BATUMI CHESS OLYMPIAD 2018 ROUND 11 – MUZYCHUK vs KRUSH

This game is from round 11 of the 2018 Batumi Chess Olympiad. It features Mariya Muzychuk with White against Irina Krush with Black.

Today’s game features a Sicilian Defence.

Muzychuk,Mariya (2533) - Krush,Irina (2423)

43rd Olympiad Batumi 2018 Women Batumi (11.2), 05.10.2018

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.Be3 a6 B48: Sicilian: Taimanov: 5 Nc3 Qc7 6 Be3 a6 without Be2

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7.Qf3 Black's piece can't move: c8 [7.f3 b5 8.Qd2 Nxd4 9.Bxd4 Ne7 10.0–0–0 Nc6 11.Be3 Bb4 12.h4 Ne5 13.h5 h6 14.Qd4 Bxc3 15.bxc3 f6 16.Rh4 Bb7 17.f4 Nc6 18.Qd6 Qxd6 19.Rxd6 Ne7 20.Bd3 Rc8 21.Kd2 Rc7 Van Wely,L (2655)-Lautier,J (2660)/Tilburg 1997/CBM 061/½–½ (32)] 

7...Bd6N Black threatens to win material: Bd6xh2 [7...Ne5 8.Qg3 h5 9.Bf4 d6 10.h4 Nf6 11.0–0–0 b5 12.Bxe5 dxe5 13.Nf3 Ng4 14.Nh2 b4 15.Na4 Bd7 16.Nxg4 Bxa4 17.Ne3 b3 18.axb3 Bxb3 19.Kb1 Ba4 20.b3 Rb8 21.Nc4 Bb5 22.Qxe5 Stoykov,G-Paskalev,D (1925)/Sofia 2004/CBM 102 ext/0–1 (46)] 

8.0–0–0 Be5 9.Nxc6 bxc6 10.Bd4 Bxd4 11.Rxd4 Black has a cramped position 

11...Nf6 12.Qg3 Qxg3 13.hxg3 d5 14.Ra4 h6 15.f3 Covers g4 

15...a5 16.b4 White threatens to win material: b4xa5 

16...Kd8 17.Rxa5 Rxa5 

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18.bxa5 White has a new passed pawn: a5.  

18...Kc7 19.exd5 cxd5 White has a new backward pawn: c2 

20.Rh4 Bb7 

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21.a6 White threatens to win material: a6xb7 

21...Bc6 22.Rb4 Ne8 23.Nb5+ Bxb5 24.Bxb5 Nd6 25.Bd3 Ra8 26.g4 Kc6 27.Kd2 Kc5 Black threatens to win material: Kc5xb4 

28.Kc3 e5 29.a4 g6 Controls f5 

30.a5 f5 31.gxf5 gxf5 32.Rh4 e4 

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33.fxe4 [33.Be2 d4+ 34.Kd2 Nc4+ 35.Bxc4 Kxc4 36.Rxh6 Rg8±] 

33...dxe4 [¹33...fxe4!? deserves consideration 34.Bf1 Nf5=] 

34.Be2 Nb5+ 35.Bxb5 Kxb5 36.Rxh6 Rxa6 37.Rh5 Rg6 38.Rxf5+ Ka6 39.Rf2 Kxa5 40.Kd4 Rg4 41.Ke5 Kb4 42.Kf5 Rg8 43.Kxe4 Kc3 44.Ke5 Re8+ 45.Kd5 Rg8 46.Ke6 Rg7 47.Kf6 Rg8 48.Re2 Kd4 49.Kf5 Rf8+ 50.Kg4 Rg8+ 51.Kh4 Rh8+ 52.Kg3 Rg8+ 53.Kf2 

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53...Kc3?? solves nothing [¹53...Rf8+ 54.Kg1 Rg8±] 

54.Re4+- Kxc2 55.g4 Kd3 56.Kf3 Rf8+ 57.Rf4 Rg8 58.Ra4 

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58...Rf8+ [58...Kc2+- what else?] 

59.Kg3 Rg8 60.Kf4 Rf8+ 61.Ke5 1–0