CRAMLING vs PAEHTZ – EUROPEAN CLUB CUP 2018 ROUND 4

This game is from round 4 of the 2018 European Club Cup. It is between Pia Cramling with White against Elisabeth Paehtz with Black.

This game features a Slav Defence. To learn more about the Slav Defence, here is the best instruction book I could find on Amazon.

Cramling,Pia (2465) - Paehtz,Elisabeth (2513)

23rd European Women Club Cup 2018 Halkidiki (4), 15.10.2018

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.cxd5 cxd5 4.Bf4 Nc6 5.Nc3 e5 6.dxe5 d4 7.Ne4 Qa5+ 8.Nd2 Nge7 9.Ngf3 Nd5 10.g3 D10: Slav Defence: 3 cxd5 (without early Nf3) and 3 Nc3

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10...h6N Consolidates g5 [10...Bf5 11.Bg2 Nxf4 12.gxf4 d3 13.0–0 Qa6 14.exd3 Bxd3 15.Re1 Be7 16.Bf1 Bxf1 17.Nxf1 Qc4 18.Qc1 Qd5 19.Qe3 0–0 20.Red1 Qe6 21.Ng3 f5 22.a3 Rfd8 23.b4 a6 24.Ne2 g6 25.Kg2 Ilinsky,Y-Nadezhdin,D (2210)/Novgorod 1997/CBM 060/1–0 (58)] 

11.h4 Be6 12.Bh3 Be7 Black has an active position 

13.Kf1 Bxh3+ 14.Rxh3 

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14...0–0–0 [Inferior is 14...Nxf4 15.gxf4 0–0 16.Nb3±] 

15.Nb3 The pressure on the isolated pawn grows. White threatens to win material: Nb3xa5 

15...Qb6 16.Kg2 Kb8 17.h5 a5 18.Rb1 Rhg8 [18...a4 19.Nbd2 Qb5 20.Qf1²] 

19.Qd3 Nxf4+ 20.gxf4 a4 21.Nc1 Nb4 Black threatens to win material: Nb4xd3 

22.Qe4 Nd5 

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23.Rg3 [Instead of 23.Nxd4 g5 24.e3 gxf4+ 25.Kh1 fxe3 26.fxe3 Nxe3–+] 

23...f5 24.exf6 Bxf6 25.Ne5 The knight dominates 

25...Qb5 26.Ncd3 The white knight is safe in front of d4 

26...Nc3 27.bxc3 Qxb1 28.cxd4 

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28...Qxa2?? [28...Rge8 29.a3²] 

29.Nb4 White threatens to win material: Nb4xa2 [¹29.Nc5 it becomes clear that White will call all the shots 29...Qd5 30.Qxd5 Rxd5 31.Ned7+ Ka7 32.Nxf6 gxf6 33.Rxg8 Rxd4 34.e3+-] 

29...Qb2 [29...Qa1!?= is noteworthy] 

30.d5± Rge8 31.Re3 

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31...a3?? Don't underestimate that pawn [¹31...Bxe5 would save the game 32.fxe5 Rd6±] 

32.Qc4+- Bxe5 33.fxe5 Rxe5 34.Qf4 a2 

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35.Nxa2 [35.Rxe5?! is much worse 35...a1Q 36.Re8+ Ka7 37.Rxd8 Qxe2 38.Qb8+ Kb6 39.Rd6+ Ka5 40.Ra6+ Qxa6 41.Nxa6 Qd1²] 

35...Rdxd5 [35...Qxa2 36.Qxe5+ Ka8+-] 

36.Nc3 [36.Nc3 Ka8 37.Rxe5 Rxe5 38.Qxe5+-]  1–0