侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – 徐媛媛 (Xú Yuànyuàn)
1st “火炬地产杯” (“Torch Real Estate Cup”) Chinese Chess League; 济南 (Jǐnán), April 22, 2005
Caro-Kann Defence B13
1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Bd3 Nc6 5. c3 Nf6 6. Bg5. The most usual is 6. Bf4, but the text too has its history. 6. ... Bg4 7. Ne2 e6 8. Qc2. It’s never to late to enjoy a masterclass in endgame: 8. Qb3 Qd7 9. Ng3 Nh5 10. f3 Nxg3 11. hxg3 Bf5 12. Bxf5 exf5 13. Nd2 f6 14. Be3 Na5 15. Qc2 0-0-0 16. 0-0-0 Re8 17. Rde1 Bd6 18. Bf4 Bxf4 19. gxf4 g6 20. Nb3 Nxb3+ 21. Qxb3 h5 22. Qd1 Kd8 23. Rxe8+ Rxe8 24. Re1 Rxe1 25. Qxe1 Qd6 26. Qd2 Qa6 27. b3 Qf1+ 28. Kb2 Kd7 29. Qc2 b5 30. a4 a6
31. axb5 axb5 32. Ka3 Kc6 33. Kb4 Qe1 0 : 1 van den Bosch – Capablanca, Budapest 1929. 8. ... Bxe2 9. Qxe2 Bd6. Of theoretical significance is the alternative 9. ... h6 10. Bh4 Qb6 11. Bg3 Be7 12. 0-0 0-0 13. b3 Rac8 14. Nd2 a6 15. a4! Qd8 16. Rac1 Re8 17. Kh1 Bd6 18. f4 Ne7 19. Nf3 Nf5 20. Ne5 Be7 21. Rc2 g6?! (21. ... Nd6!) 22. Be1 h5 23. h3 h4?! 24. Bxf5 exf5 25. Bxh4 Ne4 26. Be1 Bh4 27. g4! fxg4 28. hxg4 Kg7 29. f5 Rc7 30. Kg2 Bxe1 31. Qxe1 Qg5 32. Qc1! Qxc1 33. Rcxc1 gxf5 34. Rxf5 f6 35. Nd3 Rxc3 36. Rxc3 Nxc3 37. Nf4 Re4 38. Kf3 Kh7 39. Rxf6 b5 40. Rxa6 Rxd4 41. Ra7+ Kg8 42. a5! Rb4 43. g5 Rxb3 44. Ne6 b4 45. Kf4! Ne2+ 46. Ke5 Re3+ 47. Kf6 Rf3+ 48. Kg6 Nf4+ 49. Nxf4 Rxf4 50. Ra8+ Rf8 51. Rxf8+ Kxf8 52. a6 b3 53. a7 b2 54. a8=Q+ 1 : 0 Topalov – Ivanchuk, 12th Torneo Internacional de Ajedrez Ciudad de Linares, Linares 1994. 10. Nd2 Qc7 11. Nf3 h6 12. Bh4 Nh5 13. Bg3 Nf4 14. Bxf4 Bxf4
15. 0-0 0-0 16. Rae1 Rab8 17. Kh1 Rfc8 18. Ne5 b5?! Maybe not wrong, but 18. ... Bxe5 19. dxe5 d4 seems perfectly good for Black. 19. Nxc6 Qxc6 20. Qg4 Qc7? But this is certainly a mistake. After 20. ... Bc7 21. f4 Rf8 22. Re3⩲ White stands better, but nothing is yet lost. 21.
g3 Bd6 22. f4 Re8? Black is pursuing a wrong idea. She should rather content herself with 22. ... Bf8 which after 23. f5 implies the loss of at least a Pawm (d5). 23. f5 e5?! Now, after 23. ... exf5 24. Rxe8+ Rxe8 25. Qxf5 g6 26. Qxd5 White would win a second Pawn — thanks to the double threat of Bd3xb5 (idem to say Qf5xb5) and Bd3xg6.
24. dxe5?! Now White misses the opportunity to close the deal: 24. f6! Bf8 25. Bg6!+− winning brilliantly. 24. ... Rxe5 25. Rxe5 Bxe5? All’s well that ends well. Best was 25. ... h5! as after 26. Qg5 f6 27. Qxh5 Bxe5 28. Qf3 White must content herself with the gain of the d5-Pawn, with still a long way to go. 26. f6 g6 27. Bxg6 fxg6
28. Qxg6+ Kh8 29. Rf5 Bxf6 30. Qxh6+ Qh7 31. Qxf6+ 1 : 0.
