MUZYCHUK vs MAMMADZADA – EUROPEAN CLUB CUP 2018 ROUND 2

This game is from round 2 of the 2018 European Club Cup. It features Anna Muzychuk with White against Gunay Mammadzada with Black.

This game features a Moscow Variation of the Sicilian Defence. To learn more about beating the Sicilian, here is the best instruction book I could find on Amazon.

Muzychuk,Anna (2555) - Mammadzada,Gunay (2438)

23rd European Women Club Cup 2018 Halkidiki (2), 13.10.2018

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Nd7 4.0–0 a6 5.Bd3 Ngf6 6.c3 B51: Sicilian: Moscow Variation (3 Bb5+) without 3...Bd7 

6...g6 [6...b5 7.a4 b4 8.Bc2 Bb7 9.Re1 Qc7 10.d3 e6 11.a5 bxc3 12.bxc3 Be7 1/2–1/2 (62) McShane,L (2672)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2768) Batumi 2018] 

7.Bc2 Bg7 8.d4 White is slightly better. 

8...0–0 9.e5 Ne8 10.e6 fxe6 11.Ng5 Nc7 12.dxc5! 

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12...d5! [12...Nxc5?! 13.Nxh7! Rf5 14.Ng5± (14.Bxf5 exf5 15.Ng5 e5±) ] 

13.f4N [13.c4!?] 

13...e5 14.Nxh7! Kxh7 15.Qh5+! Kg8 16.Bxg6 Nf6 17.Qh4! e4 And now ...Bd7 would win. 

18.f5 Bd7 [18...e6!= keeps the balance.] 

19.g4!± 

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19...Be8 [¹19...e5] 

20.g5! Bxg6 21.fxg6 Nh5 [21...e5±] 

22.Rxf8+‚ White is out for blood. [Much less strong is 22.Qxh5 Rxf1+ 23.Kxf1 Ne6±] 

22...Qxf8 [¹22...Kxf8 23.Qxh5 d4] 

23.Qxh5+- Qf5? [23...Qf3 24.Qxf3 exf3] 

24.Be3 Ne6 

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25.Nd2? [25.Qh7++- and the rest is easy. 25...Kf8 26.Nd2 Nxg5 27.Bxg5 (27.Qh4 Bf6±) 27...Qxg5+ 28.Kh1 Qxd2 29.Rf1+ Ke8 30.Qg8+ Kd7 31.Qxa8 Qxb2 32.Qg8] 

25...Nf8± 26.Rf1 Qe6 

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27.Nb3! Strongly threatening Nd4. 

27...Nxg6 28.Nd4 Bxd4 29.Bxd4 Threatening mate with Qh6. 

29...Rf8? [29...e3± is tougher.] 

30.Rf6!+- Rxf6 31.gxf6 [Not 31.Bxf6 Qf5=] 

31...Qf7 32.fxe7 Qe6 

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33.e8Q+! Qxe8 34.Qxd5+ Kh7 [¹34...Kf8 35.Qxb7 Qe6] 

35.Qh5+ [¹35.Qxb7+ Ne7 36.Kh1] 

35...Kg8 

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36.Qd5+ [¹36.Qh6 Qf7 37.Qg5] 

36...Kh7! 37.Qxb7+ Kh6 38.Be3+ 1–0