USHENINA vs GUNINA – FIDE WOMENS WORLD CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP 2018 ROUND 2

Valentina Gunina

This game is from round 2 of the 2018 FIDE Women’s World Chess Championship, fully annotated. It is between Anna Ushenina with White against Valentina Gunina with Black.

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

Ushenina,Anna (2440) - Gunina,Valentina (2497)

FIDE WCC 2018 Khanty-Mansiysk (2.2), 07.11.2018

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.f3 0–0 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Nc6 7.e4 d6 8.Bd3 e5 9.Ne2 b6 10.0–0 Qe7 

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11.Be3N E27: Nimzo-Indian: Sämisch: 5. ..0–0 6 f3 [11.Bg5 h6 12.Bh4 g5 13.Bf2 Nh5 14.g3 f5 15.exf5 Bb7 16.g4 Nf6 17.Ng3 Rae8 18.Ne4 Na5 1–0 (55) Cano Sanchez,J (2307) -Gomez Gomez,S (2196) Villa de Albox 2001] 

11...Nh5 12.g4 Nf6 

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13.Ng3 White is slightly better. 

13...Na5 14.g5 Ne8 15.f4 f6 16.Ra2 [16.Qh5²] 

16...Be6 [16...fxg5 looks sharper. 17.fxe5 Rxf1+ 18.Bxf1 dxe5 19.c5 h6] 

17.gxf6 Nxf6 

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18.fxe5 [But not 18.dxe5 dxe5 19.fxe5 Nd7µ] 

18...dxe5 19.Nf5 Bxf5! 20.Rxf5 Nd7 

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21.Rg2 Black must now prevent Bh6. 

21...Rxf5 22.exf5 Rf8! 23.Bh6 Rf7 24.c5 exd4 25.cxb6 axb6 

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26.Bb1 Strongly threatening Ba2. 

26...Nc4 27.cxd4 

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27...b5 [27...Ne3³ 28.Bxe3 Qxe3+ 29.Kh1 Re7 30.Ba2+ Kh8] 

28.Bg5 [28.a4= keeps the balance.] 

28...Qxa3µ 29.Ra2 [¹29.Qd3] 

29...Qd6 30.Be4 [30.Bh4µ] 

30...Rf8 

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31.Kh1 [31.Re2µ Nf6 32.Bc2] 

31...Nf6 32.Bg2 Re8 

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33.Re2? [33.Ra1] 

33...Rxe2–+ 34.Qxe2 Qxd4 35.Qe6+ Kf8 

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36.Qc8+? [36.Bc6 Nd6 37.Bf3] 

36...Ne8 ( -> ...Qd1+). Black is clearly winning. 

37.Bc6 Ncd6 38.Qd7 Qd1+ 39.Kg2 Qg4+ 0–1