BATUMI CHESS OLYMPIAD 2018 ROUND 9 – PAEHTZ vs DOLZHIKOVA

This game is from round 9 of the 2018 Batumi Chess Olympiad. It features Elizabeth Paehtz with White against Olga Dolzhikova with Black.

Today’s game features a French Defence.

Paehtz,Elisabeth (2513) - Dolzhikova,Olga (2184)

43rd Olympiad Batumi 2018 Women Batumi (9.1), 03.10.2018

1.d4 e6 2.e4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bd7 5.Nf3 Bc6 6.Bd3 Nd7 7.c3 Ngf6 8.Ng3 Bxf3 C10: French with 3 Nc3: Unusual Black 3rd moves and 3...dxe4 

9.Qxf3 c6 10.Bf4 Be7 11.0–0 0–0 12.Rad1 Re8 13.Rfe1 

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13...Nf8 [13...Qb6 14.Bc1 Rad8 15.Bc2 h6 16.h3 Qa5 17.a3 Bd6 18.Nf1 Qh5 19.Qxh5 Nxh5 1/2–1/2 (49) Balogh,C (2632)-Rustemov,A (2538) Germany 2013] 

14.Bc1 [14.Qe2 is interesting. 14...Ng6 15.Bc1 Nd5 16.Bb1 Ndf4 17.Qf3] 

14...Qd5N [14...Ng6 15.Re3 Qd5 16.Qe2 Nh4 17.Qf1 Rad8 18.Re5 Qd7 19.Bc2 Ng6 1–0 (49) Arias,L (2293)-Fonseca,J (2221) Deportes 2008] 

15.Qxd5 cxd5 16.Nf1 g6 17.Ne3 N8d7 18.b3 Nb6 19.Bb2 Rac8 20.Rb1 Rc7 21.Ba1 Ne4 22.Bxe4 [22.c4²] 

22...dxe4= 23.Nc2 f5 24.f3 exf3 

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25.Rxe6 [White should play 25.c4³ ] 

25...Kf7!µ 26.Re3 fxg2 27.Rf3 [27.c4µ] 

27...Bh4 [27...Nd5–+ has better winning chances. White must now prevent ...Bh4. 28.Re1 Bg5 29.Rxe8 Kxe8] 

28.Ne3 Bg5 29.Nxg2 Re2 30.Rf2 Be3 [30...Re4³] 

31.Nxe3= Rxe3 32.c4 Rce7 33.Kf1 Nd7 34.d5 Rd3ƒ White is under pressure. 

35.Re1 Nc5 36.Rxe7+ Kxe7³ Endgame KRB-KRN 

37.Ke2 

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37...Rh3! 38.Be5? [38.Kf1µ] 

38...Nd3–+ 39.Bg3 Nxf2 40.Kxf2 KR-KB 

40...g5 41.Kg2 Rh6 42.Bb8? [42.Be1 g4 43.Bf2] 

42...Ra6 43.a4 Rb6 44.Bxa7 Rxb3 45.a5 Kd6 46.Bb8+ Kc5 47.d6 Rd3 48.Bc7 Kxc4 49.Kf2 Kc5 50.Bd8 h6 51.h4 g4 52.Be7 Rxd6 53.Kg3 Kd5 54.Bxd6 Kxd6 KP-KP 

55.h5 

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55...Kc5 [¹55...Ke5 56.Kh4 f4 57.Kxg4 Ke4 58.Kh3 f3 59.Kg3 Ke3 60.Kg4 f2 61.Kf5 f1Q+ 62.Kg6 Qa6+ 63.Kh7 Qxa5 64.Kg7 Qf5 65.Kxh6 Kf4 66.Kg7 Kg5 67.Kh8 Kf6 68.h6 Kg6 69.h7 Qf8#] 

56.Kf4 Kb5 57.Kxf5 K3P-KPP 

57...g3 58.Kg6 g2 59.Kxh6 

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59...g1Q [59...Kxa5–+ 60.Kg7 g1Q+ 61.Kf7 Qg5 62.Ke6 Qxh5 63.Kf6 Kb6 64.Ke6 Kc7 65.Kf6 Kd6 66.Kg7 Ke7 67.Kg8 Kf6 68.Kf8 Qh8#] 

60.Kh7 Kxa5 61.h6 Black mates. 

61...Qg5 62.Kh8 Qxh6+ 63.Kg8 Qg6+ 64.Kf8 Qh7 65.Ke8 Kb6  0–1