Ginger milk curd

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Dronavalli Harika
2nd Asian Indoor Games; Team Classical Chess; Macau, October 29, 2007
Sicilian Defence B31

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 4. 0-0 Bg7 5. Re1 Nf6 6. e5 Nd5 7. Nc3 Nc7 8. Bxc6 dxc6 9. Ne4 b6 10. Nf6+ Kf8 11. Ne4 Bg4 12. d3 Ne6 13. Ned2 Qd5 14. h3 Bxf3 15. Nxf3 Rd8 16. b3. Another line of play is 16. Be3 h6 17. Qe2 Kg8 18. Rad1 Bxe5 19. c4 Qd6 20. Bxc5 Bh2+ 21. Nxh2 Qxc5 22. Nf3 Kg7 23. Qe4 Rd6 24. a3 Rhd8 25. g4 a5 26. Ne5 a4 27. h4 Nd4 28. Kg2 Rf6 29. Re3 Ne6 30. Kg3 Rd6 31. Nf3 Nd4 32. Ne5 Nc2 33. Re2 Nd4 34. Ree1 Ne6 35. f3 Rf4 36. Qe3 Qxe3 37. Rxe3 Rfd4 38. Rde1 Nc5 39. g5 hxg5 40. hxg5 Nxd3 41. Nxd3 Rxd3 42. Rxe7 Rd7 43. Re8 Rd8 44. R8e7 Rb3 45. R1e6 Kf8 46. Re4 Kg7 47. Rf4 Rf8 48. Rf6 Rxb2 49. Rxc6 Rb3 50. Ra7 Rxa3 51. Rxb6 Ra1 52. Rba6 Rc8 53. Rf6 Rf8 54. Rc6 a3 55. Rcc7 a2 56. Kf4 Kg8 57. c5 Rb8 58. Ra4 Kg7 59. Rca7 Rc1 60. Rxa2 ½–½ 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Gomes, 24th World Junior Chess Championship Girls U-20, Yerevan 2006.
16. ... h6? A weak and weakening move that gives White an imposing advantage. Black’s best seems to be 16. ... f5 17. exf6 exf6 18. Bb2 Kf7 so as to oppose Rooks on the open e-file.
17. Bb2 Nd4 18. Bxd4 cxd4

19. e6! Bf6. If 19. ... fxe6 then 20. Nh4! followed by Re1-e4, Qd1-e2 and Ra1-e1 and White will soon regain her Pawn with consequences similar to those of the game.
20. exf7 Kxf7 21. Re4 Rd6 22. Qe2 Re6. A bad move, but maybe there were no good ones.
23. Re1 Rxe4 24. dxe4 Qb5

25. e5 Qxe2 26. Rxe2 Bg7 27. Nxd4. The d4-Pawn has fallen, but much worse things await Black.
27. ... c5 28. e6+ Kf6 29. Nc6 Rc8 30. Nxa7 Ra8 31. Nb5 Rxa2 32. Nc7 Ra1+ 33. Kh2 Kf5

34. g4+ Kf4. If 34. ... Kf6 then 35. f4 g5 36. f5 with unavoidable mate on d5 or e8.
35. Kg2 Rd1 36. c4 Rd3 37. Nd5+ Kg5 38. Nxe7 b5 39. f4+! 1–0.

Short history of vacations

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Anna Vadimovna Sharevich
37th Women’s Chess Olympiad; Turin, June 4, 2006
Sicilian Defence B42

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Bd3 Bc5 6. Nb3 Be7 7. c4 d6 8. Nc3 Nf6 9. 0-0 Qc7. Or, likewise, 9. ... Nbd7 10. f4 Qc7 11. Bd2 b6 12. Qe2 Bb7 13. Rae1 0-0 14. Nd4 g6 15. Kh1 Rfe8 16. Nf3 Bf8 17. e5 Nh5 18. Be4 Ng7 19. Bxb7 Qxb7 20. Ne4 d5 21. cxd5 exd5 22. Nf2 f5 23. Bc3 Ne6= 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Caruana, 2nd Ruy López International Chess Festival, Mérida 2008.
10. f4 b6 11. Bd2!? Bb7 12. Qf3 Nbd7 13. Rae1 0-0. 13. ... g6 will also bring good luck to 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán): 14. Qh3 h5 15. Nd1! b5 16. Ba5! Qb8 17. Bc3 b4 18. Bxb4 Bxe4 19. Bc3↑ 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Vitiugov, 6th Aeroflot Open, Moscow 2007.
14. Qh3 g6? Deep in her heart, White was asking nothing else than a breakpoint! More appropriated was 14. ... Rad8 15. g4 Nc5 16. Nxc5 dxc5 17. g5 Nh5 18. f5 Qd7 19. Nd5 exd5 20. cxd5 g6 21. Be2 f6 22. Bg4 Qe8 23. Bc3 Bc8? (after 23. ... fxg5 24. Bxh5 gxh5 25. f6 Bxf6 26. Bxf6 Rd6 Black’s position was still defensible) 24. Bxh5 gxh5 25. Qg2! (that’s the difference!) 25. ... fxg5 26. f6! with a crushing attack, Naiditsch – Macieja, 48th Spanish Team Chess Championship, Ciudad Real 2004.
15. f5! exf5 16. exf5 Ne5 17. Bg5 Qd8 18. Be2 Ra7 19. Qh4 Bc8. 19. ... h6 20. Qxh6 Nfg4 21. Bxe7 Nxh6 22. Bxd8 Rxd8 23. fxg6 fxg6 24. Nd4 leaves White a Pawn up with a dominating positional advantage. The text certainly does not produce better results.
20. Nd4 Rc7 21. Nf3 h6 22. Qxh6 Nfg4 23. Bxe7 Rxe7 24. Qf4 Bxf5 25. Nd4 Ree8 26. h3 Ne3 27. Qxe3 Nd3

White concludes in style:
28. Qg3! Nxe1 29. Nxf5 Nc2 30. Bd3 Nb4 31. Nh6+ Kh8 32. Nxf7+ Rxf7 33. Rxf7 g5 34. Qf3 Kg8 35. Qf5 1–0.

淘金记 (The Gold Rush)

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Valentina Valeryevna Golubenko
38th Women’s Chess Olympiad; Dresden, November 13, 2008
French Defence C18

Notes by Grandmaster Lubomir Kavalek, The Washington Post, Monday, November 17, 2008.

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. h4. One of the sharpest lines against the Winawer French besides 7. Qg4.
7. ... Qc7. After 7. ... Nbc6 8. h5 h6 9. Qg4 Rg8 10. Bd3 white is better, as played already in 1937 in the game L. Steiner – Koshnitzky.
8. Nf3. The Pawn sacrifice 8. h5 cxd4 9. cxd4 Qc3+ 10. Bd2 Qxd4 11. Nf3 Qe4+ 12. Be2 Nf5 is not entirely clear.
8. ... Nbc6 9. h5 h6 10. Bd3 Bd7. Avoiding a trap: 10. ... cxd4 11. cxd4 Nxd4? 12. Nxd4 Qc3+ 13. Qd2! Qxa1 14. c3 Nc6 15. Nb3 winning the Black Queen.
11. 0-0 0-0-0. 11. ... c4 12. Be2 f6 was played before.
12. a4 Nf5. Black should have either attacked the center with 12. ... f6 or blocked it with 12. ... f5.
13. Ba3 f6?! Too late, but after either 13. ... cxd4 14. Bxf5 exf5 15. Bd6 Qb6 16. cxd4 or 13. ... c4 14. Bxf5 exf5 15. a5 Be6 16. Bd6 Qd7 17. a6 White is better.
14. Bxc5 fxe5 15. dxe5 Qa5. After 15. ... Nxe5 16. Nxe5 Qxe5 (on 16. ... Qxc5 17. Bxf5 exf5 18. Nf7 wins) 17. Bxa7 Qxc3 18. a5 Bc6 19. Qg4 White has a clear edge.
16. Bd4. Consolidating, but 侯 (Hóu) could have played the sharp 16. Bb4!? Nxb4 17. cxb4 Qxb4 18. Bxf5 exf5 19. Nd4 Rhe8 20. Re1 Be6 21. Rb1 with a powerful attack.
16. ... g6? Trying to open files against the White King, Black makes a fatal mistake. 16. ... Rhf8 is better.
17. hxg6 Rhg8. After 17. ... Nce7 18. Nd2 Nxg6 19. Nb3 Qc7 20. Bxf5 exf5 21. e6 Bxe6 22. Bxh8 White should win.
18. Bxf5! exf5 19. Nh4 Ne7. 19. ... Be8 is met by 20. Qh5!.

20. e6! White opens the e-file and preserves the g-Pawn.
20. ... Bxe6 21. Qe2 Rd6 22. Qe5 Rc6. After 22. ... Qc7 23. Qf6 Nc6 24. Rfe1 Nxd4 25. cxd4 Qg7 26. Qxg7 Rxg7 27. Re5 white has a decisive advantage.
23. g7! Qc7 24. Qf6 f4. After 24. ... Re8 25. Qxh6 or after 24. ... Rd8 25. Rfe1 Ng8 26. Qg6 wins.
25. Rfe1 Qd7 26. Nf3 Ra6 27. Ne5 Qc7. After 27. ... Qd8 28. Nd3! Qd6 29. Nc5 wins.
28. Ng6 Nxg6 29. Rxe6 1–0. White wins the Black Knight.