TOKHIRJONOVA vs GUNINA – FIDE WOMENS WORLD CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP 2018 ROUND 3

Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova

This game is from round 3 of the 2018 FIDE Women’s World Chess Championship, fully annotated. It is between Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova with White against Valentina Gunina with Black.

This game features a Caro-Kann Defence. To learn more about the Caro-Kann Defence, here is the best instruction book I could find on Amazon.

Tokhirjonova,Gulrukhbegim (2435) - Gunina,Valentina (2497)

FIDE WCC 2018 Khanty-Mansiysk (3.1), 09.11.2018

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.h4 h6 5.g4 Be4 6.f3 Bh7 7.e6 B12: Caro-Kann: Advance Variation

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7...Nf6N [7...fxe6 8.Bd3 Bxd3 (8...Qd6 9.f4 Nd7 (9...Be4 10.Bxe4 dxe4 11.Nc3 Nf6 12.Nh3 c5 13.g5 hxg5 14.hxg5 cxd4 15.gxf6 dxc3 16.f7+ Kd8 17.Qe2 Qb4 18.b3 Nc6 19.Be3 Kc7 20.a3 Qa5 21.b4 Qh5 22.Qf1 Rd8 23.b5 Na5 24.b6+ Fernando,D (2221)-Vitorino,L/Lisbon 1999/CBM 073 ext/1–0 (56)) 10.Bxh7 Rxh7 11.Qd3 Ngf6 12.Qg6+ Kd8 13.Ne2 Rh8 14.Nbc3 Rc8 15.Be3 Kc7 16.0–0–0 Kb8 17.g5 Ng4 18.Qd3 Nxe3 19.Qxe3 c5 20.g6 Nf6 21.Rhg1 a6 22.Kb1 h5 23.dxc5 Garralon Moreno,J (1834)-Gonzalez Cuervo,E (1955)/Gijon 2007/CBM 119 ext/1–0) 9.Qxd3 Qd6 (9...Na6 10.Qg6+ Kd7 11.Nh3 Nf6 12.Nf4 Qe8 13.Qd3 Rd8 14.h5 Nc7 15.Qa3 Kc8 16.Qxa7 Nd7 17.Ng6 Rg8 18.Bf4 e5 19.Nxe5 Nxe5 20.Bxe5 Qf7 21.Nd2 e6 22.0–0–0 Bd6 23.Rhe1 Bxe5 24.dxe5 Vidarsson,J (2375)-Thorfinnsson,B (2235)/Arborg 1998/CBM 067 ext/1–0 (75)) 10.f4 Nd7 11.Nf3 c5 12.Ne5 Nxe5 13.fxe5 Qb6 14.c3 Kd7 15.Na3 cxd4 16.cxd4 Rc8 17.Rh2 Nf6 18.exf6 exf6 19.Be3 Qa5+ 20.Bd2 Qc7 21.Re2 Bd6 22.Kf1 Seyb,D (2290)-Barthel,J/Germany 1993/GER-chT2/1–0] 

8.Nc3 fxe6 9.Bd3 Qd6 10.Nge2 Nbd7 11.Bxh7 Nxh7 12.f4 0–0–0 13.Qd3 Nhf6 14.Rg1 

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14...g5 [14...Nb6!?µ] 

15.hxg5 hxg5 16.fxg5 Ne4 17.Nxe4 dxe4 18.Qxe4 e5 19.Bd2 exd4 20.0–0–0 White castles and improves king safety 

20...Nc5 21.Qf3 e5 22.Ng3 Qd5 Black threatens to win material: Qd5xf3 

23.Qf5+ Kb8 24.Kb1 Be7 25.Rge1 White threatens to win material: Re1xe5 

25...Nd7 26.Qe4 

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26...Rhg8 Attacking the isolated pawn on g5 

27.c3 Consolidates b4 

27...Bxg5 28.Bxg5 Rxg5 29.cxd4 Qg8 30.dxe5 

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30...Rxg4 White has a new passed pawn: e5 [Worse is 30...Nxe5 31.Rxd8+ Qxd8 32.Qf4±] 

31.Qf5 Rg5 32.Qf4 

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32...Rf8 Exerts pressure on the isolated pawn. Black threatens to win material: Rf8xf4 

33.Qd4 White threatens to win material: Qd4xd7 

33...Qg6+ [Not 33...Rxg3 34.e6 Nb6 35.e7±] 

34.Ka1 

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34...Rxg3?? [¹34...Qe6!? looks like a viable alternative 35.Qxd7 Qxd7 36.Rxd7 Rxg3²] 

35.Qxd7 [35.e6 and White can already relax 35...a6 36.exd7 Rd8+-] 

35...Qg7?? leading to a quick end [35...Rc8 36.e6 Rh3 37.Qd6+ Ka8+-] 

36.Qd6++- Kc8 

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37.Qe6+ [¹37.e6 ends the debate 37...Rg2 38.Rd4+-] 

37...Kb8² 38.Qd6+ Twofold repetition 

38...Kc8 

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39.Rf1 [¹39.e6 seems even better 39...Rg2 40.Rd4+-] 

39...Re8?? causes further problems for Gunina [¹39...Rh8±] 

40.e6+- 

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40...Rg8 [40...Qc7 hoping against hope 41.Qd7+ Qxd7 42.exd7+ Kd8 43.dxe8Q+ Kxe8 44.Rfe1+ Kf8+-] 

41.Rf7 

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[41.Rf7 Qxf7 42.exf7 b5 43.fxg8Q+ Rxg8 44.Qxc6+ Kb8 45.Qxb5+ Kc8 46.Rc1+ Kd8 47.Qd5+ Ke7 48.Rc7+ Kf6 49.Rf7+ Kg6 50.Qf5+ Kh6 51.Rh7#]  1–0