Elena Sedina – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
Women’s World Chess Championship Knockout Tournament; match game 2; Nalchik, September 5, 2008
Sicilian Defence B53
Notes by International Master Elena Sedina, Torre & Cavallo Scacco!, No. 11, November 2008, pp. 15-16.
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4. I think my opponent was already a bit surprised by my 3rd move, as in the last years I have always played here 3. Bb5+.
3. ... cxd4 4. Qxd4!? A line especially (and successfully) played by Sergio Mariotti in the 1970s, which was recently reintroduced at high level by super Grandmaster Gata Kamsky. I had prepared it, together with Grandmaster Arthur Kogan, especially for my first round opponent, Irina Krush of United States. [...] Irina then did not take part in the tournament, but my careful preparation proved not to have been in vain...
4. ... Nc6. In the first tie-break game the young Chinese preferred 4. ... a6 [...].
5. Bb5 Nf6. Here is a brilliant win by the young Chinese prodigy from the World Championship under-20 which was held a little time before than the Women’s World Championship: 5. ... Bd7 6. Bxc6 Bxc6 7. Nc3 h6 8. Be3 e5 9. Qc4 Nf6 10. 0-0-0 Qc8 11. Qd3 a6 12. Nh4! b5 13. f4 b4 14. fxe5 dxe5 15. Nd5 Bb5 16. Qd2 Qc6 17. Nf3! Nd7 18. Nxb4 Qc4 19. Nd5 Qxa2 20. Nc7+ Kd8 21. Qc3! Qa1+ 22. Kd2 Qa4 23. Nd5 Rc8 24. Bb6+ Nxb6 25. Nxb6 1–0 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Arun Prasad, 47th World Junior Chess Championship U-20, Gaziantep 2008.
6. Nc3 Bd7 7. Bxc6 bxc6? It’s a trivial and rather unexpected mistake, especially because it was committed by a player who has already achieved all the Grandmaster norms. The theoretical (and logic) move is certainly 7. ... Bxc6. Probably 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), who occasionally plays this variation as White, had her reasons to avoid the main line...
8. e5 dxe5 9. Nxe5 e6. On 9. ... Qb6 White would play 10. Qc4 provoking the advance 10. ... e6 anyway.
10. 0-0 Be7 11. Rd1. The outcome of the opening is not satisfactory for Black: in addition to her spoiled Pawn structure, she is also behind in development.
11. ... Qb6 12. Qc4. A valid alternative could be 12. Qd3!? with the idea of Qd3-g3.
12. ... Rd8 13. Bg5 h6. 13. ... Qxb2 loses quickly due to 14. Rab1 Qa3 (or 14. ... Qxc2 15. Nxd7 Nxd7 16. Bxc7 Kxc7 17. Nd5+) 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. Nxd7 Bxc3 17. Qxc6 Ke7 18. Rb3 winning in both cases.
14. Be3! After the more obvious 14. Nxd7?! Nxd7 15. Bxe7 Kxe7 16. Ne4 Nf6 17. Nxf6 Kxf6 it would not have been easy to exploit the exposed position of the Black King. The key idea of the Bishop move is to transfer it to c5 trying to exchange Black’s dark-square Bishop and preventing her from castling.
14. ... Qc7. Also after 14. ... Qxb2 15. Rab1 Qxc2 the winning idea is always the same: 16. Bc5! Nd5 (after 16. ... Bxc5 17. Qxc5 Black cannot defend against White’ numerous threats) 17. Bxe7 Qxc3 18. Qxc3 Nxc3 19. Bxd8 Nxd1 20. Rxd1 and finally White remains a piece ahead.
15. Nxd7 Rxd7. On 15. ... Nxd7 there would follow 16. Nb5.
16. Rxd7 Qxd7 17. Rd1
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4. I think my opponent was already a bit surprised by my 3rd move, as in the last years I have always played here 3. Bb5+.
3. ... cxd4 4. Qxd4!? A line especially (and successfully) played by Sergio Mariotti in the 1970s, which was recently reintroduced at high level by super Grandmaster Gata Kamsky. I had prepared it, together with Grandmaster Arthur Kogan, especially for my first round opponent, Irina Krush of United States. [...] Irina then did not take part in the tournament, but my careful preparation proved not to have been in vain...
4. ... Nc6. In the first tie-break game the young Chinese preferred 4. ... a6 [...].
5. Bb5 Nf6. Here is a brilliant win by the young Chinese prodigy from the World Championship under-20 which was held a little time before than the Women’s World Championship: 5. ... Bd7 6. Bxc6 Bxc6 7. Nc3 h6 8. Be3 e5 9. Qc4 Nf6 10. 0-0-0 Qc8 11. Qd3 a6 12. Nh4! b5 13. f4 b4 14. fxe5 dxe5 15. Nd5 Bb5 16. Qd2 Qc6 17. Nf3! Nd7 18. Nxb4 Qc4 19. Nd5 Qxa2 20. Nc7+ Kd8 21. Qc3! Qa1+ 22. Kd2 Qa4 23. Nd5 Rc8 24. Bb6+ Nxb6 25. Nxb6 1–0 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Arun Prasad, 47th World Junior Chess Championship U-20, Gaziantep 2008.
6. Nc3 Bd7 7. Bxc6 bxc6? It’s a trivial and rather unexpected mistake, especially because it was committed by a player who has already achieved all the Grandmaster norms. The theoretical (and logic) move is certainly 7. ... Bxc6. Probably 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), who occasionally plays this variation as White, had her reasons to avoid the main line...
8. e5 dxe5 9. Nxe5 e6. On 9. ... Qb6 White would play 10. Qc4 provoking the advance 10. ... e6 anyway.
10. 0-0 Be7 11. Rd1. The outcome of the opening is not satisfactory for Black: in addition to her spoiled Pawn structure, she is also behind in development.
11. ... Qb6 12. Qc4. A valid alternative could be 12. Qd3!? with the idea of Qd3-g3.
12. ... Rd8 13. Bg5 h6. 13. ... Qxb2 loses quickly due to 14. Rab1 Qa3 (or 14. ... Qxc2 15. Nxd7 Nxd7 16. Bxc7 Kxc7 17. Nd5+) 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. Nxd7 Bxc3 17. Qxc6 Ke7 18. Rb3 winning in both cases.
14. Be3! After the more obvious 14. Nxd7?! Nxd7 15. Bxe7 Kxe7 16. Ne4 Nf6 17. Nxf6 Kxf6 it would not have been easy to exploit the exposed position of the Black King. The key idea of the Bishop move is to transfer it to c5 trying to exchange Black’s dark-square Bishop and preventing her from castling.
14. ... Qc7. Also after 14. ... Qxb2 15. Rab1 Qxc2 the winning idea is always the same: 16. Bc5! Nd5 (after 16. ... Bxc5 17. Qxc5 Black cannot defend against White’ numerous threats) 17. Bxe7 Qxc3 18. Qxc3 Nxc3 19. Bxd8 Nxd1 20. Rxd1 and finally White remains a piece ahead.
15. Nxd7 Rxd7. On 15. ... Nxd7 there would follow 16. Nb5.
16. Rxd7 Qxd7 17. Rd1
17. ... Nd5? After this move Black ends up in a desperate position. The best try for counterplay would have been 17. ... Qb7 18. Bc5 0-0! 19. Bxe7 Qxe7 20. Qxc6 Qb4 and White must work very hard to convert her extra Pawn.
18. Bc5 Qb7. Now the previous variation 18. ... 0-0 19. Bxe7 Qxe7 20. Qxc6 is certainly favourable to White.
19. Nxd5 exd5?! Black’s decision to stay with the King in the centre is hard to understand. The variation 19. ... cxd5 was certainly to be preferred, even though after 20. Qa4+ Qd7 21. Qb4! (the ending after 21. Qxa7 Qxa7 22. Bxa7 Kd7 23. c4 is almost impossible to win) 21. ... a5 22. Qa3 Qc7 23. Bxe7 Qxe7 24. Qa4+ Qd7 25. Qxa5 0-0 26. c4 and White should manage to convert an extra Pawn.
20. Qe2 Kd8 21. Bd4! At this stage, exchanges definitely favour Black.
21. ... Re8 22. Re1! Keeping the Black pieces tied up is more important than immediate material gain. After 22. Bxg7?! Bg5 23. Qf3 Qe7 White would allow Black to recoordinate her forces.
22. ... f6 23. Qe3 Qc7
18. Bc5 Qb7. Now the previous variation 18. ... 0-0 19. Bxe7 Qxe7 20. Qxc6 is certainly favourable to White.
19. Nxd5 exd5?! Black’s decision to stay with the King in the centre is hard to understand. The variation 19. ... cxd5 was certainly to be preferred, even though after 20. Qa4+ Qd7 21. Qb4! (the ending after 21. Qxa7 Qxa7 22. Bxa7 Kd7 23. c4 is almost impossible to win) 21. ... a5 22. Qa3 Qc7 23. Bxe7 Qxe7 24. Qa4+ Qd7 25. Qxa5 0-0 26. c4 and White should manage to convert an extra Pawn.
20. Qe2 Kd8 21. Bd4! At this stage, exchanges definitely favour Black.
21. ... Re8 22. Re1! Keeping the Black pieces tied up is more important than immediate material gain. After 22. Bxg7?! Bg5 23. Qf3 Qe7 White would allow Black to recoordinate her forces.
22. ... f6 23. Qe3 Qc7
24. b4! Preventing Black from continuing ... c6-c5. For this reason the move 24. Bxa7?! would not be so good after 24. ... c5.
24. ... f5 25. Bxg7. The time of the harvest has finally come: the end is very near for Black. The rest of the game is of little interest.
25. ... Rg8 26. Be5 Qb7 27. Qxh6 Qxb4 28. c3 Qg4 29. Bg3 Rg6 30. Qh8+ Kd7 31. Qb8 Qg5 32. Qc7+ Ke8 33. h4 Qf6 34. h5 Rg4 35. Bd6 Re4 36. Qxc6+ Kf8 37. Bxe7+ Qxe7 38. Rxe4 Qxe4 39. Qa8+ Ke7 40. Qxa7+ Kd6 41. Qd4 Qb1+ 42. Kh2 Ke6 43. h6 Qb7 44. Qg7 Qb8+ 45. g3 Qb2 46. Kg2 1–0. In conclusion, although, after all, this win was not enough to allow me go through the round, it will remain as one of the highest achievements of my career. Now, after overcoming the bitterness of the lost tie-breaker, I thought that in any case being eliminated in the eighth-finals extra time by the World Championship finalist was not such a little thing...
24. ... f5 25. Bxg7. The time of the harvest has finally come: the end is very near for Black. The rest of the game is of little interest.
25. ... Rg8 26. Be5 Qb7 27. Qxh6 Qxb4 28. c3 Qg4 29. Bg3 Rg6 30. Qh8+ Kd7 31. Qb8 Qg5 32. Qc7+ Ke8 33. h4 Qf6 34. h5 Rg4 35. Bd6 Re4 36. Qxc6+ Kf8 37. Bxe7+ Qxe7 38. Rxe4 Qxe4 39. Qa8+ Ke7 40. Qxa7+ Kd6 41. Qd4 Qb1+ 42. Kh2 Ke6 43. h6 Qb7 44. Qg7 Qb8+ 45. g3 Qb2 46. Kg2 1–0. In conclusion, although, after all, this win was not enough to allow me go through the round, it will remain as one of the highest achievements of my career. Now, after overcoming the bitterness of the lost tie-breaker, I thought that in any case being eliminated in the eighth-finals extra time by the World Championship finalist was not such a little thing...