Munguntuul Plays an Amazing Sacrifice • lichess.org

Tournament Information

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Schedule

Leaderboard

GM Elisabeth Paehtz vs. IM Batkhuyag Munguntuul 0-1

Going into today’s round, both GM Elisabeth Paehtz and IM Batkhuyag Munguntuul were coming off losses in round 1, so their choice to play a fighting opening was commendable. It was Paehtz who started off the fireworks by castling long in the Classical Caro-Kann Defense, and Munguntuul followed suit by castling short when she could have chosen a line with long castles to steer the game into more positional waters. Paehtz’s quick attack on the kingside looked promising, but the game ended abruptly after Paehtz first played the inaccurate 16. gxh6, followed by the understandable 17. Ng5 blunder. Munguntuul’s stunning 17…Ba3!! ended the game on the spot as 18. bxa3 Nc3! was coming, with unstoppable threats.

https://lichess.org/study/embed/77mfGxii/9J5aMrBW#0

GM Aleksandra Goryachkina vs. IM Bibisara Assaubayeva 1/2-1/2

GM Aleksandra Goryachkina righted the ship today as she counteracted yesterday’s close-to-lost position with an almost-winning position against IM Bibisara Assaubayeva. However, it was clear that the engine was far too optimistic; while White’s position looked better, it was not clear how White could capitalize on said advantage. Assaubayeva brought her pieces to the defense and after Goryachkina traded queens, equality was achieved and the game soon petered out to a draw.

https://lichess.org/study/embed/77mfGxii/Y2TKI4nV#0

IM Stavroula Tsolakidou vs. IM Nurgyul Salimova 1/2-1/2

4…h6 in the Italian Game may have once been considered a tempo-wasting move. Nowadays, though, the various intricate move orders in the Italian Game that have to do with the insertion of a6, a5, and/or h6 are all viable. IM Nurgyul Salimova’s creative fourth move soon pushed the game off the beaten path, but IM Stavroula Tsolakidou was up to the task and played sound, logical moves. Tsolakidou’s 16. c4 may have been too creative, however, and after she recovered her temporarily sacrificed pawn, Black’s pieces seemed more active. Salimova was better in the resulting endgame, but the presence of opposite-colored bishops always kept the game within drawing margins.

https://lichess.org/study/embed/77mfGxii/EPYLnf1N#0

GM Koneru Humpy vs. GM Tan Zhongyi 1/2-1/2

In a rather curious coincidence, GM Tan Zhongyi once again found herself playing a rook vs. two minor pieces material imbalance — yesterday with the two minor pieces, today with the rook. It was another victory for the two minor pieces, which were even more unimpeded in this game as GM Koneru Humpy was not down any pawns, so Tan had no material compensation. That’s all in theory, however, because Tan’s sacrifice was in fact correct, for her piece activity offered enough compensation for equality. After the imprecise 27…Qc8, though, Tan was basically lost, and after both Tan and Koneru did not find the most precise moves, the critical position of the game was achieved on move 40. If White had taken on f4 with the pawn, after Black’s 40…Qxg2+, White would have had 41. Kxh4, winning Black’s h4-pawn and protecting the h3-pawn. As it so happened in the game, after 40. Kxf4, Black was threatening too much counterplay, and White had to bail out into a drawn king and pawn endgame after 41. Qxg7+.

https://lichess.org/study/embed/77mfGxii/1UVWIcgs#0

GM Kateryna Lagno vs. IM Divya Deshmukh 1/2-1/2

The Exchange French may have a somewhat undeserved reputation as a tame opening, but with any right imbalance there can be a lot of excitement. GM Kateryna Lagno’s game against IM Divya Deshmukh did not feature any notable imbalance, and while it was not free from intrigue, the game never produced enough complexity to discourage equality.

https://lichess.org/study/embed/77mfGxii/dSn3cEwl#0

Round 3 Pairings