Monday, March 17, 2008

High Stakes

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Mariam Danelia
18th World Youth Chess Championship Girls U-10; Kallithea, November 1, 2003
Sicilian Defence B52

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Bd7 4. Bxd7+ Qxd7 5. 0-0 Nc6 6. c3 Nf6 7. Re1 e6 8. d4 cxd4 9. cxd4 d5 10. e5 Ne4 11. Re2 Be7 12. Ne1 h6 13. f3 Ng5 14. Nc3 0-0 15. f4 Nh7 16. Be3 Rac8 17. Nd3 Na5 18. f5 exf5 19. Nf4 Bg5. Very interesting is 19. ... Rxc3! 20. bxc3 Ng5 with more than enough compensation for the Exchange. 20. Nfxd5 Bxe3+ 21. Nxe3


21. ... Nc4? (21. ... Rfd8!=) 22. Nxc4 Rxc4 23. d5 Ng5 24. Qd3 Rfc8 25. Rd1 b5 26. d6± Kh8


27. h4? Too precipitate. Maybe 27. Rf2 is best, and if 27. ... f4 then 28. h4 Ne6 29. Nd5 with White still having the better of it. 27. ... Rxh4 28. Qxb5 Qxb5? This, quite inexplicably, simplifies into a hopeless ending. Black might have maintained the balance by 28. ... Qd8! (29. Qb7 f4⇄). 29. Nxb5+− a5 (29. ... Ne6 30. Nxa7 Ra8 31. Nb5 Rxa2? 32. d7 Ra8 33. Nc7!+−) 30. Na7 (30. d7 Rd8 31. Rc2+−) 30. ... Rd8 31. Rc2 Ne6 32. d7 Rg8 33. Nc6 g5 34. d8=Q Nxd8 35. Nxd8 Rg7 36. Rc7 Kg8 37. Rdd7 Re4 38. Ne6 Rxe5 39. Nxg7 Kxg7 40. Rxf7+ Kg6 41. Rg7+ Kh5 42. Rc6 Re1+ 43. Kf2 Rb1 44. Rb7 Rd1 45. Rbb6 Rd2+ 46. Kg3 f4+ 47. Kf3 Rd3+ 48. Ke2 Re3+ 49. Kf2 Rd3 50. Rxh6+ Kg4 51. Rhd6 Re3 52. Rb5 Kh5 53. Rxa5 Rg3 54. b4 Rc3 55. Rdd5 Rc2+ 56. Kg1 Rc1+ 57. Kh2 Rc2 58. Rxg5+ Kh6 59. Rgf5 Rf2 60. Ra6+ Kg7 61. Rc5 1 : 0.