A Calm Hand in a Decisive Moment

Nino Batsiashvili – Alexandra Kosteniuk, European Women’s Rapid Championship 2025

The final round of the European Women’s Rapid Championship brought a direct clash between two title contenders. With the standings tight at the top, this game was not just another encounter but the championship decider. In such moments, precision matters more than ambition, and risk management becomes as important as creativity. Batsiashvili handled this pressure with remarkable composure, guiding the game from a solid opening into a technically winning endgame, where she converted her advantages without giving Black any real chances. The game ended not with a tactical explosion, but with a clean positional squeeze — the hallmark of mature championship play.

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Opening: Building a Reliable Foundation

White opens with a classical queen’s pawn setup ( 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4), aiming for central control and long-term stability. Black immediately chooses the Nimzo-Indian structure, pinning the knight and signaling an intention to fight actively for the center rather than passively mirror White’s plans.

With 4.Nf3 b6, White calmly breaks the pin’s practical effect and keeps her structure flexible. Black’s move prepares a fianchetto, indicating a desire for solid piece placement.

After 5.e3 Bb7 6.Bd3 O-O 7.O-O, White adopts a harmonious setup, prioritizing piece development and king safety over immediate central clashes. Black follows suit, and by move seven both sides have completed development with no weaknesses committed — a typical prelude to a long strategic battle.

Central Tension and Early Decisions

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Improving Pieces and Shaping the Position

White immediately challenges Black’s bishop with 11.Bd2 Nbd7 12.Rc1 Ba5, placing a rook on the semi-open c-file. Black retreats the bishop, preserving the bishop pair and keeping flexibility, but already begins to concede space.

With 13.Na4 Bxd2 14.Qxd2 Rc8, the knight jump gains space and forces Black to clarify the tension. By exchanging on d2, Black simplifies but gives White the bishop pair.

Fixing the Structure

With 15.b4 Ne4 16.Qb2 c4, White gains queenside space and limits Black’s piece activity. Black responds energetically by centralizing the knight and pushing c4, locking the pawn structure.

After 17.Bxe4 dxe4 18.Ne5, White wisely exchanges an active piece before it can become dangerous. Only a move later, Black plays 18...Nxe5 19.Qxe5.

Black removes the knight but at the cost of surrendering central control. White’s queen recapture is calm and purposeful, prioritizing centralization.

Simplification with a Clear Goal

Black checks the queen with 19...Re8 20.Qf4 a5, hoping to provoke inaccuracies, but White retreats to an active square instead of passively defending.

After 21.Red1 Qc7 22.Qxc7 Rxc7, White correctly chooses simplification. By exchanging queens, she eliminates tactical risks and steers the game toward an endgame where her superior structure shines.

Endgame: Small Advantages, Perfectly Handled

With 23.b5 Bc8 24.Rd4 Be6, White fixes the queenside pawns and creates permanent targets.

After 25.Nc3 f5 26.a4, White improves the knight and calmly prevents queenside counterplay.

27.Kf1 Ke7 28.Ke2 Rd8: Both kings move toward the center, but White’s king arrives with greater purpose.

Converting Pressure into Material

Following 29.Rcd1 Rxd4 30.Rxd4 Rc5, Black exchanges rooks to reduce pressure, but White keeps the more active rook and maintains control.

White continues improving pieces with 31.Kd2 g5 32.Nd1 h5 33.Kc3 h4 34.g3 hxg3 35.hxg3, neutralizing kingside threats cleanly.

The Decisive Break

After 35...Bd5 36.Nb2 Ke6 37.Nxc4 Rc8 38.Kb3 g4, White captures the weak pawn and eliminates Black’s last hope for counterplay.

Finally, 39.Rxd5 wins decisive material. With an extra pawn, active pieces, and a dominant king, the position is hopeless. Black resigned.

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