In this game, black was one move away from a decisive position where white can probably resign. Not only that black did not win, she lost. Can you find the winning move for black?
White: Atalik, Ekaterina
Black: Kosteniuk, Alexandra
Russian Team Chess Championship 2013
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 c5 6. Nge2 d5 7. cxd5 cxd4 8. exd4 Nxd5 9. O-O Nc6 10. Nxd5 Qxd5 11. a3 Be7 12. Be3 Bf6 13. Qc2 g6 14. Rfd1 Qd8 15. Be4 Bd7 16. d5 exd5 17. Bxd5 Qc8 18. Rac1 Ne7 19. Qb1 Bc6 20. Bxc6 Nxc6 21. Nf4 Be5 22. b4 Bxf4 23. Bxf4 Qg4 24. Be3 Rfd8 25. h3 Qh4 26. b5 Nd4 27. Rc7 Nf5 28. Rxd8+ Qxd8 29. Bf4 Qd5 30. Kh2 Re8 31. Qc2 Nh4 32. f3 Nxf3+ 33. Kg3 Nd4 34. Qc4 Ne2+ 35. Kh2 Qf5 36. Bd6 …. 1-0 on move 58.
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
How can the self proclaimed chess queen blunder? She’s the best, even better than Judit Polgar and Hou Yifan.
… Qf1 is what I’d play. Correct?
1. … Qf1 should win!
If the black Queen reaches g1, it will be a checkmate. I tried with
1. … Qf2
But I could not make it work after
2. Bc5
But the alternative seems to work
1. … Qf1
White can protect g1 only from g1-a7 diagonal.
2. Bc5 b6
3. Bd4
This allows
3. … Qf4+
4. Kh1 Ng3+
5. Kh2 Nf5+
6. Kh1 Re1+
7. Bg1 Ng3+
8. Kh2 Nf1+
9. Kh1 Qh2+
10. Bxh2 Ng3#
Back on move 2, white could have sacrificed the rook to delay the inevitable
1. ….. Qf1
2. Qxf7+ Qxf7
3. Rxf7 Kxf7
1. … Qf1 2. Qc5 b6.
1 … Qf1 2 Qc5 b6
1. … Qf1, threatening
2. … Qg1#
2. Qc5 b6
2. Bc5 b6
3. Bd4 Qf4+
4. Kh1 Nxd4, up one knight.
36. … Qf1 looks pretty good.
White can create an escape hatch, but it will only a temporary reprieve:
37. h4 Qg1+
38. Kh3 Re3+
39. Kg4 Qxh2+
40. Bg3 Qxh3#
On the other hand, it looks to me like White can give up a Bishop for two pawns:
37. Bc5 b6
38. Rxa7 bxc5
39. Qxc5
Now the Queen is covering g1, and White has two passed pawns, but Black’s King is still in too much danger:
39. … Qf4+
40. Kh1 Ng3+
41. Kh2 Re8 (41. Kg1 Re8#)
And now White has to give up the Queen to prevent mate at h8.
So, yeah… I think “pretty good” is definitely good enough.
Is there an adequate defense against Qf1? All I see is the check from f7 giving up the rook.
Is there an adequate defense against Qf1? All I see is the check from f7 giving up the rook.
She should have played b7-b6 first before playing either Qf1 or Qb1. Threatening mate on b1.
Ok, not quite as simple as I thought on first glance, but Qf1 is the winning move. I just missed Bc5 and Qc5, guarding g1 the first time I looked at it:
1. …..Qf1!
2. Bc5 b6!
And the bishop has no safe square from which to guard g2. Even forcing the rook to capture at e3 won’t save white since the queen cannot check from c3 or d4 after checking on the back rank. So white will still have to give up a rook at f7.
Yes this is a critical blunder, but in Kosteniuk’s defense the winning line 1…Qf1; 2.Bc5, b6, a quiet little move giving the bishop no good square, is quite hard to spot at the board, and we have no information as to how much time she had left.
Qf1 looks strong.
1. — Qf1
2. h4 Qg1+
3. Kh3 Qh1+
4. Kg4 Qxg2+
or
1. — Qf1
2. Qc4 b6
and white loses her queen.
Best might be
1. — Qf1
2. Qxf7 Qxf7
3. Rxf7 Kxf7
and white plays on only a rook down.
How could she miss Qf1?
…Qb1