The FIDE Women's World Chess Championship runs November 3 - 23, 2018 in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. It is a 64-player knock-out tournament to determine the 2018 FIDE Women's World Championship. All the top women, except Yifan, are competing. Format: 2 game matches with rapid playoffs if necessary. The pairings are 1vs 64, 2 vs 63 etc. With the sixth-lowest rating, MJ got paired against the #6 seed who outrated her by 409 points. But ratings don't win games, good moves do, and there were two upsets in the first game of round 1:
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[Event "WWCC 2018"]
[Site "Khanty-Mansiysk, RUS"]
[Date "2018.11.03"]
[Round "1.1"]
[White "Goryachkina, Aleksandra"]
[Black "Ouellet, Maili-Jade"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D55"]
[WhiteElo "2534"]
[BlackElo "2125"]
[Annotator "John Upper"]
[PlyCount "91"]
[EventDate "2018.??.??"]
{An interesting and nervy game from both players. White is a 20-year-old GM who outrates
her opponent by over 400 points (quite a lot when the q-value is halved) with
experience playing against the top Russian women. She gets a promising
attacking position out of the opening, misses a knockout blow, and then
mishandles it to the extent that Black emerges with an extra pawn. But when
White is in trouble her class shows itself as she finds a strong drawing
sacrifice.} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bg5 O-O 6. e3 h6 7. Bxf6
Bxf6 {An opening that got a serious workout in the first KK match, with both
players on both sides.} 8. Qc2 c6 $6 {This is a good reaction to Rc1, but Qc2
gives White the chance to castle long, when Black will lost time creating
counterplay with ...c5 now taking two moves.} (8... c5 {accepting the IQP in a
position where White's Q no longer controls d4 or pressures d5 is good.} 9.
dxc5 (9. cxd5 cxd4 10. Nxd4 exd5 $11) 9... dxc4 {is drawish.}) 9. O-O-O Nd7 (
9... b5 $5 {gives a pawn to open lines. A Novelty, surprisingly.} 10. cxb5 cxb5
(10... a6 $5) (10... Bd7 $5)) (9... Na6 10. g4 c5 11. h4 cxd4 12. Nxd4 Nb4 13.
Qb3 a5 (13... Nc6 $14) 14. a3 $14 {1-0 (62) Andersen,M (2601)-Sundararajan,K
(2433) Abu Dhabi 2018}) 10. h4 {Maybe the more principled way to play against
the hook on h6 is with an immediate g4-g5 as a pawn sac.} g6 $1 {not what
Black would like to play, since it puts another kingside pawn in the sights of
White's pieces (Qc2 and Bd3), but otherwise g5 cracks open the h-file.} 11. g4
{White has a lead in development and targets on the kingside.} Bg7 $1 12. g5 $6
{this doesn't seem right, restricting White's breaks unnecessarily. Maybe
finishing development with Kb1 and Bd3 or e4.} h5 13. Kb1 Qa5 14. e4 {
Aggressive, but maybe not best.} (14. Nd2 $1 {prepares f4, and readies Nxc4
with tempo on the Q.}) 14... dxe4 (14... dxc4 15. Bxc4 b5 16. Bd3 b4 (16... Rb8
$5) 17. Na4 $1 $11 (17. Ne2 c5 $17)) 15. Nxe4 e5 16. d5 (16. c5 $5 {going for
d6.}) 16... Nc5 $1 17. Bh3 Bxh3 18. Rxh3 Rad8 (18... Nxe4 $1 19. Qxe4 Qc5 20.
Nxe5 Qxf2 {with counterplay on the dark squares.}) 19. Nf6+ Bxf6 20. gxf6 Rd6 (
20... e4 21. Ng5 Nd3 22. Nxe4 Nb4 23. Qb3 cxd5 $11 {liquidates White's center.}
) 21. Nxe5 Rxf6 22. Rg3 Re8 $2 ({Better is} 22... Qc7 {shoring up the kingside.}) 23.
f4 $2 {Not a bad move -- supporting the N keeps White on top -- but White had
a crusher.} (23. Nxg6 $1 fxg6 (23... Rxg6 $2 24. Rxg6+ fxg6 25. Qxg6+ Kf8 26.
Qf6+ Kg8 27. Rg1+ {mates.}) 24. Rxg6+ Kf7 25. Rxf6+ Kxf6 {So far so easy, but
here White must find...} 26. Qc1 {only move.} $18 {very likely the move White missed:
stopping ...Re1 and threatening Qg5.}) 23... cxd5 (23... Kg7 $13 {is better.}) 24. cxd5
(24. Nxg6 {again is good, though not winning anymore.}) 24... Qb4 25. d6 (25.
Rc3 $1 {is strong and hard to see, switching from attacking the K to
controlling files a pushing d5.... and althogh White missed it there, she sees
it sooner than Black.}) 25... Rd8 26. d7 Kg7 $2 (26... Qe4 $1 $14 {forcing the
Qs off makes the Black K happier.}) 27. Rc3 $1 Ne6 28. Rc4 $1 Qe7 29. Qc3 $1
$18 {very nice reoganization of the White pieces.} Kh7 30. Re1 $2 (30. Qf3 $16
{eyeing b7 when ...b6 allows a fork on c6.}) 30... Rf5 $1 {attacking h4.} (
30... Nxf4 $4 31. Nxg6 $18) 31. Rc8 Rxf4 $1 (31... Qxh4 $2 32. Nxg6 Kxg6 33.
Rxd8 Qxd8 34. Qc8 Rc5 35. Rxe6+ $18) 32. Qg3 $6 (32. Rxd8 Qxd8 $13 33. Nxf7 $2
Rxf7 34. Rxe6 Qxd7 $19) 32... Rf6 ({Better is} 32... Qf6 $15) 33. Rec1 Rf5 34. Re1 {only move.}
Qf6 $15 35. Rxd8 $4 (35. a3 $15) 35... Nxd8 36. a3 Qd6 (36... Rf4 $1 $19 {
wins the h-pawn, which might seem like a pawn grubbing distraction with the
white pawn on d7; but Black has d8 under control, and Black isn't worse even
if she has to give up the N for the d-pawn.}) 37. Qe3 Ne6 38. Qc3 (38. Nxf7 $2
Rxf7 39. Qxe6 Qxe6 40. Rxe6 Rxd7 {and Black has decent winning chances.}) 38...
f6 $2 {kicking away the defending of d7 is the right idea, but here it fails
tactically.} (38... a5 $1 $17 {is an icewater-in-the-veins-move -- giving
White a chance to misplace her pieces.}) ({Better is} 38... Nd8 39. Qc8 Qf6 $19) 39.
Nxg6 $3 $11 Kxg6 40. Qc8 Qd3+ 41. Ka2 Rf1 $1 42. Qe8+ (42. Qg8+ Kh6 {only move.} {
transposes.}) 42... Kh6 43. Qxe6 Rxe1 44. Qxf6+ Kh7 45. Qf7+ Kh6 46. Qf6+
1/2-1/2
..
