侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Elena Sedina
Women’s World Chess Championship Knockout Tournament; tie-break game 2; time control: 25 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; Nalchik, September 6, 2008
French Defence C15
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. a3. Far from playing for a draw, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) adopts a sharp variation.
4. ... Bxc3+ 5. bxc3 dxe4 6. Qg4 Nf6 7. Qxg7 Rg8 8. Qh6 c5 9. Ne2 Nc6 10. Qe3!? As already showed by Vasily Vasilyevich Smyslov in the 1954 World Chess Championship match, probably best is 10. dxc5! with more than enough dynamic compensation for triple Pawns, Kosteniuk – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), 1st World Mind Sports Games, Women’s Individual Rapid Tournament, 北京 (Běijīng) 2008 (time control: 20 minutes plus 10 seconds per move).
10. ... Qa5. High theory is worth mentioning here: 10. ... Rg6 11. dxc5 Ng4 (11. ... e5=) 12. Qxe4 Qd1+ 13. Kxd1 Nxf2+ 14. Ke1 Nxe4 15. Nf4 Rg8 16. Bd3 Nxc5 17. Bxh7 Rh8 18. Bd3 Nxd3+ 19. cxd3 Bd7 20. Be3 0-0-0 21. Kf2 e5 22. Ne2 Bg4 23. h3 Bh5 24. d4 Bxe2 25. Kxe2 exd4 26. cxd4 Nxd4+ 27. Kf2 b6 28. Rhd1 Ne6 29. Rac1+ Kb7 30. Rxd8 Rxd8 31. h4 Rh8 32. g3 b5 33. Kf3 a5 34. Ke4 Re8 35. Kf3 Rh8 36. Rc3 f5 37. Rd3 Kc6 38. Bd2 Ra8 39. Bc3 Kc5 40. Bf6 b4 41. h5 Ra7 42. Re3 Kd6 43. Be5+ Kd5 44. Bb2 Kd6 45. Rd3+ Kc5 46. Rd2 Rh7 47. Rh2 Kd6 48. a4 Ke7 49. g4 f4 50. Rd2 1–0 Smyslov – Botvinnik, World Chess Championship 1954, Moscow 1954, match game 7.
11. Qd2. Not too probing, but quite interesting, is 11. Bd2 Bd7 12. dxc5 0-0-0 13. Ng3 Ne5 14. Nxe4 Nxe4 15. Qxe4 Nc6 16. Qe3 Ne7 17. c4 Qc7 18. f3? (unnecessary) 18. ... Nf5 19. Qf2?? (self-destructing) 19. ... Qe5+ 0–1 Smyslov – Kohn, 30-board simultaneous exhibition, Columbus 1976.
11. ... Bd7 12. Bb2 0-0-0 13. 0-0-0 Qa4 14. c4 cxd4 15. Nxd4 e5 16. Nxc6 Bxc6 17. Qe1 Rxd1+ 18. Qxd1 Rd8. 18. ... Qa5!? was also good, if not better.
19. Qe1 Nd7 20. Be2 f5. 20. ... e3! seems fine for Black.
21. Qb4
4. ... Bxc3+ 5. bxc3 dxe4 6. Qg4 Nf6 7. Qxg7 Rg8 8. Qh6 c5 9. Ne2 Nc6 10. Qe3!? As already showed by Vasily Vasilyevich Smyslov in the 1954 World Chess Championship match, probably best is 10. dxc5! with more than enough dynamic compensation for triple Pawns, Kosteniuk – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), 1st World Mind Sports Games, Women’s Individual Rapid Tournament, 北京 (Běijīng) 2008 (time control: 20 minutes plus 10 seconds per move).
10. ... Qa5. High theory is worth mentioning here: 10. ... Rg6 11. dxc5 Ng4 (11. ... e5=) 12. Qxe4 Qd1+ 13. Kxd1 Nxf2+ 14. Ke1 Nxe4 15. Nf4 Rg8 16. Bd3 Nxc5 17. Bxh7 Rh8 18. Bd3 Nxd3+ 19. cxd3 Bd7 20. Be3 0-0-0 21. Kf2 e5 22. Ne2 Bg4 23. h3 Bh5 24. d4 Bxe2 25. Kxe2 exd4 26. cxd4 Nxd4+ 27. Kf2 b6 28. Rhd1 Ne6 29. Rac1+ Kb7 30. Rxd8 Rxd8 31. h4 Rh8 32. g3 b5 33. Kf3 a5 34. Ke4 Re8 35. Kf3 Rh8 36. Rc3 f5 37. Rd3 Kc6 38. Bd2 Ra8 39. Bc3 Kc5 40. Bf6 b4 41. h5 Ra7 42. Re3 Kd6 43. Be5+ Kd5 44. Bb2 Kd6 45. Rd3+ Kc5 46. Rd2 Rh7 47. Rh2 Kd6 48. a4 Ke7 49. g4 f4 50. Rd2 1–0 Smyslov – Botvinnik, World Chess Championship 1954, Moscow 1954, match game 7.
11. Qd2. Not too probing, but quite interesting, is 11. Bd2 Bd7 12. dxc5 0-0-0 13. Ng3 Ne5 14. Nxe4 Nxe4 15. Qxe4 Nc6 16. Qe3 Ne7 17. c4 Qc7 18. f3? (unnecessary) 18. ... Nf5 19. Qf2?? (self-destructing) 19. ... Qe5+ 0–1 Smyslov – Kohn, 30-board simultaneous exhibition, Columbus 1976.
11. ... Bd7 12. Bb2 0-0-0 13. 0-0-0 Qa4 14. c4 cxd4 15. Nxd4 e5 16. Nxc6 Bxc6 17. Qe1 Rxd1+ 18. Qxd1 Rd8. 18. ... Qa5!? was also good, if not better.
19. Qe1 Nd7 20. Be2 f5. 20. ... e3! seems fine for Black.
21. Qb4
21. ... a5? After this horrible error, Black’s position disintegrates like dust. However unpleasant it might be, Black had to go through 21. ... Qxb4 22. axb4 b6 with some hopes of survival.
22. Qd6! 22. Qe7! e3 23. f3 may transpose into the game.
22. ... e3 23. f3 Nb6 24. Qxe5 Rd2
22. Qd6! 22. Qe7! e3 23. f3 may transpose into the game.
22. ... e3 23. f3 Nb6 24. Qxe5 Rd2
25. Bd3 Nd7 (25. ... Nc4?? 26. Qxf5++−)
26. Qxe3 Rxg2 27. Re1 Kb8 28. Qf4+ Ka7 29. Qd4+ Ka6 30. Re8 Nb6. If 30. ... b6 then 31. Ra8+! Kb7 (31. ... Bxa8 32. c5++−) 32. Qh8 with a mating attack.
31. c5+ Bb5 32. Qxa4 Bxd3. Or 32. ... Nxa4 33. Ra8#.
33. cxb6 1 : 0.
26. Qxe3 Rxg2 27. Re1 Kb8 28. Qf4+ Ka7 29. Qd4+ Ka6 30. Re8 Nb6. If 30. ... b6 then 31. Ra8+! Kb7 (31. ... Bxa8 32. c5++−) 32. Qh8 with a mating attack.
31. c5+ Bb5 32. Qxa4 Bxd3. Or 32. ... Nxa4 33. Ra8#.
33. cxb6 1 : 0.