LAGNO vs MUZYCHUK – FIDE WOMENS WORLD CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP 2018 SEMI-FINAL

Kateryna Lagno

This game is from the Semi-Final of the 2018 FIDE Women’s World Chess Championship, fully annotated. It is between Kateryna Lagno with White against Mariya Muzychuk with Black.

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

Lagno,Kateryna (2556) - Muzychuk,Mariya (2545)

FIDE WCC 2018 Khanty-Mansiysk (5.2), 16.11.2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0–0 Nxe4 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.dxe5 Be6 9.Nbd2 Be7 10.c3 Nc5 C83: Open Ruy Lopez: 9 c3 Be7

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11.Nd4 [11.a4 Nxb3 12.Qxb3 0–0 13.axb5 axb5 14.Rxa8 Qxa8 15.Qxb5 Rd8 16.Qd3 Qb7 17.Nd4 Nxe5 18.Qe2 Bf6 19.Nxe6 fxe6 20.f4 Qb6+ 21.Kh1 Nf7 22.Nf3 c5 23.g4 Re8 24.g5 Bd8 25.f5 e5 Morozevich,A (2741)-Carlsen,M (2690)/Morelia/Linares 2007/CBM 117/½–½ (42)] 

11...Nxe5 

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12.Bc2 [12.f4 Nc4 13.Qe2 (13.f5 Bd7 14.Qh5 c6 15.N2f3 Ne4 16.Bc2 Nf6 17.Qh3 0–0 ½–½ Lobron,E (2395)-Hort,V (2595)/Biel 1981/MCD) 13...Bd7 14.Re1 Nxb3 15.axb3 Nxd2 16.Bxd2 c5 17.Nf3 f6 18.Nh4 Kf8 19.Qh5 Be8 20.Qf3 Qd7 21.f5 Bf7 22.Re2 a5 23.Rae1 Bd8 24.g3 g5 25.fxg6 hxg6 26.Ng2 Rc8 Kholmov,R-Novotelnov,N/Moscow 1947/MCL/0–1 (52); 12.Qe2 Nc4 13.Bc2 Nxd2 14.Bxd2 Bf6 15.b4 Bxd4 16.cxd4 Ne4 17.Bf4 0–0 18.Qh5 Nf6 19.Qf3 Bg4 20.Qg3 c6 21.Bg5 Ne4 22.Bxe4 Qxg5 23.Bf3 h5 24.h3 f5 25.hxg4 fxg4 26.Be2 Rae8 Hatanbaatar,B (2280)-Munhbayar,L/Erdenet 1994/TD/1–0 (41)] 

12...Bg4 Black threatens to win material: Bg4xd1 

13.Qe1 White threatens to win material: Qe1xe5 

13...Ned3 Black threatens to win material: Nd3xe1 

14.Qe3 Nxc1 

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15.Rfxc1 Black has the pair of bishops 

15...Bd7 16.Re1 Ne6 

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17.Qe5 White threatens to win material: Qe5xd5 

17...0–0 18.Qxd5 Nxd4 19.Qxd4 Be6 20.Nf3 Qxd4 21.Nxd4 Bc5 22.Nxe6 fxe6 23.Re2 e5 24.Rd1 Bd6 25.g3 

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25...g6 Secures f5 

26.Kg2 Kg7 27.a4 Kf6 

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28.Rd5 Attacking the isolated pawn on e5 

28...Rab8 29.b4 Rfd8 30.Bb3 g5 31.Re4 Rf8 32.h4 h6 33.Bc2 Ke6 34.Rd1 c5 35.hxg5 hxg5 36.axb5 axb5 37.bxc5 Bxc5 38.Bb3+ 

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38...Kf5 Black threatens to win material: Kf5xe4 

39.Rde1 Bd6 40.Bc2 Kf6 41.Rd1 Ke7 42.Rg4 Bc5 43.f3 Kf6 44.f4 gxf4 

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45.Rd5 White threatens to win material: Rd5xc5 

45...Rbd8 Black threatens to win material: Rd8xd5 

46.Rxc5 Rd2+ 47.Kf3 Rxc2 48.gxf4 exf4 49.Rc6+ Ke7 50.Rg7+ Kd8 51.Rd6+ Kc8 52.Rc6+ 

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52...Kd8 Twofold repetition 53.Rd6+ Kc8 ½–½