Game of the day. Grandmaster Alexander Kalinin makes comments

Russia Chess Women's Cup Stage 2013

Round 7

Ovod E. - Bivol A.

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. h3 the poisonous Makogonov System has recently enjoyed great popularity as a weapon against the King’s Indian Defense. 6... Qe8

[Current debates revolve around the sharp variation 6... e5 7. d5 Nh5 8. Nh2 Qe8 9. Be2 Nf4 10. Bf3 f5 11. g3 Nh3 12. Bg2 etc.]

7. Bg5 An alternative is developing the bishop to e3. 7... e5 8. d5 Nh5 9. g3 f5 10. ef gf 11. Be2 Na6  The play has led to a key position in opening theory.

12. a3!?

[Usually continuing 12. Nh4 Nf6 13. Qc2 , for instance: 13... Nb4 14. Qb3 a5 15. a3 Na6 16. Qc2 Nc5 17. Be3 e4 18. O-O-O Nfd7 19. Ng2 Ne5 20. Nf4 Bd7 with a complicated struggle, Ajrepetjan – Shimanov, Taganrog 2011.   The text aims at limiting the perspective of black’s king-side knight.]

12... f4?! This superficial attacking move hands over control of the key e4 square and brings black difficulties.

[The straightforward 12... Nc5 13. Nd2 Nf6 14. b4 Nce4 (14... Ncd7!?) 15. Nce4 Ne4 16. Ne4 fe 17. Bh5 was also in white’s favor. But worthy of attention were the flexible continuations 12...Nf6 or 12...Bd7. Also interesting is trying the inclusion of h7-h6 in different variations, deciding the position of the bishop on b5.]

13. Nd2

[A mistake would have been the hasty13. Ne4 in light of 13... fg 14. fg Nc5 15. Nfd2 Ne4! 16. Bh5 (16. Ne4? Qg6) 16... Nf2 17. Be8 (17. Qe2 Nd3!) 17... Nd1 18. Rd1 Re8 19. Ne4 Bf5 , and white loses the battle for the e4 square.]

13... Nf6

14. Bf6! This important exchange allows white to establish a blockade on e4 and play against the opponent’s bad Indian bishop. 14... Bf6 15. Nde4 Nc5 16. Bh5 Qe7 17. Bg4 Ne4 18. Ne4 fg 19. fg Bg7

White’s short-term plan is to post a rook on the f-file with the ensuing exchange of major pieces, allowing him to clearly demonstrate the advantage of a strong knight over a weak bishop. White decides to keep control of the center, counting on following through with his plan. 20. Rc1 Bf5 21. Bf5 Rf5 22. Rf1 Raf8 23. Rf5 Rf5 24. Rc3 Qf7 25. Qe2 h5 26. Qg2 Bh6

The black bishop finds an open diagonal, but is shooting into nothing, unable to disturb his opponent’s maneuvers on the white squares. 27. Ke2 Qg6 28. Rf3

[Worthy of attention was 28. Rb3 , challenging the advance b7-b6.]

28... Rf4

[And in the line 28... Rf3 29. Qf3 Bc1 30. b3 Ba3 31. Nf6 Kf7 32. Nh5 Ke7 33. g4 White holds the advantage. But it seems more careful play was needed earlier, not allowing black to possibility for similar transformations.]

29. Rf4 ef 30. g4 Qg7

[A better decision was 30... Bg7 31. Kf3 hg 32. Qg4 (32. hg Qh6) 32... Qg4 33. Kg4 Bb2 34. a4 Be5 – In the endgame white has the advantage, but it is still left to prove the win.]

31. Kf3 Qd4 32. gh Bg7 33. b3 Qe3 34. Kg4 Qb3

35. h6 Beginning the concluding attack on the black king, wandering exclusively along the white squares! 35... Bh6

[White wasn’t distracted from his main idea by 35... f3 36. Qg1!]

36. Kh5 Bg7 37. Qg4 Qb2 38. Kg6 The pictured concluding position, sealing the goal-oriented strategy of Yegenija Obod.

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