World championship women match 2024

In the fifth game Tkachenko surprised her opponent with a temporary sacrifice.

The safest reponse for black is now to take the combination 26-31 39.37x6 20-25 40.32x21 23x43 41.48x39 25x43 with a draw.

In this difficult position Motrichko did not find an escape. The best defense was ≡ 7-11 44.42-37 9-14 and even though black has only one plan ( 23-29 followed by 20-25), white cannot take advantage of it.

Due to the piece on 12, black can't play 20-25? now due to 47.31-27 25x34 48.38-33 29x38 49.40x7 W+

In the next game Tkachenko made a huge tactical mistake.

Now black is left with an isolated outpost on 28 that cannot be defended.

White has won a piece, but due to the many corner pieces on 35, 25 and 20, it requires a lot of technique for white to win the game.

The white plan to move the piece on 50 to 34 seems quite logical. But it turns out that this plan is too slow. According to the computer the correct continuation was ≡ 40.35-30 16-21 41.38-33 17-22 42.39-34 28x39 43.34x43. An important difference with the game is that the piece on 50 can now be moved towards the center of the board. For example, after 22-28 44.43-38 21-27 45.30-24 13-18 46.50-44 18-22 47.44-39 the black position is completely lost.

Now it is becoming obvious that white has failed to control the black attack.

In game 7 Motrichko attempted an encirclement of the white center, but this strategy wasn't succesful.

As pointed out by former world champion Harm Wiersma, white should have played ≡ 33.32-27! here. Then black is in a lot of trouble. For example, after 14-19 34.23x14 20x9 35.28-23 9-14 36.39-33 14-20 38.42-38 4-9 39.33-28 2-7 40.38-33 18-22 41.27x18 13x22 42.44-39 the black position is hopeless. A better plan is to immediately play ≡ 2-7 34.42-38 14-19 35.23x14 20x9 36.28-23 18-22 37.27x18 13x22. But it's clear that black will face a tough defense after this.

In the eighth game, Motrichko convincingly equalized the score.

Now black has a very uneven position, and Motrichko will keep this advantage until the end of the game.

Another attractive plan for white was ≡ 29.37-31 26x37 30.42x31 21-27 31.31-26 11-17 32.36-31! 27x36 33.25-20 14x34 34.40x27. Then the black right wing is under a lot of pressure.

White has to let go now, but that doesn't mean that the problems for black are over. After the next exchange the black left wing becomes dangerously weak.

Another attractive plan for white was ≡ 44.38-33 11-17 (brings the threat 26-31 36x18 17-22 18x27 21x41 into play) ≡ 45.37-32 9-14 46.42-38 22-27 and now white has to make a choice. After 47.29-24 black can make a narrow draw after 17-22! 48.33-29 22-28! 49.32x23 27-31 50.36x27 21x43 51.48x39 26-31 52.39-33 15-20 53.24x15 31-37 54.29-24 37-42 etc. And after ≡ 47.29-23 17-22 48.32-28 black can defend the position with the peculiar 14-19! 49.23x14 15-20 50.28x17 20x9! 51.17-12 27-31 52.36x27 21x43 53.48x39 26-31 etc.

This is a crucial moment in the game. Here Tkachenko should have opted for ≡ 15-20 47.25x3 21-26 48.3x21 16x27. This results in a 4 against 1 endgame after 49.38-33! 26x37 50.23-19 27-31 51.36x18 37-41. But it will quickly end in a draw, for example 52.18-12 41-47 53.33-28 47-29 54.12-8 29-23 or ≡ 52.33-28 41-47 53.48-43 47-29 54.28-23 29-34 55.43-38 34-30 56.19-14 30-19.

This move is inaccurate, since it allows black to make a draw using the unexpected sacrifice 26-31!! 50.27x36 17-22. Then white cannot stop the two black pieces on 16 and 22 from progressing to the king line. But one can imagine that both players missed this suprising defense.

This endgame with a piece more is winning for white. In the sequel Motrichko makes a few minor mistakes, but her victory in this game is absolutely deserved.

After this exchange white suffers from a structural problem on the right wing. Another idea was ≡ 25.35-30 20-25 26.30-24 11-17 27.33-29 13-18 28.38-32 27x38 29.43x32, although this is not without risk.

White wants to avoid the right wing to be locked up after ≡ 28.50-44 13-19 29.44-39 15-20 etc. But this comes with a heavy price tag, since it allows black to push white into a very defensive position.

The alternative ≡ 32.34-30 25x34 33.39x30 20x29 34.37-32 11-16 35.32x21 16x27 36.38-33 29x38 37.43x21 22-28 also looks very dangerous for white.

Due to the locked up left wing white is in a lot of trouble now.

The position requires extremely precise play. White should have left the piece on 39 in place with ≡ 44.38-32 19-24 45.42-38 2-8 46.38-33 29x38 47.32x43 8-13 48.39-33 13-19 50.40-34! (and not ≡ 50.43-39? 20-25 51.40-35 25-30!! and now either 52.33-28 11-17 53.39-33 30-34 B+ or ≡ 52.33-29 24x44 53.35x13 12-18! 54.13x22 44-49 55.22-18 11-17 56.21x12 49x8 B+) ≡ 19-23 51.43-38 20-25 52.38-32 24-30 53.33-28 30x39 54.28x19 and white escapes.

Now everything is alright for white. Black could have won using ≡ 20-24 49.43-39 23-28 50.40-35 13-19 52.34-30 24-29! 53.30-25 19-24 and white has to sacrifice too many pieces for making a break-through.

The match was decided in the second game of the tie-break.

Probably Motrichko wanted to create tensions here, otherwise she would have chosen for the straightforward development with ≡ 37.32-28 23x32 38.38x27.

With this simple but effective exchange Tkachenko neutralizes the white attack on the left wing.

This is a static move that a white player would like to avoid. However, after the logical ≡ 42.40-34(?) black has a little break-through combination using 17-22 43.27x9 8-13 44.9x29 24x44. Even though this is not winning for black, it is far too risky for white to gamble on this endgame.

Now black has another break-through combination that is very unpleasant for white. For this reason it might have been safer to play ≡ 43.43-39 13-18 44.40-34 20-25 45.35-30 24x35 46.28-22 17x37 47.38-32 37x28 48.33x24 12-17 49.39-33 25-30 50.34x25 35-40 51.33-29 23x34 52.24-19 40-44 53.19-13 44-49 54.13-8 49x16 55.8-2 with a draw. This variant is fairly straightforward to calculate, since black has no real options to deviate anywhere.

This is the type of endgame that one really would like to avoid in a fast game. There is no doubt that white can make a draw, but it takes too much time to find a safe plan for white.

According to the computer four of the six white moves were still correct. On Toernooibase Kees Pippel suggested to move the white piece on 32 towards 16 using ≡ 48.32-27. Now for example 45-50 49.43-39 50-45 50.27-21 8-12 51.33-28 45-18 52.39-34 18x45 53.28-22 and the white pieces cannot be stopped.

The decisive mistake. Here white could still escape using ≡ 54.30-24 19x30 55.33-29 12x40 56.22-17 etc.