ZHAI vs BATSIASHVILI – FIDE WOMENS WORLD CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP 2018 ROUND 2

Nino Batsiashvili

This game is from round 2 of the 2018 FIDE Women’s World Chess Championship. It is between Mo Zhai with White against Nino Batsiashvili 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.

Zhai,Mo (2352) - Batsiashvili,Nino (2465)

FIDE WCC 2018 Khanty-Mansiysk (2.1), 06.11.2018

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nf3 b6 5.Bd2 Bb7 6.e3 0–0 7.Bd3 d5 8.cxd5 exd5 9.Rc1 E52: Nimzo-Indian: Rubinstein: 4...0–0 5 Nf3 d5 6 Bd3 b6

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9...Be7N [9...a6 10.Ne2 (10.0–0 Bd6 11.Ne5 c5 12.f4 Nc6 13.Ne2 Ne7 14.Ng3 Ne4 15.Bc3 Rc8 16.Qe2 ½–½ Chernikov,O (2405)-Farago,I (2501)/Gmunden 2007/CBM 120 ext; 10.Ne5 Re8 11.0–0 Bf8 12.f4 c5 13.Be1 Qd6 14.Rf3 Nbd7 15.Rh3 g6 16.g4 b5 17.g5 Ne4 18.Bxe4 dxe4 19.Qg4 Nxe5 20.fxe5 Qe6 21.Qh4 h5 22.gxh6 Be7 23.h7+ Kh8 ½–½ Gross,S (2405)-Szekely,P (2430)/Halle 1982/MCD) 10...Bd6 11.Ng3 g6 12.Ne5 c5 13.f4 c4 14.Bb1 b5 15.h4 Ne4 16.Nxe4 dxe4 17.h5 Bd5 18.Qg4 Qf6 19.Qh3 Ra7 20.0–0 Qd8 21.hxg6 fxg6 22.f5 Qc8 23.fxg6 Qxh3 24.Rxf8+ Bondarevsky,I-Smyslov,V/Leningrad 1947/URS-ch/½–½ (41)] 

10.0–0 c5 11.dxc5 

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11...bxc5 Black has new hanging pawns: c5+d5 

12.Re1 Nc6 13.b3 Re8 

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14.Na4 White threatens to win material: Na4xc5 

14...Ne4 15.Qc2 Bd6 16.Red1 Re6 17.Be1 

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17...Qe7 White has a cramped position 

18.Nc3 [¹18.a3!?= must be considered] 

18...Nb4³ Black threatens to win material: Nb4xc2 

19.Qb1 Rh6 20.h3 Rd8 21.Ne2 Nxd3 22.Qxd3 Bc7 23.Qc2 Bb8 White has a cramped position 

24.Nd2 

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24...d4?? throwing away the advantage [¹24...Nxd2 25.Qxd2 d4µ] 

25.Nxe4² Bxe4 26.Qxc5 

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26...Bd6? [¹26...Qb7!? looks like a viable alternative 27.Rxd4 Re8±] 

27.Qxd4+- 

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27...Bb7 [27...Re8 28.Rc4+-] 

28.Ng3 [28.Bb4! a6+-] 

28...Rg6 

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29.Bb4! Deflection: d6 [29.Qxa7?! h5 30.Rc4 Ra8²] 

29...h5 [29...Bxb4 30.Qxd8+ Pinning(30.Qxd8+ Deflection) ] 

30.h4 Kh7 31.Bxd6 [31.Qxa7 is clearly worse 31...Ra8 32.Qb6 Bxb4µ] 

31...Rgxd6 32.Qa1 Qxh4 33.Rxd6 Rxd6 34.Qxg7+! Double attack: h4/g7 

34...Kxg7 35.Nf5+ Kf6 36.Nxh4 Ra6 37.Rc7 Bd5 38.Rc5 Ke6 39.Rc2 Ra3 40.Nf3 Bxf3 41.gxf3 a5 42.Kg2 Kf5 43.Kg3 Kg5 44.Rd2 f6 45.Rc2 Kf5 46.Rc4 Rxa2 47.Ra4 Rb2 48.Rxa5+ Ke6 49.Rb5 Rb1 50.Kg2 h4 51.Rb6+ Ke5 52.b4 f5? [52...Rb2+-] 

53.f4+ Kd5 54.Rf6 Ke4 55.Re6+ Kd3 56.Re5 Ke2 [56...Rxb4 there is nothing else anyway 57.Rxf5 Rb7+-] 

57.Rxf5 Rxb4 58.Kh3 Kxf2 [58...Rb2 cannot change destiny 59.Kxh4 Kd3 60.Kg3+-] 

59.Re5 Rb8 60.Kxh4 Rg8 61.f5 Kf3 62.f6 Rg6 63.Re6 Ke2 64.Kh5 [64.Kh5 Rxf6 65.Rxf6 Kxe3 66.Kg4+-]  1–0