Reply #6: Xu Yuhua - Dzagnidze, Round 6

[Jack Rabbit]

Nana Dzagnidze
Photo: ChessBase.de (Germany)


Xu Yuhua - Nana Dzagnidze
Women's Grand Prix, Second Tournament, Round 6
Nanjing, 4 October 2009

Open Sicilian Game: Minerva Opening

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4 Nf6

• If 4...Nc6 5.Bb5 Bd7 6.Bxc6 Bxc6 then:
• If 7.Nc3 Nf6 8.Bg5 e6 then:
• If 9.0-0-0 Be7 10.Rhe1 0-0 then:
• If 11.Qd2 Qc7 12.Nd4 Rfd8 13.Kb1 then:
• If 13...a6 14.f3 b5 15.g4 Rac8 16.Nce2 then:
• 16...Ba8 17.Ng3 b4 18.Rg1 h6 19.Be3 e5 20.Ndf5 gives White a small advantage in space (S. Zhigalko-Durarbeyli, Euro Ch, Dresden, 2007).
• 16...Bd7 17.Ng3 g6 18.Rg1 e5 19.Ndf5 Bxf5 20.exf5 d5 21.h4 is equal (Vasiukov-Browne, Op, Reykjavik, 1980).
• 13...Rab8 14.f3 b5 15.g4 b4 16.Nce2 a5 17.h4 a4 18.Rc1 Be8 19.Ng3 Qa7 is equal (Haznedarolu-O'Connell, Euro ChT, Batumi, 1999).
• If 11.Kb1 then:
• If 11...Qa5 12.Qd2 then:
• 12...Qa6 13.Nd4 Rfc8 14.f3 Be8 15.g4 Rc4 16.Be3 Rac8 17.h4 is equal (Tereladze-Gaponenko, Euro ChW, Warsaw, 2001).
• If 12...Kh8 13.Nd4 Rfd8 14.f4 Rac8 15.Nb3 Qc7 16.Qf2 b5 then:
• If 17.Rd3?! then Black soon won after 17...b4 18.Rh3 bxc3 19.Qh4 cxb2.(Chuprov -Jakovenko, Russian Ch, Kazan, 2005).
• 17.e5 Ng4 18.Qe2 Bxg5 19.Qxg4 Be7 gives Black Bishops over Knights.
• 11...Qc7 12.Qd2 Rfd8 13.Nd4 transposes to Hazendarolu-O'Connell, above.
• If 9.0-0 Be7 10.Rad1 0-0 11.Rfe1 then:
• 11...Qa5 12.Bh4 Rfd8 13.Qd3 Qh5 14.Bg3 Qc5 15.Bh4 b6 16.Nd4 Bb7 is equal (Toufighi-Paragua, Asian Ch, Subic Bay, 2009).
• If 11...Qc7 then after 12.Bxf6 gxf6 13.Qe3 Rfe8 14.Qh6 Kh8 15.Qh5 Bf8 16.Nd4 Qe7 17.Re3 White builds a kingside attack (Rogers-T. Ernst, IT, Berlin, 1986).
• 12.h3 Rfd8 13.Nh2 b5 14.Rd3 a5 15.Rf3 b4 16.Rxf6 bxc3 17.Ng4 h5 18.Bh6 e5 19.Qe3 hxg4 20.Bxg7 Kxg7 21.Qh6+ gives Black two extra pieces and White a fierce intiative (Geller-Kogan, Trmt, Odessa, 1946).
• If 7.c4 Nf6 8.Nc3 g6 9.0-0 Bg7 10.Qd3 0-0 11.Nd4 then:
• 11...Qb6 12.Rd1 Ng4 13.Qd2 Qc5 14.h3 Nf6 15.Qe2 Rfc8 16.b3 Qe5 17.f3 Nh5 18.Be3 f5 is equal (Ni Hua-Zhou Jianchao, Chinese Ch, Xinghua, 2009).
• 11...Nd7 12.Be3 a5 13.b3 Nc5 14.Qc2 Ne6 15.Qd2 Nxd4 16.Bxd4 Bxd4 17.Qxd4 gives White the advantage in space (Cabrilo-Atakisi, IT, Sarajevo, 2008).

5.Bg5 e5!?

• Just like that, we're out of the book.
• 5...Nc6 6.Bb5 Bd7 7.Bxc6 Bxc6 8.Nc3 e6 transposes to the previous note.

6.Bxf6 gxf6 7.Qe3

• White has more space and better pawn structure.

7...Be6 8.Nc3

• At the moment, White has superior development, but neither side has completed her development.

8...Nc6 9.Be2 a6 10.a3 Rc8 11.0-0-0

• 11.0-0 f5 12.exf5 Bxf5 13.Bd3 Be6 14.Ng5 Bg7 would help convert White's advantage in development into something more permanent, since Black would problably keep her King in the center or face a direct attack on her King should she castle.

11...Bg7 12.Kb1 0-0 13.g4 b5

• With Black catching up in development, the game is headed for equality.
• 13...Bxg4 14.Rhg1 f5 15.Nd2 f4 16.Qd3 Be6 is equal.

14.Rhg1 b4 15.Nd5 Qa5 16.a4

• The game reamins equal.
• 16.axb4 Nxb4 17.Qa3 Qc5 18.Ne7+ Kh8 19.c3 is equal.

16...Qxa4 17.b3 Qa3

• The game is equal.
• 17...Qa5 18.Qb6 Qxb6 19.Nxb6 Rb8 20.Nc4 Rfd8 is also equal.

18.Bc4 Na5

• 18...Qa5 19.Nh4 Kh8 20.g5 Bxd5 21.Rxd5 Qd8 22.Bxa6 gives White a slight initiative.

19.Ne7+ Kh8 20.Bxe6 Rc3 21.Rd3 fxe6

• If 21...Rxd3? 22.Qxd3 fxe6 23.Nh4 Bh6 then:
• 24.Nhg6+! hxg6 25.Nxg6+ Kg8 26.Nxf8 Bxf8 27.g5 Black's King is exposed and vulerable to a mating attack,
• If 24.g5 fxg5 25.Qxd6 Nxb3!! 26.Qxe5+ Bg7 27.Neg6+ hxg6 28.Nxg6+ then:
• 28...Kh7 29.Nxf8+ Bxf8 30.Qb2 Nd2+ Black wins White's Queen.
• 28...Kg8? 29.Qxe6+ Rf7 30.Ne7+ Kf8 31.Ng6+ Kg8 draws by repetition.
• If 25...Rf6? then White wins after 26.Qb8+ Rf8 27.Neg6+ hxg6 28.Nxg6+ Kg7 29.Nxf8.

22.Rxc3 bxc3 23.Qxc3 Nb7 24.Rd1!?

• White needed to do something to take the sting out of Black's next move.
• 24.Qc7! Na5 25.Rg3 Qb4 26.Rh3 Nxb3 27.cxb3 Qxb3+ remains equal.

24...d5!

• Black seizes the initiative by discovering the attack on the Knight.

25.Nc6 d4

• If 25...dxe4 then:
• 26.Nh4 Rc8 27.g5 Rc7 28.gxf6 Bxf6 leaves Black a pawn up; the pin at c6 is very uncomfortable for White.
• If 26.Qb4? then Black wins a piece after 26...Qxb4 27.Nxb4 a5.

26.Qb4 Qxb4 27.Nxb4 Nc5 28.Re1?

• This should allow Black to snap White's queenside defense.
• 28.Nd2 f5 29.f3 fxg4 30.fxg4 Rf2 31.h3 gives Black good chances, but White can still put up a defense.

BLACK: Nana Dzagnidze
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WHITE: Xu Yuhua
Position after 28.Rd1e1

28...f5?

• Black misses the line that leads to victory.
• If 28...Rb8! 29.Nc6 Rb6 then:
• If 30.Na5 Rb5 31.Nc4 Nxb3!! then:
• 32.cxb3 Rxb3+ 33.Ka2 Rxf3 gives Black two extra pawns and a winning position.
• 32.Ka2 Nc5 33.g5 Rb4 34.Nb2 fxg5 35.Nxg5 Bf6 gives Black excellent winning chances.
• If 30.Nd8 Nxb3 31.Ka2 Nc5 32.Nd2 Rb8 then:
• 33.Nf7+ Kg8 34.Nd6 Na4 35.N2c4 Bf8 leaves Black a pawn to the good with a more active game.
• 33.Nc6 Rc8 34.Na5 d3 35.c3 Bh6 leaves Black a pawn to the good with a more active game.

29.exf5!

• Black has equalized.

29...e4

• 29...exf5 30.Nxe5 fxg4 31.Nbc6 Rxf2 32.Nxg4 remains equal.

30.Ng5 exf5 31.gxf5 d3

• The remains equal.

BLACK: Nana Dzagnidze
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WHITE: Xu Yuhua
Position after 31...d4d3

32.Ne6?

• White must have had a hallucination of getting something for the Knight. It isn't there.
• 32.cxd3 exd3 33.Re3 Bh6 34.h4 remains equal.

32...Nxe6 33.fxe6 Bc3!

• The Bishop fork puts the game away.

34.Rd1 Bxb4 35.cxd3 Rxf2 0-1

• Black is a piece to the good.
• Ms. Xu resigns.