Around move ten, Anna decided to sacrifice a pawn on the queenside in exchange for active piece play – a brave decision which the engine applauds.
Even so, in her postgame interview Anna was surprised to see that she had enough compensation in some of the lines. “Both today’s game and also the two previous wins have been difficult games,” she explained. “When I sacrificed the pawn in the opening, I wasn’t sure that it was good, but now I see that the engine approves of the move.”
Indeed, her counterplay was so dangerous that Stavroula decided to give back the pawn and trade a few pieces, but she was unable to relieve the pressure completely.
When both players were under their last minute, errors started creeping in and Stavroula committed the fatal one.
Moment of the day
Muzychuk’s last move was 32…Rc8-c2, which doesn’t seem that dangerous but in fact hides a devious trap. The best continuation for White was either 33.Bd4 or 33.Qe1 and although Black is pressing, there is nothing concrete.
However, down to her last seconds, Stavroula blundered with 33.Qf2? and had to resign after 33…Rxb2!, winning a piece, as the d1-rook is hanging.
Olga Badelka – Mariya Muzychuk 0.5-0.5
A marathon game which ultimately finished in a draw after fifty-four moves.
In an attempt to side-step her opponent’s opening preparation, the younger of the two Muzychuk sisters brought back the Grunfeld defence, which used to be one of her favourite weapons with Black.