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.