Anna Zatonskih scores surprise win in women’s chess tilt

There’s still half a year to go, but IM Anna Zatonskih’s victory in the 3rd annual Cairns Cup earlier this month looks certain to rank among the most unexpected results of 2023.

Although she is a four-time former U.S. women’s national champion (as well as a former women’s champ in her native Ukraine), the 44-year-old Zatonskih was the lowest-rated player — by a good margin — in the 10-woman field at the Chess Club of St. Louis, a field that included former women’s world champion GM Alexandra Kosteniuk and eight-time U.S. women’s titleholder Irina Krush. But Zatonskih took control early and never looked back, clinching first place with a round to go and finishing an undefeated 6-2 (Indian GM Humpy Koneru had to withdraw for health reasons midtournament and her games were not counted), a point clear of Kosteniuk, to take home the $45,000 first prize.

It didn’t come easy, either — Zatonskih’s four wins (three with the black pieces) averaged over 63 moves, and she had to survive a grueling 130-move final-round ordeal defending an opposite-colored bishop ending against Krush, avoiding defeat by finally being able to claim the 50-move draw rule.

Zatonskih’s most complete performance may have come against Kosteniuk, the No. 1 seed with a nearly 200 rating points advantage. It’s a French Defense Advance Variation in which, true to the character of the opening, both sides are willing to accept some structural blemishes in pursuit of inner positional beauty. Kosteniuk as White allows her queenside to be busted up and renounces castling in exchange for the bishop pair and a half-open b-file, but neither works to her advantage in the ensuring play.

White’s awkward king comes back to hurt her after 15. Qb4 Rc8! (not playing White’s game; bad now is 16. Qxb7?? Nxd2+ 17. Nxd2 Qxb7 18. Rxb7 Rc1+ 19. Bd1 Rxd1+ 20. Ke2 Rxh1 21. Rb8+ Kd7 22. Rxh8 Ra1, winning a piece) 16. Bg5 Rc7 17. Bd1? (Kg1 h6 18. Bxe7 Rxe7 19. h4 offers White hopes of a reasonable game) Bxd1 18. Rxd1 Qa6!, and now Black has pressure on the weak a-pawns and threatens a couple of nasty discovered checks.

Black pockets the extra pawn on 20. Qb3 Qxa3, but what’s equally impressive is how Zatonskih doesn’t allow her higher-rated opponent a sniff of counterplay for the rest of the game; e.g. 39. Ba3 Ra2!, and Kosteniuk must imprison her own bishop with 40. b5 as 40. Bf8 (Bc1 Ra1 41. Rd1 Nc3) g5! 41. hxg6+ fxg6 42. Nf3 g5 43. Rg4 Ra1+ 44. Kh2 Nxf2 is winning. And on 49. Rxb5 (instead of the game’s 49. Kh2), 49. Ne2+ 50. Kh1 (Kf1 Ne3+) Ra1+ 51. Kh2 Ne3 is a neat way to trap a misplaced rook.

By 51. Ne1 Ne3, Black’s advantage has grown to an exchange and four pawns and White could honorably resign. Kosteniuk is finally convinced to call it quits after 61. Bb4 Re3!, when White sees there’s no hope in 62. Kg2 Rxf3! 63. Kxf3 Nxd4+, picking off the other rook.

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The long Krush-Zatonskih endgame battle evokes memories of another contest involving opposite-colored bishops, taken from Christian Hesse’s endlessly entertaining 2011 book, “The Joys of Chess.” Today’s diagrammed position comes from an 1898 game between two of the strongest players of the day — Russia’s Mikhail Chigorin and Germany’s Siegbert Tarrasch.

In an almost perfectly blockaded position, Tarrasch declined White’s offer of a draw.

A ticked-off Chigorin then removed his own bishop from the board and reportedly muttered, “So win the game now!” Black saw that even a free extra bishop didn’t change the evaluation and sheepishly agreed to split the point. A lot of those old chess stories turn out to be less than accurate. Here’s hoping this one was true.

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Like Zatonskih, FM Orest Popovich, who died March 14 at the age of 90, was a native of Ukraine who contributed mightily to American chess over a long career after emigrating in 1949. He earned a PhD. in chemistry and devoted much of his time to translating and promoting Ukrainian literature. At the chessboard, he defeated many notable players and was a four-time New Jersey state champion.

GM Andy Soltis has a nice, lengthy appreciation on Chess Life Online, and we offer here a nice cut-and-thrust win by Popovich over another of the strong American masters of the postwar era, IM Edward Formanek. It’s a Winawer French this time, but again both players sacrifice esthetic charms in pursuit of tactical and strategic advantage.

With 11. Nf3 Nxe5!? (dxc3 was safer) 12. Bf4 Qxc3 (bad was 12 … f6? 13. Rb1! dxc3 14. Bd3 Qc5 15. Nxe5 fxe5 16. Qh5+ Kd8 17. Qxe5 Qxf2 18. Re1 Rxg2 19. Qf6, winning) 13. Nxe5 (Rb1?? Nxf3 14. gxf3 Qxf3+) Qxa1+ 14. Bc1, Popovich gives up the exchange and pawn for strong pressure on White’s kingside.

The play is sharp and doubled-edged for a good while, with both kings scrambling to find shelter. Black misses a good opportunity for the advantage with 22 … Nd5! — instead of the game’s 22 … Kb6?! — 23. Qf7+ Qe7 24. Qxe7+ Nxe7 25. Bxc2 Nd5, and White is hard-pressed to justify his material disadvantage. One final defensive lapse in a highly messy position gives White the win.

Thus: 27. Qf8 Bd7? (still good here was giving back the exchange with 27 … Rb8!; e.g. 28. Bxb8+ Kxb8 29. Nb6 Qa5!, when 30. Qxc8+?? loses to 30 … Ka7 31. Nc4 Rxf2+ 32. Kb1 Qb4+ and wins) 28. Bc5+ b6 29. Bxb6+!, shredding Black’s defensive shield for good. After 29 … Kb7 30. Nd6+ Kxb6 31. Rb1+ Nb4+ (Ka5 [Ka7 32. Rb7 mate] 32. Nb7+ Kxa4 33. Ra1 is mate) 32. Rxb4+ Bb5 33. Nc4+ Ka7 34. Qe7+ Kb8 35. Qd8+, Formanek resigned in light of 35 … Kb7 36. Na5+ Ka7 37. Qc7 mate.

(Click on the image above for a larger view of the chessboard.)

Kosteniuk-Zatonskih, 3rd Cairns Cup, St. Louis, June 2023

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Qb6 6. Na3 cxd4 7. cxd4 Bd7 8. Be2 Bb4+ 9. Kf1 Bxa3 10. bxa3 Na5 11. Qd3 Ba4 12. Bd2 Nc4 13. Rb1 Qc6 14. Qc3 Ne7 15. Qb4 Rc8 16. Bg5 Rc7 17. Bd1 Bxd1 18. Rxd1 Qa6 19. Kg1 Nc6 20. Qb3 Qxa3 21. h4 Qxb3 22. axb3 Na3 23. h5 h6 24. Bd2 Nb5 25. Rh4 O-O 26. Rg4 Kh7 27. Be1 Rfc8 28. Rd3 Ne7 29. Bd2 Rc2 30. Bb4 Nc6 31. Bd2 Ne7 32. Bb4 R8c7 33. Nh4 Nc3 34. Bd6 Rd7 35. Bb4 Rc7 36. Bd6 Rd7 37. Bb4 Ne4 38. Rf4 Nc6 39. Ba3 Ra2 40. b4 a6 41. f3 Ng3 42. Rg4 Nxh5 43. b5 axb5 44. Bc5 g5 45. f4 Nxf4 46. Re3 Ne7 47. Nf3 Nf5 48. Rb3 Kg6 49. Kh2 Kh5 50. Rxf4 gxf4 51. Ne1 Ne3 52. Kh3 Kg5 53. g3 Nf5 54. Nf3+ Kg6 55. gxf4 Rf2 56. Bb6 Re7 57. Ba5 Re8 58. Be1 Re2 59. Rxb5 Ra8 60. a5 b6 61. Bb4 Re3 White resigns.

Popovich-Formanek, New York, 1969

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 Ne7 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 c5 7. Qg4 Qc7 8. Qxg7 Rg8 9. Qxh7 cxd4 10. Kd1 Nbc6 11. Nf3 Nxe5 12. Bf4 Qxc3 13. Nxe5 Qxa1+ 14. Bc1 d3 15. Qxf7+ Kd8 16. Qf6 dxc2+ 17. Kd2 d4 18. Bb5 Qc3+ 19. Ke2 Qc5 20. a4 a6 21. Bd3 Kc7 22. Bf4 Kb6 23. Nc4+ Ka7 24. Bd6 Qh5+ 25. Kd2 Nc6 26. Kxc2 Rxg2 27. Qf8 Bd7 28. Bc5+ b6 29. Bxb6+ Kb7 30. Nd6+ Kxb6 31. Rb1+ Nb4+ 32. Rxb4+ Bb5 33. Nc4+ Ka7 34. Qe7+ Kb8 35. Qd8+ Black resigns.