The Woman in the Wood

倪华 (Ní Huá) – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
40th Chinese Chess Championship; 兴化 (Xīnghuà), June 5, 2009
Sicilian Defence B50

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nf6 4. dxc5 Qa5+ 5. Nc3 Nxe4 6. cxd6 Nxc3 7. bxc3 exd6 8. Bd3 Be7 9. 0-0 Nc6. After 9. ... 0-0 10. Rb1 Nd7 (or 10. ... Qxa2 11. Bg5 Nc6 12. Re1↑ Yandemirov – Dubinsky, Smolensk 1997) 11. Re1 Bf6 12. Rb5 Qxa2 13. Ng5↑ White’s initiative more than compensate for the Pawn, Benjamin – Kudrin, 4th Toronto International Open, Toronto 1998. 10. Re1 0-0 11. Rb1 Qc7TN 12. Be4 Bg4 13. Qd3

13. ... Kh8? (⌓ 13. ... Bxf3 14. Qxf3 Rab8⩲) 14. Nd4 Nxd4. Now after both 14. ... Rab8 15. Bxc6 bxc6 16. Rxb8 Rxb8 17. Qe4 and 14. ... Ne5 15. Rxb7! White would win at least a Pawn. 15. cxd4 f5

16. Rxb7 Qa5 (16. ... fxe4 17. Qxe4+−) 17. Qd2 Qxd2 18. Bxd2 Bf6 19. Bd5 h6 (19. ... Bxd4 20. h3 Bh5 21. Rb4 Bc5 22. Rh4 Bf7 23. Bxa8+−) 20. c3+− Rae8 21. f3 Bh5 22. Rxa7 Rxe1+ 23. Bxe1 Re8 24. Ra8 Bd8 25. Kf1 Kh7 26. Bc6 Rf8 27. a4 Bf7 28. d5 f4 29. a5 Bg6 30. Ke2 1-0