ZAWADZKA vs ABDUMALIK – FIDE WOMENS WORLD CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP 2018 ROUND 3

Jolanta Zawadzka

This game is from round 3 of the 2018 FIDE Women’s World Chess Championship, fully annotated. It is between Jolanta Zawadzka with White against Zhansaya Abdumalik with Black.

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

Zawadzka,Jolanta (2407) - Abdumalik,Zhansaya (2473)

FIDE WCC 2018 Khanty-Mansiysk (3.1), 09.11.2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.e5 d5 7.Be2 [7.Bb5 Nd7 8.cxd4 Bb4+ 9.Bd2 Bxd2+ 10.Nbxd2 0–0 11.0–0 Ne7 12.Rc1 c6 13.Bd3 Re8 14.Ng5 Ng6 15.Qh5 Ndf8 16.Bxg6 fxg6 17.Qh4 h6 18.Ngf3 Qxh4 19.Nxh4 g5 20.Nhf3 Ne6 21.Nb3 Nf4 Pastuszko,K-Gukasyan,S/Sibenik 2007/CBM 120 ext/0–1 (52)] 

7...Ne4 8.cxd4 C54: Giuoco Piano: 4 c3 Nf6, main lines with 5 d4 and 5 d3

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8...Be7N [8...Bb6 9.0–0 (9.Nc3 0–0 10.0–0 Bg4 11.Be3 f6 12.h3 Bxf3 13.Bxf3 fxe5 14.Nxe4 dxe4 15.Bxe4 exd4 16.Qh5 g6 17.Bxg6 Qd7 18.Bh6 hxg6 19.Qxg6+ Kh8 20.Bxf8 Rxf8 21.Rae1 Qh7 22.Qg5 Qg7 23.Qh5+ Qh7 Velicka,P (2449)-Gyimesi,Z (2529)/Germany 1999/GER-chT2/½–½) 9...f6 10.exf6 Qxf6 11.Nc3 Nxc3 12.bxc3 0–0 13.Bg5 Qf7 14.Bh4 Bf5 15.Bg3 Rae8 16.Ne5 Nxe5 17.Bxe5 Qd7 18.Bd3 Bxd3 19.Qxd3 c5 20.Rab1 Rc8 21.Rfd1 Qf7 22.f4 cxd4 23.cxd4 Cicak,S (2290)-Wegner,H (2370)/Germany 1987/GER-chT/½–½ (60); 8...Bb4+ 9.Bd2 Nxd2 10.Nbxd2 0–0 11.0–0 Bxd2 12.Qxd2 Bf5 13.b4 Ne7 14.Nh4 Qd7 15.Nxf5 Qxf5 16.Bd3 Qg4 17.f4 g6 18.Rf3 Qe6 19.f5 Nxf5 20.Bxf5 gxf5 21.Raf1 Kh8 22.Rxf5 Rae8 23.Rf6 Herkt,J (1638)-Mersmann,M (1669)/Willingen 2003/CBM 094 ext/1–0 (36)] 

9.0–0 White castles and improves king safety 

9...0–0 10.Nc3 Bg4 

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11.h3 White threatens to win material: h3xg4 

11...Bh5 12.Be3 f5 13.exf6 Bxf6 14.Re1 Kh8 15.Rc1 a6 Prevents intrusion on b5 

16.Nh2 Bg6 17.Ng4 Bh4 18.Nxe4 

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18...Bxe4 [Inferior is 18...dxe4 19.Qb3±] 

19.Bd3 Nb4 20.Bb1 Bxb1 21.Rxb1 

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21...Nc6 [21...Nxa2? leads to nothing 22.Qa4+-] 

22.Qd2 Be7 23.a3 Secures b4 

23...a5 24.Re2 Bd6 25.Rbe1 Qc8 26.Ne5 A beautiful square! 

26...Ne7 27.Bf4 Ng8 28.Bh2 Nf6 29.f3 Controls e4+g4 

29...Ra6 30.Nd3 Bxh2+ 31.Kxh2 Ng8 32.Nc5 

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32...Rh6? [¹32...Rd6!?±] 

33.Ne6+- Rff6 34.Ng5 

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34...Rhg6? [34...c5 35.Re8 Qc7+ 36.R1e5+-] 

35.f4 [¹35.Re8 and White has it in the bag 35...Qd7 36.Rb8+-] 

35...Qf5 36.g3 h6? [¹36...a4±] 

37.Nf3+- 

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37...b6 [37...Rb6 38.Nh4 Qf7 39.Nxg6+ Qxg6 40.Qxa5 Qf7+-] 

38.Nh4 Qd7 39.Qd3 Qd6 [39...Qf7+- there is nothing else anyway] 

40.Nxg6+ Rxg6 41.Re8 Rf6 

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42.R1e5 [¹42.Qa6!? makes it even easier for White 42...Qc6 43.Qc8 Qc2+ 44.R1e2 Qh7+-] 

42...Qc6 [42...Rf8+- is one last hope] 

43.Rc8 Re6 44.Qc3 Kh7 45.Rxc7 Qd6 46.Qc2+ Kh8 47.Rc8 

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47...Rxe5 [47...Qd7 does not improve anything 48.Qc7 Qxc7 49.Rxc7+-] 

48.dxe5 Qe6 49.Qc6 

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49...Qf5 [49...Qxc6 desperation 50.Rxc6 Ne7 51.Rxb6 Kg8+-] 

50.Qe8 Qh7 51.e6 d4 

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52.e7 [52.Qd8 Qc2+ 53.Rxc2 Kh7 54.Rc7 d3 55.Qxd3+ Kh8 56.Qd7 Ne7 57.Qxe7 Kg8 58.Qxg7#] 

52...d3 

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[52...a4 doesn't get the bull off the ice 53.Qf7 Qc2+ 54.Rxc2 Nxe7 55.Qxe7 Kh7 56.Qe4+ Kg8 57.Rc8+ Kf7 58.Qe8+ Kf6 59.Rc6+ Kf5 60.Qe6#] 

53.Qxg8+! Decoy: g8 

53...Qxg8 54.Rxg8+ [54.Rxg8+ Kxg8 55.e8Q+ Kh7 56.Qe4+ Kh8 57.Qxd3+-]  1–0