[Event "FIDE Candidates Chess Tournaments 2024"] [Site "Toronto"] [Date "2024.04.21"] [Round "14"] [White "Lagno, Kateryna"] [Black "Vaishali, Rameshbabu"] [Result "0-1"] [WhiteElo "2542"] [BlackElo "2475"] [Annotator "WGM Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "C77"] [Opening "Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Anderssen Variation"] [StudyName "2024 FIDE Candidates and Women's Candidates Annotations Part II"] [ChapterName "Lagno, Kateryna - Vaishali, Rameshbabu"] [ChapterURL "https://lichess.org/study/1tCLzmR6/oRIXyAqH"] [Orientation "white"] { Annotations by WGM Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova } 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. d3 b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 7. O-O d6 8. a4 Rb8 9. axb5 axb5 10. c3 O-O 11. Bg5 h6 12. Bh4 g5 13. Nxg5 hxg5 14. Bxg5 Kg7 (14... Bg4! { seemed to be a good option. }) 15. Qf3 Kg6 16. Bh4 Rg8 17. h3 { Up to now, Lagno has been in preparation and Vaishali is under serious pressure. } 17... Be6 18. Bd5 Rh8! (18... Na7? 19. d4 Bb6 20. Nd2 $18 { leads to a decisive attack. }) 19. Qg3+ Kh7 { Here Lagno had her first big think, which is surprising since Vaishali played in one of the ways the computer suggests. Perhaps she couldn't recall the details exactly. } 20. Bg5 (20. Qf3 Kg6) (20. d4!? { might have been a decent try so that now ... Nf6-h5 is less potent with Black's dark-squared bishop blocked out of the game. } 20... exd4 21. Bxc6 Nh5 22. Bxd8 Nxg3 23. Bf6 Nxf1 24. cxd4 Bb6 25. d5 Ng3 26. dxe6 fxe6 27. Bxh8 Rf8!) (20. Bxc6 Nh5! { was Vaishali's point. } 21. Bxd8 Nxg3 22. Bf6 Rhg8) 20... Qg8! { Vaishali continues finding the only moves. } (20... Nh5? 21. Qh4 $18) 21. d4 (21. Bxc6 Nh5 22. Qh4 Kg6 23. Bd2 f6 { and White's queen feels misplaced on h4 with ... Kg6-f7 and ... Nh5-f4 incoming. }) 21... Nxd4 22. cxd4 Bxd4 (22... Bxd5 23. exd5 Bxd4 { might have been even more preferable. }) 23. Bxe6 fxe6 24. Nd2 Qg6 25. Rfc1 Rb7 26. Rc6 Rf8? (26... Bxb2 27. Rb1 Bd4 { was prudent. }) 27. Qh4+ Kg8 28. Bh6?! (28. Ra3! { swinging the rook over would have given White a large advantage: } 28... Nh7?! 29. Be3) 28... Bxf2+ 29. Qxf2? (29. Kxf2! { was necessary: } 29... Qxh6 30. Qxh6 Ng4+ 31. Ke2 Nxh6 32. Nf3 { and White still has a pleasant endgame due to Black's weak queenside and White's two passed pawns on the kingside. }) 29... Qxh6 30. Rf1 Rf7? (30... Rbb8!) 31. Qg3+? (31. Rc3!) 31... Rg7 32. Qf3 Nh5?! (32... Qxd2 $19) 33. Rf2 Nf4 34. Kh2 Rb8 35. Nf1 Kh8 36. Ne3 Rbg8 37. Rfc2 Qh4 38. g4 Rh7 39. R2c3 Qxh3+ 40. Qxh3 Rxh3+ 41. Kg1 b4 42. Rb3 d5 43. exd5 exd5 44. Kf2 Rf8 45. Rxc7 d4 { 0-1 Black wins. } 0-1