[Event "WCh Women 2025"] [Site "Shanghai Chongqing CHN"] [Date "2025.04.07"] [Round "4.1"] [White "Tan, Zhongyi"] [Black "Ju, Wenjun"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [ECO "A13"] [WhiteElo "2555"] [BlackElo "2561"] [PlyCount "160"] [GameId "2164156706082416"] [EventDate "2025.04.03"] [SourceVersionDate "2025.01.05"] {[%evp 0,160,17,30,28,28,23,19,19,12,11,15,15,14,26,32,12,9,51,62,46,42,58,57,49,37,38,41,31,-1,29,16,48,45,33,58,60,14,-29,30,84,48,66,83,81,67,96,86,91,55,50,1,14,28,-4,22,-8,14,40,-1,35,44,37,39,43,53,1,5,56,63,79,88,49,49,94,81,86,68,67,52,70,44,90,41,43,34,44,33,31,-33,21,20,-154,28,12,-1,14,30,62,-38,3,17,33,51,38,-58,73,86,84,84,106,102,116,94,89,98,110,101,90,121,56,95,105,93,91,81,104,70,104,93,96,99,52,96,100,96,96,96,96,96,100,101,100,100,100,96,24,1,1,0,1,0,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]} 1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 Bb4 {A comparatively minor line, though its list of occasional adherents includes Carlsen, Kramnik, and Keymer.} 3. Qb3 {The most popular move, avoiding doubled pawns and putting the question to the bishop.} Ba5 (3... c5 $6 {leads to complications that seem to favor White after} 4. Nb5 $14 {/?.}) 4. g3 (4. Nf3) 4... c5 {Already down to just one predecessor.} 5. Bg2 Nc6 6. e3 $146 (6. Nf3 Nge7 7. O-O O-O 8. Rd1 d5 9. d4 dxc4 10. Qxc4 cxd4 11. Bf4 Bb6 12. Nb5 Nf5 13. e3 Bd7 14. exd4 Rc8 15. Qe2 a6 16. Nd6 Ncxd4 17. Nxd4 Nxd4 18. Qd3 Ba4 19. Rd2 Rc2 20. Nxb7 Rxd2 21. Qxd2 Qd7 22. Rc1 e5 23. Be3 Bb5 24. Kh1 h6 25. Nc5 Qe7 26. Ne4 Rd8 27. Nc3 Bc4 28. Qe1 Qe6 29. b3 Bd3 30. Na4 Nc2 31. Qd2 Nxe3 32. fxe3 Bb5 33. Qf2 Bxa4 34. bxa4 Rd3 35. Be4 Rxe3 36. Rc6 Rxe4 37. Rxe6 Bxf2 {0-1 Miles,A (2585)-Oll,L (2560) Sydney Cepacol 1991 (9)}) 6... Nge7 7. Nge2 O-O 8. O-O a6 (8... d5 $1 9. cxd5 exd5 10. Nxd5 Nxd5 11. Qxd5 Qxd5 12. Bxd5 Bf5 $44 {White will have some light-squared weaknesses whether she takes on c6 or not.}) 9. d4 $14 cxd4 (9... d5 $2 10. cxd5 Nxd5 11. Nxd5 exd5 12. dxc5 $18) 10. exd4 d5 11. cxd5 exd5 12. Be3 $14 {Preferring to keep control rather than win the d-pawn.} (12. Nxd5 Nxd5 13. Bxd5 Nb4 14. Bf3 Be6 $44 {/? gives Black annoying play on the light squares along with a lead in development.}) 12... Bxc3 13. Nxc3 Na5 14. Qb4 (14. Qd1 $14) 14... Nac6 (14... h6) 15. Qc5 (15. Qb3 $142 Na5 16. Qd1 $14) 15... b6 $6 {This is what White hoped for. This weakening move gives White fresh targets to go along with her pressure against d5 and the long-term advantage of the bishop pair.} (15... Be6 $11 {was best, intending ...Rc8. White's queen won't remain comfy on c5 for long.}) 16. Qa3 $14 {/?} Be6 17. Rac1 (17. Ne2 {followed by Nf4 was a good alternative, as Black won't want to give up the second bishop.}) 17... Nf5 18. Bf4 $2 (18. Ne2 $1 $16 Nxe3 $6 19. Qxe3 Qd6 (19... Re8 {is cute, but White can avoid the trick with} 20. Qd2 $16 {/+-}) 20. Nf4 Rae8 21. Qd2 $16 {/+-}) 18... Nfxd4 $11 {White has full compensation for the pawn, but it was even better to have "compensation" and material equality too.} 19. Rfd1 Nb5 $2 (19... Qf6 $1 {was better, returning the pawn for active development.} 20. Bxd5 Rad8 $1 21. Bg2 (21. Bxc6 Nxc6 22. Qxa6 $2 Nd4 23. Qxb6 h6 $1 $17 {gives Black more than enough play for the two pawns. White must tread carefully to avoid a lost position.}) 21... Bg4 22. Re1 Qf5 $11 (22... Nf3+ 23. Bxf3 Bxf3 24. Ne4 Bxe4 25. Rxe4 Nd4 $11)) 20. Nxb5 axb5 21. Qb3 $16 {Black is in trouble again.} Ne7 22. Qxb5 Rxa2 23. Bc7 Qa8 24. Bd6 $2 (24. Qxb6 $16 {White is clearly better, and this game is reminiscent of the last one: White has an outside passed pawn, the bishop pair, and a reasonable likelihood of winning Black's isolated d-pawn.}) 24... Ra5 $1 25. Qb4 (25. Qxb6 Nc8 26. Qb4 Nxd6 27. Qxd6 Qb8 28. Qxb8 Rxb8 29. b4 Rxb4 (29... Rab5 30. Rb1 Kf8 31. Rd4 Ke7 $11) 30. Bxd5 h5 31. Bxe6 fxe6 32. Rd7 h4 33. Rcc7 Rg5 $11) 25... Ra4 $8 26. Qb3 Ra7 27. Rc7 (27. Qxb6 Nc8 28. Qc5 Nxd6 29. Qxd6 Qb8 30. Qxb8 Rxb8 31. Bxd5 Rxb2 32. Bxe6 fxe6 $11) 27... Rxc7 28. Bxc7 Qc6 29. Qxb6 {It's "equal", but only in the way that the last two games were equal. The engine will draw this in its sleep, metaphorically speaking, but White has excellent practical winning chances; indeed, it's positions like this that resulted in wins in the last two games.} Qc2 30. Bf3 Bf5 (30... d4 $1 {is a great move, clearing d5 for Black's pieces and setting a nasty trap.} 31. Rxd4 $4 {Why not?} (31. Qxd4 $4 Qxc7 $19 {is too obvious to count as a trap.}) 31... Nd5 $1 32. Bxd5 Qb1+ $1 33. Kg2 Bxd5+ 34. Rxd5 Qe4+ $19 {*That* is why not.}) 31. Bf4 (31. Re1 $14) 31... Be4 (31... Ng6 $11) 32. Rc1 Qd3 33. Bxe4 Qxe4 (33... dxe4 $11) 34. Qe3 Qxe3 $6 (34... Rd8 $1 $11) 35. Bxe3 {Time for Black to suffer some more.} f6 $1 36. Rc7 Nf5 (36... Ng6 $1) 37. Bc5 $1 $16 Rd8 $8 38. Kf1 Nd6 $1 39. b4 $6 (39. Ke2 $142 $1 Ne4 40. Kd3 Rd7 $1 41. Rc6 $1 $16 {/+- and Black certainly can't count her chickens here.}) 39... Ne4 $14 40. Bb6 (40. Ke2 $142) 40... Rb8 $11 41. Ba5 Rb5 $1 42. Ke2 Nd6 43. Ra7 Nc4 44. Kd3 Ne5+ $1 {Preventing White's king from continuing its march to the center, as 45.Kd4?? Nc6+ wins the rook.} 45. Kc2 d4 $1 46. Kb3 Rd5 $1 (46... d3 {was also good.}) 47. Bb6 d3 48. Ra1 Nf3 49. Rd1 Kf7 50. Kc3 d2 51. Be3 Ke6 52. Bxd2 Nxh2 (52... Rd4 $1 {was a nice alternative, looking to immobilize White. If Tan plays Kc2 at some point Black can play ...Nxd2 and then ...Rxb4 with an immediate draw.} 53. Re1+ $1 Nxe1 54. Kxd4 Nf3+ 55. Kc3 Nxh2 56. Kc4 Nf3 $11) 53. Re1+ Kd7 ({Surprisingly, it was better to run away from White's passed pawn.} 53... Kf5 54. Rb1 (54. Re7 g5 55. Rxh7 Ng4 56. Be1 Re5 57. Rh1 Ke4 58. Kc4 Kf3 $11) 54... Ng4 55. Be1 Ke6 $1 56. b5 Kd6 $1 {Stranger still it *now* runs towards it.} 57. Kb4 Kc7 58. Ra1 Kb7 $11) 54. Be3 $1 {This is the point: the bishop goes to c5, followed by Re7+.} Ng4 55. Bc5 Ne5 $6 (55... Rf5 $1 56. Re7+ Kc8 (56... Kc6 $4 57. f4 $18 {followed by Kc4 and b5# would be embarrassing.}) 57. Kc4 (57. Rxg7 Nxf2 58. Kc4 Ne4 $11) 57... Nxf2 58. Bd6 Nd1 $1 59. Rxg7 h5 $11) 56. Ra1 $2 {The right idea, but too soon.} (56. f4 $1 Nc6 57. Kc4 Rd2 58. Ra1 $16) 56... Ke6 $1 $11 57. f4 Nd7 58. Re1+ Kf5 $1 (58... Kf7 $4 59. Kc4 Rd2 60. Re7+ Kg6 61. Bd4 Nb8 62. b5 $18 {Black's knight is trapped and will soon shuffle off its mortal coil. (It's not pining for the fjords, trust me.)}) 59. Kc4 Rd2 60. Re7 Nxc5 61. bxc5 g5 {Now all is clearly well. Black's kingside counterplay is in time and, just as importantly, it more or less plays itself - the degree of difficulty is quite low.} 62. fxg5 fxg5 63. Rxh7 Rc2+ 64. Kd4 Rd2+ 65. Kc4 Rc2+ 66. Kb5 Rc3 67. c6 Rxg3 68. c7 Rc3 69. Kb6 Kf4 70. Rf7+ Ke4 $1 {This is an important move. The king doesn't block its pawn and prepares to shoulder off White's king as it tries to approach Black's remaining pawn (after Black gives up her rook for White's pawn).} (70... Kg3 $4 71. Rf5 Rxc7 (71... g4 $2 72. Rc5 $18) 72. Kxc7 g4 73. Kd6 Kh2 74. Ke5 g3 75. Kf4 g2 76. Rh5+ Kg1 77. Kg3 Kf1 78. Rf5+ Kg1 79. Rg5 Kh1 80. Kf2 $18) 71. Rg7 Kf4 72. Rg6 {Threatening Rc6, so it's time to sac the rook.} Rxc7 73. Kxc7 g4 74. Kd6 g3 75. Kd5 Kf3 76. Kd4 g2 77. Kd3 Kf2 78. Rf6+ Ke1 (78... Kg3 {also draws, but not}) (78... Kg1 $4 79. Ke2 Kh2 80. Rh6+ Kg3 81. Rg6+ Kh2 82. Kf2 $18) 79. Rg6 Kf2 80. Rxg2+ Kxg2 1/2-1/2