Generation Games

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Alexander Genrikhovich Beliavsky
3rd NH Chess Tournament; Amsterdam, August 23, 2009
Philidor Defence C41

1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 e5 4. Nf3 Nbd7 5. Bc4 Be7 6. 0-0 0-0 7. Re1 c6 8. a4 a5 9. Ba2 h6 10. h3 Nh7 11. Be3 Ng5 12. Qe2 Nxf3+ 13. Qxf3 Bg5 14. Rad1 Qe7!? Probably sounder than the Pawn hunting by 14. ... Bxe3 15. Qxe3 Qb6∞ Spoelman – Reinderman, 46th SchaakFestival, Groningen 2008. 15. Ne2 g6 16. Ng3 Kg7 17. Qe2 Nf6 18. Qd2 Nh7 19. f4 exf4 20. Bxf4 Bd7 21. Rf1 h5 22. Rde1 Bxf4 23. Rxf4 Ng5? (23. ... h4 24. Nf1 Rae8 25. Nh2 f5) 24. h4. Even stronger appears to be 24. e5! d5 25. Rf6 Nh7 26. Ref1! with overwhelming effect. 24. ... Ne6? Black’s best was to play 24. ... Nh7, eventually followed by ... f7-f6.

25. Nf5+!+− gxf5 26. exf5 d5 27. f6+ Qxf6 28. Rxf6 Kxf6 29. c4 dxc4 30. Bxc4 Rg8 31. Qf2+ Ke7 32. d5 cxd5 33. Qc5+ Kd8 34. Qxd5 Kc8 35. Bb5 Bxb5 36. axb5 Kc7 37. Rf1 Rg7

38. Rxf7+! Rxf7 39. b6+! 1 : 0. For after 39. ... Kc8 40. Qxe6+ Rd7 41. Qf5! mate in three follows.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) played a superb attacking game to breakthrough into Beliavsky’s Philidor Defence. Photo courtesy of Zsuzsa Polgár/Chess Daily News.