I rarely see
the Kings Indian Attack appear in top level competitive chess. So, it came as a
pleasant surprise to see it appear twice in rapid (pardon the pun) succession
in the playoff match.
Paikidze
started the first game nervously and tried to match the lightning fast speed
her teenage opponent was playing. As a result she completely missed the
zwischenzug of 17.Bb4. This again put the 2016 champion into the position of
needing to come from behind just like in rounds 10 and 11.
In the
second game White played 16.g4 in her Kings Indian Attack and was able to get a
powerful attack on Wang’s King.
In between
games, Paikidze could be seen chatting to GM Giorgi Kacheishvili – mentor to
student and business partner GM Irina Krush during previous playoff matches.
His advice after the second playoff game was that if the opportunity arose
again, Paikidze should play her Knight to g4 rather than the pawn.
Little did
we know that the Armageddon game would present just that opportunity. Even though
the score sheet will reflect that Wang lost the final game on time, White had a
forced mate in 10 on the board.
Young Annie
Wang should be immensely proud. She looks to have a long and stellar career
ahead of her.
This was
Nazi Paikidze’s fourth appearance at the US Women’s Chess Championship. She now
has a second title to go with her two silver medals.
Wang,Annie (2321) - Paikidze,Nazi (2352)
US-ch Women 2018 Saint
Louis (12), 30.04.2018
1.d4 Nf6
2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 d5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.Qxc3 c5 E36:
Nimzo-Indian: Classical: 4...d5 5 a3 [6...Ne4 7.Qc2 c5 8.dxc5 Nc6 9.cxd5 exd5
10.Nf3 Qf6 11.e3 Bg4 12.Be2 0–0 13.0–0 Rfe8 14.Bd2 d4 15.Rad1 Nxd2 16.Rxd2 dxe3
1/2–1/2 (31) Mamedyarov,S (2809)-So,W (2799) Berlin 2018]
7.dxc5 d4 8.Qg3
Nc6 9.Qxg7 Rg8 10.Qh6 e5
XABCDEFGHY
8r+lwqk+r+(
7zpp+-+p+p'
6-+n+-sn-wQ&
5+-zP-zp-+-%
4-+Pzp-+-+$
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2-zP-+PzPPzP"
1tR-vL-mKLsNR!
xabcdefghy
11.Bg5N [11.b4±; or: 11.b4 Rg6 12.Qd2 Ne4 13.Qb2 Qf6 14.e3 0–1 (23) Karpov,A
(2628)-Edouard,R (2628) Cap d'Agde 2016]
11...Rg6= 12.Qh4 [12.Bxf6!=
Rxf6 13.Qc1 (13.Qxh7 Qa5+ 14.Kd1 Qa4+ 15.Ke1 Ke7=) ]
12...Qa5+!³
13.Bd2 [13.b4 Nxb4! 14.Bd2 Nc2+ 15.Kd1 Qa4–+]
13...Qxc5 14.e4 Qd6 [Black
should play 14...dxe3³ 15.Bxe3 Qa5+ 16.Bd2 Qb6]
15.f3 d3
XABCDEFGHY
8r+l+k+-+(
7zpp+-+p+p'
6-+nwq-snr+&
5+-+-zp-+-%
4-+P+P+-wQ$
3zP-+p+P+-#
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xabcdefghy
[Better is 15...Qd8² ]
16.Qf2!± Nd4
XABCDEFGHY
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xabcdefghy
[16...b6± is a better defense.]
17.Bb4!+-
Qc6 18.Bxd3 Be6 19.Ne2 0–0–0 20.0–0–0 Strongly threatening Nxd4.
20...Bxc4
[20...Nb3+ keeps fighting. 21.Kb1 a5]
21.Nxd4 Rxd4 22.Bxc4 Rxc4+ 23.Kb1
Nd7 [¹23...b6 24.Rc1 Kb7]
24.Qxa7 Rxg2? [24...Qc7 25.Rc1 Ra6]
25.Qa8+
Kc7 26.Ba5+? [26.Be7 Nb8 27.Bd6+ Kb6 28.Qxb8]
26...b6 27.Qa7+ Kd8
28.Bxb6+ Ke8 Hoping for ...Rcc2.
29.Bf2 f6 30.Rd2 Rg7 31.Rhd1 Re7 32.Rg1
Kf7? [32...Rg7 33.Rgd1 (33.Rxg7 Rc1+ 34.Ka2 Qc4+ 35.b3 Rc2+ 36.Rxc2
Qxc2+ 37.Ka1 Qd1+ 38.Kb2 Qd2+ 39.Kb1 Qd1+ 40.Kb2 Qd2+ 41.Kb1 Qd1+ 42.Kb2=) 33...Qa4
34.Qxa4 Rxa4]
33.Qe3 Nf8 34.Qh6 Threatens to win with Rd8.
34...Ke8
35.Rgd1 Nd7 36.Qh5+ Kd8 37.Qg4 Kc7 38.Qg8 Qb5 39.Qg4 Qc6! 40.Rd5 Nb8
XABCDEFGHY
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xabcdefghy
41.Qg8 White
threatens Qd8+ and mate.
41...Nd7 42.Be1 [¹42.Ra5 Ra4 43.Rxa4 Qxa4
44.Rc1+ Qc6 45.Rxc6+ Kxc6 46.Qc4+ Kb7 47.Qb4+ Kc7 48.Qxe7]
42...Rc5 43.Bb4
Rxd5 44.exd5 Qa4 45.Rc1+ 1–0
Paikidze,Nazi (2352) - Wang,Annie (2321)
US-ch Women 2018 Saint
Louis (13), 30.04.2018
1.Nf3 e6
2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 d5 4.0–0 Be7 5.d3 c5 6.Nbd2 Nc6 7.e4 b6 8.e5 Nd7 9.Re1 Qc7
10.Qe2 Bb7 11.c4 d4 C00:
French: Unusual White 2nd moves and Kings Indian Attack
12.Nf1 [12.h4 h6 13.h5 a5 14.Ne4 Ncxe5
15.Nxe5 Nxe5 16.Bf4 0–0 17.Nd2 Bxg2 18.Bxe5 Qc6 19.f3 0–1 (45) Liang,A
(2572)-Le,Q (2737) chess.com INT 2018]
12...h6 13.h4
XABCDEFGHY
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13...0–0–0
Black has an edge.
14.h5 [14.N1h2!= keeps the balance.]
14...Rdf8N
[14...Rdg8 15.Bf4 g5 16.hxg6 fxg6 17.g4 g5 18.Bd2 h5 19.N1h2 Kb8
0–1 (34) Veleski,R (2162)-Mihov,F (1964) Struga 2016]
15.a3 g5 [Black
should try 15...g6³ ]
16.g4? [16.N1h2!=]
16...Kb8 17.Bd2 [17.Ng3µ]
17...Re8 [17...f5–+ 18.exf6 Nxf6]
18.b4!³ cxb4 19.axb4 Nxb4 [Better
is 19...Bxb4= 20.Bxb4 Nxb4]
20.Nxd4² Bxg2 21.Kxg2 Threatens to win with
Bxb4.
21...Nc6 22.Nxc6+ Qxc6+ 23.f3 f6 24.exf6 Bxf6 25.Ra2 Rhf8 26.Be3
XABCDEFGHY
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1+-+-tRN+-!
xabcdefghy
26...Ne5
[¹26...Bc3 27.Rc1 Bb4]
27.Nh2 [¹27.Bf2!]
27...Rd8± 28.Rd1 Ka8 29.Bf2
Rc8 [29...Rd7±]
30.Rb1 Nd7 31.Ra6 Strongly threatening Bxb6!
31...Qb7?
XABCDEFGHY
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[31...Kb8± was necessary.]
32.Qa2!+-
Kb8 33.d4 Bd8 34.Ra1 Rc7 35.c5 Re8? [35...Qd5 36.Rxa7 Qxa2 37.R7xa2 Kc8]
36.Rc1
[¹36.Bg3 e5 37.cxb6 Nxb6 38.Bxe5 Rxe5 39.dxe5]
36...e5 [¹36...Qd5
37.Bg3 Qxa2+ 38.Rxa2 e5]
37.Bg3 Rc6 38.Ra1 Rc7 39.cxb6 Nxb6 40.Bxe5 Rxe5
41.dxe5 Qc8 White must now prevent ...Rc2+.
42.Rxb6+ 1–0
Paikidze,Nazi (2352) - Wang,Annie (2321)
US-ch Women 2018 Saint
Louis (14), 30.04.2018
1.Nf3 e6
2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 d5 4.0–0 Be7 5.d3 c5 6.Nbd2 Nc6 7.e4 b6 8.e5 Nd7 9.Re1 Qc7
10.Qe2 Bb7 11.c4 d4 C00:
French: Unusual White 2nd moves with Kings Indian Attack
12.Nf1 [12.h4 h6 13.h5 a5 14.Ne4 Ncxe5
15.Nxe5 Nxe5 16.Bf4 0–0 17.Nd2 Bxg2 18.Bxe5 Qc6 19.f3 0–1 (45) Liang,A
(2572)-Le,Q (2737) chess.com INT 2018]
12...h6 13.h4 0–0–0 14.N1h2! g5
15.h5!
XABCDEFGHY
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15...Rdf8N
[15...f5 16.exf6 Nxf6 17.Qxe6+ Kb8 18.Nxg5 hxg5 19.Bxg5 Rxh5 0–1 (27) Rojas
Keim,L (2403)-Ryan,J (2234) Sant Boi 2015]
16.Ng4 Kb8 17.Bd2 f5 18.exf6!
Nxf6 19.Nge5 g4 [19...Bd6²]
20.Nxc6+ Bxc6 21.Ne5 Bxg2 22.Kxg2 Qb7+
23.Kg1 Re8
XABCDEFGHY
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24.Ng6 [Less
strong is 24.Nxg4 Nxg4 25.Qxg4 Bg5+-]
24...Rh7? [24...Rhg8 25.Qe5+ (25.Qxe6
Bd8+-; 25.Bxh6 Bd6³) 25...Ka8 26.Qxe6 (26.Bxh6 Bd8±) 26...Bd8]
25.Qxe6
Nxh5 26.Qxg4 Nf6 27.Qf4+ [And not 27.Rxe7 Nxg4 28.Rxe8+ Kc7=]
27...Ka8
28.Nxe7 Rf7 29.Nf5 Rxe1+ 30.Rxe1 Rf8 31.Re7 Qc6 32.Qxh6 Rc8
XABCDEFGHY
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33.Rf7+-
[¹33.Qg7
Nh5 34.Rxa7+ Kb8 35.Qf7 Rh8 36.g4 Rf8 37.Rb7+ Kc8 38.Qxf8+ Kxb7 39.Nd6+ Ka7
40.Nb5+ Ka6 41.Qb8]
33...Qf3 1–0