The Way Through Doors

INTERVIEW WITH 侯逸凡 (HÓU YÌFÁN)

Anastasiya Valeryevna Karlovich, December 19, 2010

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán): “I will play the final as any other round”.

— Can you please tell about the match with Humpy Koneru?
— In the first game we entered the ending which was almost equal. Later Koneru played not very good and in the Bishop ending I won a Pawn and the position became almost won. In the second game we came to the Sicilian defence. I sacrificed two Pawns, maybe there was some compensation, but I am not sure if it was enough or not. I had a pair of Bishops, so maybe it was a compensation for me. There was also danger for her king...

— What was your goal before the championship? Did you think only about first place before the tournament?
— No, no... I just wanted to try my best and play good every game. Nobody put any goal.

— Who is helping you here? Do you have a coach?
— Our team has some coaches so they help all of us and me, too. This time we have coaches that help all of my team. I have no personal coach during this event.

— What is your mood before the final?
— I have just normal mood, I will play the final as any other round.

— I can see your mother in the playing hall... She always takes photos of you. Does she work for any newspaper or publish those pictures anywhere?
— No (smiles), my mother takes pictures for the home archive only.

— What is your next tournament after the World Championship?
— Maybe Gibraltar. I think so, but not for sure. Maybe I will go there.

— There are 2 Chinese players in the final and also your compatriots played very good during the event. How can you explain such a great result? Did you have any special preparation?
— We are all happy about this result, my team mates and me too. Before the Championship we had the Asian Games and another tournament. And there was some special training for our team before those events. But for the World Championship we were preparing ourselves and there was no much time to prepare exactly for it.

— How much do you train every day?
— 4-5 hours per day, except for the weekends when I train less.

— Is there any attention from the Chinese government? What do they think about your results?
— Our Leader is following our games and results, and the government is happy with our success.

Born for Chess

• 为棋而生侯逸凡 | 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán): born for chess, 华西都市报 (Huáxī Dūshì Bào), Sunday, December 26, 2010

Sunday, December 12: Youth Tournament

Photos: Mado Flynn

Wolf Girl

Tatiana Anatolyevna Kosintseva – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2009–11; 3rd stage; Nalchik, April 26, 2010
French Defence C18

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Qc7 7. Qg4 Ne7 8. Qxg7 Rg8 9. Qxh7 cxd4 10. Ne2 Nbc6 11. f4 dxc3 12. Nxc3 Nxe5?! A very dubious adventure instead of 12. ... a6! 13. Qd3 Bd7 — which is the “tabiya” of the variation.
13. Nb5 Qb8

14. Be2! Much stronger than 14. fxe5?! Qxe5+ 15. Kd1 a6= Guimard – Frydman, Buenos Aires Circulo Tournament, Buenos Aires 1941.
14. ... N5g6 15. 0-0 Bd7 16. Rb1. Even more convincing is 16. Bd3! a6 17. Bxg6 Rxg6 18. f5! Nxf5 19. Bf4 Qd8 20. Nc7+ Kf8 21. Nxa8 Qxa8 22. Bd6+ Nxd6 23. Qxg6 1 : 0 Kokarev – Turutin, 14th Master Open, Voronezh 2010.
16. ... a6 17. Nd4 Qc7 18. Bd2 0-0-0 19. Rb3 Nc6 20. Rc3 Rdf8 21. Be3 Qa5 22. Rd3 Qd8 23. Nxc6 Bxc6 24. Bc5 Nh4

25. Rg3?! The Rook does not stand too well here as it is subject to the attack of the Black Knight. Better was 25. Rf2 so as to meet 25. ... Rh8 by 26. Qg7 Nf5 27. Qe5 with the better game.
25. ... Rh8 26. Qd3 Nf5 27. Bxf8 Nxg3 28. Qxg3 Qxf8 29. Qc3 Rg8 30. Bf3 Qd6 31. Qb4 Kc7. Black could also exchange Queens with a tenable endgame.
32. h4 f6 33. h5 e5

34. fxe5 Qxe5? After this grave mistake, White has no difficulty in penetrating into her opponent’s camp. Correct was 34. ... fxe5! with a well-defended game.
35. Re1 Qg3 36. Rf1 Qe5 37. Qh4 Bb5 38. Re1 Qf5 39. Kh1 Rg7 40. Qh2+ Kb6 41. Qd6+ Ka7 42. Qc5+ b6 43. Re7+ Rxe7 44. Qxe7+ Qd7 45. Qxd7+ Bxd7 46. Bxd5 Bf5 47. c4 b5 48. cxb5 axb5 49. Bg8 Kb6 50. h6 Ka5 51. h7 Bxh7 52. Bxh7 Ka4 53. Bd3 1 : 0.

“Today’s game was difficult and interesting. I was successful with the chess opening and received a big overweight in time. The position remained difficult and dynamic. In the endgame the Black made a mistake by taking the Pawn on e5 by the Queen. Black came in troubles and after a couple of mistakes I won”, Kosintseva finally said. Photo: FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2009–11.

Cantonese Opera

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Nafisa Muminova
16th Asian Games — Women’s Team Standard; 广州 (Guǎngzhōu), November 26, 2010
French Defence C11

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 c5 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Be3 Be7 8. Qd2 0-0 9. Be2 b6 10. Nd1 cxd4 11. Nxd4 Bb7 12. 0-0 Nc5 13. Nf2 (13. Nxc6 Bxc6 14. Bd4 Ne4 15. Qe3 Bc5 16. Nf2 f5 17. Nxe4 Bxd4 18. Nf6+ Qxf6 19. Qxd4 Qe7 20. Rad1 Rac8 21. c3 Rc7 22. Rf2 ½ : ½ Kokarev – Volkov, 9th European Chess Individual Championship, Plovdiv 2008) 13. ... f6 (13. ... f5 14. exf6) 14. exf6 Bxf6 15. c3 e5 16. Nxc6 Bxc6 17. Ng4 Ne4 18. Qd3 exf4 19. Rxf4 Bg5 20. Rxf8+ Qxf8 21. Bd4 Qe7 22. Rf1⩲ Rf8?! 23. Rxf8+ Kxf8 24. Ne5 Bb7?! (24. ... Be8) 25. Qh3

25. ... Kg8? (25. ... g6 26. Bg4 Ke8) 26. Bg4!+− (Δ 27. Be6+ Kf8 28. Ng6+!) 26. ... Qd6 27. Bc8 Nc5 28. b4 Be3+ 29. Bxe3 Qxe5 30. bxc5 Qxc3 31. Qe6+ 1 : 0.

Plus One

Carla Heredia Serrano – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)

Women’s World Chess Championship Knockout Tournament; match game 2; Antakya, December 5, 2010

Sicilian Defence B80

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. g3 Nc6 7. Bg2 Bd7 8. 0-0 Be7 9. a4 0-0 10. Nxc6 bxc6 11. b3 e5 12. Ba3 Be6. 12. ... Qc7 13. h3 Rfe8 14. Qe2 Rad8 15. Rad1 Bc8 16. Rfe1 a5 is also quite comfortable for Black, Camacho Collados – Cacho Reigadas, 74th Spanish Chess Championship, Palma de Mallorca 2009. 13. Qd2 Qc7 14. h3 Rad8 15. Rad1 d5 16. Bxe7 Qxe7 17. exd5 cxd5 18. Rfe1 d4 19. Ne4 Nxe4 20. Rxe4 f6 21. Re2 Rc8 22. Rde1? Really too slow. 22. f4! was an imperative must.

22. ... Rc3! 23. Kh2 Rfc8 24. Be4 Qd7 25. g4 f5!? 25. ... h5! was also very strong. 26. gxf5 Bxf5 27. Bd3 e4? But no, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) is too hasty. 27. ... h6! would have put White into a kind of zugzwang. 28. Bxe4? White returns the courtesy. The Exchange sacrifice 28. Rxe4! Bxe4 29. Rxe4 offered enough dynamic compensation to hope for a draw. 28. ... Qd6+ 29. Kg1 Qg6+ 30. Bg2. Sadly forced to avoid mate, but now Black can play the cat-and-mouse game. 30. ... Bxh3 31. f4 Rg3 32. Rf1 Bxg2 33. Rxg2 Rxc2 34. Qxc2 Qxc2 35. Rxg3 d3 36. Re3 d2 37. Re8+ Kf7 38. Rd8 Qg6+ 39. Kh2 Qh5+ 40. Kg3 Qe2 41. Rg1 h5 42. Rd7+ Ke6 43. Rxg7 d1=Q 44. Rxd1 Qxd1 45. Kh4 Qh1+ 46. Kg5 Qg2+ 47. Kh6 Qxg7+ 48. Kxg7 Kf5 0 : 1.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) did not need to overwork to go through the next round. Photo: Turkish Chess Federation.

Kung Fu Girl

Chinese girl prodigy 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) doing martial art exercises with a 少林寺 (Shàolín Monastery)’s master in 三亚 (Sānyà), 海南省 (Hǎinán Island), China, November 9, 2010. Photo: Sina Sports.

Shall We Play Fischerandom Chess?

Villa San Lorenzo · Sesto Fiorentino, lunedì 29 novembre 2010
Foto: Giovanni Lucci

Meditatio

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Francisco Vallejo Pons
71st Corus Chess Tournament (B Group); Wijk aan Zee, January 31, 2009
Sicilian Defence B30

Notes by 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), 国际象棋新闻, November 10, 2010.

This is the third consecutive time I have had the honour of participating at Wijk aan Zee Tournament. I thank very much the organisers for giving me such a precious opportunity. I never played before against Vallejo. My first impression of him came from the 1st “Pearl Spring” Chess Tournament held in 南京 (Nánjīng) a while ago, where he served as Topalov’s second.
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 g6 5. e5 Ng4 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. h3 Nh6 8. g4. Dominating the h6-Knight. Another way is 8. Ne4 b6 9. d3 Nf5 10. 0–0 Bg7 11. Re1 0–0 12. b3 Nd4 13. Bb2 f5 14. exf6 exf6 15. Ned2 Ne6 16. Nc4 Qc7 17. Qd2 Nf4 18. Re4 Nd5 19. Rae1 Bf5 20. R4e2 ½ : ½ M. Adams – Illescas Cordoba, 48th Spanish Team Chess Championship — División de Honor, Cala Mayor 2008.
8. ... Bg7 (8. ... f5 9. g5 Nf7 10. d3 Be6 11. Qe2 Bg7 12. h4 Bd5 13. Nxd5 Qxd5 14. c4 Qe6 15. Bf4 h6 16. 0-0-0 Rd8 17. Kc2 Kf8 18. Rhg1 hxg5 19. Bxg5 Bh6 20. Bxh6+ Rxh6 21. d4 b6 22. dxc5 Rxd1 23. Rxd1 bxc5 24. b3 f4 25. Qe4 Rh5 26. Qxf4 Qf5+ 27. Qxf5 Rxf5 28. Rd3 Ke8 29. Kd2 Nxe5 30. Nxe5 Rxe5 31. Re3 Rf5 32. Ke2 Kf7 33. Rd3 Ke8 34. Rf3 Rh5 35. Rf4 Re5+ 36. Kf3 Re1 37. Re4 Ra1 38. Re6 Rxa2 39. Rxg6 Rb2 40. Rxc6 Rxb3+ 41. Kg4 a5 42. Rxc5 a4 43. f4 ½ : ½ Khalifman – Lautier, 64th Corus Chess Tournament, Wijk aan Zee 2002)
9. d3 f5 10. exf6. Another standard strategy in such a situation is 10. g5 Nf7 11. Bf4 closing the Kingide, with a future view to attack along the h-file by h3-h4-h5.
10. ... exf6 11. Qe2+

11. ... Kf7. A plot twist along the way: it just seems that my opponent is in a fighting mood. Perhaps it was now steadier 11. ... Qe7!? 12. Qxe7+ Kxe7 13. Be3 b6 14. d4 (14. 0–0–0 Nxg4! — a move I overlooked on the spot — 15. hxg4 Bxg4 16. Nd2 Bxd1 17. Rxd1 h5 and with the two Pawns for the half-piece Black has some compensation) 14. ... cxd4 (14. ... c4 15. 0–0–0 Kf7 16. Ne4 Rd8 17. Nxf6!±) 15. Nxd4 c5 16. Ndb5 Bb7 17. 0–0 Nf7 with chances for both sides. For example: 18. Rae1 Ne5 19. f4 Nf3+ 20. Rxf3 Bxf3 21. Kf2 Bc6 22. Bxc5+ Kd8 23. Nxa7 bxc5 24. Nxc6+ Kd7 25. Re7+ Kxc6 26. Rxg7⯹.
12. Be3 Re8 13. 0-0-0 Kg8 14. d4. At the time I also considered the more seductive 14. Qd2 Nf7 15. Bxc5 Qa5 16. Be3 f5! (16. ... Be6 17. Kb1 b5 18. a3 is complex: Black has compensation but not necessarily an adequate one for the sacrificed Pawn) 17. Rdg1 b5⇄ — but it seemed to me that Black’s gambit would yield a powerful attack, so I didn’t accept it.
14. ... cxd4 15. Nxd4 Qc7 16. Rhe1 Nf7 17. Qc4 Qh2. 17. ... Bd7 18. Ndb5 Qd8 19. Nd6 Be6 20. Nxe8 Bxc4 21. Rxd8 Nxd8 22. Ne4! — Black is about to lose a Pawn, with White on top.
18. Nce2 Qxh3 19. Nf4 Qxg4 20. Rg1 Qd7 21. Nde6

21. ... Qe7. After this move, Black’s game is hopeless. I think maybe he should play 21. ... Qxe6!? 22. Nxe6 Bxe6 23. Qc3 Ne5 24. f4 Nd7 25. Qb4 and in spite of White’s material advantage there is still a long way to go before victory comes.
Now there was another option: 21. ... b5 22. Qc3! b4 23. Qxb4 Qe7 24. Bc5 Qb7 25. Qxb7 Bxb7 26. Nxg7 Kxg7 27.Nh5++−.
22. Nxg7 Kxg7 23. Nh5+ Kh8 24. Bc5 Qe6 (24. ... Ne5 25. Qf4 Qf7 26. Qxf6+ Qxf6 27. Nxf6+−)

25. Rge1! Qxe1 (25. ... Ne5 26. Qxe6 Bxe6 27. Nxf6+−)
26. Qxf7 Qxd1+ 27. Kxd1 Bg4+ 28. Kd2 Rad8+ 29. Kc3 Bxh5 30. Bd4! Yet now White could simply play 30. Be7 Rxe7 31. Qxe7 Rg8 32. Qxb7+− — victory is a question of time only.
30. ... Rxd4 31. Qxe8+ 1 : 0.

Anna & Pietro

Villa San Lorenzo · Sesto Fiorentino, lunedì 29 novembre 2010
Foto: Giovanni Lucci

Group Chess Class

Villa San Lorenzo · Sesto Fiorentino, lunedì 29 novembre 2010 Foto: Giovanni Lucci

The Far East

Lilit Maratovna Mkrtchian – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
4th North Urals Cup; Krasnoturinsk, July 29, 2006
Sicilian Defence B66

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 Be7 8. 0-0-0 Nxd4 9. Qxd4 a6 10. f4 b5 11. Bxf6 gxf6 12. e5 d5 13. Kb1 Bb7 14. f5 fxe5 15. Qxe5 Bf6 16. Qg3 Qe7 17. fxe6 fxe6 18. Be2 0-0-0 19. Bg4 h5 20. Bh3 Rhg8!? A novelty aimed at improving on 20. ... h4 21. Qf4 Bg7 22. Rhe1 Rh6 23. a3! Rg6 24. Bxe6+! Rxe6 25. Qg4 Rd6 26. Rxe6 Qxe6 27. Qxg7+− Kasparov – Ivanchuk, 5th Frankfurt Chess Classic, “Siemens Nixdorf Giants” Tournament, Frankfurt 1998 (time control: 25 minutes).
21. Qf4 Rgf8. 21. ... Bxc3 22. bxc3 Qd6 23. Qd4 Kb8 seems more solid, but the text should also be playable for Black.
22. Rhe1 Bxc3 23. Rxe6 Rxf4 24. Rxe7+ Kb8 25. bxc3 Rf2

26. Rd4. 26. Kb2! d4! also appears to give Black good compensation.
26. ... Rdf8? This is the losing move. Best was 26. ... Bc8! 27. Bxc8 Rxc8 28. Rxd5 Rxg2 29. Rxh5 Rxc3 with a likely draw.
27. Rh4+− Rd2 (27. ... Rh8 28. Rg7+−)
28. Rxh5 Rf1+ 29. Kb2 Rff2 30. Bf5 a5 31. Rh8+ Ka7 32. g4 Rde2 33. Rg7 b4 34. Rhh7 bxc3+ 35. Kxc3 Rf3+ 36. Kb2 1 : 0.

Staircase

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Lê Thanh Tú

6th “雅戈尔杯” “Youngor Cup” Chinese Chess League; 杭州 (Hángzhōu), October 15, 2010

Caro-Kann Defence B19

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. h4 h6 7. Nf3 Nd7 8. h5 Bh7 9. Bd3 Bxd3 10. Qxd3 e6 11. Bd2 Ngf6 12. 0-0-0 Be7 13. Kb1 0-0 14. Ne4 c5 15. g4 Nxg4 16. Qe2 Qb6 17. Ne5

17. ... Ngxe5? A grave mistake which enables White to carry on a mating attack thru the open g-file. Correct was 17. ... Ndxe5 18. dxe5 f5! (18. ... Nxe5? transposes to the game).
18. dxe5 (Δ Bd2xh6)
18. ... Nxe5 19. Rhg1 Kh8. No better is 19. ... Rfd8 20. Bxh6 Qa6 21. Rxd8+ Rxd8 22. Qe1 Nf3 23. Qc3 e5 24. Rxg7+ Kh8 25. Qxf3 Qf1+ 26. Bc1 Kxg7 27. h6+ Kf8 28. h7 Kg7 29. Ng3 Qd1 30. Nh5+ Kh8 31. Qxf7 1 : 0 Negi – del Rio de Angelis, 66th Lliga Catalana d’Escacs, Montcada i Reixac 2009. 20. Bc3 f6 21. f4 Nc6 (21. ... Nf7 22. Qg4+−)

22. Rxg7! Rad8 (22. ... Kxg7 23. Qg4+ Kh8 24. Qg6+−)
23. Rdg1 Nd4 24. Bxd4 cxd4 25. Qg4 Ba3 26. Rh7+! 1 : 0.

黑海 (Black Sea)

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Alisa Mikhailovna Galliamova
8th Russian Women’s Team Chess Championship; Dagomys, May 11, 2007
Sicilian Defence B84

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Be2 a6 7. 0-0 Qc7 8. a4 Be7 9. f4 0-0 10. Kh1 Nbd7. 10. ... Nc6 11. Be3 Re8 was invariably preferred by Garry Kimovich Kasparov in his World Chess Championship matches with Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov and Viswanathan Anand.
11. Bf3 Re8 12. g4 Nf8 13. g5 N6d7 14. Bg2 b6 15. f5 Bb7 16. Qg4 Ne5 17. Qh3 Qc4

18. Be3!? 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)’s move (indeed a novelty) may be even stronger than the previously played 18. Nce2, which yet was strong enough to give White a winning game: 18. ... f6 19. Ra3 fxg5 20. Rc3 Qxa4 21. Rc7 Bc8 22. Qh5 Bd7 23. Bxg5 Bxg5 24. Qxg5 Nf7 25. Qg3 Rad8 26. b3 Qa5 27. fxe6? (27. Nf4+−) 27. ... Nxe6 28. Nxe6 Rxe6 29. Nf4 Rf6 30. Nd5 Rxf1+ 31. Bxf1 Qa1 32. Kg2 b5 ½ : ½ Kindermann – K. I. Georgiev, 12th International Tournament, Plovdiv 1984.
18. ... Bd8? After this White’s attack rolls on. 18. ... Bxg5 19. Bxg5 Qxd4 was critical and best, although after 20. f6 Nfg6 21. fxg7 Rac8 22. Rae1 White retains excellent attacking chances.
19. f6 Nfg6 20. Nce2 Qc7 21. Ng3 gxf6 22. gxf6 Nd7

23. Nh5. 23. Qh6! Nxf6 (or 23. ... Bxf6 24. Nh5!+−) 24. Ndf5!+− was another way to do it.
23. ... Kh8 24. Bh6 Qc4 25. Bg7+ Kg8 26. Qe3 Nde5 27. h3 Nh4 28. Qh6 1 : 0. For after 28. ... Qxd4 29. Bf8 mate follows in a very few moves.

Momentaneamente altrove

Overnight train to Shanghai from Beijing
Foto: Isadora Duncan

Anna

Group Chess Class

Nanotechnology

Villa San Lorenzo · Sesto Fiorentino, lunedì 25 ottobre

Il Dr. Giovanni Lucci analizza con il suo potente microprocessore

Pietro & Federico

Giacomo & Anna

Lunedì 25 ottobre

Queen of Tomorrow

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – 许昱华 (Xǔ Yùhua)
FIDE Women's Grand Prix 2009–11; 5th stage; Ulaanbaatar, August 1, 2010
French Defence C07

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 c5 4. Ngf3 cxd4 5. exd5 Qxd5 6. Bc4 Qd6 7. 0-0 Nf6 8. Nb3 Nc6 9. Nfxd4 Nxd4 10. Nxd4 a6 11. Re1 Bd7 12. Bg5 0-0-0 13. Re3 Bc6 14. Rd3 Be4 15. Rd2TN (15. Nb5 Qe7 16. Na7+ Kc7 17. Bf4+ e5 18. Be3 Bxd3 19. cxd3 Kb8 20. Rc1 Qd6 21. Bxf7 Be7 22. Qb3 Qb4 23. Qc2 Qd6 24. h3 Nd7 25. Qb3 Qb4 26. Qe6 Qd6 27. Qb3 Qb4 28. Qe6 Qd6 ½ : ½ Shirov – Sutovsky, 10th Karpov International Tournament, Poikovsky 2009)
15. ... Qc7? A catastrophic tactical blunder. ⌓ 15. ... Qb6 16. c3 Bd6 was much better.

16. Nxe6! Rxd2 17. Qxd2 Qd6. Clearly not 17. ... Qxc4?? on account of 18. Qd8# nor 17. ... fxe6 because of 18. Bxe6+ Nd7 (18. ... Kb8 19. Bf4 skewers King and Queen) 19. Rd1 winning material.
18. Nxf8 Qxd2 19. Bxd2 Rxf8 20. f3. White has emerged with an extra Pawn and a powerful Bishop pair, which proved enough for 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) to secure the win.
20. ... Bg6 21. c3 Rd8 22. Be3 Nd5 23. Bd4 Nf4 24. Re1 b5 25. Bf1 Nd3 26. Re2 Nc1 27. Rd2 Nxa2. Black has finally won back the Pawn, but her Knight ended up being stalemated.

28. Be3 Rxd2 29. Bxd2 Kb7 30. Kf2 Kc6 31. Ke3 a5 32. b4 axb4 33. cxb4 f6 34. Kd4 Bf7 35. Bd3 h5 36. h4 g6 37. g3 g5 38. f4 g4 39. Be4+ Kd6 40. Bc2 Kc6 41. Bd3 1 : 0. Black is in zugzwang.

It took only one mistake to turn a book line into a nightmare. Photo: FIDE Women's Grand Prix 2009–11.

Momentaneamente altrove

On the way to Bādálǐng
Foto: Isadora Duncan

Fasthand

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – 张鹏翔 (Zhāng Péngxiáng)
40th Chinese Chess Championship; 兴化 (Xīnghuà), June 4, 2009
Sicilian Defence B45

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 e6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nf6 6. Be2 Bb4 7. 0-0 Bxc3 8. bxc3 Nxe4 9. Qd3 d5 10. Ba3

10. ... f5! A novelty in place of 10. ... Ne7 and 10. ... Qa5:
a) 10. ... Ne7 11. c4 0-0 12. cxd5 exd5 13. c4 Be6? (⌓ 13. ... Re8 14. Rad1 Ng6) 14. Bf3± Em. Lasker – N. N., 32-board simultaneous exhibition, Groningen 1923;
b) 10. ... Qa5 11. Nb5 a6 12. Nd6+ Nxd6 13. Bxd6 Qd8?! (13. ... Ne7! may be a critical improvement) 14. Qg3! with a powerful initiative, Gashimov – Belikov, 22nd Cappelle-la-Grande Open, Cappelle-la-Grande 2006.
11. f3 Nxd4 12. Qxd4 Nf6 13. c4 Kf7 14. cxd5 exd5 15. g4 Re8 16. Bd3 fxg4 17. fxg4 Kg8 18. Rf4 Be6 19. Raf1 Qb6 20. Bc5 Qc7 21. Qf2

21. ... Rac8 22. Bxa7 Ne4 23. Qe3 Nc5 24. Bxc5 Qxc5 25. Qxc5 Rxc5= 26. Rb1 Rc7 27. g5 Bf7 28. Rfb4 Ree7 29. Kf2 Bg6 30. R1b2 Kf7 31. Rf4+ Ke6 32. Ke3 Ke5 33. h4

33. ... Rc3 34. Rb5 Bxd3 ½ : ½. For after 35. cxd3 Rxd3+ 36. Kxd3 Kxf4 37. Rxd5 a draw is inevitable.

The Invisible Hand

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – 王瑜 (Wáng Yú)
6th “雅戈尔杯” “Youngor Cup” Chinese Chess League; 上海 (Shànghǎi), July 25, 2010
Spanish Game C78

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 7. c3 d6 8. d3 h6 9. Be3 Bg4 10. Nbd2 Qd7. A very old game continued 10. ... Ne7 and after 11. Bxc5 dxc5 12. Bxf7+ Kf8 13. Bb3 Qxd3 14. Bc2 Qd6 15. Qe2 Ng6 16. Qe3 Be6 17. Rfd1 Qe7 18. Nb3 Bxb3 19. axb3 Kf7 20. h3 Rhf8 21. Ra5 Kg8 22. Rda1 Qd6 23. c4 White finally won a Pawn, Blackburne – Skipworth, International Chess Tournament, London 1883.
11. h3 Bxe3 12. fxe3 Be6 13. Bc2 d5 14. exd5 Nxd5 15. Qe1 0-0 16. Ne4 Qe7 17. d4 Rae8 18. Nc5 Bc8 19. Qf2 Qd6 20. Rae1 Re7 21. Nh4 Rfe8 22. Bf5 exd4 23. exd4 Rxe1 24. Rxe1 Rxe1+ 25. Qxe1

25. ... Bxf5?? After various vicissitudes, Black had managed to avoid the worst, and now after 25. ... Qd8 she could still have hoped for a draw. Instead, the text blunder loses at once:
26. Nxf5 Qf6 27. Qe8+ Kh7 28. Qe4 g6 29. Qxd5 gxf5 30. Nd7 Qe7 31. Qxc6 Qe3+ 32. Kh2 Qf4+ 33. g3 1 : 0.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán): one hand cups her cheek, and the other finds the best move. Photo: 樊璐璐 (Fán Lùlù)/Sina Sports.

The Portrait of a Miss

Clarice Benini did not deny herself anything in her time at “Aprile Scacchistico Milanese” in 1938. Besides participation in the 1st Italian Women’s Chess Championship as well as in the Blitz Tournament, she finally took part in the simultaneous exhibition given by Henri Grob, resulting among the seven players who managed to save their skin. Results: Grob +19 =6 (Miss Benini, Carena, Ciampoli, Castiglioni, Del Vecchio, Surace) –1 (Frezza). The source is L’Italia Scacchistica, April 1938, p. 86.

Overland Through Asia

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Juliana Sayumi Terao
39th Women’s Chess Olympiad; Khanty-Mansiysk, September 21, 2010
Sicilian Defence B43

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Qf3 d6 7. Be3 Nf6 8. Bd3 Nbd7 9. 0-0 b6. Maybe 9. ... Ne5!? 10. Qg3 h5!? deserved consideration here.
10. Rae1 Bb7 11. Qg3 g6 12. f4 Bg7 13. Kh1 0-0 14. f5! e5 15. Nf3 b5 16. a3 Rfe8 17. Ng5 Nc5. 17. ... h6 18. Nxf7!? (18. fxg6 hxg5 19. gxf7+ Kxf7 20. Bxg5 Rf8 21. Nd5 Bxd5 22. exd5 Kg8 23. Bf5 Nh7 24. Be7 seems also good enough) 18. ... g5 19. Nxg5! hxg5 20. Qxg5 leaves White with three Pawns for the Knight and attack.
18. fxg6 fxg6 19. Bxc5 dxc5 20. Nd5 Nxd5? Thus the only defender of the Kingside leaves the board.
20. ... Bxd5 21. exd5 c4 22. Be4! wasn’t appealing, but Black had nothing better to do.
21. exd5 Bxd5

22. Nxh7!+− Re7. If 22. ... Kxh7 then 23. Qxg6+ followed by mate.
23. Qxg6 1 : 0.

双皮奶 (Double skin milk)

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – 沈阳 (Shěn Yáng)

6th “雅戈尔杯” “Youngor Cup” Chinese Chess League; 广州 (Guǎngzhōu), September 10, 2010

Spanish Game C65

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. e5 Ne4 6. 0-0 Be7 7. Nxd4 a6!? 8. Nxc6!? If 8. Ba4 then (by transposition) 8. ... 0-0 9. Nf5 d5 10. exd6 Bxf5 11. dxe7 Nxe7= Ljubojević – Karpov, International Tournament, Milan 1975.
8 . ... bxc6? (⌓ 8. ... dxc6!)
9. Bd3 Nc5

10. Qg4! g6?! (10. ... Kf8!? 11. Qf3 d5)
11. Bh6! d5 12. Qg3 Rb8 13. b3 Nxd3 14. cxd3 c5? (⌓ 14. ... Rb4!? 15. f4 Bf5)
15. Nc3 Bf5 16. Rac1 Qd7 17. Na4 Qb5 18. Rfd1 Be6

19. Bg7 Rg8 20. Bf6 Bf8 21. h3 g5 22. h4 g4 23. d4! c4 (23. ... cxd4 24. Rxc7+−)
24. Nc3 Qb4 25. bxc4 Qxc4

26. Bg5! Clearing the f6-square for the Knight.
26. ... Rg6 27. Ne4 Qxa2 28. h5 Rxg5 29. Nxg5 Bh6 30. Nxe6 fxe6 31. Rxc7 Qe2 32. Rf1 1 : 0.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), a star in the limelight. Photo: 樊璐璐 (Fán Lùlù).

Alone in a Crowd

周唯奇 (Zhōu Wéiqí) – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
45th Chinese Chess Championship; 兴化 (Xīnghuà), May 26, 2010
Queen’s Gambit Declined D38

1. d4 e6 2. c4 d5 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bg5 h6 7. Bxf6 Qxf6 8. Qb3 c5 9. dxc5 Bxc3+ 10. bxc3 0-0 11. Nd4 Be6 12. Qxb7 (12. Qa3 Rc8 13. e3 Nd7 14. c6 bxc6 15. Ba6 Rcb8 16. 0-0 Rb6 17. Be2 Qg6 18. Nxe6 Qxe6 19. Rab1 Rab8 20. Rb3 Nf6 21. Bd1 Qd7 22. Bf3 ½ : ½ Ivanchuk – Mitkov, 5th World Team Chess Championship, Yerevan 2001) 12. ... Nd7 13. c6 Rab8 14. Qxa7 (13. Qb4 Rab8 14. Qa3 Rfc8 15. e3 Qg6 leaves Black with powerful compensation: 16. f3 Nxc5 17. Kf2 Qf6 18. Rc1 Qe7 19. Kg1 Bd7 20. Re1 Rb1 21. Re2 Rcb8 22. g4 h5 23. h3 Qh4 24. Kg2 Nd3 25. Qd6 Ne1+ 26. Kg1 R8b6 27. Qe5 Rd1 28. Rhh2 Nd3 29. Qc7 Rbb1 0 : 1 Akobian – Mitkov, 17th Open, Chicago 2008) 14. ... Ra8 15. Qc7 Ne5 16. e3. Not 16. f3 on account of 16. ... Qf4! 17. Nxe6 Qe3! with irresistible attack (18. Nxf8 Nd3+ 19. Kd1 Rxa2!−+). 16. ... Rfc8

17. Qb6? This just opens the doors to Black’s breakthrough. Correct was 17. Qd6! Rxc6 18. Qb4 (18. Nxc6? Ng4!−+) 18. ... Ng4 19. Qb2 Rxc3! 20. Bb5 Rb3! 21. axb3 Qxf2+ 22. Qxf2 Rxa1+ 23. Ke2 Ra2+ with approximate equality. 17. ... Rcb8 18. Qc5 Rb2 19. f4 Rxg2 20. 0-0-0 Rgxa2 21. Be2 Nc4 22. Bxc4 dxc4 23. Rhg1 Ra1+ 24. Kd2 R8a2+ 25. Nc2 Rxd1+ 0 : 1.

Half a Day Off

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – 诸宸 (Zhū Chén)
FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2009–11; 5th stage; Ulaanbaatar, August 7, 2010
Spanish Game C60

The gifted young 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) felt sick (probably due to food poisoning) before the eight round and played her game against 诸宸 (Zhū Chén) on the day off. 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nge7 4. c3 a6 5. Ba4 g6 6. d4 exd4 7. cxd4 b5 8. Bb3 Bg7 9. a4 b4 10. 0-0 Na5 11. Bc2 d6 12. Nbd2 0-0 13. Nb3 Nec6 14. h3 Nxb3 15. Bxb3 Na5 16. Ba2 Bb7 17. Bg5 Qb8? After this, Black immediately falls into a lost land. Correct was 17. ... Qd7! 18. Re1 Rae8 with a tenable game. 18. Re1 Re8 19. Bd2 c5 20. Rc1 Qa7. Now 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) unleashes the potency of her attack: 21. dxc5 dxc5 22. Ng5 Rf8 23. Be3 Rac8

24. Bxf7+. Of course 24. Nxf7 is also winning for White. 24. ... Kh8. Not 24. ... Rxf7 25. Nxf7 Kxf7 on account of 26. Qd7+ Kg8 27. Rxc5! winning handily. 25. Rxc5 Rxc5 26. Ne6. The elegant Queen sacrifice 26. Qd4!+− seems to be an even more effective finisher. 26. ... Qb8 27. Nxf8 Qxf8 28. Bxc5 Qxc5 29. Qd8+ Bf8 30. Rd1 Kg7 31. Bd5 Bc8 32. Qe8 Be7 33. Qf7+ Kh6 34. Qf4+ Bg5 35. Qg3 Qc2 36. Qf3 Qc5 37. g3 Qe7 38. h4 Bf6 39. Qe3+ Kg7 40. Qb6 Qd8 41. Qxb4 Nc6 42. Qc5 Bg4 43. Rc1 Ne7 44. Qc7 Qxc7 45. Rxc7 Kf8 46. b4 Be5 47. Ra7 Bc3 48. Rxa6 Nxd5 49. exd5 Bxb4 50. Rf6+ 1 : 0.

Momentaneamente altrove

Tempio di Confucio, Shànghăi
Foto: Isadora Duncan