My best Move
WGM KATERINA NEMCOVA
2008/10 Czech Women’s Champion
4th-Ranked U.S. Women’s Player
W
hen I was about seven years old, I began competing in major chess tournaments. The first tourna - ment I can recall had a sign that
read, “Maybe there will grow grandmasters among us; however, we play chess to learn how to better understand the world.” After more than 17 years, this still resonates within me. Yes, I actually did become a woman grandmaster, but the primary reason behind it all has always been to collect life lessons from the game. My parents had this understanding a long time before we were born and they instilled the importance of learning in us: They decided to teach us chess. Chess, like the world, is not always easy to
understand and there comes a time when we are forced to make decisions without knowing the right path. During the European Team Champi- onship in 2011, I faced IM Olga Alexandrova. Although I was able to obtain a promising position in the opening, I suddenly faced a difficult choice: Should I play safely and prepare an attack or should I ignore one of my hanging pieces and launch an immediate outbreak? In a blitz game, it would have been easy to decide, but during a team tournament this risk could have major conse - quences. I was unable to base my decision solely on calculation—there were too many lines. So, I asked myself, ‘What should I do?’
BELIEVING IN MY CALCULATED LINES IM Olga Alexandrova (FIDE 2423, ESP) WGM Katerina Nemcova (FIDE 2276, CZE) European Team Chess Championships— WOMEN, 11.04.2011
“ AFTER 14. ... Qh4 72 October 2015 | Chess Life
Chess, like the
world, is not always easy to understand ...
15. a3 With this last move, my opponent attacks my
bishop hoping to exchange the light pieces and to gain more space for her queen. However, seeing my active queen close to her exposed white king, my greatly centralized knights ready to cause more troubles, and the possible uninterrupted escort of my corner rook via the a8-e8-e6-g6/h6 route, I chose otherwise.
15. ... Rae8!! My best move! This sacrifice is in exchange
for a brisk attack. As Benjamin Franklin would say “Lost time is never found again.” This rook- transport idea is especially strong when you find the very precise follow-up that shields it from any undesired disturbance. It might look like a simple
decision, but there are other good alternatives for Black. I calculated what I could, including the potential risks of playing unnecessarily sparkly chess, and trusted the power of my position.
16. axb4 Ncd3! Without this move, 15. ... Rae8 would not
”
work. (16. ... Re6 17. Qf5! and the queen is ready to defend her king.) 17. Kh1? This is the losing move, both 17. Qd1 and 17. Ne4 keep a fairly balanced position. 17. ... Re6 18. e4 Nxc1 19. Rg1 Nxe2 20. Qxe2 Rh6 21. Rg2 Ng6 22. Nd5 c6 23. Ne3 Nf4 and later Black was successful in transforming this material advantage into a full point.
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PHOTO COURTESY OF CHESS CLUB AND SCHOLASTIC CENTER OF SAINT LOUIS
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