LAGNO vs JU – GAME 7 FIDE WOMENS WORLD CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP 2018 FINAL

Wenjun Ju

This is game 7 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 King’s Indian Attack. To learn more about the King’s Indian Attack, here is the best instruction book I could find on Amazon.

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

FIDE WCC 2018 Khanty-Mansiysk (6.8), 23.11.2018

1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 c5 4.0–0 Nc6 5.d3 g6 6.Nc3 Bg7 A08: King's Indian Attack

XABCDEFGHY
8r+lwqk+-tr(
7zpp+-zppvlp'
6-+n+-snp+&
5+-zpp+-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-sNP+NzP-#
2PzPP+PzPLzP"
1tR-vLQ+RmK-!
xabcdefghy

7.e4 [7.Bg5 0–0 8.Nd2 Be6 9.e4 d4 10.Bxf6 Bxf6 11.Ne2 Bg7 12.a4 Qc7 13.f4 Rad8 14.b3 a6 15.f5 Bc8 16.Nf4 Nb4 17.Bh3 b5 0–1 Hug,W (2430)-Hort,V (2595)/Thessaloniki 1988/TD; 7.Na4 Qd6 8.c4 0–0 9.Qc2 b6 10.Nc3 Bb7 11.Nb5 Qd7 12.Bg5 e6 13.Rfe1 a6 14.Nc3 h6 15.Bxf6 Bxf6 16.Na4 Qc7 17.cxd5 exd5 18.Qb3 Rad8 19.Rab1 c4 20.dxc4 dxc4 21.Qxb6 Qxb6 Goffin,P (2154)-Hair,P (2036)/Auckland 2005/CBM 104 ext/1–0 (38)] 

7...dxe4 [7...d4 8.Na4 Nd7 9.c4 0–0 10.a3 a6 11.Qc2 h6 12.Bd2 e5 13.b4 b6 14.Rfb1 Re8 15.bxc5 bxc5 16.Rb2 Rb8 17.Rxb8 Ncxb8 18.Rb1 Nc6 19.Be1 Bf8 20.Nd2 Qc7 21.Bh3 Na5 22.Bxd7 Sorial,H (2316)-Andolo,H (2200)/Cairo 2000/CBM 076 ext/1–0 (52)] 

8.dxe4 Black king safety dropped.  

8...Bg4 

XABCDEFGHY
8r+-wqk+-tr(
7zpp+-zppvlp'
6-+n+-snp+&
5+-zp-+-+-%
4-+-+P+l+$
3+-sN-+NzP-#
2PzPP+-zPLzP"
1tR-vLQ+RmK-!
xabcdefghy

9.Be3 White threatens to win material: Be3xc5 

9...Nd7 10.h3 Bxf3 11.Bxf3 

XABCDEFGHY
8r+-wqk+-tr(
7zpp+nzppvlp'
6-+n+-+p+&
5+-zp-+-+-%
4-+-+P+-+$
3+-sN-vLLzPP#
2PzPP+-zP-+"
1tR-+Q+RmK-!
xabcdefghy

11...0–0 Black castles and improves king safety 

12.Bg2 Nb6 13.Bxc5 Nc4 14.Nd5 

XABCDEFGHY
8r+-wq-trk+(
7zpp+-zppvlp'
6-+n+-+p+&
5+-vLN+-+-%
4-+n+P+-+$
3+-+-+-zPP#
2PzPP+-zPL+"
1tR-+Q+RmK-!
xabcdefghy

14...Nxb2 [Instead of 14...Bxb2 15.Rb1 b6 16.Qe2±] 

15.Nxe7+ Nxe7 16.Qxd8 

XABCDEFGHY
8r+-wQ-trk+(
7zpp+-snpvlp'
6-+-+-+p+&
5+-vL-+-+-%
4-+-+P+-+$
3+-+-+-zPP#
2PsnP+-zPL+"
1tR-+-+RmK-!
xabcdefghy

16...Rfxd8 [16...Raxd8? 17.Bxe7 Rd2 18.Bb4+-] 

17.Bxe7 Rd2 18.Rac1 

XABCDEFGHY
8r+-+-+k+(
7zpp+-vLpvlp'
6-+-+-+p+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-+P+-+$
3+-+-+-zPP#
2PsnPtr-zPL+"
1+-tR-+RmK-!
xabcdefghy

18...Rc8 Black threatens to win material: Rc8xc2 

19.Bg5 Rdxc2 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+r+-+k+(
7zpp+-+pvlp'
6-+-+-+p+&
5+-+-+-vL-%
4-+-+P+-+$
3+-+-+-zPP#
2Psnr+-zPL+"
1+-tR-+RmK-!
xabcdefghy

20.Rxc2 White has a mate threat 

20...Rxc2 21.Rc1 Rxc1+ 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+k+(
7zpp+-+pvlp'
6-+-+-+p+&
5+-+-+-vL-%
4-+-+P+-+$
3+-+-+-zPP#
2Psn-+-zPL+"
1+-tr-+-mK-!
xabcdefghy

22.Bxc1 A minor pieces endgame occured 

22...Bd4 23.Bf1 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+k+(
7zpp+-+p+p'
6-+-+-+p+&
5+-+-+-+-%
4-+-vlP+-+$
3+-+-+-zPP#
2Psn-+-zP-+"
1+-vL-+LmK-!
xabcdefghy

23...Nd1 Black threatens to win material: Nd1xf2 

24.Kg2 Nxf2 25.Kf3 Nd1 26.Bc4 Nc3 27.Bd2 Na4 28.Bd5 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+k+(
7zpp+-+p+p'
6-+-+-+p+&
5+-+L+-+-%
4n+-vlP+-+$
3+-+-+KzPP#
2P+-vL-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

28...b6 Controls a5 

29.Bf4 Nc3 30.Bb3 Kg7 31.e5 a5 32.e6 fxe6 33.Bxe6 b5 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+-mkp'
6-+-+L+p+&
5zpp+-+-+-%
4-+-vl-vL-+$
3+-sn-+KzPP#
2P+-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

34.Bc7 White threatens to win material: Bc7xa5 

34...Kf6 Black threatens to win material: Kf6xe6 

35.Bd7 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-vLL+-+p'
6-+-+-mkp+&
5zpp+-+-+-%
4-+-vl-+-+$
3+-sn-+KzPP#
2P+-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

35...a4 Black gets more space 

36.Ba5? [¹36.Bd6!?³ is worth consideration] 

36...Nxa2µ 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+L+-+p'
6-+-+-mkp+&
5vLp+-+-+-%
4p+-vl-+-+$
3+-+-+KzPP#
2n+-+-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

37.Bxb5? [¹37.Ke4 Bb2 38.Kd3–+] 

37...a3–+ 38.Ke4 Bb2 39.Bc4 Nc1 40.Bd2 a2 41.Bxa2 Nxa2 42.Kd3 Bc1 43.Ba5 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+-+p'
6-+-+-mkp+&
5vL-+-+-+-%
4-+-+-+-+$
3+-+K+-zPP#
2n+-+-+-+"
1+-vl-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

43...Ba3 [43...Ke5 seems even better 44.Bc7+ Kd5 45.Bb6–+] 

44.Kc2 [44.Ke4–+ a last effort to resist the inevitable] 

44...Bb4 45.Bd8+ Be7 46.Ba5 Nb4+ 47.Kd2 Bd6 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+-+p'
6-+-vl-mkp+&
5vL-+-+-+-%
4-sn-+-+-+$
3+-+-+-zPP#
2-+-mK-+-+"
1+-+-+-+-!
xabcdefghy

48.g4 [48.Ke3–+ desperation] 

48...Nc6 49.Bb6 Ke5 0–1