Exegi monumentum aere perennius

Mostar (Bosnia-Herzegovina), 1961. Bobby Fischer in posa per lo scultore Florijan Mićković.
Foto: Wikimedia Commons

The Witch in the Wood

Irina Borisivna Krush – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)

2nd “鄞州杯” (“Yínzhōu Cup”) Women’s World Team Chess Championship; 宁波 (Níngbō), September 8, 2009

Nimzo-Indian Defence E35

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 d5 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bg5 c5 7. dxc5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Bg3 Ne4 10. e3 Qa5 11. Nge2 Bf5 12. Bxb8. Another continuation is 12. Be5 0-0 13. Nd4 Nxc3 14. Nxf5 Ne4+ 15. Kd1 Nc6 16. Bd4 Nxd4 17. Nxd4 Rac8 18. c6 Bc5 19. cxb7 Rc7 20. Nb3 Qb6 21. Rc1 Bd6 22. Qe2 Qxb7 23. f3 Nf6 24. Qb5 Rxc1+ 25. Kxc1 Qe7 26. Qd3 Re8 27. Nd4 Qxe3+ 28. Qxe3 Rxe3 29. Bb5 Bf8 30. Kd2 Re7 31. Rc1 Ne8 32. Rc8 Nd6 33. Rb8 Kg7 34. b3 Rc7 35. Bc6 Be7 36. Bxd5 Rc5 37. Be4 Bf6 38. Ne2 Be5 39. Ra8 Ra5 40. a4 Bxh2 41. Bd3 Be5 42. Ke3 h5 43. Bb1 h4 44. f4 Bf6 45. fxg5 Rxg5 46. Kf2 a5 47. Rb8 Rd5 48. b4 Nc4 49. bxa5 Rxa5 50. Rb4 Nb2 51. Bc2 Rc5 52. Be4 Nd1+ 53. Kf3 Nc3 54. Nxc3 Rxc3+ 55. Kf2 Ra3 56. Rc4 Ra2+ 57. Kf3 Ra3+ 58. Kf2 ½ : ½ 沈阳 (Shěn Yáng) – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2009–2011, 1st stage, Istanbul 2009.
12. ... Rxb8 13. Nd4 Bd7 14. Bd3 Bxc3+ 15. bxc3 Qxc3+ 16. Qxc3 Nxc3 17. Rc1 (17. Kd2 Na4 18. Rac1 Rc8 19. Nb3 Ke7 20. Rc2 Rc7 21. Rhc1 Rhc8 22. f3 h5 23. f4 g4 24. Ke2 ½ : ½ Smirnov – Landa, 12th Russian Team Chess Championship Premiere League, Sochi 2005)
17. ... Nxa2 18. Rb1 Ke7 19. Kd2 a5 20. Ra1 Nb4 21. Rxa5 Nc6 22. Ra2TN (22. Ra3 Rhc8 23. Rb1 Nd8 24. Rc3 Ra8 25. Rb6 Ra5 26. Rxh6 Rcxc5 27. Rxc5 Rxc5 28. Rh5 Kf6 29. h4 gxh4 30. Nb3 Rc7 31. Rxd5 Be6 32. Rxd8 Bxb3 33. Rh8 Kg5 34. f4+ Kg4 35. Rg8+ Kh5 36. Be2+ Kh6 37. Rh8+ Kg7 38. Rxh4 Rc2+ 39. Kd3 Ra2 40. Bf3 b5 41. Rg4+ Kf8 42. Kc3 Bc4 43. e4 f6 44. Rh4 Kg7 45. Rh1 Be2 46. Kb3 Bc4+ 47. Kb4 Be2 48. Rc1 Ra4+ 49. Kb3 Bc4+ 50. Kc3 Bf7 51. Rb1 Rc4+ 52. Kd3 b4 53. Rb2 Rc3+ 54. Kd2 Rc4 55. Rc2 Rd4+ 56. Ke3 Rd7 57. Rb2 b3 58. e5 fxe5 59. fxe5 Ra7 60. Kd4 Rd7+ 61. Ke3 Ra7 62. Kd4 Rd7+ 63. Kc3 Rc7+ 64. Kb4 Re7 65. Re2 b2 66. Rxb2 Rxe5 67. Kc3 Re7 68. Kd4 Bg8 69. Rb5 Bf7 70. Rb6 Bg8 71. Be4 Bh7 72. Bf3 Bg8 73. Rd6 Be6 74. Bc6 Bg8 75. Bd7 Re2 ½ : ½ Alonso Rosell – López Martínez, 78th Catalan Chess Championship, Lleida 2009)
22. ... Rhc8 23. Rb1 Nd8 24. Ra5 Ne6 25. Nxe6 fxe6 26. f4 Rc7 27. g3 Rbc8 28. Ra7 Rb8 29. Bb5 Bc8 30. Rc1 Bd7 31. Bxd7 Kxd7 (31. ... Rxd7 32. Rb1 Rc7 33. Rb5 Kf6 34. Kd4 b6=)
32. Kd3 gxf4 33. exf4

33. ... Rc6? Perhaps Black could have played earlier, but doubtless she should have done it now. 33. ... Ke7! 34. Kd4 Kf6 offered best chances for a draw.
34. Kd4 Ra6? Also after 34. ... Ke7 35. Rb1 Kf6 36. Rbxb7 Rxb7 37. Rxb7 Ra6 38. Rh7 the ending can hardly be saved, but it was Black’s best bet.
35. Ra1 Rxa7 36. Rxa7 Kc6

37. Ra2! Re8 38. Rb2 h5 39. Rb6+ Kc7 40. Ke5 Rd8 41. Kd4 Re8 42. Rd6 Re7 43. Ke5 Re8 44. Kf6 b5 45. Kf7 Rd8 46. Ke7 Rb8 47. Kxe6 b4 48. Rxd5 Kc6 49. Rd2 b3 50. Rb2 Kxc5 51. f5 Kd4 52. f6 Kc3 53. Rb1 Kc2 54. Rf1 Rb6+ 55. Ke7 Rb7+ 56. Kf8 b2 57. f7 b1=Q 58. Rxb1 Rxb1 59. Kg8 1 : 0.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) got tricked in a very drawish endgame. Photo: Sina Corporation.

Siberian Odyssey

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Nadezhda Anatolyevna Kosintseva

Women’s World Chess Championship Knockout Tournament; match game 1; Yekaterinburg, March 11, 2006

Sicilian Defence B42

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Bd3 Bc5 6. Nb3 Ba7 7. 0-0 Ne7 8. c4 d6 9. Nc3 Nbc6 10. Qe2 e5 11. Be3 0-0 12. Rfd1. 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) improves on what she played a year earlier: 12. Nd5 a5 13. a4 Bxe3 14. fxe3 Nxd5 15. exd5 Nb4 (Black stands better already) 16. Bf5 Qb6 17. Nc1 Bxf5 18. Rxf5 Rac8 19. b3 e4 20. Qd2 Na6 21. Ra3 Nc5 22. Ne2 Qb4 23. Qxb4 axb4 24. Ra2 Nxb3 25. Rb2 Na5 26. Rxb4 Rxc4 27. Rb6 Rxa4 28. Rxd6 Nc4 29. Rd7 Nxe3 30. Rg5 h6 31. Rg3 Ra1+ 32. Kf2 Nd1+ 33. Ke1 e3 0 : 1 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Arencibia Rodríguez, 6th World Team Chess Championship, Beersheba 2005. 12. ... Be6 13. Rac1 Ng6 14. Bxa7 Rxa7 15. Qe3 Qb8 16. Qb6 Rd8 17. Bf1 Nf8 18. Nd5 Nd7 19. Qc7 a5. Very interesting was 19. ... Ra8 with fair chances of holding the balance. 20. Qxb8 Ncxb8. 20. ... Ndxb8 21. Nc3⩲ might have been a better choice. 21. Nc7 a4 22. Na1 Nc5 23. f3 Kf8 24. Nc2 Ke7 25. Rd2 Nc6 26. Nb5 Ra6 27. Rcd1 Na5 28. Ne3 Rc6 29. Nc3

29. ... Na6? This loses a Pawn, which proved enough to carry White through until victory. Good or bad, 29. ... g6 was Kosinsteva’s best chance. 30. Nxa4 Nxc4 31. Bxc4! Bxc4 32. Nf5+ Kf8 33. b3 Be6 34. Nxd6. Alea iacta est. 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) handles the endgame with an impeccable technique: 34. ... Rb8 35. Nb5 Nc5 36. Nac3 Rb6 37. Rd8+ Rxd8 38. Rxd8+ Ke7 39. Rg8 g6 40. Nc7 Rd6 41. N3d5+ Bxd5 42. Nxd5+ Kd7 43. Rg7 Ke6 44. Rxh7 Rd8 45. g4 Nd3 46. h4 Rc8 47. h5 Rc1+ 48. Kg2 Rc2+ 49. Kg3 g5 50. Rh6+ Kd7 51. Rf6 Nf2 52. Rxf7+ Kd6 53. Ne3 Nh1+ 54. Kh3 Nf2+ 55. Kg2 Rxa2 56. Kf1 Nd3 57. h6 Nf4 58. h7 Ra1+ 59. Kf2 Ra2+ 60. Kg1 Nh3+ 61. Kf1 Ra1+ 62. Kg2 Nf4+ 63. Rxf4 1 : 0.