KONERU vs ZAWADZKA – FIDE WOMENS WORLD CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP 2018 ROUND 2

Humpy Koneru

This game is from round 2 of the 2018 FIDE Women’s World Chess Championship. It is between Humpy Koneru with White against Jolanta Zawadzka 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.

Koneru,Humpy (2548) - Zawadzka,Jolanta (2407)

FIDE WCC 2018 Khanty-Mansiysk (2.2), 07.11.2018

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.e3 a6 6.Bxc4 b5 7.Bd3 Bb7 8.0–0 c5 9.Qe2 Nbd7 10.Rd1 Qb8 11.b3 D48: Semi-Slav: Meran System: 7...b5 8 Bd3 a6

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11...Be7N [11...Bd6 12.h3 0–0 13.Bb2 cxd4 14.exd4 (14.Nxd4 Rd8 (14...Ne5 15.Bc2 Ng6 16.Nf3 e5 17.Ng5 Be7 18.Nge4 Nxe4 19.Bxe4 Bxe4 20.Nxe4 Qb7 21.Qf3 Rab8 22.Nd2 Rfd8 23.Rac1 Qxf3 24.Nxf3 f6 25.Kf1 Rxd1+ 26.Rxd1 Rc8 27.Ke2 Rc2+ 28.Rd2 Rxd2+ 29.Nxd2 Hauchard,A (2487)-Clery,N (2327)/Noyon 2005/CBM 105 ext/½–½ (38)) 15.Rac1 Nc5 16.Bb1 Be7 17.Nf3 Rxd1+ 18.Nxd1 Ncd7 19.Nd4 Qd6 20.Nc3 Rc8 21.Qf1 Qb8 22.Nce2 Bd6 23.Nf3 Rxc1 24.Qxc1 Qa8 25.Ne1 h6 26.Nd4 Ne5 27.Qd1 Qb8 ½–½ Granda Zuniga,J (2605)-Khalifman,A (2645)/Groningen 1993/CBM 039) 14...Nb6 15.Ne5 Nbd5 16.Nxd5 Bxd5 17.Ng4 ½–½ Ujtelky,M-Drozd,R/Rostov 1961/MCD] 

12.Bb2 0–0 13.Rac1 Rc8 14.Bb1 Nb6 15.dxc5 Rxc5 16.Nd2 Qe8 17.Nce4 Nxe4 18.Nxe4 Rxc1 19.Rxc1 Rc8

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20.Rxc8 White has a mate threat 

20...Qxc8 21.Qd3 Nd5 22.Ng3 g6 Covers f5+h5 

23.Ne4 Qc6 24.f3 f6 Prevents intrusion on e5+g5 

25.h4 

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25...Qb6 Black threatens to win material: Qb6xe3 

26.Bd4 White threatens to win material: Bd4xb6 

26...Qa5 27.Kf2 e5 28.Bc5 

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28...Bxc5 [¹28...f5!? 29.Nd6 Bc6µ] 

29.Nxc5= Bc6 30.h5 f5 31.hxg6 hxg6 Black king safety dropped 

32.g4 White threatens to win material: g4xf5.  

32...Qd8 

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33.Ne6?? [¹33.gxf5 is the best chance 33...Qh4+ 34.Ke2 Qh2+ 35.Kd1 gxf5 36.Kc1 (‹36.Nxa6 Qh1+ 37.Kd2 Qxf3–+) 36...Qg1+ 37.Kb2 Qxe3 38.Nxa6³] 

33...Qh4+–+ 34.Ke2 

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34...Qh2+ [¹34...e4 seems even better 35.Qd4 exf3+ 36.Kd1 Qh8–+] 

35.Kf1?? an oversight. But White was lost anyway. [¹35.Kd1 Qh1+ 36.Kd2 Qxf3 37.gxf5 gxf5 38.Bc2–+] 

35...Qh1+ [¹35...b4 makes it even easier for Black 36.Nc7 Nxc7 37.Qc4+ Bd5 38.Qxc7 Qh1+ 39.Kf2 Qxf3+ 40.Ke1 Qxe3+ 41.Kf1 Qf3+ 42.Ke1 Qg3+ 43.Kd2 Qf2+ 44.Kd1 Bf3+ 45.Kc1 Qe1+ 46.Kb2 Qd2+ 47.Bc2–+] 

36.Kf2 Qh2+ 37.Kf1 b4 38.Nc7 Qh1+ 39.Kf2 Qh2+ 

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40.Ke1?? releasing the pressure on the opponent [40.Kf1 Qh3+ 41.Ke1 Qg3+ 42.Kd2 Qf2+ 43.Qe2 Qxe2+ 44.Kxe2 Nxc7 45.gxf5–+] 

40...Qg1+ 41.Kd2 Qf2+ 42.Kc1 Qe1+ 43.Kc2 

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43...Nxc7 [43...e4 44.fxe4 Nxe3+ 45.Kb2 fxe4 46.Qd8+ Kf7 47.Qh8 Nd1+ 48.Kc2–+] 

44.Qc4+ Nd5 45.Qxc6 Qe2+ 46.Kc1 Qxe3+ 47.Kb2 

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47...Qd4+ Black plans e4 [¹47...Qc3+!? 48.Qxc3 Nxc3–+ (48...bxc3+?! 49.Kc1=) ] 

48.Kc1µ Qc3+ 49.Qxc3 

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49...Nxc3 [Not 49...bxc3 50.gxf5 gxf5 51.Bxf5±] 

50.Bd3 e4 51.Bc4+? [51.Bxa6!? exf3 52.gxf5µ] 

51...Kg7–+ 

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52.gxf5? [52.fxe4 fxg4 53.Kd2 g3–+] 

52...gxf5 53.fxe4 [53.Kd2 exf3 54.a4 a5–+] 

53...fxe4 

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54.Bxa6 [54.Kd2 is the last straw 54...Kf6 55.a4–+] 

54...Nxa2+ 55.Kd2 Kf6 56.Ke3 Ke5 57.Bf1 Nc3 58.Bc4 Nd5+ 59.Kd2 Kd4 60.Ke2 Nf4+ 61.Kf2 Ng6 62.Ke2 Ne5 63.Bb5 Nf7 64.Kd2 Nd6 65.Bf1 Ke5 66.Ba6 Kf4 67.Ke2 Nf5 68.Bc4 Ng3+ 69.Kf2 e3+ 70.Ke1 Ke4 71.Ba6 Kd4 72.Bc4 Ne4 73.Ke2 

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73...Nc5 [73...Ng5 and Black can already relax 74.Kd1 Ke4 75.Ba6–+] 

74.Bg8?? terrible, but what else could White do to save the game? [74.Kd1–+] 

74...Nd3 

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75.Bc4 [75.Kd1 doesn't change anything anymore 75...Nf4–+] 

75...Nf4+ 76.Ke1 Kc3 77.Kd1 

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77...e2+! Deflection: e2 

78.Ke1 [78.Bxe2 Kxb3 Deflection] 

78...Kc2 0–1