The women’s team of Russia rampaged mercilessly at the recently-concluded 23rd European Team Chess Championship in Tashkent, Slovenia, running roughshod over all opposing teams in an almost effortless demolition of the opposition to take the gold with a round to spare.
The team is made up of GM Aleksandra Goryachkina (2604), GM Kateryna Lagno (2550), GM Valentina Gunina (2480), IM Polina Shuvalova (2515), and IM Alina Kashlinskaya (2482). This 9-woman wrecking crew strung up nine consecutive wins in its domination of the 31-team , 9-round classical Swiss event which has a time format of 90 minutes for the first 40 moves + 30 seconds increment per move + 30 minutes to end the game.
The team made an auspicious start in routing first the Czech Republic, 4-0; then shutting out Spain, 4-0, in Round 2. It then defeated in succession Germany, 3½-½; Georgia, 3-1; Italy, 2½-1½; Greece, 3½-½; Azerbaijan, 3-1; Ukraine, 3-1; and Poland, 2½-1½.
Here’s a sample of each of the team member’s efforts:
Goryachkina,A (2604)-Paehtz,E (2485) [E11]
Terme Catez (3.1) 2021
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Bb4+ 4.Bd2 a5 5.g3 d5 6.Bg2 dxc4 7.a3 Be7 8.Qa4+ Bd7 9.Qxc4 Bc6 10.Nc3 0-0 11.Qd3 b6 12.0-0 Bb7 13.Ne5 Bxg2 14.Kxg2 Nfd7 15.Qf3 Ra6 16.Rfd1 Qe8 17.Bf4 Bd6 18.Nxd7 Qxd7 19.Rac1 a4 20.e4 Bxf4 21.Qxf4 Ra5 22.d5 Na6 23.dxe6 Qxe6 24.Rd5 Rc5 25.Rxc5 Nxc5 26.Qxc7 Rc8 27.Rd1 f6 28.Rd8+ Rxd8 29.Qxd8+ Kf7 30.Qd5 Ke7 31.Qd4 h5 32.Nxa4 Nxe4 33.Nxb6 h4 34.Nd5+ Kf8 35.Nf4 h3+ 36.Nxh3 Qc6 37.f3 1-0
Vega Gutierrez,S (2394)-Goryachkina,A (2604) [E32]
Terme Catez (2.1) 2021
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 d6 5.g3 0-0 6.Bg2 e5 7.d5 a5 8.e3 c6 9.Nge2 cxd5 10.cxd5 b5 11.a3 Bxc3+ 12.Nxc3 Ba6 13.b4 Nbd7 14.0-0 Nb6 15.e4 Rc8 16.Qd3 Qc7 17.Bd2 Nc4 18.Rfc1 Nxd2 19.Qxd2 Qb6 20.Nd1 a4 21.Ne3 Rxc1+ 22.Rxc1 Bc8 23.Rc6 Qb8 24.Nf5 Bxf5 25.exf5 Re8 26.Bf1 e4 27.Qd4 Nd7 28.Kg2 h6 29.Qe3 Re5 30.Qc1 Re8 31.Qe3 Re5 32.Qc3 Re8 33.Qd4 Re5 34.Ra6 e3 35.fxe3 Nf6 36.Qb6 Qc8 37.Qxd6 Qc2+ 38.Kg1 Ng4 39.Ra8+ Kh7 0-1
Lagno,K (2550)-Osmak,I (2423) [B12]
Terme Catez (8.2) 2021
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nd2 e6 5.Nb3 Nd7 6.Nf3 Be4 7.Be2 c5 8.c3 Ne7 9.Nxc5 Nxc5 10.dxc5 Nc6 11.Be3 Bxf3 12.Bxf3 Nxe5 13.Be2 Be7 14.Bb5+ Nc6 15.0-0 0-0 16.Qe2 Qc7 17.Rad1 Rad8 18.f4 Bf6 19.Bxc6 bxc6 20.Bd4 Qe7 21.b4 Rb8 22.Be5 Bxe5 23.fxe5 a5 24.a3 Ra8 25.Rd3 Ra7 26.Qh5 f5 27.exf6 gxf6 28.Rg3+ Kh8 29.Qh6 Qf7 30.Rg6 f5 31.Rxe6 axb4 32.axb4 Ra2 33.Rxc6 Rg8 34.g3 Re8 35.Rf6 Qg7 36.Qxg7+ Kxg7 37.R6xf5 Rc2 38.R1f2 Rxc3 39.Rxd5 Rb3 40.Rd4 Re1+ 41.Kg2 1-0
Fataliyeva,U (2309)-Gunina,V (2480) [D10]
Terme Catez (7.3) 2021
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 dxc4 4.e3 b5 5.a4 b4 6.Ne4 Qd5 7.Nd2 c3 8.bxc3 bxc3 9.Nb1 Qa5 10.Qc2 Nf6 11.Qxc3 Qd8 12.Ba3 e5 13.Bxf8 exd4 14.exd4 Kxf8 15.Bc4 Ne4 16.Qa3+ c5 17.Nf3 Nc6 18.Nbd2 Nxd4 19.0-0-0 Nxd2 20.Qxc5+ Qe7 21.Qxd4 Nxc4 22.Qd8+ Qe8 23.Qxe8+ Kxe8 24.Nd4 Be6 25.Rhe1 Rc8 26.Kb1 Ke7 27.f4 Kf6 28.Nxe6 fxe6 29.Rd7 Rb8+ 30.Ka1 Rhd8 31.Rxa7 Rd3 0-1
Shuvalova,P (2515)-Beydullayeva,G (2278) [B92]
Terme Catez (7.4) 2021
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be2 e5 7.Nb3 Be7 8.Be3 Be6 9.Nd5 Nxd5 10.exd5 Bf5 11.Qd2 Nd7 12.Na5 Qc7 13.c4 0-0 14.0-0 Bg6 15.b4 f5 16.f4 Nf6 17.fxe5 dxe5 18.c5 f4 19.Bf2 Ne4 20.Qe1 Bf6 21.d6 Qd7 22.Rd1 Rae8 23.Kh1 Bd8 24.Bh4 Bxh4 25.Qxh4 Bf5 26.Bf3 Nc3 27.Bxb7 Nxd1 28.Bc6 Qd8 29.Qxd8 Rxd8 30.Rxd1 Kf7 31.Bb7 Bg4 32.Re1 Kf6 33.Kg1 g5 34.Bxa6 f3 35.gxf3 Bxf3 36.Bb7 Ke6 37.Bxf3 Rxf3 38.Nc6 Ra8 39.Nd4+ 1-0
Socko,M (2393)-Kashlinskaya,A (2482) [E60]
Terme Catez (9.4) 2021
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nf3 Bg7 4.g3 c5 5.Bg2 cxd4 6.Qxd4 Nc6 7.Qh4 h6 8.Qf4 d5 9.cxd5 Nxd5 10.Qd2 0-0 11.0-0 Be6 12.Nc3 Nxc3 13.bxc3 Rc8 14.Qe3 Qa5 15.Bd2 Qa4 16.Rfc1 Rfd8 17.Be1 b6 18.Nd2 Ne5 19.h3 Bd5 20.Bxd5 Rxd5 21.Nf3 Qd7 22.Kh2 Nxf3+ 23.Qxf3 h5 24.Rab1 Rc4 25.Rb4 Qc6 26.Rcb1 Bf6 27.e3 Kg7 28.Qe2 Rdc5 29.Rxc4 Rxc4 30.Rb4 Rc5 31.Rb3 Kg8 32.Qd1 Qe4 33.Rb4 Qe6 34.Ra4 a5 35.Rf4 h4 36.Qd3 hxg3+ 37.fxg3 Qxa2+ 38.Rf2 Qd5 39.Qa6 Qd1 40.Rf1 Qc2+ 41.Rf2 Qb1 42.Rf1 Kg7 43.Qe2 Qb5 44.Qg2 Qd3 45.e4 a4 46.Rf4 a3 47.h4 Rb5 48.Rf2 Rb1 49.Rd2 Qc4 1-0
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PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE, MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Rc8!, and Black’s futile options are: 1…Bh6 2.Bf7#; 1…e3 2.Bd5# 1…Kxd4 2.Qb2#.
