BATUMI CHESS OLYMPIAD 2018 ROUND 11 – ABDUMALIK vs ERIC

This game is from round 11 of the 2018 Batumi Chess Olympiad. It features Zhansaya Abdumalik with White against Jovana Eric Lopez with Black.

Today’s game features a French Defence.

Abdumalik,Zhansaya (2482) - Eric,Jovana (2261)

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

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 b6 5.Qg4 Bf8 6.h4 h5 C16: French: 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 e5: Lines without ...c5

XABCDEFGHY
8rsnlwqkvlntr(
7zp-zp-+pzp-'
6-zp-+p+-+&
5+-+pzP-+p%
4-+-zP-+QzP$
3+-sN-+-+-#
2PzPP+-zPP+"
1tR-vL-mKLsNR!
xabcdefghy

7.Qf4 [7.Qd1 Ba6 8.Bxa6 Nxa6 9.Bg5 (9.Nce2 Qd7 10.Ng3 Be7 11.Qe2 Nb4 12.c3 Nc6 13.Nf3 Na5 14.b3 a6 15.0–0 Qb5 16.Qc2 c5 17.Rd1 Rc8 18.dxc5 Bxc5 19.Bg5 Qc6 20.Qe2 Be7 21.Qxa6 Bxg5 22.Nxg5 Ne7 23.Qe2 Ng6 Gallagher,J (2490)-Huss,A (2330)/Cannes 1998/CBM 063 ext/1–0 (42)) 9...Qd7 10.Nge2 c5 11.Ng3 g6 12.dxc5 Nxc5 13.Qe2 Na4 14.Nxa4 Qxa4 15.c4 Qxc4 16.Qxc4 dxc4 17.Ne4 Be7 18.0–0–0 Nh6 19.Nf6+ Bxf6 20.Bxf6 0–0 21.f3 Nf5 Sutovsky,E (2560)-Psakhis,L (2610)/Israel 1997/CBM 058 ext/½–½ (49)] 

7...Qd7N Black is behind in developement [7...Ba6 8.Nf3 Bxf1 9.Rxf1 Nc6 10.Ng5 Qd7 11.Bd2 Nh6 12.0–0–0 Be7 13.f3 0–0–0 14.Rfe1 Rde8 15.g4 f6 16.Nh3 fxe5 17.dxe5 Bxh4 18.Re3 d4 19.Rd3 hxg4 20.fxg4 Nf7 21.Be3 Nfxe5 22.Rxd4 Zavoronkov,V (2240)-Karner,H (2315)/Estonia 1996/CBM 052 ext/0–1 (36)] 

8.Nf3 Ba6 9.Bxa6 Nxa6 10.a3 Black has a cramped position 

10...Ne7 11.Nd1 Ng6 Black threatens to win material: Ng6xf4 

12.Qd2 

XABCDEFGHY
8r+-+kvl-tr(
7zp-zpq+pzp-'
6nzp-+p+n+&
5+-+pzP-+p%
4-+-zP-+-zP$
3zP-+-+N+-#
2-zPPwQ-zPP+"
1tR-vLNmK-+R!
xabcdefghy

12...c5 Black undermines the pawn chain 

13.c3 Consolidates b4 

13...Rc8 14.0–0 Nb8 15.Ne3 Nc6 16.b4 Be7 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+r+k+-tr(
7zp-+qvlpzp-'
6-zpn+p+n+&
5+-zppzP-+p%
4-zP-zP-+-zP$
3zP-zP-sNN+-#
2-+-wQ-zPP+"
1tR-vL-+RmK-!
xabcdefghy

17.g3 Prevents intrusion on f4 

17...0–0 18.Qd3 a5 19.b5 Nb8 20.a4 Qe8 21.Ng5 

XABCDEFGHY
8-snr+qtrk+(
7+-+-vlpzp-'
6-zp-+p+n+&
5zpPzppzP-sNp%
4P+-zP-+-zP$
3+-zPQsN-zP-#
2-+-+-zP-+"
1tR-vL-+RmK-!
xabcdefghy

21...cxd4 [21...Bxg5 22.hxg5 h4 23.gxh4²] 

22.cxd4² Bb4 Here comes the goal-getter 

23.Qd1 f6 24.exf6 gxf6 25.Nh3 Bc3 26.Ra2 Kg7 27.Ba3 Rh8 28.Rc2 Nd7 29.Qd3 Bb4 30.Bxb4 axb4 31.Re1 Qf7 32.Qb3 Rxc2 33.Nxc2 Rc8 34.Nxb4 Rc4 35.Nc6 e5 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+n+qmk-'
6-zpN+-zpn+&
5+P+pzp-+p%
4P+rzP-+-zP$
3+Q+-+-zPN#
2-+-+-zP-+"
1+-+-tR-mK-!
xabcdefghy

36.Qd1 White threatens to win material: Qd1xh5 

36...Qe6 Black threatens to win material: Qe6xh3 

37.Kh2 Qg4 38.a5 bxa5 White has a new passed pawn: b5. Black has a new passed pawn: a5 

39.Qd3 a4? [¹39...e4!? looks like a viable alternative 40.Qd2 a4²] 

40.f3± Qe6 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+n+-mk-'
6-+N+qzpn+&
5+P+pzp-+p%
4p+rzP-+-zP$
3+-+Q+PzPN#
2-+-+-+-mK"
1+-+-tR-+-!
xabcdefghy

41.Nf4 Deflection: e5 

41...Nxf4 [41...exf4 42.Rxe6 Pinning(42.Rxe6 Deflection) ; 41...Nxf4 42.gxf4 Combination; 41...-- 42.Qxg6+ Mate threat] 

42.gxf4 Qf7?? solves nothing [42...e4 43.fxe4 Kf8 44.Qa3+ Nc5+-] 

43.Rg1++- Kh8 [43...Kh6 doesn't change anything anymore 44.Ne7 e4 45.Nf5+ Kh7 46.fxe4+-] 

44.Qf5 e4 [44...exd4 45.Ne7 Qe8 46.Ng6+ Kg7 47.Ne5+ Kh8 48.Nxd7 Qe2+ 49.Rg2 Qxg2+ 50.Kxg2 Rc2+ 51.Qxc2 Kg7 52.Qc6 a3 53.Qxf6+ Kh7 54.Qe7+ Kh8 55.Nf6 a2 56.Qh7#] 

45.Ne7 [¹45.Nd8 and White can celebrate victory 45...Rc2+ 46.Kh1+-] 

45...Rc2+ [45...Nf8 is not the saving move 46.Rg8+ Qxg8 47.Nxg8 Rc2+ 48.Kg3 Kxg8 49.Qxd5+ Kg7 50.Qxe4+-] 

46.Kh3 Nf8 47.Ng6+ Nxg6 48.Rxg6 a3 [48...Qxg6 cannot undo what has already been done 49.Qxg6 Rc3 50.Qxh5+ Kg7 51.Qxd5+-] 

49.Qxh5+ [¹49.Rxf6 keeps an even firmer grip 49...Qxf6 50.Qxf6+ Kg8 51.Qd8+ Kf7 52.Qxd5+ Kg7 53.Qd7+ Kf8 54.Qd6+ Kf7 55.Qxa3 Re2+-] 

49...Qh7 50.Rh6 Qxh6 51.Qxh6+ Kg8 52.Qg6+ [52.Qg6+ Kf8 53.Qxf6+ Kg8 54.Qd8+ Kf7 55.Qxd5+ Kg7 56.Qd7+ Kf8 57.Qd6+ Kf7 58.Qxa3+-]  1–0