Wednesday, October 21, 2009

In Between Time

Ljubomir Ljubojević – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
4th NH Chess Tournament; Rising Stars vs. Experience; Amsterdam, August 28, 2009
Queen’s Gambit Declined D38

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Bg5 Nbd7 6. Qa4 c5 7. cxd5 exd5 8. dxc5 Bxc3+ 9. bxc3 0-0 10. Qb4 h6 11. Bh4 Re8 12. Nd4!?TN (12. e3 a5 13. Qa3 Qe7 14. Bb5 g5 15. Bg3 Nxc5 16. 0-0 Nce4 17. Qb2 Bd7 18. Bd3 Rac8 19. Qxb7 Nxg3 20. hxg3 Rxc3 21. Bb5 Bxb5 22. Qxb5 Qb4 23. a4 Rb8 24. Qe2 Qc4 25. Qd1 Qd3 26. Qe1 Rb2 27. Rd1 ½ : ½ Gelfand – Alekseev, 42nd International Chess Festival, Biel/Bienne 2009) 12. ... a5 13. Qb5 Qc7 14. Bg3 Qxc5 15. Qxc5 Nxc5 16. f3 Bd7 17. Kd2 b5 18. e3 b4 19. cxb4 axb4 20. Be2 Ra5 21. Rhb1 Rea8 22. Rb2 b3 23. Nxb3 Nxb3+ 24. Rxb3 Rxa2+ 25. Rxa2 Rxa2+ 26. Ke1 Bf5


27. Rb5. If nothing else, 27. Be5 Nd7 28. Bd4 h5 29. Rb7⩲ was — at least symbolically — a bit more promising for White compared to the text, which leads to a dead equal endgame. 27. ... Ra3 28. Kf2 Ra2 29. Kf1 Ra3 30. Bf4 Ra1+ 31. Kf2 Ra2 32. Be5 Bd3 33. Rb2 Rxb2 34. Bxb2 Bxe2 35. Kxe2 Ne8 36. Be5 f6 37. Bb8 h5 38. g4 g6 39. Kd3 Kf7 40. Kd4 Ke6 41. h3 hxg4 42. fxg4 g5 43. Kc5 Ng7 44. Kc6 Ne8 45. Bg3 Ng7 46. Bc7 Ne8 47. Bd8 Ng7 48. Bb6 Ne8 49. Bd4 Ng7 50. Bc5 Ne8 51. Bf8 Kf7 52. Bd6 Ke6 53. Bb8 Ng7 54. Bg3 Ne8 55. h4 gxh4 56. Bxh4 Ng7 57. Bg3 f5 58. g5 Nh5 59. Bc7 f4 60. exf4 d4 61. Kc5 d3 62. Ba5 Nxf4 ½ : ½.

The young Chinese prodigy defended long and well her beloved Ragozin Variation. Photo courtesy of Sina Sports.