KRUSH vs NGUYEN – ROUND 1 US CHAMPIONSHIP - Women 2019

This game is from round 1 of the US Championship Women 2019, fully annotated. It is between Irina Krush with White against Emily Nguyen with Black.

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

Krush,Irina (2451) - Nguyen,Emily (2143)

US-ch Women 2019 Saint Louis (1.1), 20.03.2019

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 Bf5 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bd3 D15: Slav Defence: 4 Nc3 a6 and gambit lines after 4 Nc3 dxc4 [6.Qb3 with more complications. 6...b5 7.c5 Nbd7 8.Nh4 Bg6 9.a4] 

6...Bxd3 7.Qxd3 e6 8.0–0 White has an edge. 

8...Bb4 9.a3 Bxc3 10.bxc3 b5 

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11.cxd5 [11.cxb5 axb5 12.a4 Ne4 13.Ba3 Rxa4 1/2–1/2 (42) Ding,L (2816)-Vitiugov,N (2709) Shenzhen 2018] 

11...exd5 12.Nd2 0–0 13.f3 Nbd7 14.e4 dxe4 15.fxe4 c5 16.Qf3 cxd4 17.cxd4 Nc5 18.Bb2 And now e5 would win. 

18...Na4 19.Qb3! Ra7 20.Kh1 Rd7 

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21.d5 Black must now prevent Bxf6. 

21...Nxb2 22.Qxb2 Re8ƒ Black is really pushing. 

23.Rf4 Nh5 [23...Qb6µ] 

24.Rf5= Nf6 25.Qd4 Qe7 26.Re1 Qxa3 

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27.h3 [Better is 27.Nf3 ] 

27...Rc8 [¹27...Qd6 28.Rc1 h6] 

28.Re3 [¹28.Rf3 Qd6 29.Rfe3] 

28...Qc5 29.Qd3 [29.Qxc5µ Rxc5 30.Rg3] 

29...Qc2 30.Qd4 Black should prevent Rxf6. 

30...Qc5 31.Qd3! Ne8 32.Rff3 Nd6 [32...f6µ Strongly threatening ...a5. 33.Nb3 Qc2] 

33.e5 Nc4 34.Qf5! 

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34...Nxe3?? [34...Nxd2³ keeps the upper hand. 35.Qxd7 Nxf3 36.Rxf3 Qc1+ 37.Kh2 Qc7 38.Qxc7 Rxc7] 

35.Qxd7+- Rf8 [¹35...Qc7 36.Qxc7 Rxc7] 

36.e6 Qc1+ 37.Kh2! Qxd2 38.exf7+ Kh8 

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39.Rxe3! Qf2 [39...Qxe3 40.Qd6] 

40.Qe8 Qf4+ 41.Kg1  1–0