侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Manuel Pérez Candelario
1st Ruy López International Chess Festival; Zafra, March 23, 2007
Spanish Game C99
1st Ruy López International Chess Festival; Zafra, March 23, 2007
Spanish Game C99
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Be7 6. Re1 b5
7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 0-0 9. h3 Na5 10. Bc2 c5 11. d4 Qc7 12. Nbd2
cxd4 13. cxd4 Bb7 14. d5 Rac8 15. Bd3 (15. Bb1 Nh5 16. Nf1 Nf4 17. Kh2 Qd7 18. Ng1 Nc4 19. g3 Ng6 20. b3 Nb6 21. Ne3⩲ van Riemsdijk – Matsuura, 59th Brazilian Chess Championship, Curituba 1992)
15. ... Nd7 16. Nf1 f5 (16. ... Nc5 17. b3 f5 18. exf5 Bf6 19. Be4 Qf7 20. Ng3 Nxe4 21. Nxe4 Qxd5 22. Bd2 Nc6 23. Bg5⩲ Kramnik – I. Sokolov, 67th Corus Chess Tournament, Wijk aan Zee 2005)
17. Ng3 f4 18. Nf5 Rxf5. Such is 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)’s merit that Black’s Exchange sacrifice is now regarded as very doubtful by theoreticians. The Batsford’s Modern Chess Openings (fifteenth edition) gives as an alternative 18. ... Bd8 19. b3 Nc5 20. Bb2⩲ Solovjov – Kuzmin, 57th Russian Chess Championship Qualifier, Saint Petersburg 2004.
19. exf5 Nf6. No better is 19. ... Nc5 20. b3 Bf6 21. Rb1 Nxd3 22. Qxd3 Qc2 23. Qxc2 Rxc2 24. Rb2 Rc8 25. Rd2 b4 26. Bb2 Rf8 27. Re4 Bc8 28. Rxb4 Nb7 29. Rb6 Nc5 30. Rd1 Bxf5 31. Rxd6 Nd3 32. Rxd3 Bxd3 33. Bxe5 Be7 34. Rd7 Re8 35. d6 Bf8 36. Bxf4 Bb1 37. Ra7 Bxa2 38. d7 Rd8 39. Bg5 1 : 0 Lékó – Gómez Esteban, 4th Torneo Internacional “Ciudad de Pamplona”, Pamplona 1993.
20. Ng5 Bxd5
15. ... Nd7 16. Nf1 f5 (16. ... Nc5 17. b3 f5 18. exf5 Bf6 19. Be4 Qf7 20. Ng3 Nxe4 21. Nxe4 Qxd5 22. Bd2 Nc6 23. Bg5⩲ Kramnik – I. Sokolov, 67th Corus Chess Tournament, Wijk aan Zee 2005)
17. Ng3 f4 18. Nf5 Rxf5. Such is 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)’s merit that Black’s Exchange sacrifice is now regarded as very doubtful by theoreticians. The Batsford’s Modern Chess Openings (fifteenth edition) gives as an alternative 18. ... Bd8 19. b3 Nc5 20. Bb2⩲ Solovjov – Kuzmin, 57th Russian Chess Championship Qualifier, Saint Petersburg 2004.
19. exf5 Nf6. No better is 19. ... Nc5 20. b3 Bf6 21. Rb1 Nxd3 22. Qxd3 Qc2 23. Qxc2 Rxc2 24. Rb2 Rc8 25. Rd2 b4 26. Bb2 Rf8 27. Re4 Bc8 28. Rxb4 Nb7 29. Rb6 Nc5 30. Rd1 Bxf5 31. Rxd6 Nd3 32. Rxd3 Bxd3 33. Bxe5 Be7 34. Rd7 Re8 35. d6 Bf8 36. Bxf4 Bb1 37. Ra7 Bxa2 38. d7 Rd8 39. Bg5 1 : 0 Lékó – Gómez Esteban, 4th Torneo Internacional “Ciudad de Pamplona”, Pamplona 1993.
20. Ng5 Bxd5
21. Be4! Bxe4 22. Nxe4 Nxe4 23. Rxe4 (⩲ Nick de Firmian)
23. ... Qb7TN (23. ... Qc2 24. Qd5+ Kf8 25. Bd2 Qxb2 26. f6 gxf6 27. Rae1 Nc6 28. Rc1 Na7 29. Ree1 Rc4 30. Rxc4 bxc4 31. Bxf4 Nb5 32. Qxc4 Nc3 33. Bc1 Qc2 34. Bh6+ Ke8 35. Kh2 Qg6 36. Be3 Ne4 37. Rb1 Nc5 38. Rb8+ Kd7 39. Bxc5 dxc5 40. Qd5+ 1 : 0 Hermansson – Ong, 72nd Swedish Chess Championship, Gothenburg 2004)
24. Re1 Rf8 25. Qd3 Rf6 26. b3 g6 27. Bd2 Nc6 28. fxg6 Rxg6 29. Qd5+ Kf8
23. ... Qb7TN (23. ... Qc2 24. Qd5+ Kf8 25. Bd2 Qxb2 26. f6 gxf6 27. Rae1 Nc6 28. Rc1 Na7 29. Ree1 Rc4 30. Rxc4 bxc4 31. Bxf4 Nb5 32. Qxc4 Nc3 33. Bc1 Qc2 34. Bh6+ Ke8 35. Kh2 Qg6 36. Be3 Ne4 37. Rb1 Nc5 38. Rb8+ Kd7 39. Bxc5 dxc5 40. Qd5+ 1 : 0 Hermansson – Ong, 72nd Swedish Chess Championship, Gothenburg 2004)
24. Re1 Rf8 25. Qd3 Rf6 26. b3 g6 27. Bd2 Nc6 28. fxg6 Rxg6 29. Qd5+ Kf8
Black’s once imposing centre now disintegrates:
30. Bxf4! Nd8 (30. ... exf4 31. Rac1 Na5 32. Qxb7 Nxb7 33. Rc7+−)
31. Qxb7 Nxb7 32. Be3 d5 33. Rac1 d4 34. Rc8+ Nd8 35. Bd2 Re6 36. f4 e4 37. f5 1 : 0.
30. Bxf4! Nd8 (30. ... exf4 31. Rac1 Na5 32. Qxb7 Nxb7 33. Rc7+−)
31. Qxb7 Nxb7 32. Be3 d5 33. Rac1 d4 34. Rc8+ Nd8 35. Bd2 Re6 36. f4 e4 37. f5 1 : 0.
