[Event "29th ECC Women 2025"] [Site "Rhodes GRE"] [Date "2025.10.19"] [Round "1.5"] [White "Sivanandan, Bodhana"] [Black "Muzychuk, Mariya"] [Result "1-0"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [ECO "B51"] [WhiteElo "2205"] [BlackElo "2485"] [WhiteFideId "497592"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "71"] [GameId "2237267668066545"] [EventDate "2025.10.19"] [EventType "team-tourn"] [SourceVersionDate "2025.01.05"] [WhiteTeam "She plays to win Lionesses #1"] [BlackTeam "Turkish Airlines sports club"] {The game is an upset, but upsets happen all the time. (Not literally all the time - they wouldn't be "upsets" in that case. But they're common!) The reason to show this game isn't just that it's an upset, but that the player with the white pieces is just 10 years old. Black is a former Women's World Champion and still ranked #14 on the women's rating list. (She may have been #13 before the tournament, which went reasonably well except for this game.)} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Nd7 {Now castling, c3, and d4 are all standard while something-to-a4 (either "something") is trendy.} 4. O-O a6 5. Bxd7+ (5. Bd3 {followed by c3 and Bc2 is more popular. If you're wondering why White didn't just start with Bd3 or c3 the answer is that the check on move induced ...Nd7, so the knight didn't develop more actively to c6. Additionally, it's not clear that ...a6 is all that valuable. It enables ...b5, but while that grabs space it also makes a target of the pawns, which is why}) (5. Be2 {is another common retreat. Here White pretty clearly declares her intention to keep fighting along the f1-a6 diagonal.}) 5... Bxd7 6. d4 (6. c3 {first and only then d4 is also popular.}) 6... cxd4 7. Qxd4 Nf6 (7... e5 8. Qd3 h6 {is another standard mini-idea, grabbing space and then preventing Bg5xf6 (assuming a Black knight on f6) so White can't get a full grip over the d5 square.}) (7... Rc8 8. c4 e5 9. Qd3 b5 {is yet another plan. The richness of chess is amazing! Even if we take the first three moves of this game for granted we've still delineated 10 different plans just from moves 4-7.}) 8. Bg5 ({It's also possible to go for a Maroczy Bind, starting with} 8. c4 {and Nc3 before worrying about the bishop's development. The reason to start with 8.Bg5 is that here Black can employ a Dragon setup with} g6 {, which would be structurally disastrous after 8.Bg5 followed by 9.Bxf6.}) 8... e6 9. Nbd2 {This looks clumsy at first sight. Why would White play this rather than going for the bind with 9.c4? One answer is that ...e6 leaves the d6 pawn vulnerable, so rather than putting a pawn on c4 White would like to put her knight there and try to win the pawn rather than freezing it in place. (That said, there's nothing wrong with 9.c4.)} Bc6 {"Counter-freezing" White's knight thanks to the attack on e4. But is the attack genuine? It's a small tactical puzzle.} 10. Nc4 {White is unconcerned. Should she be?} Be7 ({You might think for a moment that this is a blunder - White removes the guard and wins a piece - but it's really just a version of the old "fork trick". Black isn't losing anything; we just have to assess the position resulting from the line} 10... Bxe4 11. Bxf6 Qxf6 12. Qxe4 d5 13. Qe2 dxc4 14. Qxc4 {This position has arisen 10 times in the database, and White (both times GM Kravtsiv, playing a considerably lower-rated player in one of the games) has won twice while Black (Vachier-Lagrave) has won once, with seven draws. So Black seems to be fine judging by the results. There's no doubt that Muzychuk could find such a line even if she hadn't prepared it, but she may have rejected it for any of several reasons; two come readily to mind. First, she may have liked the line in the game even more - it keeps more tension in the position, and she tends to be an attacking player. Second, this position is pretty dry. It's not dead, but it's not terribly complicated either, as gives less opportunity for Muzychuk as the higher-rated player to confuse her young opponent.}) 11. Bxf6 {This may not be forced, but it's the only move White has tried in this position. Black must recapture with the pawn.} gxf6 {So how do we assess this position? Black has the bishop pair and a mighty pawn center; White has more space (for now), a lead in development (for now), and some pressure against d6 (for now). Also (for now) there's some question about what Black will do with her king. As my "for now" hints suggest, White's pluses are very much in and for the short term, and if she doesn't find a way to make things happen relatively soon Black's long term advantages will dominate.} 12. Rad1 {This looks great at first sight. How can Black defend the pawn a third time? She could play 12...d5, but then 13.Nb6 is a problem. A second, less nervous glance reveals that while White could take on d6 it doesn't win a pawn: Black can trade everything and then take on e4. Black therefore has options.} (12. Nb6 {has also been played, and now, to use old-fashioned descriptive notation, Black will play R-N1 twice:} Rb8 {followed by ...Rg8.}) 12... b5 $146 {Encouraging White to take on d6. Interestingly, this would be somewhat similar to the 10...Bxe4 line discussed above, in that there would be mass simplifications, a swap of Black's d-pawn for White's e-pawn, and a bishop vs. knight imbalance. There are also important differences, but it's interesting that Muzychuk is now willing to enter a technical position against her young opponent.} 13. Ne3 {Keeping pieces on and retaining the tension. The knight on e3 is well-placed to restrain Black's central pawns, but doesn't seem well-posted for active opportunities.} (13. Nxd6+ Bxd6 14. Qxd6 Qxd6 15. Rxd6 Bxe4 $11 {seems to me more promising for Black, practically speaking, even if a draw is the expected, "correct" result.}) 13... Rg8 {Creating the possibility of ...f5 (the rook would be en prise on h8 but is safe now; also, ...f5 exf5?? is met by ...Bxf3).} 14. Kh1 {Now White can meet ...f5 with exf5.} Qc7 {Preparing both ...Qb7 (to pressure the e-pawn) and queenside castling.} 15. Rfe1 O-O-O $5 {This seems quite risky, but it's also true that the king isn't immune from all danger sitting on e8 (see the next note!). Black must pick her proverbial poison, and she's going to try to make do on the queenside.} (15... Qb7 16. Nd5 {looks interesting. Let's see what could happen if Black grabs the piece.} (16. Nd2 {isn't as good as it is in the game, as Black can play} f5 $1) 16... exd5 17. exd5 Bd7 18. Rd3 (18. Qxf6 $2 Be6 $1 {This seems to spoil White's fun.} (18... Bg4 $2 19. Rxe7+ Qxe7 20. Re1 $18)) 18... Kf8 19. Qe4 Re8 20. Qxh7 {gives White two pawns and an initiative for the piece.}) 16. c4 {Naturally, White immediately looks to open lines for an attack on Black's king.} b4 $2 {"No, thank you."} (16... Kb8 {was better. A file *will* open on the queenside whether Black likes it or not, so it's better for the king to vacate for the safest available file as quickly as possible.}) 17. a3 {"Are you sure?"} (17. Nd5 $1 {was also available. Black can take the knight, but she won't manage to keep her extra piece.} exd5 $2 18. cxd5 Kb8 19. Rc1 $18) 17... Qb7 18. Nd2 b3 $2 {"Yes, I'm sure, thank you."} (18... f5 $1 {was much better. If Black doesn't fight for counterplay she'll be crushed. Meanwhile, Black is relatively happy to allow White to take on b4, opening the a-file, as the more dangerous open lines are the c- and d-files.} 19. axb4 Bxe4 20. f3 Bc6 21. b5 axb5 22. cxb5 Qxb5 23. Ndc4 {is obviously better for White, but that doesn't (yet?) mean that Black is getting mated.} d5 $1 24. Ne5 Bf6 $1 25. Nc2 Rd7 26. Nb4 Bxe5 27. Rxe5 Rb7 {and Black is still hanging in there.}) 19. Rc1 {"That's okay, this is just as good: I'll play Rc3xb3 and my rook gets an open file all the same, and I get to win a free pawn in the process."} (19. Nd5 $1 {was even stronger, again. Sivanandan probably considered it, but may have felt that Rc1-c3xb3 was simpler and risk-free, so why speculate?} exd5 {Not forced, but White obviously isn't going to complain if her knight gets to remain on d5.} 20. cxd5 Bd7 21. Re3 $18 {and when White puts her rooks on the c- and b-files Black will either lose the queen for a rook or will have to return the extra piece (e.g. by blocking the b-file with ...Bb5, only to lose it when White plays a4).}) 19... f5 {Black hastens with her counterplay. The g2 square is the weakest point around White's king, so Black does what she can to attack it.} 20. Nd5 $1 $18 {This pseudo-sac (now not only good but almost forced) is an effective way to terminate Black's ambitions aimed at g2. The knight is beautiful on d5, and Black should look to get rid of it as soon as she safely can.} Bg5 {Defense against Rc3xb3.} 21. Rc3 Bxd2 22. Qxd2 fxe4 23. Qe3 $1 {Renewing the threat of Rxb3, which not incidentally prevents Black from squirreling her king to safety with ...Kb8. It also creates the possibility of Nb6+ (either before or after the capture on b3), which prevents Black from defending her b-pawn with ...Ba4. Still another point to the move is that it prevents Black from jettisoning her pawn with ...e3 to open the diagonal to g2.} Bxd5 {This must have been a move Muzychuk hated playing. Is there anything else she can try?} (23... Kd7 24. Nf6+ Kc8 25. Nxg8 Rxg8 26. Rxb3 $18) (23... Kb8 24. Rxb3 exd5 25. Rxb7+ Bxb7 26. cxd5 Bxd5 27. b4 $18 {White's not up a lot of material - only one point - but Black's position is full of weaknesses and devoid of harmony.}) 24. cxd5+ Kd7 {The king is shielded for the time being, but since Black's king can be attacked from the left (White's left - the c- and/or b-files), the right (the f-file), and the front (the d- and e-files once moves like dxe6 and Qxe4 happen) it will be difficult for him to survive.} 25. Qf4 Ke8 26. Qxe4 Rg6 27. Qf3 {Threatening Rxb3.} Rb8 (27... e5 28. Rxb3 Qd7 $18 {does a better job of shielding Black's king, though there's still little doubt about the inevitable outcome.}) 28. Rc6 {Threatening to take on d6, but this also allows White to swap on e6 without trading queens.} e5 29. Rec1 {Now the threat is Rc7, attacking the queen and intending Qxf7+ with mate on the next move.} Kd8 30. Qh3 $1 {Hitting h7.} h6 31. Qh4+ $1 Kd7 (31... Ke8 32. Rc7 {brings the game to an immediate end.}) 32. Qc4 {Now the threat is to win Black's queen after 33.Rc7+. The queen runs away from that threat, but it comes at the expense of the king's well-being.} Qb5 33. Rc7+ Ke8 34. Qh4 f6 35. Qh5 Qd3 36. Rg7 {Here's a threat Black can't parry. The rook is lost, and Black's king isn't long for this world. (And if that's not enough, there's also the threat of 37.Rg8+ and 38.Rxb8.) An impressive attack, and all-around game, by Sivanandan.} 1-0