Goryachkina Leads Monaco Grand Prix After Eight Rounds

After a sluggish start, Aleksandra Goryachkina has roared to the lead at the 2019 FIDE Monaco Women’s Grand Prix, scoring 5.5/6 after a second round loss to Alexandra Kosteniuk. She tops the table with 6 points after eight rounds, a half-point ahead of Humpy Koneru, the winner of the Skolkovo Grand Prix event. Goryachkina, who meets World Champion Ju Wenjun in a title match next month, continues to show the form that earned her Challenger status. She conjured a win out of seemingly nothing in her Round 7 game with Nana Dzagnidze. Dzagnidze’s inopportune pawn push (33…b3) allowed Goryachkina to snatch the passer and pressure Black’s position until it crumbled.

[pgn]

[Event "Monaco WGP 2019"]
[Site "Monaco MNC"]
[Date "2019.12.10"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Goryachkina, A."]
[Black "Dzagnidze, N."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E32"]
[WhiteElo "2575"]
[BlackElo "2502"]
[PlyCount "105"]
[EventDate "2019.12.02"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 O-O 5. e4 d5 6. e5 Ne4 7. Bd3 c5 8. Nf3
cxd4 9. Nxd4 Nd7 10. Bf4 Ndc5 11. O-O Bxc3 12. bxc3 Bd7 13. Be2 Na4 14. cxd5
exd5 15. f3 Nec5 16. Rfc1 Rc8 17. Qd2 a6 18. c4 dxc4 19. Bxc4 Qe7 20. Qe3 Rfe8
21. Bg3 b5 22. Bb3 b4 23. f4 Nc3 24. f5 a5 25. Rf1 Nxb3 26. axb3 Qc5 27. Kh1 a4
28. f6 axb3 29. Qg5 g6 30. Nxb3 Qf8 31. Ra7 Be6 32. Nd4 h6 33. Qe3 b3 34. Nxe6
Rxe6 35. Rb7 Kh7 36. Rxb3 Nd5 37. Qf3 Qc5 38. h3 Qc6 39. Rd1 Nb6 40. Qxc6 Rcxc6
41. h4 h5 42. Rd8 Rc8 43. Rxc8 Nxc8 44. Rb8 Rc6 45. Bf4 Rc4 46. g3 Kg8 47. Bh6
Kh7 48. e6 Nd6 49. Bf4 Rxf4 50. gxf4 fxe6 51. Kg2 Nf7 52. Kf3 e5 53. Rf8 1-0

[/pgn]

In Round 8 Goryachkina ground down Valentina Gunina, the winner of the 2019 Cairns Cup who is having a miserable event in Monaco. The game is a case study in how to play “good bishop vs. bad bishop” positions.

[pgn]

[Event "Monaco WGP 2019"]
[Site "Monaco MNC"]
[Date "2019.12.11"]
[Round "8.6"]
[White "Goryachkina, Aleksandra"]
[Black "Gunina, Valentina"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E09"]
[WhiteElo "2575"]
[BlackElo "2509"]
[Annotator "Hartmann,John"]
[PlyCount "101"]
[EventDate "2019.12.03"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O Nbd7 7. Nbd2 c6 8. Qc2
b6 9. e4 dxc4 10. Nxc4 Bb7 11. Bg5 b5 12. Ne3 h6 (12... c5 {is the only move
known to theory. Gunina's novelty is probably not one to repeat.}) 13. e5 $1
Nd5 14. Nxd5 cxd5 15. Bxe7 Qxe7 16. Qc7 {White already has a significant
advantage.} Rab8 17. Rfc1 Rfc8 18. Qa5 Nb6 {True to her nature, Gunina gives
up a pawn to free her pieces.} 19. Rxc8+ Rxc8 20. Qxb5 Rc2 21. Rb1 g6 $6 {
It's unclear as to why this kingside weakening was deemed necessary. Now
Goryachkina activates her bishop and we see a classic good vs bad bishop
situation.} 22. Bf1 Qc7 23. Bd3 Rc1+ 24. Rxc1 Qxc1+ 25. Bf1 Kg7 26. b3 Qc3 27.
Kg2 Qc2 28. Qe2 Qb1 29. Qd2 Qa1 30. h4 Nd7 31. Bb5 Nb8 32. Nh2 $1 h5 33. Qf4
Nc6 34. Nf3 Qb1 35. Qf6+ Kg8 36. Ng5 Qf5 37. Qxf5 exf5 38. Bxc6 Bxc6 39. Kf3
Bb5 40. Ke3 Kf8 41. Nh3 Ke7 42. Nf4 Bc6 43. Kd3 Kd7 44. Kc3 Kc7 45. Kb4 Kb6 46.
a4 a5+ 47. Ka3 Bb7 48. b4 axb4+ 49. Kxb4 Kc6 50. e6 fxe6 51. Nxe6 {Brilliant
positional play from next month's Challenger.} 1-0

[/pgn]

The only blemish on Goryachkina’s record is her loss to Kosteniuk. An uncharacterisic technical slip in a rook ending was all it took.

[pgn]

[Event "Monaco WGP 2019"]
[Site "Monaco MNC"]
[Date "2019.12.04"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Kosteniuk, A."]
[Black "Goryachkina, A."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B11"]
[WhiteElo "2483"]
[BlackElo "2575"]
[Annotator "Hartmann,John"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "5k2/1pR2p2/7p/8/P1Pr4/6P1/5PK1/8 b - - 0 50"]
[PlyCount "38"]
[EventDate "2019.12.02"]

50... b6 51. Rc6 h5 52. Kh3 Kg7 53. f4 f6 54. Rxb6 Rxc4 55. a5 Ra4 56. a6
Kg6 57. Kh4 Ra1 58. g4 hxg4 59. Kxg4 Ra4 60. Kf3 Kf5 61. Ke3 Re4+ $2 (61... Kg6
$11) 62. Kd3 Ra4 (62... Rxf4 63. Rb5+ Ke6 64. Ra5 $18) 63. Rc6 Ra1 (63... Rxf4
64. Rc5+ Ke6 65. Ra5) 64. Kc4 Kxf4 (64... Kg6 65. Kb5 Rb1+ 66. Kc5 Ra1 67. Kb6
$18) 65. Rxf6+ Ke5 66. Rh6 Rc1+ 67. Kb5 Kd5 68. a7 Rb1+ 69. Ka6 1-0

[/pgn]

For her part, Kosteniuk played one of the games of the event thus far in her Round 8 win over Dzagnidze. She is in a four-way tie for fourth place with Anna Muzychuk, Kateryna Lagno, and Pia Cramling, all at 4.5/8.

[pgn]

[Event "Monaco WGP 2019"]
[Site "Monaco MNC"]
[Date "2019.12.11"]
[Round "8.1"]
[White "Dzagnidze, Nana"]
[Black "Kosteniuk, Alexandra"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A34"]
[WhiteElo "2502"]
[BlackElo "2483"]
[Annotator "Hartmann,John"]
[PlyCount "118"]
[EventDate "2019.12.03"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 c5 3. g3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Bg2 Nc7 6. d3 e5 7. Be3 Be7 8. Rc1
Nd7 9. Nf3 O-O 10. O-O Rb8 11. Bh3 f5 12. Qb3+ Kh8 13. Nd5 Nxd5 14. Qxd5 b6 $1
{Offering a pawn.} 15. Nxe5 Nxe5 16. Qxe5 Bd6 17. Qd5 Bb7 18. Qc4 f4 $1 {
Kosteniuk has full compensation and an attack.} 19. Bd2 (19. gxf4 $2 b5 $3 20.
Qxb5 $140 (20. Qc2 Qh4 21. Bg2 Rxf4 $1 $19) 20... Bc8) (19. Bxf4 $6 Bxf4 20.
gxf4 Qh4 $40) 19... Qe8 20. Bg4 $2 {Giving Black a tempo to bring her queen to
the party.} (20. d4 $5 Rd8 21. Qe6 $15) 20... Qg6 $1 21. Bf3 Bxf3 (21... b5 $1
{is again an interesting intermezzo}) 22. exf3 fxg3 23. fxg3 (23. hxg3 Bxg3 24.
Qg4 Be5 25. Qxg6 hxg6 26. Bc3 Bxc3 27. Rxc3 Rxf3 $15) 23... Bxg3 24. Qe4 (24.
hxg3 Qxg3+ 25. Kh1 Qh3+ 26. Kg1 Rf6 $19) 24... Rf5 $1 25. Qg4 Be5 26. Qxg6 hxg6
27. Bc3 Rd8 28. f4 (28. Bxe5 Rxe5 29. Rfe1 Rxe1+ 30. Rxe1 Rxd3 31. Re7 $17)
28... Bxf4 29. Rce1 Rxd3 30. Kg2 Be3 31. Rd1 c4 32. Rfe1 Bg5 33. Re8+ Kh7 34.
Rde1 Bd2 35. Bxd2 Rxd2+ 36. R1e2 Rxe2+ 37. Rxe2 $19 b5 38. Rc2 Rf4 39. Kg3 g5
40. Rd2 Kg6 41. Rd7 a6 42. Rc7 Rd4 43. a4 c3 44. Rxc3 Rxa4 45. Rc6+ Kh5 46. Rb6
Rb4 47. Rxa6 Rb3+ 48. Kg2 Rxb2+ 49. Kg3 Rb3+ 50. Kg2 Kg4 51. Rg6 Rb2+ 52. Kg1
Kf3 53. h3 b4 54. Rxg5 b3 55. Rb5 Kg3 56. Kf1 Rb1+ 57. Ke2 b2 58. Rb3+ Kh2 59.
Kd3 Rd1+ 0-1

[/pgn]

Koneru and countrywoman Harika Dronavalli, who currently stands in third place with 5/8, played to a draw in today’s eighth round. Koneru will have white against leader Goryachkina in the final round of play. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1taTcx7nzPo

[pgn]

[Event "Monaco WGP 2019"]
[Site "Monaco MNC"]
[Date "2019.12.11"]
[Round "8.3"]
[White "Harika, Dronavalli"]
[Black "Koneru, Humpy"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C45"]
[WhiteElo "2518"]
[BlackElo "2577"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "2019.12.03"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Nb3 Bb6 6. Qe2 a5 7. a4 Nge7 8.
Nc3 O-O 9. Be3 Bxe3 10. Qxe3 d6 11. O-O-O f5 12. f4 fxe4 13. g3 Nb4 14. Bg2 d5
15. Bxe4 c6 16. Rhe1 Nf5 17. Bxf5 Bxf5 18. Nd4 Qd7 19. Nxf5 Qxf5 20. Qe6+ Qxe6
21. Rxe6 Rfe8 22. Rde1 Kf7 23. R6e2 Rxe2 24. Rxe2 Rd8 25. Nd1 Na6 26. Nf2 Nc5
27. b3 Re8 28. Rxe8 Kxe8 29. Kd2 Ke7 30. Nd3 Nd7 31. Ke3 1/2-1/2

[/pgn]

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