MUZYCHUK vs LAGNO – 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 Mariya Muzychuk with White against Kateryna Lagno with Black.

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

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

FIDE WCC 2018 Khanty-Mansiysk (5.1), 15.11.2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0–0 Nxe4 5.Re1 Nd6 6.Nxe5 Be7 7.Bf1 Nxe5 8.Rxe5 0–0 9.d4 Bf6 10.Re1 Re8 [10...Nf5 11.d5 Re8 12.Rxe8+ Qxe8 13.Nd2 d6 ½–½ Palac,M (2574)-Nielsen,P (2653)/Warsaw 2005/CBM 108] 

11.c3 Rxe1 [11...Nf5 12.Rxe8+ Qxe8 13.Bf4 d6 14.Nd2 Bd7 15.Bd3 g6 16.Ne4 Bg7 17.Qd2 Qe6 18.Ng5 Qd5 19.Be4 Qb5 20.Bd3 Qa5 21.Bc4 Rf8 22.a4 c6 23.Bd3 d5 24.Nf3 Re8 25.b4 Qd8 26.a5 Sargissian,G (2658)-Khamrakulov,I (2527)/Zafra 2007/CBM 117 ext/1–0 (47)] 

12.Qxe1 C67: Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defence: 4 0–0 Nxe4

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12...c6N Consolidates b5 [12...Nf5 13.Bf4 d6 14.Nd2 Be6 15.Bd3 Nh4 16.Ne4 Ng6 17.Bd2 d5 18.Nc5 Bc8 19.Qe3 b6 20.Nb3 Qd6 21.Qe8+ Nf8 22.Re1 Bb7 23.Qe3 Ne6 24.Qf3 Rd8 25.Qf5 Nf8 26.Bf4 Qc6 27.Nd2 Steinitz,W-Zukertort,J/USA 1886/MainBase/0–1 (39); 12...b6 13.Bf4 Qe7 14.Na3 Bb7 15.Qxe7 Bxe7 16.Bxd6 Bxd6 17.Nb5 Kf8 18.Nxd6 cxd6 19.f3 Rc8 20.Kf2 Bd5 21.Ba6 Re8 22.a4 Rb8 23.Bd3 Be6 24.Ke3 h6 25.Be4 d5 26.Bd3 Ke7 27.f4 Geller,J (2490)-Safin,S (2445)/Nishnij Tagil 2005/CBM 109 ext/1–0 (71); 12...Qe7 13.Qd1 b6 14.Bf4 Bb7 15.a4 Re8 16.a5 Qe1 17.Na3 Qxd1 18.Rxd1 bxa5 19.Ra1 Bc6 20.Bxd6 cxd6 21.Nc4 Rb8 22.Rxa5 d5 23.Ne3 Rxb2 24.Rxa7 h5 25.Rc7 g6 26.g3 Rb1 27.h4 Becerra Rivero,J (2535)-Garcia Vicente,N (2263)/Malaga 1999/CBM 068 ext/1–0 (40)] 

13.Bf4 Nf5 14.Nd2 d5 15.Nf3 

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15...h6 Secures g5 

16.Bd3 Be6 17.Qd2 Nd6 18.Qc2 Qd7 19.Re1 Bf5 

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20.Ne5 White threatens to win material: Ne5xd7 

20...Re8 21.Kf1 Bxd3+ 22.Qxd3 Bxe5 23.Rxe5 Rxe5 ½–½