1.e4e5After trying the Caro Kann and even a Sicilian, Ju decides to stick
to the solid opening in her final classical game with the black pieces.2.Nf3Nc63.Bc4Nf64.d3Be7A deviation from game five where Ju chose 4. ... Bc5,
transposing to an Italian.4...d65.O-Oh66.c3g6Fianchettoing the
bishop is another set up for Black, but I don't think Ju was looking for any
sharp lines.5.Nc3...Normally in the Italian, White puts the pawn on c3,
with the idea of playing d4. Since the f8-bishop went to e7, the d3-d4 thrust
won't come with a tempo and White can choose other set ups, as positions
resemble that of the Ruy Lopez. This is also the first time we see Lei spend
some time so early in the opening.5.O-OO-O6.Re1d67.a4is a very
standard and a non-committal way for White to play, as the options of
Nb1-c3-d5, as well as c2-c3 and d3-d4 are possible.Na58.Ba2c5Black does
have the option of putting the pawn on c5, resembling the Chigorin variation
of the Ruy Lopez.5....d66.a4...White has to make sure to keep the bishop
alive and on the a2-g8 diagonal, while also grabbing some space on the
queenside.6.O-ONa5and White would already have to give up the bishop
for a knight.7.Bb5+c68.Ba4b5nabs the bishop.6....O-O7.Bg5...After a 10-minute think, Lei chooses her plan.7....Be68.Bxf6Bxf69.Nd5...Giving up the bishop pair is quite committal. But, as in the Sveshnikov,
White's claim is that due to the pawn structure, the dark-squared bishop is
useless and the fight over the d5-square is more important. If White could
trade all the other minor pieces, leaving her with a knight on d5 against the
f6-bishop, she would be very happy with the outcome.9....Bxd5Black chooses the
most concrete continuation, which makes sense given that her opponent's king
is still in the center.9...g610.O-OBg7would lead to a long strategic
battle where White would play for the expansion on the queenside and Black
would continue with ... Kg8-h8 and ... f7-f5.10.Bxd5Nb411.Bb3d512.exd5Nxd513.O-O...Opposite-colored bishop middlegames are quite interesting.
Here, the light-squared bishop is quite strong as it is on an open diagonal
aiming at the king, but the knight on d5 is a good blockading piece. In
general, opposite-colored bishops are excellent for building up an attack in
the middlegame.13....c614.Re1Re815.Qd2Re716.Re4Qd617.Rae1Rae818.h4...Both sides have put their pieces on their most logical squares, so White is
now looking for some expansion on the kingside.18....h519.g3g620.Qe2a621.a5Qd722.Nd2?!...The engine doesn't like this move as it gives Black the option
to finally get ... f7-f5 in, now that the e5-pawn is not hanging.22....Bg723.Qf3f524.R4e2Kh8This expansion feels like an achievement for Black, but it is
hard to see how either side will make any progress as pawn breakthroughs are
difficult.25.c3Qd826.Nc4Kh727.Bc2Qc728.Qg2Nf629.f3...Preparing
for a potential pawn break with g3-g4, which of course comes with a lot of
risk as White's king would be exposed.29....Nd530.Qf2Bf631.Kg2Qd832.Rh1Re633.Kf1!?...A clever idea by the challenger! If she manages to get her king to
the queenside and play g3-g4, Black's king will come under a strong attack.33....Kg733...R6e7Let's make a few waiting moves for Black to see how White's
idea would play out.34.Ke1Re635.Kd1R6e736.Kc1Re637.g4!The
black king comes under fire, as we will quickly see the c2-bishop come to life
after the pawn structure falls apart.34.Ke1Rh835.Kd1e4!A quick
reaction, striking in the center while White's king is still there.36.fxe4fxe437.Kc1...37.Rxe4??Rxe438.dxe4Ne3+-+37....e3Black takes the
most direct approach and correctly stops the c2-bishop from activating.38.Nxe3...38.Qg2It is possible to keep more pieces on the board and try to play
for d3-d4, but it is understandable why White wouldn't want to let the pawn
stay on e3.38....Rhe838...Bg5!!Our silicon friend spots a nice tactic.
If given as a puzzle, this move is quite findable, but it's not such an easy
task to spot it on move 38 in a real game (with six minutes remaining to reach
the time control)! The resulting endgame will be unpleasant for White.39.hxg5Qxg540.Rhe1(40.Kd2White cannot hang on to the piece:Rf841.Qe1Rxe342.Rxe3Nxe3!43.Qxe3Rf2+-+)Rf841.Qh2(41.Qg1Rf3will pick up the g3-pawn)Nxe342.Qh4An important resource for White.
It is the only move to stop Nf1Qxh443.gxh4Nxc244.Kxc2Rxe2+45.Rxe2g546.hxg5Kg6Rook endgames are always tricky! Black has a distant passed pawn
and can press try to press for a win. It is worth noting that White cannot
enter a king-and-pawn endgame:47.Re7Rf7??48.Rxf7Kxf749.Kd2Kg650.d4Kxg5-+White will have to use the king to stop the h-pawn from queening,
which will give Black's king the freedom to go pick up all the queenside pawns.39.Rhe1Nxe339...Bg5no longer works here:40.hxg5Qxg541.Kd2and White hangs on to the piece!Rf842.Qh2Rf343.Qh4+−40.Rxe3Rxe341.Rxe3Rxe342.Qxe3Qxa5Without the rooks, the opposite-colored bishop
position is harmless.43.d4Qd544.Qd3Qh1+45.Kd2Qg2+46.Kd1Qg1+47.Ke2Qg2+48.Kd1Qg1+The tide has turned in favor of Ju in the second half
of the match. It will be interesting to see what she will have prepared for
the final game as she is significantly higher rated in rapid than Lei. Will
she play it safe and try to take the match directly to tiebreaks, or will she
try to resolve everything tomorrow?1/2-1/2