Elisabeth Pähtz – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
5th North Urals Cup; Krasnoturinsk, July 25, 2007
French Defence C13
Notes by International Master Ilya Beniaminovich Odesskiy, ruchess.ru, July 28, 2007.
5th North Urals Cup; Krasnoturinsk, July 25, 2007
French Defence C13
Notes by International Master Ilya Beniaminovich Odesskiy, ruchess.ru, July 28, 2007.
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e5 Nfd7 6. h4 Nc6
7. Rh3 h6 8. Bxe7 Qxe7 9. Qd2 Nb6 10. Rg3 Rg8 11. Nf3 a6
12. Nd1 Qf8 13. a4 a5 14. Nc3 Bd7 15. Nb5 0-0-0 16. b3 f6
17. 0-0-0 fxe5 18. dxe5 Kb8 19. Kb1 Nb4 20. Rg4 Be8 21. Bd3
Qe7 22. Bg6 Bxg6 23. Rxg6
Black is to move, and I do not pretend to point out which move is the strongest. It’s just my opinion.
It seems to me that in searching for a move it is worth relying on the “worst-piece principle”. This principle is described in the writings of Mark Izrailovich Dvoretsky. In short, when you don’t know what to do, improve your worst piece. Such is the theory of “small deeds”.
In this position, the Knight on b6 is highly eligible to be Black’s worst piece. Hence, 23. ... Nd7 suggests itself, and then, according to circumstances, either ... Nd7-c5-e4 heading (after ... c7-c6) to the c3-square or ... Rg8-f8 threatening — whether jokingly or seriously, who knows — an Exchage sacrifice: ... Rf8xf3 and then ... Nd7xe5. Black’s compensation promises to be chic, although White, of course, will not clap her hands over her ears either.
Within this logic, Black could also play 23. ... Qf7 — in case she deemed the Queen to be her worst piece — but after 24. h5 Qf5 [RR 24. ... d4!] 25. Nfd4! Qxe5 26. g4! Rge8 27. f4 Qe4 28. Re1 Her Majesty is in captivity. And so let her stay at e7 for now. In short, my vote is for 23. ... Nd7. But the Chinese girl chose:
23. ... c5? Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian would not pat her on the head for that. Surrender the d6-square with a Knight on b5? This is not good. But perhaps 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) thought, without going into strategic subtleties, to solve her position in one fell swoop. That is, to sacrifice a Knight on a4 or c4 and get a breakthrough somewhere. Maybe...
By the way, the Knight could have been sacrificed at once: 23. ... Nc4 24. bxc4 dxc4. But the idea doesn’t work on account of 25. Rxg7!.
24. Qf4 Nd7. It turns out that 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)’s wishes are quite simple. The girl really want nothing more than to win the Exchange. Oh, how bad it is! She will win the Exchange, but will irrevocably ruin her position.
25. Qg4 Nf8 26. Rxh6 Qf7 27. Rh5 g6 28. Rg5 Nh7
It seems to me that in searching for a move it is worth relying on the “worst-piece principle”. This principle is described in the writings of Mark Izrailovich Dvoretsky. In short, when you don’t know what to do, improve your worst piece. Such is the theory of “small deeds”.
In this position, the Knight on b6 is highly eligible to be Black’s worst piece. Hence, 23. ... Nd7 suggests itself, and then, according to circumstances, either ... Nd7-c5-e4 heading (after ... c7-c6) to the c3-square or ... Rg8-f8 threatening — whether jokingly or seriously, who knows — an Exchage sacrifice: ... Rf8xf3 and then ... Nd7xe5. Black’s compensation promises to be chic, although White, of course, will not clap her hands over her ears either.
Within this logic, Black could also play 23. ... Qf7 — in case she deemed the Queen to be her worst piece — but after 24. h5 Qf5 [RR 24. ... d4!] 25. Nfd4! Qxe5 26. g4! Rge8 27. f4 Qe4 28. Re1 Her Majesty is in captivity. And so let her stay at e7 for now. In short, my vote is for 23. ... Nd7. But the Chinese girl chose:
23. ... c5? Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian would not pat her on the head for that. Surrender the d6-square with a Knight on b5? This is not good. But perhaps 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) thought, without going into strategic subtleties, to solve her position in one fell swoop. That is, to sacrifice a Knight on a4 or c4 and get a breakthrough somewhere. Maybe...
By the way, the Knight could have been sacrificed at once: 23. ... Nc4 24. bxc4 dxc4. But the idea doesn’t work on account of 25. Rxg7!.
24. Qf4 Nd7. It turns out that 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)’s wishes are quite simple. The girl really want nothing more than to win the Exchange. Oh, how bad it is! She will win the Exchange, but will irrevocably ruin her position.
25. Qg4 Nf8 26. Rxh6 Qf7 27. Rh5 g6 28. Rg5 Nh7
29. Nd6! Qg7. Better 29. ... Rxd6 30. exd6 Nxg5 31. hxg5 [RR 31. Qxg5!], although the position is already rotten to the core. 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) decided to indulge her whim to the very end.
30. Qxe6 Nxg5 31. Nxg5 Qc7. While commentating online, I regarded this move as a mistake and suggested 31. ... d4 instead. But now I see a simple refutation: 32. Ngf7 Rdf8 33. Qe7 and there is no economic way to hold b7.
23. ... c5 is when all the horror began. But this movie is not played back.
32. c3 Nc6 33. Qxd5. It’s inconvenient to say it, but one usually resigns in such positions. Instead, the game went on. Pähtz was not entirely accurate and delayed the coup de grâce.
33. ... Ne7 34. Qc4 Qc6 35. Ne6 Rd7 36. Nxc5 Rc7 37. Ne6 Qxc4 38. Nxc4 Rc6 39. Rd6 Re8 40. Nxa5 Rxc3 41. Kb2 Rcc8 42. Rb6 Nd5 43. Rxb7+ Ka8 44. Rb5 Nc3 45. Rc5 Nd1+ 46. Kc2 Rxc5+ 47. Nxc5 Rxe5 48. Kxd1 Rxc5 49. Nc4. After massive simplification, the position in the diagram was reached:
30. Qxe6 Nxg5 31. Nxg5 Qc7. While commentating online, I regarded this move as a mistake and suggested 31. ... d4 instead. But now I see a simple refutation: 32. Ngf7 Rdf8 33. Qe7 and there is no economic way to hold b7.
23. ... c5 is when all the horror began. But this movie is not played back.
32. c3 Nc6 33. Qxd5. It’s inconvenient to say it, but one usually resigns in such positions. Instead, the game went on. Pähtz was not entirely accurate and delayed the coup de grâce.
33. ... Ne7 34. Qc4 Qc6 35. Ne6 Rd7 36. Nxc5 Rc7 37. Ne6 Qxc4 38. Nxc4 Rc6 39. Rd6 Re8 40. Nxa5 Rxc3 41. Kb2 Rcc8 42. Rb6 Nd5 43. Rxb7+ Ka8 44. Rb5 Nc3 45. Rc5 Nd1+ 46. Kc2 Rxc5+ 47. Nxc5 Rxe5 48. Kxd1 Rxc5 49. Nc4. After massive simplification, the position in the diagram was reached:
A ‘deader’ position is not going to happen. Yet Black defended it for more than 30 moves! Then, however, she just had to give it up.
49. ... Kb7 50. Ke2 Kc6 51. f4 Kd5 52. Kf3 Rc7 53. Kg4 Rb7 54. Ne5 Rxb3 55. Nxg6 Ke6 56. Ne5 Ra3 57. h5 Kf6 58. Nd7+ Kg7 59. Nb6 Kh6 60. Kh4 Rb3 61. a5 Rb5 62. g4 Rxa5 63. g5+ Kh7 64. Kg4 Ra1 65. Nd5 Rh1 66. Nf6+ Kh8 67. Nd7 [RR 67. Kf5 Rf1 68. g6 Kg7 69. Ng4+−]
67. ... Rd1 68. Ne5 Kh7 69. Kf5 Ra1 70. Nf7 Ra5+ 71. Ke6 Kg7 72. h6+ Kg6 73. Ne5+ Kh7 74. f5 Ra6+ 75. Ke7 Ra5 76. Kd6 Ra6+ 77. Nc6 Ra8 78. Ne7 Ra1 79. Ke6 Re1+ 80. Kf7 Rg1 81. g6+ Kxh6 82. f6 Rg2 83. g7 1 : 0.
49. ... Kb7 50. Ke2 Kc6 51. f4 Kd5 52. Kf3 Rc7 53. Kg4 Rb7 54. Ne5 Rxb3 55. Nxg6 Ke6 56. Ne5 Ra3 57. h5 Kf6 58. Nd7+ Kg7 59. Nb6 Kh6 60. Kh4 Rb3 61. a5 Rb5 62. g4 Rxa5 63. g5+ Kh7 64. Kg4 Ra1 65. Nd5 Rh1 66. Nf6+ Kh8 67. Nd7 [RR 67. Kf5 Rf1 68. g6 Kg7 69. Ng4+−]
67. ... Rd1 68. Ne5 Kh7 69. Kf5 Ra1 70. Nf7 Ra5+ 71. Ke6 Kg7 72. h6+ Kg6 73. Ne5+ Kh7 74. f5 Ra6+ 75. Ke7 Ra5 76. Kd6 Ra6+ 77. Nc6 Ra8 78. Ne7 Ra1 79. Ke6 Re1+ 80. Kf7 Rg1 81. g6+ Kxh6 82. f6 Rg2 83. g7 1 : 0.