[Event "FIDE Women's Candidates Tournament 2026"] [Site "lichess.org"] [Date "2026.04.01"] [Round "4.4"] [White "Divya Deshmukh"] [Black "Zhu, Jiner"] [Result "0-1"] [WhiteElo "2497"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [BlackElo "2578"] [BlackFideId "-1"] [Annotator "WGM Katerina Nemcova"] [GameId "2294496233337674"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "A21"] [Opening "English Opening: King's English Variation, Kramnik-Shirov Counterattack"] [StudyName "2026 Candidates Rounds 1-11"] [ChapterName "Divya Deshmukh - Zhu, Jiner"] [ChapterURL "https://lichess.org/study/L5mZq8u7/gS75bdmn"] [Orientation "white"] 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Bb4 3. Nd5 a5 4. Nf3 d6 5. a3 Bc5 6. e3 Nf6 7. d4 Nxd5 8. cxd5 exd4 9. exd4 Bb6 10. Bg5 f6 11. Be3 O-O 12. h4 $146 (12. Bd3 { This is the main continuation according to the database. White simply continues development. } 12... f5 13. Qc2 Nd7 (13... f4? 14. Bxh7+ Kh8 15. Bd2 Qe7+ 16. Kf1 Bg4 17. Re1 Qf6 18. h4 $18 { 1-0 Shankland,S (2712)-Yoo,C (2563) USA-ch Saint Louis 2022 (9), with a material advantage and strong attacking potential for White. }) 14. Bxf5 Nf6 15. Bd3 h6 16. Nh4 Nxd5 17. Bh7+ Kh8 18. Ng6+ Kxh7 19. Nxf8+ Kg8 20. Ng6 Qf6 $44 { 1-0 Ding,L (2811)-Yu,Y (2763) FIDE World Cup Khanty-Mansiysk 2019 (6.4) }) 12... f5! 13. g3 Qe8 14. Bd3 Nd7 15. O-O? { White's setup is questionable. Black will soon recover the pawn on d5, and White's plan remains unclear. } (15. h5!? { A more ambitious approach, preparing Nf3-h4 and leading to a sharp, double-edged position. } 15... h6! (15... Nf6?! 16. h6! g6 17. O-O Nxd5 18. Re1! $16 { White completes development and benefits from the advanced h6-pawn, which can become a long-term strength. }) 16. Nh4 Bxd4! 17. Bxf5! { A highly complex position arises, with multiple captures and even Exchange sacrifices in the air. The engine evaluates it as roughly balanced, with a slight edge for Black. }) 15... h6 16. Ne1 Nf6 17. Ng2 Nxd5 $17 18. Bc4 Be6 19. Re1 Qf7 20. Bd2 c6 21. Qb3? (21. Rxe6! { This Exchange sacrifice is critical and offers White strong counterplay. } 21... Qxe6 22. Nf4 Qf7 23. Qf3 Kh8! (23... Rae8?? 24. Nxd5 cxd5 25. Bxd5 Re6 26. Re1 $18) 24. Bc3 Rae8 25. h5! Kh7 26. Nxd5 cxd5 27. Bxd5 Qf6 28. Rd1 $44 { The centralized bishop gives White excellent compensation, and the position is fully balanced. }) 21... Kh7 22. a4? (22. Rxe6! $44 { The final opportunity to play this positional Exchange sacrifice. }) 22... Bxd4! $19 { Zhu captures the key central pawn and is ready to neutralize the e-file. The position is now winning, and she converts confidently. } 23. Re2 Be5 24. Rae1 Nf4 25. gxf4 Bxc4 26. Qg3 Bf6 27. Re3 d5 28. Qh3 d4 29. Rg3 Qh5 30. b4 axb4 31. Bxb4 Rfe8 32. Rc1 Bd5 33. Ne1 Rxa4 34. Bd6 Kh8 35. Be5 Bxe5 36. fxe5 d3 { 0-1 Black wins. } 0-1