JU vs KOSTENIUK – FIDE WOMENS WORLD CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP 2018 SEMI-FINAL

Wenjun Ju

This game is from the Semi-Final of the 2018 FIDE Women’s World Chess Championship, fully annotated. It is between Wenjun Ju with White against Alexandra Kosteniuk with Black.

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

Ju,Wenjun (2568) - Kosteniuk,Alexandra (2543)

FIDE WCC 2018 Khanty-Mansiysk (5.2), 16.11.2018

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.Nf3 cxd4 4.Nxd4 b6 5.Nc3 Bb7 6.f3 Nc6 7.e4 e6 8.Be3 A31: Symmetrical English: 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 d4

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8...Bb4 [8...Bc5 9.Qd2 0–0 10.0–0–0 Qb8 11.Be2 Rd8 12.Bf4 Qc8 13.Nxc6 Bxc6 14.e5 Ne8 15.Bg5 f6 16.exf6 Nxf6 17.Bd3 Be7 18.Kb1 a6 19.Rhe1 Qb7 20.Bc2 b5 21.Nd5 Bxd5 22.cxd5 Nxd5 23.Be4 Karpov,A (2725)-Adams,M (2630)/Dos Hermanas 1993/CBM 036/1–0 (41)] 

9.Be2 [9.Qb3 Be7 10.Be2 0–0 11.Rd1 Na5 12.Qa4 Qb8 13.b4 Nc6 14.Nxc6 Bxc6 15.Qb3 Re8 16.Bd4 Nh5 17.0–0 Bd6 18.e5 Bxe5 19.Bxe5 Qxe5 20.b5 Nf4 21.Rf2 Bb7 22.Rxd7 Rab8 23.Bf1 Red8 Dargel,M (2118)-Gazic,J (2236)/Moehnesee 2005/CBM 108 ext/0–1 (53)] 

9...0–0 10.0–0 Qb8 11.Nxc6 Bxc6 12.Qd3 

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12...a6 Controls b5 

13.a3 White threatens to win material: a3xb4 

13...Bd6 14.f4 Bc7 15.Rad1 Qb7 16.Bf3 

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16...d6 Covers c5 

17.a4 Rad8 18.Qc2 Rc8 19.Rd2 Bb8 20.Qb1 Qc7 21.Rc1 Bb7 22.b3 Nd7 23.g3 Rfd8 24.Bg2 Nf6 25.h3 Consolidates g4 

25...Rd7 26.Rcd1 Rcd8 27.Qd3 Bc6 28.Qe2 Ba7 29.Kh2 Ne8 30.Qf2 Rb8 31.Qe2 

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31...Rdd8 [31...Rbd8 32.f5±] 

32.Qf2 

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32...Rdc8 [32...Rd7!?= is noteworthy] 

33.f5 Rb7 34.Bd4 Bb8 

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35.Rc2 [35.fxe6 fxe6 36.h4 Qe7+-] 

35...Qe7 [35...e5 36.Be3²] 

36.Re1 Qd8 

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37.Rf1 Black has a cramped position 

37...e5 Black threatens to win material: e5xd4 

38.Be3 

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38...b5 [38...Nf6!?² is an interesting idea] 

39.cxb5± axb5 

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40.Rfc1 [40.a5!? Bd7 41.b4+-] 

40...bxa4² 

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41.bxa4 White has a new passed pawn: a4. Black has a cramped position.  

41...Bc7 42.Bf1 

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42...Ra8 The isolani on a4 becomes a target 

43.Bb5 Bxb5 

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44.Nxb5 Menacing 

44...Qd7 [44...Rxa4? is a blank shot 45.Nxc7 Nxc7 46.Bb6+-] 

45.Rc4 Black has a cramped position 

45...Bd8 46.Qc2 g6 47.fxg6 hxg6 

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48.Rc8 White threatens to win material: Rc8xa8 

48...Ra6 49.Qc4 

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49...Kg7 Black has a cramped position 

50.Rc2 Nf6 

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51.Nc3 White has an active position 

51...Ra5 52.Qc6 Qxc6 53.Rxc6 d5 54.exd5 Nxd5 55.Nxd5 Rxd5 56.R6c5 Rxc5 57.Bxc5 e4 58.Bd4+ Bf6 59.Bxf6+ Kxf6 60.a5 

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60...Ra7 Black threatens to win material: Ra7xa5 

61.Ra2 Ra6 62.Kg2 Ke5 63.Kf2 g5 

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64.g4 White has a new backward pawn: h3. Black has a new backward pawn: f7 

64...Kf4 65.Ra4 f6 66.Ra2 f5 67.gxf5 Kxf5 68.Ra4 Kf4 69.Ra3 Ke5 70.Ra4 Kf5 71.Ra2 Kf4 72.Ra3 Ke5 ½–½