Aleksandra Goryachkina booked her seat for the semi-finals of the FIDE Women’s Candidates 2022/2023 after defeating her compatriot Alexandra Kosteniuk in the Round 1 of the Pool B tournament. Goryachkina drew the last game of the match, taking the overall 2.5-1.5 victory. (Day 5 report)
In the post-game interview, Goryachkina revealed that she was worried about her position after Kosteniuk’s pawn sacrifice 16…f5: “In general I was sure that everything would be fine, but later on I started feeling nervous because after the 16…f5 move which sacrificed a pawn, the position became more complex. I was thinking for a long time, because practically her idea was good for a winning plan, but she didn’t put enough pressure in the end“. See the complete interview below
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