ATALIK vs MUZYCHUK – FIDE WOMENS WORLD CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP 2018 ROUND 2

Mariya Muzuchuk

This game is from round 2 of the 2018 FIDE Women’s World Chess Championship. It is between Ekaterina Atalik with White against Mariya Muzuchuk with Black.

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

Atalik,Ekaterina (2445) - Muzychuk,Mariya (2545)

FIDE WCC 2018 Khanty-Mansiysk (2.2), 07.11.2018

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 4.Qc2 Na6 5.a3 bxc4 6.e4 A57: Benko/Volga Gambit 

6...g6 [6...e6 7.Nc3 exd5 8.exd5 Bd6 9.Bxc4 0–0 10.Nge2 Nc7 11.0–0 Re8 12.Qd3 Rb8 1/2–1/2 (40) Mamedyarov, S (2766)-Mihok,O (2505) chess.com INT 2017] 

7.Bxc4 Nc7 8.Nf3 White is slightly better. 

8...Bg7 9.0–0 d6 10.h3 0–0 11.Nc3 Rb8 12.Rb1 

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12...Nd7N [12...e6 13.dxe6 Bxe6 14.Bxe6 Nxe6 1/2–1/2 (21) Kallai,G (2505)-Adrian,C (2340) France 1997] 

13.Bf4 Nb6 14.Ba2 Ba6 15.Rfd1 Qd7 16.e5 Nb5 17.Ne2 Rfc8 18.e6 fxe6 19.dxe6 Qb7 20.Qd2 c4 21.Bh6 Bf6 22.Ng5 d5 23.Qf4 Nd6 24.Ng3 Qc7 [24...Na4=] 

25.Qg4!² 

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25...c3 And now ...c2 would win. 

26.bxc3 Qxc3? [26...Bc4!= and Black is okay. 27.Bxc4 Qxc4] 

27.Nf7!+- Qxa3 [¹27...Nbc4] 

28.Nh5 Ne4 

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29.Nf4?? [Much less strong is 29.Bxd5?! Nxd5 30.Rxb8 (30.Qxe4 Rxb1 31.Nxf6+ exf6±) 30...Rxb8±; 29.Bb3!+- and all is fine.] 

29...Qxa2–+ 30.Nxg6 Qxf2+ 31.Kh1 Qe1+! 32.Rxe1 Nf2+ 33.Kh2 

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33...Nxg4+ Black is clearly winning. 

34.hxg4 With the idea g5. 

34...hxg6 35.g5 [¹35.Bf4] 

35...Bc3 36.Re3 d4 37.Rh3 d3 38.Rf1 d2 39.Rf6 exf6 40.gxf6 Bxf6 0–1