GALLIAMOVA vs GORYACHKINA – FIDE WOMENS WORLD CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP 2018 ROUND 2

Alisa Galliamova

This game is from round 2 of the 2018 FIDE Women’s World Chess Championship. It is between Alisa Galliamova with White against Aleksandra Goryachkina with Black.

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

Galliamova,Alisa (2432) - Goryachkina,Aleksandra (2534)

FIDE WCC 2018 Khanty-Mansiysk (2.1), 06.11.2018

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.Nf3 Nbd7 6.Bd3 dxc4 7.Bxc4 b5 8.Bd3 Bd6 9.Qc2 Bb7 10.e4 [10.Bd2 0–0 11.e4 e5 12.dxe5 Bxe5 13.Nxe5 Nxe5 14.Be2 c5 15.Bxb5 c4 16.0–0 a6 17.Ba4 Nd3 18.Bg5 h6 19.Bh4 Qd4 20.Bxf6 Qxf6 21.Qe2 Rab8 22.Rab1 Ba8 23.Rfd1 Rfd8 24.g3 Qe5 Le Roux,J (2497)-Ashton,A (2331)/Hastings 2006/CBM 110 ext/1–0 (51)] 

10...e5 11.Bg5 h6 12.Bh4 D47: Semi-Slav: Meran System

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12...0–0N [12...exd4 13.Nxd4 Bc5 14.Nb3 Be7 15.0–0 0–0 16.f4 b4 17.Nd1 a5 18.e5 Nd5 19.Bxe7 Qxe7 20.Nd4 b3 21.Qe2 Qc5 22.Qe4 f5 23.exf6 N7xf6 24.Qe6+ Kh8 0–1 Ngo Ngoc Quang (2328)-Duong The Anh (2281)/Dalat City 2004/CBM 099 ext] 

13.0–0–0 Qb8 14.Kb1 

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14...b4 Black threatens to win material: b4xc3 

15.Na4 Re8 16.Nc5 

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16...exd4 [16...Bxc5!? should be examined more closely 17.dxc5 a5=] 

17.Nxb7² Qxb7 

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18.Nxd4 Attacking the backward pawn on c6 

18...c5 Increases the pressure on e4 

19.Nf5 White threatens to win material: Nf5xd6 

19...Be5 20.Rhf1 

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20...Qc7 [20...Bd4 21.Nd6 Qc7 22.Nxe8 Rxe8 23.h3+-] 

21.Bb5 [21.g3 b3 22.axb3+-] 

21...Reb8? 

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[¹21...a6 would keep Black alive 22.Ba4 c4±] 

22.Bc6!+- Decoy: c6 

22...c4 [22...Qxc6 23.Ne7+ Double attack(23.Ne7+ Decoy) ] 

23.Bxa8 Rxa8 24.f4! here's the full point 

24...Bxf4 25.Rxd7! Deflection: d7 

25...Nxd7 [25...Qxd7 26.Rxf4 Deflection(26.Rxf4 Overloading) ; 25...Nxd7 26.Ne7+ Combination] 

26.Ne7+ Kh8 27.Nd5 Qc5 28.Nxf4 [Instead of 28.Rxf4 Qg1+ 29.Qc1 Qxh2±] 

28...Qb5 29.Qe2 [29.Nd5 b3 30.Qc3 bxa2+ 31.Kxa2 f6+-] 

29...Nb6? [29...Re8+-] 

30.Bf2 b3? [30...Qc6 31.Bd4 Rd8 32.Bxb6 axb6 33.Nd5+-] 

31.a3 [31.axb3!? seems even better 31...Qxb3 32.Bd4 c3+-] 

31...Rd8 32.Bxb6 axb6 33.Nd5 Qc6 34.Qf2 [34.Rxf7 makes it even easier for White 34...Qg6 35.Rf5 Kh7+-] 

34...Qe6 [34...Qg6 35.Nc3 Kg8 36.Qf5 Qxf5 37.exf5+- (37.Rxf5?! Rd2±) ] 

35.Nc3 [35.Qf5!? might be the shorter path 35...Qe8 36.Nxb6 c3 37.bxc3 Qc6+-] 

35...f6 36.g3 Rd3 37.Qf5 Qe8? [¹37...Qc6+-] 

38.e5! Double attack: c4/h8 38...fxe5 [38...Qxe5 39.Qc8+ Double attack; 38...fxe5 39.Qf8+ Double attack] 

39.Qf8+ Qxf8 40.Rxf8+ Kh7 41.Kc1 Kg6 42.Rb8 Rf3 43.Rxb6+ Kf5 [43...Kh5 doesn't change the outcome of the game 44.Nd1 Rf8 45.Re6+-] 

44.a4 Rf2 45.a5 Rc2+ 46.Kb1 e4 47.Rd6 Rf2 [47...e3 does not improve anything 48.Rd1 Kg4 49.a6+-] 

48.Rd1 [¹48.a6!? keeps an even firmer grip 48...e3 49.Kc1 Ke5+-] 

48...e3 49.Re1 Rxh2 [49...Rd2+- there is nothing better in the position] 

50.a6 Rd2 51.a7 Rd8 52.Rxe3 Kg4 53.Kc1 g5 [53...Ra8 is no salvation 54.Re7 g5 55.Nd5+-] 

54.Nd5 Ra8 55.Re7 Kxg3 56.Nb6 Rf8 57.a8Q Rxa8 58.Nxa8 h5 59.Nb6 h4 [59...c3 doesn't improve anything 60.Re3+ Kg2 61.Re5+-] 

60.Nxc4 h3 [60...Kf3+- is still a small chance] 

61.Rh7 1–0