Bad luck for the young Chinese prodigy 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) on the start of the 2nd Ruy López International Chess Festival in Mérida, Spain when she lost her first-round game against Fabiano Caruana after stubbornly defending for over six hours.
侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Fabiano Caruana
2nd Ruy López International Chess Festival; Mérida, April 5, 2008
Sicilian Defence B42
2nd Ruy López International Chess Festival; Mérida, April 5, 2008
Sicilian Defence B42
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Bd3 Bc5 6. Nb3 Be7 7. c4 d6 8. Nc3 Nf6 9. 0-0 Nbd7 10. f4 Qc7 11. Bd2 b6 12. Qe2 Bb7 13. Rae1 0-0 14. Nd4 g6 15. Kh1 Rfe8 16. Nf3 Bf8. The alternative was 16. ... Rad8 17. Ng5 Bf8 18. Qf2 Bg7 19. b4 Nh5 20. Rc1 Rc8 21. a3 Qd8 22. Nf3 Rc7 23. Rfe1 Nhf6 24. Qh4 Qa8 25. Qh3 Rec8 26. e5!? dxe5 27. Nxe5 Nxe5 28. fxe5 Nd7 29. Bf4 Rxc4!? 30. Bxc4 Rxc4 31. Qg3 h5!? 32. Ne2 Nxe5!! 33. Rxc4 (33. Bxe5 Rg4 34. Qf2 Bxg2+ 35. Kg1 Bxe5−+) 33. ... Nxc4 34. h4 Qd8 35. Bg5 Qd7 36. Nf4 e5 37. Nd3 Qd5 38. Nf2 Nd6 39. Rd1?? Ne4!! 0 : 1, Naiditsch – Svidler, 32nd Dortmunder Sparkassen Chess Meeting, Dortmund 2004. 17. e5 Nh5 18. Be4 Ng7 19. Bxb7 Qxb7 20. Ne4 d5 21. cxd5 exd5 22. Nf2 f5 23. Bc3 Ne6. In Nimzowitsch style. 24. Nd3 Ndc5 25. Nd4 Nxd4 26. Bxd4 Ne6 27. Qf2 b5 28. h3 Rac8 29. b3 Be7 30. Rd1. White’s Rooks are all focused on the d-file. Another try was 30. Rc1 Ba3 (or 30. ... b4) with approximate equality. 30. ... Rc6 31. Rd2 Rec8 32. Rfd1 a5 33. Bb2 a4 34. Ne1 a3. An ambitious Pawn. 35. Ba1 Rc1 36. Nd3 R1c6 37. Ne1 Bb4 38. Rxd5. The d5-Pawn has finally fallen, but Black seized a powerful initiative. 38. ... Rc1 39. R5d3 (39. Rd7?? Qxd7! 40. Rxd7 Bxe1−+) 39. ... Bxe1 40. Qxe1 Nxf4. Caruana plays safely for the minimal material gain (a Pawn). 40. ... R8c2! would have apparently given him an imposing position. 41. Rf3? 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), too, goes astray. Best was 41. R3d2! Nxg2! 42. Rd8+! (42. Rxg2?? R8c2) 42. ... Kg7! 43. R8d7+ Kh6 44. Qd2+ Ne3+ 45. Rxb7 Rxd1+ 46. Qxd1 Nxd1 and Black’s advantage is “merely” symbolic.
40. ... Rxd1? Fabi does too little. It was time for him to close matters by 41. ... Nxg2! 42. Kxg2 R1c2+! 43. Rd2 (43. Kg3 f4+!−+) 43. ... Qe4!−+ (as 44. Qxe4 is refuted by the zwischenzug 44. ... Rxd2+). 42. Qxd1 Qd5 43. Qf1 Qd2 44. Bc3 Rxc3 45. Rxc3 Qxc3 46. Qxf4 Kf7 47. Qf2 Qa1+ 48. Kh2 Qxe5+ 49. Kh1. Of course, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) keeps more than reasonable hopes for salvation in the Pawn-down Queen endgame. 49. ... Qe7 50. Qd4 b4 51. Qc4+ Kg7 52. Qd4+ Kf7. Two-fold repetition. 53. Qc4+ Kf6 54. Qh4+ Ke6 55. Qc4+ Ke5 56. Qe2+
Kf6 57. Qd2 Qe4 58. Qd8+ Kg7 59. Qc7+ Kh6 60. Kh2 f4 61. Qf7
Qe5 62. Qf8+ Kh5 63. Qxb4 f3+ 64. Kh1 Qg3 65. Qb5+ Kh6
66. gxf3 Qxh3+ 67. Kg1 Qg3+ 68. Kf1 Qxf3+ 69. Ke1 Qc3+ 70. Kf2
Qb2+ 71. Kg3 Qc3+ 72. Kg4 Qd4+ 73. Kf3. Two-fold repetition. 73. ... Qd1+ 74. Kg3 Qg1+
75. Kf3 Qh1+ 76. Kg3 Qg1+ 77. Kf3 Qd4 78. Qa4 Qc3+ 79. Kg4
Qc8+ 80. Kg3 Qc5 81. Qd7 Qe3+ 82. Kg4 Qe2+ 83. Kg3 Qe5+
84. Kf3 g5 85. Qf7 Qc3+ 86. Kg2 Qd2+ 87. Kf3 Qd3+ 88. Kf2 Qd4+
89. Kf3 Qd1+ 90. Kf2 Qd6 91. Kf3 Qg6 92. Qf8+ Kh5 93. Qxa3 g4+
94. Kg2 Qe4+ 95. Kg1 Qe1+ 96. Kg2 Qe2+ 97. Kg1 Qe3+ 98. Kg2
Qh3+ 99. Kg1 Qg3+ 100. Kh1 Qe1+ 101. Kg2 Qe4+ 102. Kg1. Two-fold repetition. 102. ... Kh4
103. Qa6? What a pity 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) misses her saving chance: after 103. Qf8! Black has no more than a draw; for instance: 103. ... Qb1+ 104. Qf1 Qxa2 105. Qf6+ with perpetual check. 103. ... Qd4+ 104. Kf1 Qd1+ 105. Kf2 Qd2+ 106. Kf1 Kg3
107. Qe2 Qc1+ 0 : 1.
侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán). Photo © Jorge Armestar Marroquin.