BATUMI CHESS OLYMPIAD 2018 ROUND 8 – HAAST vs KOSTENIUK

This game is from round 8 of the 2018 Batumi Chess Olympiad. It features Anne Haast with White against Alexandra Kosteniuk with Black.

Today’s game features a Giuoco Piano.

Haast,Anne (2345) - Kosteniuk,Alexandra (2559)

43rd Olympiad Batumi 2018 Women Batumi (8.1), 02.10.2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.d3 Nf6 5.Nc3 0–0 6.Bg5 h6 7.Bh4 Be7 8.Bg3 C50: Hungarian Defence and Giuoco Pianissimo [8.0–0 d6 9.h3 Na5 10.Bb3 Nxb3 11.axb3 a6 12.Re1 c5 13.Bxf6 Bxf6 14.Nd5 Be6 15.c4 Bxd5 16.cxd5 Be7 17.Qc2 1/2–1/2 (43) Grischuk,A (2789)-Malakhov,V (2696) Moscow 2014] 

8...d6 9.d4 

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9...Nh5N [9...Nxe4 with more complications. 10.Nxe4 d5 11.Bd3 dxe4 12.Bxe4 exd4 13.0–0 Bf6; 9...Nxe4 10.Nxe4 d5 11.Nc3 dxc4 12.d5 e4 13.dxc6 Qxd1+ 14.Nxd1 exf3 15.gxf3 bxc6 16.Bxc7 0–1 (29) Denisov,I (2354)-Predke,A (2467) Moscow 2012] 

10.Nxe5 The position is equal. 

10...Nxe5 11.dxe5 Nxg3 12.hxg3 dxe5 13.Nd5 Bc5 14.Qe2 Be6 15.0–0–0 c6 16.Ne3 Qg5 Hoping for ...Bg4! 

17.Bxe6 fxe6 18.Rd3 Rad8! 19.Rhd1 

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19...Rd4! 20.Kb1 Rxe4 21.Rd7 [21.Re1µ might work better.] 

21...Rd4 [21...b5–+ 22.a4 Bxe3] 

22.R1xd4µ Bxd4 23.Rxb7? [23.a4³] 

23...Bxe3!–+ Black is clearly winning. 

24.fxe3 [¹24.f3] 

24...Qg4! 

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25.Qe1 [25.Qxg4 Rf1+] 

25...Qxg3! 26.Qe2 [26.Qxg3 Rf1+] 

26...Qg4!  0–1