Commented Game Schepetkova - Matveeva

Today I received an email from my friend IM Maxim Notkin from www.chesspro.ru who sent me the comments of GM Mikhail Golubev from www.chesstoday.net to the game between two Russian ladies Margarita Schepetkova and Svetlana Matveeva, it's a great game and I want to share it with you.

With their kind agreement I'm posting the commented game below.

Schepetkova,Margarita (2207) - Matveeva,Svetlana (2410) [C14]
59th RUS-ch wom Higher League Voronezh RUS (2.11), 02.06.2009
[Mikhail Golubev (www.chesstoday.net)]

This game was played (in the spirit of old masters!) in the recently finished Russian Women's Higher League tournament (essentially: semifinal).

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e5 Nfd7 6.h4!?



The sharp Alekhine-Chatard Attack is not very often seen in the modern tournaments.

6...f6 A known, but seldom played move.

7.exf6

[In the pre-computer era, famous was the game Panov-Yudovich, URS-Ch Tbilisi 1937: 7.Bd3 (White also can give a check from h5 first) 7...c5 8.Qh5+ Kf8 - it followed 9.Nxd5 fxg5 10.Rh3 g4 11.Nf4 Nxe5 12.dxe5 gxh3 13.Bxh7 Rxh7 14.Qxh7 h2!–+ and White's attack has failed completely. Indeed, the line is not forced, and the experts of this system could tell much more.]
7...Nxf6 8.Bd3 0–0 9.Nf3 c5 10.Bxf6



10...gxf6N

[White is attacking after 10...Bxf6 11.Bxh7+ Kxh7 12.Ng5+‚; So, 10...Rxf6 (transposing to a Maroczy-Billecard, Hastings 1895!) is almost surely safest.]

11.Ng5!

11...fxg5 [Black has to accept the sacrifice. Instead, clearly favouring White is 11...f5 12.Qh5 Bxg5 13.hxg5±]

12.hxg5 [White could have forced a draw by 12.Bxh7+ Kxh7 13.hxg5+ Kg7 14.Rh7+ Kxh7 15.Qh5+ Kg7 16.Qh6+ Kf7 17.Qh5+= . But she plays for a victory.]

12...Bxg5 [After 12...Rf7? White has 13.Bxh7+! Rxh7 14.Rxh7 Kxh7 15.Qh5+ Kg7 16.Qh6+ Kf7 17.Qh7+ (less clear is 17.g6+ Kf6 18.0–0–0 Nc6 19.Rd3 Nxd4 20.g7+ Kf7 21.Rg3 Bd7) 17...Ke8 18.g6 cxd4 19.Ne2± and the g6 pawn is unstoppable because after 19...Bf6?? (19...Bf8??) there is 20.Qf7# ]

13.Qh5

13...Rf7 14.Bxh7+ Kf8 15.Bg6! Rg7

[There was an alternative at this point. At least practically playable is 15...cxd4!? 16.Bxf7 dxc3 17.Qg6 Qf6 (another line is 17...Bd2+ 18.Ke2 Ke7 19.Rh7 Kd6 20.Qg3+) 18.Qg8+ Ke7 , etc.]

16.Rh3!


16...Nd7? [The line 16...cxd4?! 17.Qh8+ Rg8 18.Rf3+ Ke7 19.Rf7+ Kd6 20.Qxd4‚ looks frightening for Black to say the least; Most probably, critical was 16...Bf6! and, for example, 17.0–0–0!? cxd4 18.Nxd5 Qxd5 19.Qh8+ Ke7 20.Qe8+ Kd6 21.Qf8+ leads to the uncertain consequences, Black can play 21...Kc7 22.Qxf6 Rd7]

17.Rf3+ Bf6 18.0–0–0! cxd4 19.Nxd5! Nice, what to say.

19...exd5 20.Re1!±


20...Qe7?! [This loses by force. But after 20...a5!? (the best chance, preparing ...Ra6) the most direct 21.Qh8+ Rg8 22.Qh6+ Rg7 23.Re8+ Qxe8 24.Bxe8 Kxe8 25.Rxf6 Nxf6 26.Qxg7 Ra6 and here 27.f3! (preparing g4!) gives White a huge advantage.]

21.Qh8+! Rg8 22.Qh6+! Rg7

23.Rxe7 [Engines would prefer 23.Rxf6+ Nxf6 (23...Qxf6 24.Re8#) 24.Rxe7 Kxe7 25.Qxg7++-]
23...Kxe7 24.Rxf6! Kxf6 25.Bh5++-



There is no sense in Black continuing the fight. 1–0

To download the game with the comments press here.

Posted by: Alexandra Kosteniuk
Women's World Chess Champion
www.chessblog.com