SOCKO vs GIRYA – EUROPEAN CLUB CUP 2018 ROUND 6

Monika Socko

This game is from round 6 of the 2018 European Club Cup. It is between Monika Socko with White against Olga Girya 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.

Socko,Monika (2451) - Girya,Olga (2479)

23rd European Women Club Cup 2018 Halkidiki (6), 17.10.2018

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.cxd5 cxd5 4.Bf4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.e3 Bf5 7.Nf3 e6 8.Qb3 Bb4 9.Ne5 D14: Slav Defence: Exchange variation with ...Bf5

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9...Bxc3+N [9...Qb6 10.Nxc6 bxc6 11.Be2 Ne4 12.f3 Nxc3 13.bxc3 Be7 14.0–0 0–0 15.c4 c5 16.cxd5 Qxb3 17.axb3 exd5 18.Ba6 cxd4 19.exd4 Bf6 20.Ra4 Bd7 21.Rb4 Bc8 22.Ra1 Bxa6 23.Rxa6 Rfe8 24.Kf1 Xu Yuanyuan (2431)-Kosteniuk,A (2440)/Shanghai 2001/CBM 085/½–½ (42); 9...0–0 10.Nxc6 Bxc3+ 11.Qxc3 bxc6 12.Bg5 (12.Qxc6 Rc8 13.Qa6 Rc2 14.Bb5 Rxb2 15.Bd6 Rxb5 16.Bxf8 Ra5 17.Qb7 Kxf8 18.0–0 Ne8 19.Rfc1 Nd6 20.Qc6 g5 21.Rc3 Kg7 22.Rb3 g4 23.a4 Be4 24.Rc1 h5 25.Rb4 h4 26.Qc7 Qxc7 Carbonell Bofill,C (2269)-Vera,R (2533)/Valencia 2002/CBM 089 ext/0–1 (35)) 12...Rb8 13.Rc1 h6 14.Bxf6 Qxf6 15.b3 e5 16.Be2 exd4 17.Qxd4 Qxd4 18.exd4 Rb4 19.0–0 Rxd4 20.Rxc6 Rd2 21.Bf3 Rc8 22.Rxc8+ Bxc8 23.Rd1 Rxa2 24.Bxd5 Mantovani,R (2365)-Boudre,J (2400)/Cannes 1997/CBM 057 ext/½–½] 

10.Qxc3 Nxe5 11.Bxe5 White has the pair of bishops 

11...0–0 Black castles and improves king safety 

12.Qb4 Rc8 

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13.Be2 [13.Qxb7?? that pawn is deadly bait and will cause White grave problems 13...Qa5+ 14.b4 Qa3–+] 

13...Rc2 

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14.Bd1 White threatens to win material: Bd1xc2 [14.Qxb7? doesn't work because of 14...Qa5+ 15.b4 Qa3–+] 

14...Rc4 Black threatens to win material: Rc4xb4 

15.Qa3 White threatens to win material: Qa3xa7 

15...Ne4 16.0–0 White castles and improves king safety 

16...f6 Black threatens to win material: f6xe5 

17.Bf4 g5 18.Bg3 a6 19.Bb3 White threatens to win material: Bb3xc4 

19...Rc6 20.Qb4 Nxg3 21.fxg3 White has new doubled pawns: g2+g3 

21...Be4 The bishop dominates 

22.Rac1 Qc7 23.Qd2 Rc8 24.Rxc6 Qxc6 25.Rxf6 Qc1+ 

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26.Qxc1 White has a mate threat 

26...Rxc1+ 27.Rf1 White threatens to win material: Rf1xc1 

27...Rc6 28.g4 Kg7 29.g3 

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29...Bd3 Black threatens to win material: Bd3xf1 

30.Rd1 White threatens to win material: Rd1xd3 

30...Be2 Black threatens to win material: Be2xd1 

31.Rd2 Rc1+ 32.Kf2 White threatens to win material: Kf2xe2 

32...Bxg4 

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33.Rc2 [33.e4!? should not be overlooked 33...dxe4 34.d5 exd5 35.Bxd5=] 

33...Rb1³ 34.Rc7+ Kf6 35.Rxh7 Rxb2+ 36.Kf1 [36.Ke1!?µ] 

36...b5–+ 

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37.h3? [¹37.Rh8!?–+] 

37...Bf5 38.Ra7 [38.Rh6+ Kg7 39.Rh5 Kg6–+] 

38...Bxh3+ 39.Ke1 Bg4 40.Rxa6 Kf5 41.Rb6 Ke4 42.Rxb5 Kxe3 

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43.Ba4 [43.Bc4 Rc2 44.Rb3+ Kxd4 45.Bf1 Rxa2 46.Rb4+ Ke3 47.Rb3+ Ke4 48.Rb4+ d4 49.Rb3–+] 

43...Re2+ 44.Kf1 Bh3+ 45.Kg1 Rg2+ 46.Kh1 Rxa2 

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47.Rb4 [47.Bd1 a fruitless try to alter the course of the game 47...Bf5 48.Rb3+ Kxd4–+] 

47...Bg2+ [¹47...Bf5 nails it down 48.Kg1 Ra1+ 49.Kh2–+] 

48.Kg1 Be4 49.Rb3+ Kxd4 50.Bd7 e5 51.Bc6 Rc2 52.Bb7 Rc3 53.Rxc3 Kxc3 

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54.Kh2 [54.Kf2–+ a last effort to resist the inevitable] 

54...Kd2 55.Kh3 [55.Ba6–+ praying for a miracle] 

55...Bf3 56.g4 Ke3 57.Kg3 

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57...Be4 [57...Be4 58.Ba6 d4 59.Bb5 d3 60.Ba4 d2 61.Kh3 Kf4 62.Kh2 Bf3 63.Kh3 e4 64.Bc2 e3 65.Ba4 e2 66.Bc2 e1Q 67.Bf5 Qg3#]  0–1