侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Nikita Kirillovich Vitiugov
6th Aeroflot Open; Moscow, February 14, 2007
Sicilian Defence B42
6th Aeroflot Open; Moscow, February 14, 2007
Sicilian Defence B42
Comments in quotation marks by Grandmaster Jan Timman, New In Chess, 6/2011, pp. 98–99.
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Bd3 Bc5 6. Nb3 Be7 7. 0-0 d6 8. c4 Nf6 9. Nc3 Nbd7 10. f4 b6 11. Bd2 Bb7 12. Qf3 Qc7 13. Rae1 g6. If 13. ... 0-0 14. Qh3 g6? then 15. f5! with strong initiative for White, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Sharevich, 37th Women’s Chess Olympiad, Turin 2006.
14. Qh3 h5
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Bd3 Bc5 6. Nb3 Be7 7. 0-0 d6 8. c4 Nf6 9. Nc3 Nbd7 10. f4 b6 11. Bd2 Bb7 12. Qf3 Qc7 13. Rae1 g6. If 13. ... 0-0 14. Qh3 g6? then 15. f5! with strong initiative for White, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Sharevich, 37th Women’s Chess Olympiad, Turin 2006.
14. Qh3 h5
“Black has just advanced his h-Pawn, a well-known strategical move in these kinds of Sicilian positions that entails a certain amount of risk: on the one hand, Black gains territory, on the other, he will have problems finding a safe spot for his King later on”.
15. Nd1! “An excellent plan. White regroups her Knight and vacates square c3 for her Queen’s Bishop”.
It must also be said that White’s was at the time a novelty, and an improvement upon 15. Qg3 h4 16. Qh3 0-0-0 17. Nd4 Kb8 18. b4 (Markzon – Kriventsov, 48th U.S. Chess Championship, Seattle 2003) to which Black’s best reply seems to be 18. ... d5!⇄ with a messy fight.
15. ... b5. “A principled advance, but right up White’s street. Better was 15. ... Nc5”.
16. Ba5! “Before putting the Bishop on c3, White forces the Black Queen to go to a worse square”.
16. ... Qb8 17. Bc3 b4 18. Bxb4 Bxe4 19. Bc3. “The Bishop returns to its post. White is exerting strong pressure on the enemy position”
19. ... Bxd3 20. Qxd3 h4
15. Nd1! “An excellent plan. White regroups her Knight and vacates square c3 for her Queen’s Bishop”.
It must also be said that White’s was at the time a novelty, and an improvement upon 15. Qg3 h4 16. Qh3 0-0-0 17. Nd4 Kb8 18. b4 (Markzon – Kriventsov, 48th U.S. Chess Championship, Seattle 2003) to which Black’s best reply seems to be 18. ... d5!⇄ with a messy fight.
15. ... b5. “A principled advance, but right up White’s street. Better was 15. ... Nc5”.
16. Ba5! “Before putting the Bishop on c3, White forces the Black Queen to go to a worse square”.
16. ... Qb8 17. Bc3 b4 18. Bxb4 Bxe4 19. Bc3. “The Bishop returns to its post. White is exerting strong pressure on the enemy position”
19. ... Bxd3 20. Qxd3 h4
“The start of an erroneous plan. Black is going to take his Rook to h5, but this does nothing to improve the coordination in his camp. He should have castled, although his slightly weakened King position is not an attractive prospect”.
21. Nf2 Rh5 22. Nd4! “Making optimum use of the lack of coordination in the Black camp”.
22. ... Nc5 23. Qc2 Qb7
21. Nf2 Rh5 22. Nd4! “Making optimum use of the lack of coordination in the Black camp”.
22. ... Nc5 23. Qc2 Qb7
24. b4! “White is steadily gaining space”.
24. ... h3 25. Nxh3 Nce4 26. Ng5 d5 27. c5 Kf8. “His only chance of counterplay was 27. ... a5”.
28. a3 Kg8 29. Ndf3
24. ... h3 25. Nxh3 Nce4 26. Ng5 d5 27. c5 Kf8. “His only chance of counterplay was 27. ... a5”.
28. a3 Kg8 29. Ndf3
“Decisive regrouping. 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) rounded off the game excellently”.
29. ... Nxc3 30. Qxc3 Nh7 31. Nxh7 Rxh7 32. Qd4 Rh5 33. h3 Bf8 34. Qd3 Bg7 35. Nd4 Rh4 36. Kh1 Qc7 37. Qe3 Bf6 38. Nb3 Kg7 39. Qd2 Qd7 40. Nd4 Rah8 41. Nf3 R4h5 42. Ne5 Qa4 43. Rf3 Rb8 44. Ng4 Bd8 45. Qd4+ Kf8 46. Rc1 Rc8 47. Ne5 Qb5 48. c6 Rc7 49. Nd7+ Kg8 50. Qb6 d4 51. Nf6+ 1 : 0.
29. ... Nxc3 30. Qxc3 Nh7 31. Nxh7 Rxh7 32. Qd4 Rh5 33. h3 Bf8 34. Qd3 Bg7 35. Nd4 Rh4 36. Kh1 Qc7 37. Qe3 Bf6 38. Nb3 Kg7 39. Qd2 Qd7 40. Nd4 Rah8 41. Nf3 R4h5 42. Ne5 Qa4 43. Rf3 Rb8 44. Ng4 Bd8 45. Qd4+ Kf8 46. Rc1 Rc8 47. Ne5 Qb5 48. c6 Rc7 49. Nd7+ Kg8 50. Qb6 d4 51. Nf6+ 1 : 0.