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

Zhansaya Abdumalik

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

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

Muzychuk,Mariya (2545) - Abdumalik,Zhansaya (2473)

FIDE WCC 2018 Khanty-Mansiysk (4.1), 12.11.2018

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.c4 Nf6 6.Nc3 Bb4 7.Qd3 B41: Sicilian: Kan Variation: 5 c4

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7...0–0 [7...d5 8.exd5 exd5 9.Be2 0–0 10.0–0 Nc6 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.Bg5 Bxc3 13.bxc3 Be6 14.Rfd1 h6 15.Bh4 dxc4 16.Qg3 Qb8 17.Bxf6 Qxg3 18.hxg3 gxf6 19.Rd4 Rfd8 20.Rf4 ½–½ Anand,V (2786)-Svidler,P (2735)/Monte Carlo 2005/CBM 105 ext; 7...Nc6 8.Nxc6 dxc6 9.e5 Qxd3 10.Bxd3 Nd7 11.f4 f6 12.exf6 Nxf6 13.Be3 e5 14.0–0 exf4 15.Rxf4 Bd6 16.Rh4 Be6 17.Re1 0–0–0 18.Bb6 Bc7 19.Bxc7 Kxc7 20.Rxe6 Rxd3 21.Re7+ ½–½ Kovacevic,A (2566)-Pikula,D (2504)/Zlatibor 2007/CBM 120 ext] 

8.e5N White threatens to win material: e5xf6 [8.Be2 Nc6 9.0–0 Qc7 10.Nxc6 dxc6 11.Be3 Rd8 12.Qc2 Bxc3 13.bxc3 e5 14.Rab1 c5 15.f3 b6 16.Qb3 Rb8 17.Qa3 a5 18.Rb3 Ne8 19.Rfb1 Be6 20.Qb2 Rd6 21.Rb5 Rc6 22.Rxa5 Nd6 Erdogdu,M (2345)-Yagiz,Y (2209)/Istanbul 2006/CBM 111 ext/½–½ (55)] 

8...Ne8 9.Bf4 Black has a cramped position. Black's piece can't move: c8 

9...Qc7 10.a3 Bxc3+ 

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11.Qxc3 White has the pair of bishops [Instead of 11.bxc3 f6µ] 

11...f6 Black threatens to win material: f6xe5 

12.Nf3 Black has a cramped position. Black's pieces can't move: c8+e8 

12...Nc6 13.Bg3 fxe5 14.Nxe5 Nxe5 15.Bxe5 d6 16.Bg3 Qc6 17.f3 e5 18.c5 dxc5 19.Bc4+ Be6 20.0–0–0 b5 21.Bxe6+ Qxe6 22.Rhe1 b4 23.Rxe5 Qa2 

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24.axb4 [24.Qxc5? is inferior since it leads to 24...Nf6 25.Kd2 Rac8 26.Qxb4 Rfd8+ 27.Ke1 Rxd1+ 28.Kxd1 Qb1+ 29.Ke2 Rc2+ 30.Ke3 Qc1+ 31.Kd3 Qd1+ 32.Ke3 h6–+] 

24...cxb4 25.Qxb4 Rc8+ 26.Rc5 a5 

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27.Qb5 [¹27.Qd4!? Rxc5+ 28.Qxc5 Qa1+ 29.Kc2 Qa4+ 30.Kd2±] 

27...Rf5³ Black threatens to win material: Rf5xc5 

28.Bf2 Qe6 

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29.Rd3? [¹29.Rd2 is a viable option 29...Rfxc5+ 30.Bxc5³] 

29...Rfxc5+–+ 30.Bxc5 Qe1+ 31.Kc2 Qf2+ 32.Kb3 Qxc5 33.Qxc5 Rxc5 34.h4 Rb5+ 35.Ka3 Kf7 36.Rd7+ Ke6 37.Ra7 h5 38.g4 hxg4 39.fxg4 Rb4 40.Rxa5 Rxg4 

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41.Rh5? [41.h5–+] 

41...g6 42.Rh8 Ng7 43.b4 Nf5 

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44.b5 [44.Re8+ doesn't get the bull off the ice 44...Kf7 45.Re1 Rxh4–+] 

44...Rxh4 45.Rg8 Rg4 46.b6 Nd6 47.Rc8 

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47...Rg5 [47...Nxc8?! is impossible 48.b7 Rg3+ 49.Ka2=] 

48.Rb8 [48.Rg8 doesn't get the cat off the tree 48...Kd7–+] 

48...Kd7 49.Kb4 Kc6 50.Kc3 Nb7 

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51.Kd4 [51.Rg8 does not win a prize 51...Kxb6 52.Kd4 Kc7–+] 

51...Kxb6 [¹51...Rd5+!? seems even better 52.Ke4 Rd8 53.Rxd8 Nxd8 54.Ke5–+] 

52.Re8 Kc6 53.Re5 Rg4+ 54.Ke3 Nc5 55.Kf3 Rg1 56.Re8 Kd6 57.Rc8 Ne6 0–1