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

Mariya Muzychuk

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 (5.3), 17.11.2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0–0 Nxe4 6.d4 Be7 7.Re1 b5 8.Bb3 d5 9.dxe5 Be6 10.c3 0–0 11.Nbd2 Nc5 12.Nd4 Nxd4 13.cxd4 Nd3 14.Re3 Nxc1 15.Rxc1 a5 [15...c5 16.dxc5 Rc8 17.Rd3 Qc7 (17...Rxc5 18.Rxc5 Bxc5 19.Ne4 Ba7 20.Bxd5 Qh4 21.g3 Qh3 22.Bxe6 Qxe6 23.Rd5 f6 24.Rd7 Bb8 25.Nc5 Qc4 26.Nxa6 Bxe5 27.b3 Qe4 28.Nc5 Qc6 29.b4 f5 30.Qb3+ Kh8 31.Qe6 Qxe6 32.Nxe6 Luther,T (2575)-De Vreugt,D (2504)/Santo Domingo 2003/CBM 097 ext/½–½ (61)) 18.Bxd5 Bxc5 19.Nb3 Qb6 20.Nxc5 Rxc5 21.Rxc5 Qxc5 22.h3 Qb4 23.Bb3 h6 24.Bxe6 fxe6 25.Qd2 Qc5 26.Re3 b4 27.Qd6 Qc1+ 28.Kh2 Qxb2 29.Qxe6+ Kh8 30.f3 Geller,E-Suetin,A/Moscow 1950/URS-ch/0–1 (35)] 

16.Rec3 White threatens to win material: Rc3xc7 

16...Rc8 17.Nf3 C83: Open Ruy Lopez: 9 c3 Be7

XABCDEFGHY
8-+rwq-trk+(
7+-zp-vlpzpp'
6-+-+l+-+&
5zpp+pzP-+-%
4-+-zP-+-+$
3+LtR-+N+-#
2PzP-+-zPPzP"
1+-tRQ+-mK-!
xabcdefghy

17...a4 Black wins space 

18.Bc2 Bb4 19.Rc6 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+rwq-trk+(
7+-zp-+pzpp'
6-+R+l+-+&
5+p+pzP-+-%
4pvl-zP-+-+$
3+-+-+N+-#
2PzPL+-zPPzP"
1+-tRQ+-mK-!
xabcdefghy

19...Bd7 Black threatens to win material: Bd7xc6 

20.Qd3 g6 21.Qxb5 Bxc6 22.Qxc6 a3 23.bxa3 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+rwq-trk+(
7+-zp-+p+p'
6-+Q+-+p+&
5+-+pzP-+-%
4-vl-zP-+-+$
3zP-+-+N+-#
2P+L+-zPPzP"
1+-tR-+-mK-!
xabcdefghy

23...Bxa3 White has a new passed pawn: a2. Black has a cramped position.  

24.Rb1 Rb8 25.Rxb8 

XABCDEFGHY
8-tR-wq-trk+(
7+-zp-+p+p'
6-+Q+-+p+&
5+-+pzP-+-%
4-+-zP-+-+$
3vl-+-+N+-#
2P+L+-zPPzP"
1+-+-+-mK-!
xabcdefghy

25...Qxb8 26.Bb3 White threatens to win material: Bb3xd5 

26...Qb6 Black threatens to win material: Qb6xc6 

27.Qxd5 c5 28.h4 cxd4 29.Qxd4 Qxd4 30.Nxd4 Rc8 31.Nc2 Bc5 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+r+-+k+(
7+-+-+p+p'
6-+-+-+p+&
5+-vl-zP-+-%
4-+-+-+-zP$
3+L+-+-+-#
2P+N+-zPP+"
1+-+-+-mK-!
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32.e6 White threatens to win material: e6xf7 

32...f5 White has a new passed pawn: e6 

33.Kf1 Kg7 34.Ke2 Kf6 35.Ne1 Rd8 36.Nd3 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-tr-+-+(
7+-+-+-+p'
6-+-+Pmkp+&
5+-vl-+p+-%
4-+-+-+-zP$
3+L+N+-+-#
2P+-+KzPP+"
1+-+-+-+-!
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36...Rxd3 [¹36...Bf8!?³ and Black can hope to survive] 

37.Kxd3² Bxf2 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-+(
7+-+-+-+p'
6-+-+Pmkp+&
5+-+-+p+-%
4-+-+-+-zP$
3+L+K+-+-#
2P+-+-vlP+"
1+-+-+-+-!
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38.h5 gxh5 39.a4 Be1 40.Bd5 h4 41.Ke2 White threatens to win material: Ke2xe1 

41...Ba5 42.Bb3 Bb4 43.Ke3 h6 44.Kd4 Be1 45.Kd5 Bb4 46.Bd1 h3? [¹46...Ke7² is the best option Black has] 

47.gxh3+- f4 48.Bg4 Ke7 49.Ke5 Bd2 50.Kf5 [50.h4 Bb4+-] 

50...Kf8 [¹50...Be1!?±] 

51.h4+- Ke7 52.h5 f3?? simply worsens the situation [¹52...Kf8±] 

53.Bxf3+- Bc3 54.Bg4 Bb4 [54...Kd6 doesn't get the cat off the tree 55.Kg6 Ke7 56.Kxh6+-] 

55.Ke5 Kd8 56.Kd5 Kc7 57.a5 Kb7 58.Be2 Kc7 59.a6 Be7 60.Ke5 Bc5 [60...Kb6 there is nothing better in the position 61.Bd3 Kc7+-] 

61.Kf6 Kd8 62.Kf7 1–0