[Event "Women Candidates Pool B"] [Site "Khiva UZB"] [Date "2022.12.10"] [Round "2.4"] [White "Tan, Zhongyi"] [Black "Goryachkina, Aleksandra"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D52"] [WhiteElo "2514"] [BlackElo "2584"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "79"] [EventDate "2022.11.29"] [EventType "k.o."] {[%evp 0,79,61,14,28,-11,19,26,39,6,42,7,15,14,16,14,25,-5,16,26,17,13,41,41,28,17,32,11,4,1,10,10,23,18,27,34,86,86,201,195,172,188,191,195,193,83,84,84,101,80,87,86,82,55,107,93,102,92,86,86,86,93,95,54,57,69,113,97,206,209,199,204,215,222,287,256,636,713,720,720,720,728]} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 Nbd7 {Probably not what most players would choose in a must-not lose situation, but it has been part of Goryachkina's repertoire for years.} 6. e3 Qa5 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. Rc1 (8. Qd2 {used to be the most common move, but it seems to have been supplanted by the text.}) 8... h6 (8... Nxc3) ({and} 8... Bb4 {are more common.}) 9. Bh4 Nxc3 10. bxc3 Ba3 11. Rc2 b6 12. Nd2 {This rare but not unknown move seems to have come as a surprise to Goryachkina. Her next moves are fine, but then everything falls apart.} (12. Be2 Ba6 13. O-O Bxe2 {is usual, and now either recapture is normal. Goryachkina has had this position (at least) twice before.} 14. Rxe2 (14. Qxe2 Qa4 15. c4 O-O 16. e4 Rfe8 17. Rd2 b5 18. c5 e5 19. Bg3 Bb4 20. Rd3 exd4 21. Rxd4 Nxc5 22. Ne5 Ne6 23. Rd7 Re7 24. Rxe7 Bxe7 25. Nxc6 Bc5 26. Qd3 Nd4 27. Bd6 Bxd6 28. Qxd4 Qxd4 29. Nxd4 b4 30. Rc1 a5 31. Kf1 a4 32. Ke2 b3 33. axb3 a3 34. Kd3 Be5 35. Ke3 a2 36. Ra1 Rd8 37. Rxa2 Bxd4+ 38. Ke2 Kf8 39. f4 Ke7 40. e5 Rb8 41. Kd3 Bg1 42. g3 Rxb3+ 43. Ke4 Rb4+ 44. Kf3 Ke6 45. Kg2 Bd4 46. Kf3 Bc5 47. Ra6+ Kd5 48. Kg4 Rb2 49. h4 Rb3 50. h5 Ke4 51. Ra4+ Bd4 52. Rc4 Rc3 53. Rb4 Rc7 54. Rb8 Rc3 55. Rb4 Ra3 56. Rc4 Kd5 57. Rc7 Ke6 58. Rc6+ Ke7 59. Rc7+ Ke8 60. Rc2 Rd3 61. Rg2 Re3 62. Kf5 Ke7 63. g4 Rb3 64. Rc2 Rb4 65. Rc7+ Ke8 66. e6 fxe6+ 67. Kxe6 Rb6+ 68. Kf5 Rb5+ 69. Kg6 Rb6+ 70. Kh7 Kd8 71. Rc4 Bb2 72. g5 Kd7 73. Ra4 Ke6 74. Ra5 Bc3 75. Rc5 Bd4 76. Ra5 Bc3 77. Rc5 Bb2 78. Ra5 Rb7 79. Kg6 Bc1 80. f5+ Ke7 81. f6+ gxf6 82. gxf6+ Ke6 83. Ra8 Bf4 84. Re8+ {½-½ Timofeev,A (2583)-Goryachkina,A (2438) Khanty-Mansiysk Governor Cup 10th 2014 (8)}) 14... Qxc3 15. Rc2 Qa5 16. Rxc6 O-O 17. e4 Rac8 18. Qc2 Qa6 19. h3 Nb8 20. Rxc8 Rxc8 21. Qb3 Nd7 22. d5 Nc5 23. Qe3 Qd3 24. dxe6 fxe6 25. Re1 Bb4 26. Qxd3 Nxd3 27. Re2 Rc1+ 28. Kh2 e5 29. Bg3 Bc3 30. Nh4 b5 31. Nf5 b4 32. Ne7+ Kf7 33. Nc6 Ke6 34. h4 Ra1 35. f4 exf4 36. Bf2 Nc1 37. Rc2 Rxa2 38. Rxc1 Rxf2 39. Nxa7 f3 40. Kg3 Ra2 41. Nb5 fxg2 42. Nxc3 Rc2 {0-1 Cramling,P (2443)-Goryachkina,A (2575) Monaco FIDE GP (Women) Monte Carlo 2019 (6)}) 12... Ba6 13. c4 O-O 14. Bd3 c5 (14... Rfe8 15. O-O Be7 {is the computer's preference.}) 15. O-O cxd4 16. exd4 Rfe8 17. Qe2 $14 Rac8 $2 $146 (17... Bb4 18. Rd1 Rac8 19. h3 Nf8 20. Qg4 Nd7 21. Qe4 Nf8 22. Qg4 Nd7 23. Qe4 {½-½ Haapamaeki,M (2316)-Raivio,P (2359) FIN-ch69 email ICCF email 2018}) 18. c5 $1 $16 Qa4 $2 19. Bxa6 $1 $18 Qxc2 20. Bxc8 Rxc8 21. Qa6 Rc7 22. Bg3 {This keeps a big edge, but there was better.} (22. Bd8 $1 Nb8 (22... Rc6 $2 23. Qb7 Ne5 24. Bc7 $18 (24. Nb3 $18)) 23. Qxa3 Rc8 24. Qxa7 Rxd8 25. Qxb6 Rf8 26. Nf3 $18) 22... e5 $8 23. Nf3 $1 Bxc5 {The best chance, depressing though it is.} 24. dxc5 Nxc5 25. Qa3 f6 26. Rc1 Qg6 (26... Rd7 $1 27. h3 Qe2 {is a better try, though White should eventually win. Black has no real counterplay, but has enough solidity to make White's task challenging.}) 27. Nh4 (27. Ne1 {followed by f3 and Bf2 was stronger.}) 27... Qf7 (27... Qe4 $142) 28. Rd1 Rd7 29. Rxd7 Qxd7 30. h3 e4 {Maybe White will miss ...g5?} 31. Bb8 $2 {I doubt that Tan missed ...g5, but she probably overestimated the value of this approach. She returns the piece for an outside passer, and while she retains good winning chances she no longer has a won game.} (31. Ng6 Kf7 32. Nf4 g5 33. Ne2 $18) 31... g5 32. Qxa7 gxh4 $2 (32... Qe6 $1 33. Nf5 $1 (33. Ng6 $143 Nd7 $1) 33... Qxf5 34. Qxb6 Kg7 35. Bd6 e3 $1 36. Qxc5 Qb1+ 37. Kh2 e2 38. Qc7+ Kg6 39. Bb4 Qxb4 40. Qc2+ Kg7 41. Qxe2 Qd6+ {followed by ...h5, and Black is only slightly worse.}) 33. Qxb6 $18 {Now everything is back on track again - and then some. As White's bishop controls the h2-b8 diagonal, Black has no real chances for a perpetual, and isn't really set up for a successful fight against White's a-pawn. White is clearly winning, and straightforwardly converts her advantage.} Ne6 34. a4 Kf7 35. a5 Nd4 36. Qc7 Ke8 $1 37. Qc4 $1 Qb7 38. Qg8+ Kd7 39. Qf7+ Kc6 40. Qc4+ {The knight drops with check, after which there's nothing left to hope for. (This is also White's 40th move, so if they were playing with any sort of traditional time control, any time trouble White may have experienced is over.) Game and match to Tan, who will now face her countrywoman in the Candidates final for the right to play...another of her countrywomen for the Women's World Championship.} 1-0