The life of a great chess talent is beautiful, but sometimes heavy. 15-year-old Anna-Maja Kazarian is trailing 4-0 in the match with Sopiko Guramishvili, and it’s hard lines for her. Today things went wrong again in the opening, which was the same as in the second round. Kazarian initially played the opening better, but Miss Tactics was a few steps ahead again. ‘It would be better for Anna-Maja if she broadened her repertoire’, the Georgian player suggested.
Kazarian - Guramishvili
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nb5 d6 6.c4 Nf6 7.N1c3 a6 8.Na3 Be7 9.Be2
Better than 9.Be3 from Game 2.
9...0–0 10.0–0 b6 11.Be3 Bb7 12.Qb3
12...Ne5!?
Here of course, 12...Nd7 has often been played. The text move is an interesting pawn sacrifice, invented by Robin van Kampen, said Guramishvili. Black quickly gets counterplay along the b-file.
13.Bxb6
13.Qxb6 Qxb6 14.Bxb6 Nxe4 is nice for Black.
13...Qd7
Vacating the 8th rank for the other rook. If Black plays 13...Qc8 and 14...Rb8, then White always has the irritating Ba7.
14.f3 Rfb8 15.Rad1 Qc8 16.Nab1?
A remarkable double mistake – and no, this is not Basque Chess.
This was a good opportunity to create chaos on the board, something Kazarian should perhaps have strived for. After 16.Qc2 Bxe4 17.Nxe4 Rxb6 18.c5!? (18.b3 Ned7) 18...Rc6 19.Nxd6 Qc7 20.b4 or 16.c5 d5 17.Kh1 with the idea 17...Bxc5!? 18.Na4! Black is fine, but it’s a fight.
16...Ned7?
With 16...Bc6! Black could win a pieces, as Jorden van Foreest indicated in the commentary room. The bishop cannot be saved, for example after 17.a4 a5 and only then 18...Ned7. ‘Really?’ Guramishvili was slightly shocked after the game. ‘Up to 17...a5 I’d seen it, but I didn’t look any further, so I just went on with my plan.’
17.Be3 Bxe4
Instead of an extra piece Black now simply has a good position. The pawn on b2 is weak.
18.Qa3 Bc6 19.Bf4!? e5 20.Be3 Bf8!
With the annoying threat of 21...d5. The consequence of White’s 19th move would have been 21.Nd5. But now:
21.b4?
21.Nd5 Bxd5 (21...Qb7 22.Nxf6+ Nxf6 23.b3 d5 24.Bc5 is still more or less acceptable for White) 22.cxd5 Qb7 23.Bc4 Qxb2 24.Qxb2 Rxb2 25.Bb3 was suggested in the commentary room. Perhaps 23...Nb6! is better for Black than taking on b2, because White may get counterchances by closing in the rook.
21...Qb7
And now the b-pawn cannot be saved.
22.Nd2 Qxb4 23.Qxb4 Rxb4
Now White has to exchange the rooks in order to prevent an invasion on b2.
24.Rb1
Guramishvili also reckoned with 24.Pb3, but Black keeps the initiative with 24...a5.
24...Rab8 25.Rxb4 Rxb4 26.Rb1 Rxb1+ 27.Ndxb1 Be7 28.Bd1 Bd8 29.Ba4 Bxa4 30.Nxa4 Kf8 31.Kf1 Ke7 32.Ke2
Now Black has control and she can play...
32...d5!
After...
33.c5 Nb8
… the white c-pawn was easily stopped, and in the end the black centre pawns were too strong.
That was the fourth defeat, which meant that Sopiko Guramishvili has already won the match. For Anna-Maja Kazarian the event has become a very tough learning process. In the future this will undoubtedly prove useful, though she may not like it right now.
