Thursday, May 5, 2011

The Hunger of Time

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Walter Arencibia Rodríguez
6th World Team Chess Championship, Beersheba, November 2, 2005
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 0-0 10. Qe2 Nbc6 11. Be3 e5 12. Nd5. The following year 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)’s got better luck with 12. Rfd1 Be6 13. Rac1 Ng6 14. Bxa7 Rxa7 15. Qe3 Qb8 16. Qb6 Rd8 17. Bf1 Nf8 18. Nd5 Nd7 19. Qc7 a5 20. Qxb8 Ncxb8 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 Na6? (⌓ 29. ... g6) 30. Nxa4 Nxc4 31. Bxc4! Bxc4 32. Nf5+ Kf8 33. b3 Be6 34. Nxd6+− 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – N. A. Kosintseva, Women’s World Chess Championship Knockout Tournament, Yekaterinburg 2006, match game 1. 12. ... a5! 13. a4 Bxe3 14. fxe3?! This is a strategically committal path with no return in terms of tactics. 14. ... Nxd5 15. exd5 Nb4


16. Bf5 Qb6 17. Nc1 Bxf5 18. Rxf5 Rac8 19. b3 e4 20. Qd2 Na6 21. Ra3 Nc5


22. Ne2? Leaving the b3-Pawn to its doom. It was wise to temporise with 22. h3(!), remaining only slightly inferior. 22. ... 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.

Her time not yet come. Photo: Yitzchak Levi.