Shall We Play Fischerandom Chess?

Villa San Lorenzo · Sesto Fiorentino, lunedì 29 novembre 2010
Foto: Giovanni Lucci

Meditatio

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Francisco Vallejo Pons
71st Corus Chess Tournament (B Group); Wijk aan Zee, January 31, 2009
Sicilian Defence B30

Notes by 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), 国际象棋新闻, November 10, 2010.

This is the third consecutive time I have had the honour of participating at Wijk aan Zee Tournament. I thank very much the organisers for giving me such a precious opportunity. I never played before against Vallejo. My first impression of him came from the 1st “Pearl Spring” Chess Tournament held in 南京 (Nánjīng) a while ago, where he served as Topalov’s second.
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 g6 5. e5 Ng4 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. h3 Nh6 8. g4. Dominating the h6-Knight. Another way is 8. Ne4 b6 9. d3 Nf5 10. 0–0 Bg7 11. Re1 0–0 12. b3 Nd4 13. Bb2 f5 14. exf6 exf6 15. Ned2 Ne6 16. Nc4 Qc7 17. Qd2 Nf4 18. Re4 Nd5 19. Rae1 Bf5 20. R4e2 ½ : ½ M. Adams – Illescas Cordoba, 48th Spanish Team Chess Championship — División de Honor, Cala Mayor 2008.
8. ... Bg7 (8. ... f5 9. g5 Nf7 10. d3 Be6 11. Qe2 Bg7 12. h4 Bd5 13. Nxd5 Qxd5 14. c4 Qe6 15. Bf4 h6 16. 0-0-0 Rd8 17. Kc2 Kf8 18. Rhg1 hxg5 19. Bxg5 Bh6 20. Bxh6+ Rxh6 21. d4 b6 22. dxc5 Rxd1 23. Rxd1 bxc5 24. b3 f4 25. Qe4 Rh5 26. Qxf4 Qf5+ 27. Qxf5 Rxf5 28. Rd3 Ke8 29. Kd2 Nxe5 30. Nxe5 Rxe5 31. Re3 Rf5 32. Ke2 Kf7 33. Rd3 Ke8 34. Rf3 Rh5 35. Rf4 Re5+ 36. Kf3 Re1 37. Re4 Ra1 38. Re6 Rxa2 39. Rxg6 Rb2 40. Rxc6 Rxb3+ 41. Kg4 a5 42. Rxc5 a4 43. f4 ½ : ½ Khalifman – Lautier, 64th Corus Chess Tournament, Wijk aan Zee 2002)
9. d3 f5 10. exf6. Another standard strategy in such a situation is 10. g5 Nf7 11. Bf4 closing the Kingide, with a future view to attack along the h-file by h3-h4-h5.
10. ... exf6 11. Qe2+

11. ... Kf7. A plot twist along the way: it just seems that my opponent is in a fighting mood. Perhaps it was now steadier 11. ... Qe7!? 12. Qxe7+ Kxe7 13. Be3 b6 14. d4 (14. 0–0–0 Nxg4! — a move I overlooked on the spot — 15. hxg4 Bxg4 16. Nd2 Bxd1 17. Rxd1 h5 and with the two Pawns for the half-piece Black has some compensation) 14. ... cxd4 (14. ... c4 15. 0–0–0 Kf7 16. Ne4 Rd8 17. Nxf6!±) 15. Nxd4 c5 16. Ndb5 Bb7 17. 0–0 Nf7 with chances for both sides. For example: 18. Rae1 Ne5 19. f4 Nf3+ 20. Rxf3 Bxf3 21. Kf2 Bc6 22. Bxc5+ Kd8 23. Nxa7 bxc5 24. Nxc6+ Kd7 25. Re7+ Kxc6 26. Rxg7⯹.
12. Be3 Re8 13. 0-0-0 Kg8 14. d4. At the time I also considered the more seductive 14. Qd2 Nf7 15. Bxc5 Qa5 16. Be3 f5! (16. ... Be6 17. Kb1 b5 18. a3 is complex: Black has compensation but not necessarily an adequate one for the sacrificed Pawn) 17. Rdg1 b5⇄ — but it seemed to me that Black’s gambit would yield a powerful attack, so I didn’t accept it.
14. ... cxd4 15. Nxd4 Qc7 16. Rhe1 Nf7 17. Qc4 Qh2. 17. ... Bd7 18. Ndb5 Qd8 19. Nd6 Be6 20. Nxe8 Bxc4 21. Rxd8 Nxd8 22. Ne4! — Black is about to lose a Pawn, with White on top.
18. Nce2 Qxh3 19. Nf4 Qxg4 20. Rg1 Qd7 21. Nde6

21. ... Qe7. After this move, Black’s game is hopeless. I think maybe he should play 21. ... Qxe6!? 22. Nxe6 Bxe6 23. Qc3 Ne5 24. f4 Nd7 25. Qb4 and in spite of White’s material advantage there is still a long way to go before victory comes.
Now there was another option: 21. ... b5 22. Qc3! b4 23. Qxb4 Qe7 24. Bc5 Qb7 25. Qxb7 Bxb7 26. Nxg7 Kxg7 27.Nh5++−.
22. Nxg7 Kxg7 23. Nh5+ Kh8 24. Bc5 Qe6 (24. ... Ne5 25. Qf4 Qf7 26. Qxf6+ Qxf6 27. Nxf6+−)

25. Rge1! Qxe1 (25. ... Ne5 26. Qxe6 Bxe6 27. Nxf6+−)
26. Qxf7 Qxd1+ 27. Kxd1 Bg4+ 28. Kd2 Rad8+ 29. Kc3 Bxh5 30. Bd4! Yet now White could simply play 30. Be7 Rxe7 31. Qxe7 Rg8 32. Qxb7+− — victory is a question of time only.
30. ... Rxd4 31. Qxe8+ 1 : 0.

Anna & Pietro

Villa San Lorenzo · Sesto Fiorentino, lunedì 29 novembre 2010
Foto: Giovanni Lucci

Group Chess Class

Villa San Lorenzo · Sesto Fiorentino, lunedì 29 novembre 2010 Foto: Giovanni Lucci

The Far East

Lilit Maratovna Mkrtchian – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
4th North Urals Cup; Krasnoturinsk, July 29, 2006
Sicilian Defence B66

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 Be7 8. 0-0-0 Nxd4 9. Qxd4 a6 10. f4 b5 11. Bxf6 gxf6 12. e5 d5 13. Kb1 Bb7 14. f5 fxe5 15. Qxe5 Bf6 16. Qg3 Qe7 17. fxe6 fxe6 18. Be2 0-0-0 19. Bg4 h5 20. Bh3 Rhg8!? A novelty aimed at improving on 20. ... h4 21. Qf4 Bg7 22. Rhe1 Rh6 23. a3! Rg6 24. Bxe6+! Rxe6 25. Qg4 Rd6 26. Rxe6 Qxe6 27. Qxg7+− Kasparov – Ivanchuk, 5th Frankfurt Chess Classic, “Siemens Nixdorf Giants” Tournament, Frankfurt 1998 (time control: 25 minutes).
21. Qf4 Rgf8. 21. ... Bxc3 22. bxc3 Qd6 23. Qd4 Kb8 seems more solid, but the text should also be playable for Black.
22. Rhe1 Bxc3 23. Rxe6 Rxf4 24. Rxe7+ Kb8 25. bxc3 Rf2

26. Rd4. 26. Kb2! d4! also appears to give Black good compensation.
26. ... Rdf8? This is the losing move. Best was 26. ... Bc8! 27. Bxc8 Rxc8 28. Rxd5 Rxg2 29. Rxh5 Rxc3 with a likely draw.
27. Rh4+− Rd2 (27. ... Rh8 28. Rg7+−)
28. Rxh5 Rf1+ 29. Kb2 Rff2 30. Bf5 a5 31. Rh8+ Ka7 32. g4 Rde2 33. Rg7 b4 34. Rhh7 bxc3+ 35. Kxc3 Rf3+ 36. Kb2 1 : 0.

Staircase

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Lê Thanh Tú

6th “雅戈尔杯” “Youngor Cup” Chinese Chess League; 杭州 (Hángzhōu), October 15, 2010

Caro-Kann Defence B19

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. h4 h6 7. Nf3 Nd7 8. h5 Bh7 9. Bd3 Bxd3 10. Qxd3 e6 11. Bd2 Ngf6 12. 0-0-0 Be7 13. Kb1 0-0 14. Ne4 c5 15. g4 Nxg4 16. Qe2 Qb6 17. Ne5

17. ... Ngxe5? A grave mistake which enables White to carry on a mating attack thru the open g-file. Correct was 17. ... Ndxe5 18. dxe5 f5! (18. ... Nxe5? transposes to the game).
18. dxe5 (Δ Bd2xh6)
18. ... Nxe5 19. Rhg1 Kh8. No better is 19. ... Rfd8 20. Bxh6 Qa6 21. Rxd8+ Rxd8 22. Qe1 Nf3 23. Qc3 e5 24. Rxg7+ Kh8 25. Qxf3 Qf1+ 26. Bc1 Kxg7 27. h6+ Kf8 28. h7 Kg7 29. Ng3 Qd1 30. Nh5+ Kh8 31. Qxf7 1 : 0 Negi – del Rio de Angelis, 66th Lliga Catalana d’Escacs, Montcada i Reixac 2009. 20. Bc3 f6 21. f4 Nc6 (21. ... Nf7 22. Qg4+−)

22. Rxg7! Rad8 (22. ... Kxg7 23. Qg4+ Kh8 24. Qg6+−)
23. Rdg1 Nd4 24. Bxd4 cxd4 25. Qg4 Ba3 26. Rh7+! 1 : 0.

黑海 (Black Sea)

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Alisa Mikhailovna Galliamova
8th Russian Women’s Team Chess Championship; Dagomys, May 11, 2007
Sicilian Defence B84

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Be2 a6 7. 0-0 Qc7 8. a4 Be7 9. f4 0-0 10. Kh1 Nbd7. 10. ... Nc6 11. Be3 Re8 was invariably preferred by Garry Kimovich Kasparov in his World Chess Championship matches with Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov and Viswanathan Anand.
11. Bf3 Re8 12. g4 Nf8 13. g5 N6d7 14. Bg2 b6 15. f5 Bb7 16. Qg4 Ne5 17. Qh3 Qc4

18. Be3!? 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)’s move (indeed a novelty) may be even stronger than the previously played 18. Nce2, which yet was strong enough to give White a winning game: 18. ... f6 19. Ra3 fxg5 20. Rc3 Qxa4 21. Rc7 Bc8 22. Qh5 Bd7 23. Bxg5 Bxg5 24. Qxg5 Nf7 25. Qg3 Rad8 26. b3 Qa5 27. fxe6? (27. Nf4+−) 27. ... Nxe6 28. Nxe6 Rxe6 29. Nf4 Rf6 30. Nd5 Rxf1+ 31. Bxf1 Qa1 32. Kg2 b5 ½ : ½ Kindermann – K. I. Georgiev, 12th International Tournament, Plovdiv 1984.
18. ... Bd8? After this White’s attack rolls on. 18. ... Bxg5 19. Bxg5 Qxd4 was critical and best, although after 20. f6 Nfg6 21. fxg7 Rac8 22. Rae1 White retains excellent attacking chances.
19. f6 Nfg6 20. Nce2 Qc7 21. Ng3 gxf6 22. gxf6 Nd7

23. Nh5. 23. Qh6! Nxf6 (or 23. ... Bxf6 24. Nh5!+−) 24. Ndf5!+− was another way to do it.
23. ... Kh8 24. Bh6 Qc4 25. Bg7+ Kg8 26. Qe3 Nde5 27. h3 Nh4 28. Qh6 1 : 0. For after 28. ... Qxd4 29. Bf8 mate follows in a very few moves.