LAGNO vs JU – GAME 4 FIDE WOMENS WORLD CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP 2018 FINAL

Wenjun Ju

It was so close and yet so far for Kateryna Lagno. She needed to hold a draw with White to become World Champion. Therefore she opted for the Rossolimo against Ju’s Sicilian. However, a positional blunder on move 19 did not help her at all. Then she played Kh1 on move 28 trapping her own King followed immediately by Qh5 removing her key defender of the g2 square. What was left was a simple Mate in ten that the reigning World Champion had no problem spotting.

The result is that from the verge of gaining the title, we go to rapid and potentially blitz playoffs for the title.

This is game 4 from the Final of the 2018 FIDE Women’s World Chess Championship, fully annotated. It is between Kateryna Lagno with White against Wenjun Ju with Black.

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

Lagno,Kateryna (2556) - Ju,Wenjun (2568)

FIDE WCC 2018 Khanty-Mansiysk (6.4), 22.11.2018

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g6 4.0–0 Bg7 5.Re1 e5 6.a3 Nge7 7.Nc3 0–0 8.Bc4 d6 9.d3 h6 B31: Sicilian: 2...Nc6 3 Bb5 g6

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10.Nd5 An ideal square for the white knight. [10.Rf1 Kh7 11.Ne1 a6 12.Nd5 Nxd5 13.Bxd5 Ne7 14.Bb3 d5 15.Qe2 Be6 16.c3 Qd7 17.Bc2 Rac8 18.f4 exf4 19.Bxf4 dxe4 20.dxe4 b5 21.Rd1 Qb7 22.Nf3 Bc4 23.Bd3 Bb3 24.Rde1 Rcd8 Triunfetti,C (2256)-Chapado,R (2151)/Buenos Aires 2004/CBM 102 ext/½–½ (33); 10.h3 Kh7 11.b4 Nd4 12.Nd5 b5 13.Nxe7 Qxe7 14.Bd5 Bb7 15.c4 Nxf3+ 16.Qxf3 bxc4 17.dxc4 Bxd5 18.cxd5 cxb4 19.axb4 f5 20.Be3 Qb7 21.Ra4 h5 22.Rea1 a6 23.exf5 Rxf5 24.Qe4 Bh6 Kristensen,B (2375)-Stokke,K (2214)/Molde 2004/CBM 101 ext/1–0] 

10...Kh7 11.c3 Controls b4+d4 

11...f5 12.exf5 gxf5 13.b4 

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13...Ng6 [13...Be6 14.Nxe7 Qxe7 15.Bxe6 Qxe6 16.Rb1²] 

14.b5 White threatens to win material: b5xc6 

14...Na5 15.Ba2 Be6 16.Qa4 b6 17.Bd2 Rg8 18.Rad1 Qd7 

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19.Nh4?? weakening the position [19.Kh1 Raf8²] 

19...Bh8 [¹19...c4!? 20.Nxg6 Bxd5 21.dxc4 Be6µ] 

20.Nxg6 Rxg6 

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21.Qh4 [21.g3!?= is an interesting alternative] 

21...Rag8³ 22.g3 Qf7 23.c4 

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23...Bf6 [¹23...f4!? 24.Bxa5 Rf8µ (24...bxa5?! 25.Bb1=) ] 

24.Nxf6+= 

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24...Rxf6 White has the pair of bishops 

25.f4 White threatens to win material: f4xe5 

25...Rg4 Black threatens to win material: Rg4xh4 

26.Qh3 

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26...Rfg6 [26...Qg7 27.Qf1 Rxg3+ 28.hxg3 Qxg3+ 29.Qg2=] 

27.Rf1 [27.Qf1!?±] 

27...Qg7= 

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28.Kh1?? forfeits the clear win [¹28.Qh5= this is the best way to fight back] 

28...Bc8 [¹28...Rxg3 seems even better 29.Qxg3 Rxg3 30.hxg3 Qxg3 31.fxe5 dxe5–+] 

29.Qh5 [29.d4 a last effort to resist the inevitable 29...cxd4 30.c5 dxc5 31.Bd5–+] 

29...Bb7+ 30.Kg1 Rxg3+ 

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31.hxg3 [31.Kf2 cannot change what is in store for ? 31...exf4 32.Rc1 Qe5 33.Rh1 Qd4+ 34.Ke2 Qxd3+ 35.Ke1 Rg1+ 36.Rxg1 Rxg1+ 37.Kf2 Qxd2+ 38.Qe2 Qd4+ 39.Qe3 Qxe3#] 

31...Rxg3+ 32.Kf2 

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32...Rg2+ [32...Rg2+ 33.Ke1 Qg3+ 34.Rf2 Qxf2#]  0–1