women 2018 Saint Louis (7), 25.04.2018

1.c4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.cxd5 cxd5 4.Nf3 e6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bf4 Bd6 D10: Slav Defence: 3 cxd5 (without early Nf3) and 3 Nc3 

7.Bxd6 Qxd6 8.e3 Nge7 9.Bd3 f6 [9...Bd7 10.0–0 0–0 11.Nb5 Qb8 12.Qd2 f6 13.Rac1 Be8 14.Nc3 Bh5 15.Be2 Qd6 16.Rfd1 1/2–1/2 (16) Vallejo Pons,F (2711)-Kobalia,M (2628) Tallinn 2016] 

10.0–0 0–0 

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11.Rc1N [11.Qc2 f5 12.Nb5 Qd7 13.a3 1–0 (46) Braeu,E (1500)-Ludwig,K (1232) Schloss Schney 1997] 

11...Bd7 12.a3 Be8 13.Qc2 h6 14.b4 Bh5 15.Nd2 e5 16.b5 Na5 17.Qa4 b6 18.Qb4 Rfd8 [18...Qd7 is interesting. 19.Nb3 e4 20.Be2 Bxe2 21.Nxe2 Nc4] 

19.Qxd6 Rxd6 20.Rfe1 Rdd8 21.Na2 Rac8 22.Nb4 Kf7 23.Bb1 Ke6 24.Ba2 Rxc1 25.Rxc1 Kd6 26.f3 [Better is 26.dxe5+² fxe5 27.f3] 

26...exd4!= 27.exd4 Be8 28.a4 Bf7 29.g4 h5 30.Kf2 Be6 31.h3 g5 32.Nf1 Ng6 33.gxh5 Nf4 34.Ng3 Rh8 35.Bb1 Nxh5 36.Nf5+ [36.Bf5=] 

36...Bxf5 37.Bxf5 Ng7 38.Rc8 Rxc8 39.Bxc8³ Endgame KBN-KNN 

39...Kc7 40.Ba6! The position is equal. 

40...Kd6 41.f4 Nf5 42.fxg5 fxg5 43.Kf3 Nb3 44.Kg4 Nbxd4 45.Kxg5 Ke5 46.Nc6+ Ke4 47.Nxd4 Nxd4= KB-KN 

48.h4 Nf3+ 49.Kg4! Ne5+ 50.Kg3 d4 51.Bb7+ Ke3 52.Bd5 d3 

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Threatens to win with ...d2.
53.h5 Kd4 [53...d2!? 54.Bb3 Nf7!=]
54.Bb3 Kc3 55.Bd1 Hoping for h6.
55...Kd2 56.Bb3 h6 is the strong threat.
56...Kc3 57.Bd1 Strongly threatening h6.
57...Kd2 58.Bb3 still aiming for h6.
58...Kc3 ½–½