[Event "FIDE World Senior Team Championship"] [Site "Krakow"] [Date "2024.07.07"] [Round "6.22"] [White "Sagalchik, Olga"] [Black "Sielicki, Tomasz"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2128"] [WhiteTeam "USA Women"] [BlackElo "2017"] [BlackTeam "Polish Amateurs"] [Annotator "Lang, JJ"] [FEN "1rb1r1k1/p5pp/1qpn1p2/3p4/3P1P2/1Q1BP3/P5PP/1R2BRK1 w - - 0 19"] [Variant "From Position"] [ECO "?"] [Opening "?"] [StudyName "2024 World Senior Team Championships"] [ChapterName "Sagalchik, Olga - Sielicki, Tomasz"] [ChapterURL "https://lichess.org/study/tbFVUhfT/uhVxkIgB"] [FEN "1rb1r1k1/p5pp/1qpn1p2/3p4/3P1P2/1Q1BP3/P5PP/1R2BRK1 w - - 0 19"] [SetUp "1"] [Orientation "white"] { After letting White keep queens on for a little too long, Black's queen now finds itself in danger. } 19. Qa3 Nb5 { No better was } (19... Qc7 20. Ba5 $18 { when Black's queen is overloaded. }) 20. Qc1! { It's always difficult to assess a retreating move as an aggressive one. But, here, the threat of a2-a4 against the pinned piece, in concert with pressure on the backwards c6-pawn, makes Qa3-c1 the star move of the game. } 20... Qa6 { The computer suggests a ridiculously clever attempt at creating confusion, although White still comes out on top at the end: } (20... Bg4!? 21. a4 Be2 { Certainly not a move on my radar. But the point is for Black to break the pin on his knight with threats of ... Nd4xe2+ forking the king and queen! } 22. Bxe2 Nxd4 { when the rook on b1 is also under-defended. But White has a resource! } 23. Bh5 { with the point that } (23. Bd3 { also works. }) 23... Qxb1 24. Qxb1 Rxb1 25. Bxe8 { is still winning. }) 21. a4 Qxa4 22. Qxc6 { The key point, again showing the power of Qa3-c1. } 22... Ba6 { There was no way to defend every weakness. Now the d pawn drops. } (22... Bb7 { Not like there was a "good" move here, but it's telling that the engine prefers giving up the full knight to giving up the d-pawn, for reasons Sagalchik will soon demonstrate. } 23. Qxb5 $18) 23. Qxd5+ Kh8 24. Qf5 { The next key point. White is only ahead one pawn, but the effortless shift from queenside to kingside decides the game. This shows excellent strategic understanding from Sagalchik, as of course the removal of the d5-pawn was less about the material and more about the activity of her pieces! } 24... g6 25. Qxf6+ Kg8 26. Rb4 $18 Nc7 27. Rxa4 Bxd3 28. Rxa7 Re6 29. Qh4 h5 30. Rxc7 Bxf1 31. Kxf1 Rxe3 32. Qf6 { 1-0 White wins. } 1-0