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

Kateryna Lagno

This is the final playoff game 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 (5.4), 17.11.2018

 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.Bxc6 dxc6 6.Bg5 [6.Be3 Bxe3 7.fxe3 Qe7 8.Nbd2 0–0 9.Qe2 Nd7 10.0–0 a5 11.d4 c5 12.c3 b6 13.Qf2 Ba6 14.Rfe1 Rae8 15.Qg3 Kh8 16.Rad1 g6 17.h3 ½–½ Topalov,V (2743)-Anand,V (2753)/Monte Carlo 2003/CBM 093 ext] 

6...h6 C65: Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defence (3...Nf6), unusual lines and 4 0–0 Bc5

XABCDEFGHY
8r+lwqk+-tr(
7zppzp-+pzp-'
6-+p+-sn-zp&
5+-vl-zp-vL-%
4-+-+P+-+$
3+-+P+N+-#
2PzPP+-zPPzP"
1tRN+QmK-+R!
xabcdefghy

7.Bh4 [7.Bxf6 Qxf6 8.Nbd2 g5 9.Nb3 Bd6 10.Nfd2 Be6 11.Qe2 0–0–0 12.0–0–0 h5 13.Kb1 Be7 14.Qe3 Kb8 15.Nc5 Bc8 16.Nc4 b6 17.Nb3 Be6 18.Qe2 Qg7 19.Rhf1 c5 20.Ne3 Qg6 21.g3 h4 Bokros,A (2445)-David,A (2536)/Kemer 2007/CBM 121/½–½] 

7...Qe7 [7...Bd6 8.Nbd2 c5 9.Nc4 Qe7 10.h3 0–0 11.g4 Qe6 12.Ne3 Nh7 13.Qe2 b5 14.a4 c6 15.Nf5 f6 16.0–0 Rf7 17.Bg3 Bf8 18.Kg2 g6 19.Ne3 Bg7 20.Rh1 Qd6 21.h4 f5 22.gxf5 Ivanchuk,V (2731)-Zhukova,N (2425)/Odessa 2006/CBM 113 ext/1–0 (43)] 

8.Nbd2 Bg4 9.h3 Bxf3 10.Qxf3 

XABCDEFGHY
8r+-+k+-tr(
7zppzp-wqpzp-'
6-+p+-sn-zp&
5+-vl-zp-+-%
4-+-+P+-vL$
3+-+P+Q+P#
2PzPPsN-zPP+"
1tR-+-mK-+R!
xabcdefghy

10...g5 Black threatens to win material: g5xh4 

11.Bg3 0–0–0 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+ktr-+-tr(
7zppzp-wqp+-'
6-+p+-sn-zp&
5+-vl-zp-zp-%
4-+-+P+-+$
3+-+P+QvLP#
2PzPPsN-zPP+"
1tR-+-mK-+R!
xabcdefghy

12.Nc4 White threatens to win material: Nc4xe5 

12...Nd7 13.Qf5 e5 draws heavy fire 

13...f6 14.h4 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+ktr-+-tr(
7zppzpnwq-+-'
6-+p+-zp-zp&
5+-vl-zpQzp-%
4-+N+P+-zP$
3+-+P+-vL-#
2PzPP+-zPP+"
1tR-+-mK-+R!
xabcdefghy

14...b5 Black threatens to win material: b5xc4 

15.Nd2 Kb7 16.0–0–0 a5 17.Nf3 Nb6 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-tr-+-tr(
7+kzp-wq-+-'
6-snp+-zp-zp&
5zppvl-zpQzp-%
4-+-+P+-zP$
3+-+P+NvL-#
2PzPP+-zPP+"
1+-mKR+-+R!
xabcdefghy

18.Nh2?? White has let it slip away [¹18.Ng1= and White is still in the game] 

18...Na4–+ 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-tr-+-tr(
7+kzp-wq-+-'
6-+p+-zp-zp&
5zppvl-zpQzp-%
4n+-+P+-zP$
3+-+P+-vL-#
2PzPP+-zPPsN"
1+-mKR+-+R!
xabcdefghy

19.hxg5? [¹19.Nf3 g4 20.Nh2–+] 

19...Bd4 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-tr-+-tr(
7+kzp-wq-+-'
6-+p+-zp-zp&
5zpp+-zpQzP-%
4n+-vlP+-+$
3+-+P+-vL-#
2PzPP+-zPPsN"
1+-mKR+-+R!
xabcdefghy

20.Kd2 [20.c3 Bxc3! Decoy: c3 21.bxc3 Qa3+ 22.Kd2 Nxc3 23.Ke3 hxg5 24.Qe6–+] 

20...Qb4+ 21.Ke2 Qxb2 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-tr-+-tr(
7+kzp-+-+-'
6-+p+-zp-zp&
5zpp+-zpQzP-%
4n+-vlP+-+$
3+-+P+-vL-#
2PwqP+KzPPsN"
1+-+R+-+R!
xabcdefghy

22.gxf6 [22.Rd2 does not solve anything 22...hxg5 23.Kf3 Qxa2–+] 

22...Nc3+ [22...Qxc2+ seems even better 23.Kf3 Nc3 24.Kg4 Nxd1 25.Rxd1 Qxd1+ 26.Kh4 Qxd3 27.Ng4–+] 

23.Kf3 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-tr-+-tr(
7+kzp-+-+-'
6-+p+-zP-zp&
5zpp+-zpQ+-%
4-+-vlP+-+$
3+-snP+KvL-#
2PwqP+-zPPsN"
1+-+R+-+R!
xabcdefghy

[23.Kf1 doesn't get the bull off the ice 23...Nxd1 24.Nf3 Qxc2 25.Nxd4 Qxd3+ 26.Kg1 exd4–+ (‹26...Rxd4 27.Qxe5 Rh7 28.Kh2–+) ] 

23...Nxd1 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-tr-+-tr(
7+kzp-+-+-'
6-+p+-zP-zp&
5zpp+-zpQ+-%
4-+-vlP+-+$
3+-+P+KvL-#
2PwqP+-zPPsN"
1+-+n+-+R!
xabcdefghy

24.Ng4 [24.Kg4 the only chance to get some counterplay 24...Qxc2 25.Rf1 Rhg8+ 26.Kh4 Rxg3 27.fxg3–+] 

24...Qxc2 25.Nxe5 Bxe5 26.Qxe5 Rxd3+ 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-tr(
7+kzp-+-+-'
6-+p+-zP-zp&
5zpp+-wQ-+-%
4-+-+P+-+$
3+-+r+KvL-#
2P+q+-zPP+"
1+-+n+-+R!
xabcdefghy

27.Kg4 [27.Kf4 doesn't change anything anymore 27...Qc1+ 28.Kg4 Nxf2+ 29.Kh4 Qxh1+ 30.Bh2 Rc8 31.Qg3 Rxg3 32.Kxg3 Rg8+ 33.Kf3 Qxg2+ 34.Ke3 Nd1+ 35.Kd4 Qf2+ 36.Kd3 Rd8+ 37.Bd6 Rxd6#] 

27...Nxf2+ 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-tr(
7+kzp-+-+-'
6-+p+-zP-zp&
5zpp+-wQ-+-%
4-+-+P+K+$
3+-+r+-vL-#
2P+q+-snP+"
1+-+-+-+R!
xabcdefghy

28.Kf5 [28.Kh4 is not much help 28...Rxg3 29.f7 Rg4+ 30.Kh5 Rg5+ 31.Qxg5 hxg5+ 32.Kxg5 Nxe4+ 33.Kg4 Qxg2+ 34.Kf4 Qxh1 35.Ke3 Ng5 36.Kf4 Nxf7 37.Kf5 Nd6+ 38.Ke5 Qd5+ 39.Kf4 Rh3 40.a3 Qf5#] 

28...Rxg3 

XABCDEFGHY
8-+-+-+-tr(
7+kzp-+-+-'
6-+p+-zP-zp&
5zpp+-wQK+-%
4-+-+P+-+$
3+-+-+-tr-#
2P+q+-snP+"
1+-+-+-+R!
xabcdefghy

[28...Rxg3 29.Rh5 Qe2 30.Ke6 Re8+ 31.Kf7 Rxe5 32.Rxe5 Nxe4 33.Kf8 Qb2 34.Rf5 Qa3+ 35.Kf7 Nd6+ 36.Kf8 Nxf5+ 37.Kf7 Qxa2+ 38.Ke8 Qe6+ 39.Kd8 Qc8#]  0–1