One Among Many

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Matvei Dmitrievich Shcherbin
5th Ugra Governor’s Cup; Khanty-Mansiysk, November 24, 2009
Sicilian Defence B40

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Nc3 Qb6 6. Na4 Qa5+ 7. c3 Bxd4 8. Qxd4 Nf6 9. Nc5 Nc6 10. Qe3 0-0 11. Nb3 Qc7 12. Bd3 Ne5 13. Be2 Qc6 (13. ... b6=) 14. f4 Nc4 (14. ... Ng6) 15. Qd3 d5 16. Nd4 Qb6 17. e5 Ne4 18. Qc2⩲

18. ... Qc5? (⌓ 18. ... f5 19. b3 Na5 20. Be3⩲) 19. a4 Re8 20. Bd3 f5? (20. ... f6 21. Bxe4 dxe4 22. exf6 gxf6 23. 0-0±) 21. b3 Nb6 22. Ba3 Qc7 23. Nb5 Qc6

24. Nxa7! Qxc3+. After 24. ... Rxa7 25. Bb5 White simply wins the Exchange. 25. Qxc3 Nxc3 26. Bc5 Rxa7 27. Bxb6 Ra8 28. Rc1 d4. Black finds nothing better than giving up a Pawn, for after 28. ... Ne4 29. Rc7 White would dominate the board. 29. Bxd4 Nd5 30. g3 Rf8 31. Bc4 Bd7 32. Bxd5 exd5 33. Kd2 Rfc8 34. Rxc8+ Rxc8 35. Rc1 Bc6. Usually an extra Pawn is not enough to win a Bishop of opposite-colour endgame, but that’s not the case as after 35. ... Rxc1 36. Kxc1 followed by the King’s march to c5 and the further advance of the Queenside Pawns White would win very easily. 36. b4 Ra8 37. a5 Kf7 38. Rc5 Ke6 39. Kc3 Rb8 40. a6 1 : 0.