蓝色多瑙河 (The Blue Danube)

Ferenc Berkes – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
5th György Marx Memorial; Paks, August 8, 2007
Nimzo-Indian Defence E58

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 0-0 5. Bd3 d5 6. Nf3 c5 7. 0-0 Nc6 8. a3 Bxc3 9. bxc3 Qc7 10. cxd5 exd5 11. a4 Re8 12. Ba3 c4 13. Bc2 Ne4 14. Bxe4 Rxe4 15. Nd2 Re8 16. e4 dxe4 17. Nxc4. 17. Re1 Bf5 18. Nxc4 Rad8 is likewise quite easy for Black: 19. Ne3 Bc8 20. Qh5 Qa5 21. Qxa5 Nxa5 22. d5 b6 23. Bb4 Nb7 24. a5 f5 25. axb6 axb6 26. Ra7 b5 27. g3 Nd6 28. Bxd6 Rxd6 29. Rb1 Bd7 30. Rba1 Rc8 31. Rb7 g5 32. Raa7 Rd8 33. c4 bxc4 34. Nxc4 Rxd5 35. Nb6 Rd1+ 36. Kg2 Be6 37. Rg7+ Kf8 38. Rxh7 e3 39. Kf3 exf2 40. Kxf2 R1d2+ 41. Ke1 Rd1+ 42. Ke2 R1d2+ ½–½ Lautier – Kramnik, 7th “Melody Amber” Rapid Chess Tournament, Monte Carlo 1998 (time control: 25 minutes plus 10 seconds per move).
17. ... Nb4 18. Ne3 Qxc3 19. Qc1 Qxc1 20. Rfxc1 a5 21. Bxb4 axb4 22. Rcb1 Bd7 23. a5 Ra6

24. Rxb4. If 24. Nc4 then 24. ... Be6 25. Nb6 b3 26. d5 Rxb6! 27. axb6 Bxd5 with a full dynamic balance.
24. ... b5 25. Rb2 Rea8 26. Rba2 b4 27. h4 g6 28. Kh2 Kg7 29. Kg3 h6 30. Kf4 Rf6+ 31. Kg3 Rfa6 32. d5 g5 33. Rb2 f5 34. Nc4 Bb5 35. Rxb4 Bxc4 36. Rxc4 Rxa5 37. Rd1 Ra1 38. Rc7+ Kf6 39. Rc6+ Kf7 40. Rxa1 Rxa1 41. Rxh6 Ra3+ 42. Kh2 gxh4 43. Rxh4 Rd3 44. g4 Rxd5 ½–½.

Life is not about always winning. Photo: marxgy.ase.hu.

The Eiffel Tower

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Hoàng Thị Bảo Trâm
24th World Junior Chess Championship Girls U-20; Yerevan, October 9, 2006
Caro-Kann Defence B17

Notes by Grandmaster Lubomir Kavalek, The Washington Post, October 30, 2006, C10.

Remember the Chinese girl who dreamed of beating the best woman ever, Judit Polgár, and of buying real estate in Paris? Twelve-year-old 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) is on her way to fulfilling her dreams. She tied for first in the girls’ section of the Junior World Championship in Yerevan with her countrywoman 沈阳 (Shěn Yáng), Salome Melia of Georgia and Möngöntuul Batkhuyagiin of Mongolia. They each scored nine points in 13 games, but the 18-year-old 沈 (Shěn) won the title on a tiebreaker, just edging 侯 (Hóu). American Tatev Abrahamyan finished 14th with 7½ points. 侯 (Hóu)’s one-sided victory over Vietnamese women’s grandmaster Hoàng Thị Bảo Trâm in the Caro-Kann defense is very impressive.
1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Ng5 Ngf6 6. Bd3 e6 7. N1f3 Bd6 8. Qe2 h6 9. Ne4 Nxe4 10. Qxe4 Qc7 11. 0-0 b6 12. Qg4 Kf8. You have to have Anatoly Karpov’s great defensive skills to hold this position.
13. b3 c5 14. dxc5 Nxc5 15. Bb2 e5 16. Bf5 Bxf5? Usually Black plays 16. ... h5 17.Qh3 Ne6, but now instead of 18. Bxe6, the current Women’s World Champion, 许昱华 (Xǔ Yùhuá) of China, tried successfully 18. Nh4 against 刘沛 (Liú Pèi) in 无锡 (Wúxī) last year, and after 18. ... Kg8 19. Rfe1 Nf4 20. Qf3 Bb7 21. Be4 Bxe4 22. Qxe4 Re8 23. Nf5 f6 24. g3 Ne6 25. h4 Kf7 26. Rad1 was clearly better and won in 43 moves.
17. Qxf5 Re8 18. Rad1 Kg8. After 18. ... e4 19. Nh4 Kg8 20. Qh3 Black is still tied up.
19. Rfe1. Mobilizing the last piece and attacking the Pawn on e5 gives white an overwhelming advantage.
19. ... f6? Surrendering the light squares, but after 19. ... e4 20. Qg4 Bf8 21. Nd4 Black is playing without the Rook on h8.
20. Nh4! Rd8 21. f4. The move order 21. Ng6 Rh7 22. f4 is more precise.
21. ... exf4 22. Ng6 Rh7 23. b4 Nb7

24. Re7! Playing for 24. ... Bxe7 25. Qe6#.
24. ... Qc4. 24. ... Bc5+ is met by 25. Bd4.
25. Rd5 1–0.. After 25. ... Bc5+ 26. bxc5 Qxd5 27. Re8+ Kf7 28. Rf8+ Rxf8 29. Qxd5+ wins.

The Big Tomorrow

Stellan Brynell – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
69th Corus Chess Tournament (C Group); Wijk aan Zee, January 27, 2007
Queen’s Indian Defence E15

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba6 5. b3 b5 6. Bg2 bxc4 7. Ne5 Bb4+ 8. Bd2 cxb3 9. axb3 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 d5 11. 0-0 0-0 12. Nc3 Qd6. Also sound is 12. ... Bb7 13. Rfc1 c6 14. Na4 Nfd7 15. Nd3 Ba6 16. Nb4 Bb5 17. Nc3 Qb6 18. e4 Nf6 19. e5 Nfd7 20. Nxb5 Qxb5 21. Nd3 Qb6 22. Qc3 a5 23. Ra3 ½–½ Shipov – Dobosz, 33rd International Chess Tournament, Groningen 1994.
13. Rfc1 Nfd7? A grave inaccuracy which puts Black in serious trouble. 13. ... c6(!) was still good and solid enough to hold on for a draw.
14. e4!↑ c6? Now too late. Comparatively better was 14. ... Nb6, but even then, after 15. exd5 exd5 15. Qf4± White has a clear advantage.
15. Nxc6! A petite combinaison that leads to material gain.
15. ... Qxc6 16. exd5 Qd6 (16. ... exd5 17. Nxd5 Qd6 18. Qb4!+−)
17. Ne4 Qb6 18. Nc5! Nxc5 19. dxc5 Qb5

20. dxe6? White throws away his chance of heaven! 20. Qa5!+− would have won decisive material.
20. ... Bb7 21. exf7+ Kh8 22. Ra5 Qxb3 23. Qd6 Nc6 24. Bxc6 Qxf7 25. Bxb7 Qxf2+! Probably White was hoping for 25. ... Qxb7 26. c6 with good winning possibilities. But now, instead, he is lucky not to lose!
26. Kh1 Rad8 27. Raa1 Rxd6 28. cxd6 Qb6 29. Bc6 Rc8 30. Bg2 Rd8 31. Rc6 Qd4 32. Rca6 Rd7 33. h4 Rxd6 34. Rxa7 h5 35. Ra8+ Kh7 36. R1a2 Qe3 37. R8a3 Qe5 38. Kh2 g5 39. Ra5 Qe6 40. hxg5 Kg6 41. Rf2 Qe3 42. Raf5 Rd2 43. Rf6+ Kg7 44. Rf7+ Kg6 45. R7f6+ ½–½.

Born in the Renaissance

On December 24, 1928 Albert Einstein wrote a birthday letter on Emanuel Lasker’s 60th birthday, in which he said: “Emanuel Lasker is one of the strongest minds I ever met in my life. A Renaissance man, gifted with an untamable urge for liberty; averse to any social bonds [...]. As a genuine individualist and self-willed soul, he loves deduction; and inductive research leaves him cold [...]. I love his writings, irrespective of their content of truth, as the fruits of a great original and free mind”.

Courtesy of Einstein Archives Online.

贝尔福 (Belfort)

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Gil Popilski
19th World Youth Chess Championship U-12; Belfort, July 25, 2005
Sicilian Defence B85

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 e6 7. 0-0 Be7 8. f4 0-0 9. Kh1 Qc7 10. a4 Nc6 11. Be3 Re8 12. Bd3 Bd7 13. Qe1 Nxd4!? Quite a novelty — but hardly sounder than 13. ... Nb4 14. a5 Nxd3 15. cxd3 Bc6 16. Qg3 Rac8 17. f5 e5 18. Nf3 d5 19. Bh6 (Smirin – Summermatter, 6th International Open, Geneva 1992) and now 19. ... Bf8!∞ seems to be tenable.
14. Bxd4 Bc6. 14. ... e5 also deserved consideration, since after 15. fxe5 dxe5 16. Qg3 Bd8 Black somehow holds everything together.
15. Qg3 Bd8? That doesn’t seem a good idea, at least not now.

16. e5! dxe5 17. Bxe5? White ought to take with the Pawn, powerfully keeping the upper hand: 17. fxe5! Nh5 18. Qh3 g6 19. Ne4± with a big edge.
17. ... Qe7 18. f5 exf5? This must be the losing move. Instead, after 18. ... Nh5! 19. Qg4 Qh4 everything was okay for Black.
19. Rxf5 Qe6 20. Raf1+− Kf8 21. b3 b5 22. axb5 axb5 23. Nxb5 Bd5 24. Bxf6 gxf6 25. Nd4 Qb6 26. Rxd5 Bc7 27. Qh4 Be5 28. Nf5 Kg8 29. Qg4+ 1–0.

The Ice House

As originally reported by Vincenzo Martucci for La Gazzetta dello Sport of Saturday, November 24, 2007 11th World Chess Champion Robert James “Bobby” Fischer has been hospitalised at Landspítali in Reykjavík, Iceland for acute kidney failure.

“He’s seriously ill”, Argentine reporter Ezequiel Fernández Moores also wrote in his article “Tras los pasos de Bobby Fischer... y sus fantasmas” for La Nación of November 19, 2007.

Kasparov in prigione...

Arrestato il 24 novembre u.s. e condannato per direttissima (a cinque giorni di galera) l’ex Campione del Mondo Garry Kasparov per la sua sfilata anti-Putin a Mosca...

Cfr. il circostanziato reportage di ChessBase.com.

Suite in Olden Time

Early morning in Battambang, Cambodia, August 2007. Photo: Mado Flynn.