KOSTENIUK vs MUZYCHUK – FIDE WOMENS WORLD CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP 2018 QUARTER FINAL

Alexandra Kosteniuk

This game is from the Quarter Final of the 2018 FIDE Women’s World Chess Championship, fully annotated. It is between Alexandra Kosteniuk with White against Anna Muzychuk with Black.

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

Kosteniuk,Alexandra (2543) - Muzychuk,Anna (2564)

FIDE WCC 2018 Khanty-Mansiysk (4.3), 14.11.2018

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Bg5 a6 8.Na3 b5 9.Nd5 Be7 10.Bxf6 Bxf6 11.c3 Rb8 12.Nc2 Bg5 13.Be2 0–0 14.0–0 Be6 15.Qd3 a5 16.Rfd1 Ne7 B33: Sicilian: Pelikan and Sveshnikov Variations 

17.Nxe7+ Bxe7 18.Ne3 Qd7 19.Nd5 

XABCDEFGHY
8-tr-+-trk+(
7+-+qvlpzpp'
6-+-zpl+-+&
5zpp+Nzp-+-%
4-+-+P+-+$
3+-zPQ+-+-#
2PzP-+LzPPzP"
1tR-+R+-mK-!
xabcdefghy

19...Rfd8N [19...Bd8 20.Rd2 b4 21.cxb4 axb4 22.Qb3 Bb6 23.Nxb6 Rxb6 1/2–1/2 (53) Zagrebelny,S (2505)-Rogozenco,D (2555) Kolkata 1999] 

20.Qg3 Qa7 21.Rd2 b4 22.Rad1 bxc3 23.Nxc3 h6 24.b3 Qc5 

XABCDEFGHY
8-tr-tr-+k+(
7+-+-vlpzp-'
6-+-zpl+-zp&
5zp-wq-zp-+-%
4-+-+P+-+$
3+PsN-+-wQ-#
2P+-tRLzPPzP"
1+-+R+-mK-!
xabcdefghy

25.Na4 [25.Rd3²] 

25...Qa7 26.Bg4 Qc7 27.Bxe6 fxe6 28.Qg4 Qc8! 29.Rd3 d5! 30.Qg6 Bf6 

XABCDEFGHY
8-trqtr-+k+(
7+-+-+-zp-'
6-+-+pvlQzp&
5zp-+pzp-+-%
4N+-+P+-+$
3+P+R+-+-#
2P+-+-zPPzP"
1+-+R+-mK-!
xabcdefghy

31.Rg3‚ Hoping for Qxf6. White is up to no good. 

31...Qc2 32.Rf1 Kh8 

XABCDEFGHY
8-tr-tr-+-mk(
7+-+-+-zp-'
6-+-+pvlQzp&
5zp-+pzp-+-%
4N+-+P+-+$
3+P+-+-tR-#
2P+q+-zPPzP"
1+-+-+RmK-!
xabcdefghy

33.Qf7 [33.Rc3= Qxa2 34.Nc5] 

33...d4 [Worse is 33...Qxa2 34.Nc5±; 33...dxe4 34.Rc3³; 33...Rbc8!µ 34.Nb6 Rc7] 

34.Rh3 [34.Rf3!= remains equal. 34...Rf8 35.Qxe6] 

34...Rf8!µ 

XABCDEFGHY
8-tr-+-tr-mk(
7+-+-+Qzp-'
6-+-+pvl-zp&
5zp-+-zp-+-%
4N+-zpP+-+$
3+P+-+-+R#
2P+q+-zPPzP"
1+-+-+RmK-!
xabcdefghy

[Reject 34...Qxe4?! 35.Rxh6+! gxh6 36.Qxf6+ Kh7 37.Qf7+ Kh8 38.Qf6+ Kh7 39.Qf7+ Kh8 40.Qf6+=] 

35.Qxe6 

XABCDEFGHY
8-tr-+-tr-mk(
7+-+-+-zp-'
6-+-+Qvl-zp&
5zp-+-zp-+-%
4N+-zpP+-+$
3+P+-+-+R#
2P+q+-zPPzP"
1+-+-+RmK-!
xabcdefghy

35...d3 [But not 35...Qxa2?! 36.Nb6=; 35...Rbc8µ aiming for ... d3. 36.Qd6 Bg5] 

36.Qc4!³ 

XABCDEFGHY
8-tr-+-tr-mk(
7+-+-+-zp-'
6-+-+-vl-zp&
5zp-+-zp-+-%
4N+Q+P+-+$
3+P+p+-+R#
2P+q+-zPPzP"
1+-+-+RmK-!
xabcdefghy

36...Rbc8 [36...Rfd8= 37.Qe6 Rf8] 

37.Qxd3² Nb6 is a strong threat. 

37...Qxa2 38.Nb6 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+r+-tr-mk(
7+-+-+-zp-'
6-sN-+-vl-zp&
5zp-+-zp-+-%
4-+-+P+-+$
3+P+Q+-+R#
2q+-+-zPPzP"
1+-+-+RmK-!
xabcdefghy

38...Rc2? [38...Rcd8± was worth a try. 39.Nd5 Be7] 

39.Qd6? [Only move: 39.Nd7!+- Rd8 40.Qb5] 

39...Be7!= 40.Qxe7 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-tr-mk(
7+-+-wQ-zp-'
6-sN-+-+-zp&
5zp-+-zp-+-%
4-+-+P+-+$
3+P+-+-+R#
2q+r+-zPPzP"
1+-+-+RmK-!
xabcdefghy

40...Rcxf2? [40...Rfxf2= 41.Rxf2 Rxf2] 

41.Qxf8++- Rxf8 42.Rxf8+ Kh7 43.Rf1 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+-zpk'
6-sN-+-+-zp&
5zp-+-zp-+-%
4-+-+P+-+$
3+P+-+-+R#
2q+-+-+PzP"
1+-+-+RmK-!
xabcdefghy

43...Qc2 and the idea ...Qc5+ leaves Black hopeful. 

44.Kh1 Qxe4 45.Rg3 Qd4 46.Na4 h5 47.h3 e4 48.Re1 g6 49.Rge3 Qb4 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+-+k'
6-+-+-+p+&
5zp-+-+-+p%
4Nwq-+p+-+$
3+P+-tR-+P#
2-+-+-+P+"
1+-+-tR-+K!
xabcdefghy

50.Rc1 [¹50.Nc3 Qxb3 51.Nxe4] 

50...Qd2 51.Rce1 Qb4! 52.Nb2 Kh6 53.Nd1 a4 54.bxa4 Qxa4 55.Nf2 Qc2 56.Nxe4 Qa2 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+-+-'
6-+-+-+pmk&
5+-+-+-+p%
4-+-+N+-+$
3+-+-tR-+P#
2q+-+-+P+"
1+-+-tR-+K!
xabcdefghy

57.Kh2 [¹57.h4 Qc4 58.g3 Qc2 59.Ng5 Qc6+ 60.Kh2 Qf6 61.R1e2 Qf8 62.Re8] 

57...Qa5 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+-+-'
6-+-+-+pmk&
5wq-+-+-+p%
4-+-+N+-+$
3+-+-tR-+P#
2-+-+-+PmK"
1+-+-tR-+-!
xabcdefghy

58.h4 White mates. 

58...Qe5+ 59.g3 Qb5 60.Ng5 Qf5 61.Nh3 Qg4 62.Nf4 g5 63.Re6+ Kh7 64.Re7+ Kg8 65.Rc7 1–0