Hou,Yifan - Khotenashvili,Bela [B11] Fondation Neva Women's Grand Prix Geneva (2.2), 04.05.2013 [Commentary by GM Adrian Mikhalchishin] 1.e4 c6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Nf3 This was the favourite variation of young Tal and Fischer! 3...Bg4 4.h3 Bxf3 [Wrong is the retreat 4...Bh5 5.exd5 cxd5 6.Bb5+ Nc6 7.g4 Bg6 8.Ne5] 5.Qxf3 [Tal tried to surprise Botvinnik here with unusual and unlogical 5.gxf3?! ] 5...e6 6.d4!? [Fischer played here King s Indian way 6.d3 ] 6...Nf6 7.Bd3 [Possible was the simple development 7.Bg5 dxe4 8.Nxe4 Nbd7] 7...Qb6!? Very sharp,usual development would be [7...dxe4 8.Nxe4 Nxe4 9.Qxe4 Nd7 10.0–0 Nf6 11.Qe3 Bd6 12.Bd2 0–0 13.c4] 8.0–0 Qxd4 [Not big fun was 8...Be7 9.e5 Nfd7 10.Qg4] 9.Be3 [It was possible to start central action immediately 9.exd5 Nxd5?! (9...cxd5) 10.Rd1 Qf6 11.Qg3 Nd7 12.Nxd5 cxd5 13.Bg5 Qxb2? (13...Bd6 14.Bxf6 Bxg3 15.Bxg7 Rg8 16.Bc3 Be5 17.Bxe5 Nxe5 18.Bxh7 Rg7 19.Bd3±) 14.Rab1 Qa3 15.Rxb7 Bd6 16.Bf4 Bxf4 17.Qxf4 a6™ 18.Rdb1 Rd8 (18...Qxa2 19.Qd6) 19.Rxd7! Rxd7 20.Rb8+ Rd8 21.Rxd8+ Kxd8 22.Qb8+ Ke7 23.Qxh8 with winning position, Balashov,Y (2490)-Smagin,S (2545)/Russia (ch) 1995] 9...Qb4 10.exd5 cxd5 [Here there are possible two other captures 10...exd5 11.Rfe1 Be7 12.Bf4 Kf8™ 13.Qg3 Nbd7 (13...Nh5!? 14.Qg4 Na6! 15.Qxh5 Qxf4 16.Bxa6 bxa6 17.Qe2±) 14.Rxe7!! Kxe7 15.Bc7? (15.Re1+ Kd8 16.Bd6!± Lechtynsky,J) 15...Ne8! 16.a3 Qxb2 17.Re1+ Kf8 18.Bd6+ Kg8 and Black defended,Balashov,Y (2555)-Lechtynsky,J (2470)/Trnava 1988; 10...Nxd5 11.Nxd5 cxd5 12.c4!±] 11.Nb5 Na6 12.c4!   [Another way was 12.Bf4 Be7 13.a3 Qc5 14.b4 Qb6 15.c4 dxc4 16.Bxc4 0–0 17.Rfd1] 12...Be7?! [It was necessary to try to eliminate dangerous Bishop 12...Bc5 13.a3 Qb3 14.Qe2 Bxe3 15.Qxe3 and Black did not equalised fully yet.] 13.a3 Qa5 [Dangerous was another retreat 13...Qb3 14.Rad1 0–0 15.cxd5 Nxd5 16.Qe4 Nf6 17.Qxb7] 14.Bxa7 White prefers to return pawn back,but more chances promised continuation of the development [14.b4 Qd8 15.Rfd1 0–0 16.Rac1] 14...0–0 15.b4 Qd8 16.Bd4 [Better was direct 16.Rfd1 and Hou was unnecessary afraid of 16...b6 17.Qe3] 16...Nb8 Only chance is to return this Knight to the center. 17.Rad1 Nc6 18.Bb2 Qb8   [Black faces huge problems after 18...Qb6 19.c5 Qd8 20.Rfe1] Correct decision to win a pawn 19.Bxf6 Bxf6 20.cxd5 Ne5 21.Qe4 Nxd3 22.Rxd3 exd5 23.Rxd5 Re8 24.Qd3 Qf4 [Slightly better was try to control the center 24...g6 25.Rd1 Be5] 25.Nd6 Now Black pieces are in total disorder 25...Reb8 26.g3 [Very strong was to include the last piece into action 26.Re1 b6 27.Re3] 26...Qh6 27.Kg2 Qg6 28.Qf3 [White decided to keep Queens on the board,but the endgame was easily won too. 28.Rd1 Qxd3 29.R1xd3] 28...Bb2 29.Nc4 Bf6 30.Rd7 b6 [Counterattack cant be successfull 30...h6 31.Rfd1 Qc2 32.Ne3 Qa2 33.Nf5 Rxa3 34.Nxh6+ Kh7 35.Qf5+ Kxh6 36.g4] But another pawn sacrifice does not help 31.Nxb6 Ra6 32.Nd5 [Even better was 32.Rb7 ] 32...h5 33.Nf4 [Very good was 33.Rc1 ] 33...Qf5 34.Rd5 Be5 35.Re1 f6 36.Qb3 Kh7 37.Nd3 37...Rba8 38.Nxe5 Rxa3 39.Nc6! Last simple tactics 39...Qxf2+ 40.Kxf2 Rxb3 41.Ra5 1–0

Khotenashvili,Bela - Ju,Wenjun
Fondation Neva Women's Grand Prix Geneva
(1.5), 03.05.2013
Commentary By GM Adrian Mikhalchishin

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0–0 6.h3 c5 7.d5 e6 8.Bd3 exd5 9.cxd5 b5 10.Nxb5 [Very popular modern system against the Benoni. But the White reaction now is unexpected for Black. Much more popular nowadays is the line 10.Bxb5 Nxe4 11.Nxe4 Qa5+ 12.Nfd2 Qxb5 13.Nxd6 Qa6 14.N2c4 Nd7 15.0–0 Ne5 and Black hass compensation for the sacrificed pawn.]

10...Nxe4?! This move is too risky, but another plan does not guarantee equality e.g. 10...Re8 11.0–0 Nxe4 12.Qb3 a6 13.Na3 Nd7 14.Nc4 Rb8 15.Qc2 f5 16.Re1 Ndf6 17.Ng5 Nxd5 18.Bxe4 fxe4 19.Nxe4 Bf5 20.Qd1 Bxe4 21.Rxe4 Rxe4 22.Qxd5+ Kh8 23.Qxe4 d5 24.Qe2 dxc4 25.Qxc4 Qd1+ 26.Qf1 Qxf1+ 27.Kxf1 c4 28.Rb1!?N a5 29.Bf4 Rxb2 30.Rxb2 Bxb2 31.a4 Kg8 32.Ke2 Kf7 33.Kd2 Ke6 34.Bc7 and Black has huge problems in the endgame, Epishin,V (2579)-Nedev,T (2514)/Ohrid ) 2001 (38)

11.Bxe4 Re8

12.Nd2!? [Extremely interesting is the fact, that both players confirmed ,that they had forgotten the theory in this position! Here, one of the guests of the tournament GM and former Vice President of Barclays Bank, Aleksandr Volzhin claimed that in the end of eighties it was established that White obtain huge advantage after 12.Ng5! h6 13.Ne6 fxe6 (13...Qa5+ 14.Nc3 Bxc3+ 15.bxc3 Qxc3+ 16.Bd2 Qc4 17.Qf3 Bxe6 18.Rc1 Bg4 19.Rxc4 Bxf3 20.gxf3 f5 21.Rg1 Kh7 22.Bf4± Poluljahov,A (2360)-Glyanets,A (2380)/Moskva) 14.0–0]

12...Ba6 13.a4 f5 [Better was aggressive 13...Qa5 14.Nxd6 Nd7 15.Qc2 f5 16.Nxe8 Rxe8 17.Kd1 fxe4 18.Nxe4 c4!?N 19.Nc3 Bxc3 20.Qxc3 Qxd5+ 21.Bd2 Nc5 (21...Qxg2 22.Re1 Rxe1+ 23.Bxe1²) 22.Re1 Rxe1+?! (Equality promised just 22...Ne4 23.Rxe4 (23.Qa5?? Nxf2+ 24.Kc1 Rxe1+ 25.Bxe1 Qd1#; 23.Qe3 Rd8) 23...Qxe4 24.Qe3 (24.f3 Qe2+ 25.Kc2 Qxg2 26.Rd1 Qxh3 27.Kc1=) 24...Qc6 25.Qd4 Qxg2 26.Ra3 Qf1+ 27.Kc2 Bc8 28.Re3=) 23.Kxe1 Qxg2 24.Bh6 with Whites advantage. Vescovi,G (2633)-Jobava,B (2614)/Wijk aan Zee II 2006] 14.0–0 fxe4 15.Nc4

15...Be5 It is very difficult to recommend good defence here, as other move was terribly refuted [15...Bd4 16.Ncxd6 Rf8 17.Bh6 Bxb2 18.Bxf8 Bxa1 19.Qxa1 Qxf8 20.Qe5 Bxb5 21.axb5 a5 22.Nxe4 1–0 Graf,A (2629)-Ghaem Maghami,E (2549)/Moscow 2004] 16.Nxe5 [Possible was a bit different strategy 16.Re1 Bxb5 17.axb5 Nd7 18.Nxe5 Rxe5 19.Bf4 Re8 20.Bxd6 Qb6 21.Bg3 Qxb5 22.d6 Qc6 23.Qc2 Nb6 24.Ra3 a5 25.Rae3 c4 26.Rxe4 Rxe4 27.Rxe4 Re8 28.Rd4 Qc5 29.Rd1 Nd7 30.Rc1 Nb6 31.b3 Rc8 32.Qe4 Qf5 33.Qb7 cxb3 34.Rxc8+ Qxc8 35.Qxc8+ Nxc8 36.d7 1–0 Nikolov,M (2565)-Rabrenovic,V (2396)/Obrenovac 2010] 16...Rxe5 17.Bf4 Rf5 18.Bg3 Bxb5 19.axb5 Nd7

 
20.Re1 [Very tempting was 20.Bxd6 Qb6 21.Be7 Qxb5 22.d6 Qxb2 23.Qa4] 20...Nf6 21.Ra6! This strong position of the Rook is the main problem of Black in this situation. 21...Qe8 [Very bad position gets Black after 21...Rxd5 22.Qb3 Kh8 23.Rxe4 Nxe4 24.Qxd5 Nxg3 25.fxg3 Rb8 26.Rxd6] 22.Qa4 Rxd5 23.Qa2 [Stronger was 23.Bxd6 c4 24.Rc6] 23...c4 24.b6! Now the pawn on a7 decides the game. 24...Qb5 25.bxa7 Qc5 26.Bf4 Nd7 27.Rc1 [Also winning, but complicated was 27.Rxe4 Rd1+ 28.Kh2 Qxf2 29.Qxc4+ d5 30.Qc6] 27...Kg7 28.Be3 Qb5 29.Kh2 [Simpler was 29.Qxc4 Qxc4 30.Rxc4 Nc5 31.Rd4 Re5 32.Rc6 Rxa7 33.Rdxd6] 29...Ne5 30.Rb6 Qd7 31.Rb8

31...Nf3+ Last chance for Black. 32.Kg3 [Black would save the game after white accepted the sacrifice 32.gxf3 Rh5 33.Rb7 Rxh3+ 34.Kg1 Qxb7 35.Qxc4] 32...Rxa7 33.Qxc4 Rg5+ 34.Bxg5 Nxg5 35.Qg8+ Kh6 36.Qf8+ Kh5 37.Qf4! 1–0