侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk
Women’s World Chess Championship Knockout Tournament; Final match game 1; Nalchik, September 14, 2008
The first game of any match is very important. If the match is short it’s even more important since a good start means a lot. I was very happy to begin the match (for the first time in the championship) with the black pieces.
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 0-0 8. a3
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 0-0 8. a3
An unexpected move. I was not ready for this variation. I thought she would opt for a different kind of Anti-Marshall starting with 8. a4. 8. ... d6. Since I didn’t know much about this kind of variation, I tried to use my logic in order to solve the opening problems. Magnus Carlsen used this variation twice with White this year and had pretty good results with it, although I doubt it was purely a question of the opening. Those two games went:
a) 8. ... Bc5 9. c3 d6 10. d4 Bb6 11. h3 Re8 12. Bg5 h6 13. Bh4 exd4 14. cxd4 g5 15. Bg3 g4 16. hxg4 Bxg4 17. Bh4 Nxd4 18. Nc3 Bxf3 19. gxf3 Kh8 20. Nd5 Rg8+ 21. Kf1 Ng4 22. Qxd4+ Bxd4 23. Bxd8 Nh2+ 24. Ke2 Raxd8 25. Rad1 Bxb2 26. Rh1 c6 27. Nf4 Be5 28. Nd3 Nxf3 29. Kxf3 Bg7 30. Rh5 d5 31. exd5 Rd6 32. Rf5 cxd5 33. Rc1 Rf6 34. Rxf6 Bxf6 35. Rc6 Kg7 36. Nf4 Bg5 37. Nh5+ Kh8 38. Rxa6 d4 39. Ke4 Rg6 40. Ra7 1 : 0 Carlsen – Aronian, 25th Torneo Internacional de Ajedrez Ciudad de Linares – Morelia, Morelia 2008;
b) 8. ... Bc5 9. c3 d6 10. h3 Bb6 11. d3 h6 12. Nbd2 Ne7 13. Nf1 Ng6 14. Ng3 Bb7 15. Nf5 Bc8 16. d4 Be6 17. dxe5 Bxb3 18. Qxb3 dxe5 19. Qc2 Re8 20. c4 bxc4 21. Qxc4 Qd7 22. Be3 Qe6 23. Qxe6 Rxe6 24. g3 Rb8 25. Bd2 Nf8 26. Bc3 N8d7 27. Re2 Rbe8 28. Nd2 Nc5 29. Kg2 Na4 30. Rc1 Rc6 31. Ne3 Nxc3 32. Rxc3 Rxc3 33. bxc3 Ba5 34. Nd1 Rd8 35. Nc4 Rxd1 36. Nxa5 Rd3 37. Nc4 Rxc3 38. Nxe5 Rxa3 39. f3 Ra5 40. Nc6 Rc5 41. Nd4 a5 42. Ra2 Rc4 43. Nf5 a4 44. Ne3 Rc3 45. Kf2 a3 46. Nc2 Nd7 47. Nxa3 Ne5 48. f4 Nd3+ 49. Kg2 Nb4 50. Rb2 c5 51. Nb5 Rd3 52. e5 g5 53. fxg5 hxg5 54. Nd6 Re3 ½ : ½ Carlsen – Lékó, 17th Amber Blindfold Chess Tournament, Nice 2008.
9. c3 Bg4. During the game I was interested in transposing to a Marshall by playing ... d6-d5. Would the s2-a3 move be helpful for White? Since I couldn’t understand the difference between a normal Marshall and a Marshall with a2-a3 I finally decided not to play ... d6-d5. After the game I found a game between Suetin and Lilienthal where Andor played 9. ... d5 10. exd5 Nxd5 11. Nxe5 Nxe5 12. Rxe5 c6 13. d4 Bd6 14. Re1 Qh4 15. g3 Qh3 16. Be3 Bg4 17. Qd3 Rae8 18. Nd2 Re6 and even though here Suetin played using the fact that the Pawn is on a3, 19. c4 (19. a4 would lead to a very well-known theoretical position of the main Marshall variation) Black could have played 19. ... Bf4! (19. ... bxc4 20. Nxc4 Rb8 21. Bc2 Nxe3 22. Nxe3 Bf3 23. Qf5 Qxf5 24. Bxf5 Rf6 25. b4 Bf8 26. Bd3 Rd8 27. Nc2 Ra8 28. Re5 Bd5 29. Rae1 Rd6 30. Be4 Be6 31. Rd1 Be7 32. Rc5 1 : 0 Suetin – Lilienthal, Kislovodsk 1967. 10. d3 Na5 11. Bc2. I was a little bit surprised to see this move. I thought that the Bishop would go to a2. 11. ... c5 12. h3 Bd7! 13. d4 Qc7 14. d5. After this move we have a Classical Chigorin with the strange move a2-a3 and an extra tempo for Black. Since I play this kind of structure for White I knew the basic ideas and plans for both sides and that gave me a practical advantage. 14. ... c4 15. Nbd2 Nb7 16. Nf1 Nc5 17. g4?!
a) 8. ... Bc5 9. c3 d6 10. d4 Bb6 11. h3 Re8 12. Bg5 h6 13. Bh4 exd4 14. cxd4 g5 15. Bg3 g4 16. hxg4 Bxg4 17. Bh4 Nxd4 18. Nc3 Bxf3 19. gxf3 Kh8 20. Nd5 Rg8+ 21. Kf1 Ng4 22. Qxd4+ Bxd4 23. Bxd8 Nh2+ 24. Ke2 Raxd8 25. Rad1 Bxb2 26. Rh1 c6 27. Nf4 Be5 28. Nd3 Nxf3 29. Kxf3 Bg7 30. Rh5 d5 31. exd5 Rd6 32. Rf5 cxd5 33. Rc1 Rf6 34. Rxf6 Bxf6 35. Rc6 Kg7 36. Nf4 Bg5 37. Nh5+ Kh8 38. Rxa6 d4 39. Ke4 Rg6 40. Ra7 1 : 0 Carlsen – Aronian, 25th Torneo Internacional de Ajedrez Ciudad de Linares – Morelia, Morelia 2008;
b) 8. ... Bc5 9. c3 d6 10. h3 Bb6 11. d3 h6 12. Nbd2 Ne7 13. Nf1 Ng6 14. Ng3 Bb7 15. Nf5 Bc8 16. d4 Be6 17. dxe5 Bxb3 18. Qxb3 dxe5 19. Qc2 Re8 20. c4 bxc4 21. Qxc4 Qd7 22. Be3 Qe6 23. Qxe6 Rxe6 24. g3 Rb8 25. Bd2 Nf8 26. Bc3 N8d7 27. Re2 Rbe8 28. Nd2 Nc5 29. Kg2 Na4 30. Rc1 Rc6 31. Ne3 Nxc3 32. Rxc3 Rxc3 33. bxc3 Ba5 34. Nd1 Rd8 35. Nc4 Rxd1 36. Nxa5 Rd3 37. Nc4 Rxc3 38. Nxe5 Rxa3 39. f3 Ra5 40. Nc6 Rc5 41. Nd4 a5 42. Ra2 Rc4 43. Nf5 a4 44. Ne3 Rc3 45. Kf2 a3 46. Nc2 Nd7 47. Nxa3 Ne5 48. f4 Nd3+ 49. Kg2 Nb4 50. Rb2 c5 51. Nb5 Rd3 52. e5 g5 53. fxg5 hxg5 54. Nd6 Re3 ½ : ½ Carlsen – Lékó, 17th Amber Blindfold Chess Tournament, Nice 2008.
9. c3 Bg4. During the game I was interested in transposing to a Marshall by playing ... d6-d5. Would the s2-a3 move be helpful for White? Since I couldn’t understand the difference between a normal Marshall and a Marshall with a2-a3 I finally decided not to play ... d6-d5. After the game I found a game between Suetin and Lilienthal where Andor played 9. ... d5 10. exd5 Nxd5 11. Nxe5 Nxe5 12. Rxe5 c6 13. d4 Bd6 14. Re1 Qh4 15. g3 Qh3 16. Be3 Bg4 17. Qd3 Rae8 18. Nd2 Re6 and even though here Suetin played using the fact that the Pawn is on a3, 19. c4 (19. a4 would lead to a very well-known theoretical position of the main Marshall variation) Black could have played 19. ... Bf4! (19. ... bxc4 20. Nxc4 Rb8 21. Bc2 Nxe3 22. Nxe3 Bf3 23. Qf5 Qxf5 24. Bxf5 Rf6 25. b4 Bf8 26. Bd3 Rd8 27. Nc2 Ra8 28. Re5 Bd5 29. Rae1 Rd6 30. Be4 Be6 31. Rd1 Be7 32. Rc5 1 : 0 Suetin – Lilienthal, Kislovodsk 1967. 10. d3 Na5 11. Bc2. I was a little bit surprised to see this move. I thought that the Bishop would go to a2. 11. ... c5 12. h3 Bd7! 13. d4 Qc7 14. d5. After this move we have a Classical Chigorin with the strange move a2-a3 and an extra tempo for Black. Since I play this kind of structure for White I knew the basic ideas and plans for both sides and that gave me a practical advantage. 14. ... c4 15. Nbd2 Nb7 16. Nf1 Nc5 17. g4?!
A very risky move. Keres was the first to use this move in the position with the Pawn on a2 and the Knight on b7. I knew this idea since not so long ago, in a blitz game I unsuccesfuly tried to use this plan for White. I would suggest a normal move such as 17. Ng3 or 17. N3h2 for White. 17. ... h5! Of course Black didn’t want to allow White to put her Knight on g3. 18. N3h2? Here White shouldn’t allow Black to close the g-file. 侯 (Hóu) should have played 18. gxh5 Bxh3 and only here 19. N3h2 hoping to use an open g-file for the attack. 18. ... hxg4 19. hxg4 Qc8. Forcing White to weaken the black squares. 20. f3 Nh7 21. Ng3 Bg5 22. Nf5!? An interesting idea, but only if 侯 (Hóu) finds the most brave continuation. 22. ... Qd8 23. Kg2 g6 24. Ng3. After this move, Black’s advantage is unquestionable. White should have tried to complicate the game with 24. Nxd6!? Bxc1 25. Qxc1 Qf6 26. Nf5 gxf5 27. gxf5 Qg5+ 28. Ng4 and despite the extra piece, Black has to be very careful. For example after 28. ... Qxc1 29. Raxc1 f6 30. Rh1 Kg7 31. Rcg1 White has very strong compensation for the Knight. 24. ... Kg7 25. Rh1 Rh8 26. Nhf1 Qf6 27. Be3 Bxe3 28. Nxe3 Ng5 29. Qe2 Rag8?! I didn’t see how to continue and decided simply to wait. I think I should have played 29. ... Nd3!? 30. Bxd3 cxd3 31. Qf2 Qf4 32. Rad1 and it seems that the d3-Pawn will be lost in a few more moves. But it’s not that easy: 32. ... a5 33. Rxd3 [33. Rxh8 Rxh8 34. Rxd3 (34. Nef1 Qf6! preparing the f4 square for the Knight 35. Rxd3 Nh3 36. Qe3 Nf4+ 37. Kg1 Nxd3 38. Qxd3 Qf4 and Black should be winning soon) 34. ... Nxe4! 35. fxe4 Rh2+) 33. ... Rxh1 34. Nxh1 (34. Kxh1? Nh3!) 34. ... Nxe4 35. Qe2 Rh8 with attack. 30. Raf1 Qf4 31. Rxh8? 侯 (Hóu) couldn’t handle the pressure and decided to exchange the Rooks forgetting about a very strong resource that Black will have after this exchange. She should have continued the game by playing 31. Qf2 and I’m not sure what I would have played. During the game I was thinking about playing on the Queenside. Although Black’s position is better, it is unclear how to get something concrete from this small advantage. 31. ... Rxh8 32. Rh1 Rxh1 33. Nxh1 Nd3!
After this move the White’s position collapses like a house of cards. 34. Bxd3. After 34. Ng3 Black would continue 34. ... Nxf3 35. Bxd3 Nh4+ 36. Kh3 cxd3 37. Qxd3 Nf3 dominating the game. 34. ... cxd3 35. Qf2 d2 36. Ng3 Nxf3! Of course not 36. ... Qxe3 37. Qxe3 d1=Q 38. Qxg5 giving White some initiative. 37. Qxf3 Bxg4! After this move the game is practically over and I was precise till the very end. 38. Qf2 d1=Q 39. Nxd1 Bxd1 40. Qe1 Bf3+ 41. Kg1 f5 42. exf5 gxf5 43. Qf2 Kg6 44. b3 e4 45. c4 bxc4 46. bxc4 Qg5 47. c5 f4 48. cxd6
48. ... fxg3. The last precise moment. It was still possible to lose the game: 48. ... Qxg3+?? 49. Qxg3+ fxg3 50. d7. 0 : 1.
侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) on her début in the World Championship Final match took a bitter bite. Photo: chesspics.com. |
