Thursday, June 30, 2011

Odd Girl Out

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Fabiano Caruana
1st Airports Authority of India (AAI) Chess Tournament; New Delhi, June 24, 2011
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. d4 Bb6 9. a4 Rb8 10. axb5 axb5 11. Na3 0-0 12. Nxb5 Bg4 13. Re1 Bxf3 14. gxf3 Nh5 15. Kh1 Qf6 16. Rg1 Nf4 (16. ... exd4 17. Bg5 Qe5 18. Bd5 dxc3 19. Bxc6 cxb2 20. Rb1 Bxf2 21. Rg2 Rb6 22. Rxf2 Qxg5 23. Rc2± Lékó – Caruana, 72nd Tata Steel Chess Tournament, Wijk aan Zee 2010)


17. Bxf4? International Master Malcom Pein call this “a positional blunder”, since now Black gains complete control of the dark squares. Theoretically critical is 17. Be3 Ne6 18. Bxe6 fxe6 19. Rg3 Kh8 20. Qd3 exd4 21. cxd4 e5 22. d5 Ne7 23. Bxb6 Rxb6 24. Nxc7 Rxb2 25. Ne6 Rg8 26. Kg1 Ng6 27. Qa3 Rb6 28. Kh1 Nf4 29. Nxg7 Ne2 30. Nf5 Rgb8 31. Qd3 Rb2 32. Rf1 Ra8 33. Qc4 Nxg3+ 34. hxg3 Qd8 35. Qc1 Rb3 36. Kg2 Qf8 37. Qc7 1 : 0 Svidler – Shirov, 15th Torneo Internacional de Ajedrez Ciudad de Linares, Linares 1998. 17. ... Qxf4 18. Ba4 Ra8! 19. Na3. Not 19. Nxd6? on account of 19. ... cxd6 20. Bxc6 Rxa1 21. Qxa1 Qxf3+ 22. Rg2 exd4−+ (Pein’s analysis). 19. ... Nd8 20. Nc4 Ne6 21. d5 Ng5 22. Rg4 Qf6 23. Nxb6 cxb6 24. Rg3 Qf4 25. Rg4


25. ... Nh3! 26. Kg2. If 26. Rxf4 then 26. ... Nxf2+ 27. Kg2 Nxd1 winning at least the Exchange. 26. ... Qh6 27. Bd7 Nf4+ 28. Kh1


28. ... Nd3! 29. Kg2 (29. Rxa8 Nxf2+−+) 29. ... Rxa1 30. Qxa1 Qd2 31. Qf1 h5 32. Rg3 Ra8. “The Bishop on d7 might as well be in the box”, Pein says. 33. Bb5 Nf4+ 34. Kh1 Qxb2 35. Rg1 Qxc3 36. Be2 Ra2 37. Bd1 Qd4 0 : 1.

“It was a normal game. We played a Spanish opening and this variation was played long ago, I think by Shirov. I equalized and had no problems. Till a certain point it was equal and she had chances to draw. But she got over-ambitious at some point and I saw that I was much better”, Caruana eventually said.