Chocolate SOS

Marina Brunello – Inna Grigoryevna Gaponenko-Yanovska
18th European Individual Women’s Chess Championship; Riga, April 15, 2017
Sicilian Defence B73

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Be2 g6 7. Be3 Bg7 8. 0-0 0-0 9. f3. This move is theoretically insignificant, immediately giving Black a very comfortable game. Needless to say, 9. Nb3 is better, and perhaps best of all. 9. ... d5! 10. Nxd5 Nxd5 11. exd5 Qxd5 12. Nxc6 Qxc6 13. c3 e5!? Gaponenko-Yanovska goes for something new. An older try was 13. ... Bf5 14. Qb3 Rfd8 15. Rad1 b6 16. a4 Qe6 17. Qxe6 Bxe6 18. Rxd8+ Rxd8 19. Rd1 Rxd1+ 20. Bxd1 Be5 21. a5 Bc7 22. axb6 axb6 23. Kf2 f5 ½ : ½ Schweber – Ju. Bolbochán, Zonal Tournament, São Paulo 1960. 14. Qe1. White’s artificial redeployment of her Queen will turn out to be quite ill grounded. It was worth considering the immediate a2-a4-a5. 14. ... Be6 15. Qf2 Rfd8 16. a4. Not 16. Bxa7? Rd2 17. Rfe1 Rxb2! and White’s position falls apart. 16. ... a6 17. a5 Bf8 18. Rfc1 Rac8 19. b4 Bc4. No doubt Black stands better, but not so much to explain Italy’s most gifted female player’s next huge blunder:

20. Bb6?? What did she overlook? Probably nothing. 20. ... Rd2 21. Re1 Rxe2. Or 21. ... Bxe2 22. Rxe2 (22. Qe3 Qxc3−+) 22. ... Qxc3−+ with an easy win. 22. Rxe2 Bxe2 23. Qxe2 Qxc3 24. Re1 Bxb4 0 : 1. Another flashy harakiri by Marina Brunello. What did the Arcovazzis do to her?