Five-Minute Blackout

Daniela Movileanu – Olga Zimina
44th Italian Women’s Chess Championship; Cosenza, December 10, 2017
6r1/kp3R2/p7/3R4/1b4P1/4Np1r/5P1P/6K1 w - - 4 43

Olga Zimina won the 44th Italian Women’s Chess Championship held in Cosenza, Italy ahead of Marina Brunello on tie-break – blitz games decided the title. In her last-round game against Daniela Movileanu, however, Zimina went very near to miss her coveted tie-break. 43. Rdd7! Rb8! 43. ... Bc5 44. Rxb7+ Ka8 45. Rb3 Bxe3 46. Rxe3 Rxg4+ 47. Kh1 Rg8 48. Rexf3 Rxf3 49. Rxf3 Kb7 only results in a drawn ending, so it’s understandable that Zimina – who needs to win at all costs – aims for a double-edged equality. 44. Nc4 a5 45. Ne5 Ka6 46. Nxf3 Rf8 47. Rxf8 Bxf8 48. Kg2 Rh8 49. g5 a4 50. Nd4 Bc5 51. Ne6 Bb4. Black is a Pawn down, but her duo of passers seems to run more quickly than White’s triad (for instance: 52. f4? a3!). 52. g6!? Maybe even White is playing to win, who knows. Simpler appears to be 52. Rd4(!) Ka5 (idem to say 52. ... Kb5 53. Rd7 Ka6 54. Rd4) 53. Rd5+ Kb6 54. Rd4 implying a draw by repetition. 52. ... Rg8 53. g7 Bc3. That’s the most Black has – probably not enough. 54. Rd8?? But Movileanu blunders away the game. 54. Nc5+? was not good as well, since after 54. ... Kb5! 55. Ne6 Kb6! White is in trouble (if 56. Rd3 then 56. ... Bb2). The right way seems, however, 54. Rf7(!) b5 55. Kf3 (55. Rf8?? loses to 55. ... Rxg7+!) with very good drawing chances; for instance: 55. ... a3 (55. ... Bxg7!? 56. Nxg7 a3 57. Ne6 Rc8 58. Nd4! a2 59. Nxb5 Kxb5 60. Ra7 Rc2 61. h4 Kb4! also draws) 56. Rf8! Rxg7 57. Nxg7 Ka7! 58. Ne6 a2 59. Nc7! and White should draw. 54. ... Rxd8 0 : 1. For after 55. Nxd8 Bxg7 56. Ne6 a3 the a-Pawn queens.