Wednesday, February 3, 2010

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.