侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – 余泱漪 (Yú Yāngyī)
42nd Chinese Chess Championship; 兴化 (Xīnghuà), April 4, 2011
Sicilian Defence B30
42nd Chinese Chess Championship; 兴化 (Xīnghuà), April 4, 2011
Sicilian Defence B30
Comments in quotation marks by Grandmaster Jan Timman, New In Chess, 6/2011, pp. 100–101.
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 g6 5. h3 Bg7 6. e5 Ng8 7. Bxc6 dxc6 8. d3 Nh6 9. g4. “This is what 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) had played earlier against Vallejo in Wijk aan Zee 2009. White keeps the Knight away from f5 and is going to castle Queenside — ingredients for a sharp battle”.
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 g6 5. h3 Bg7 6. e5 Ng8 7. Bxc6 dxc6 8. d3 Nh6 9. g4. “This is what 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) had played earlier against Vallejo in Wijk aan Zee 2009. White keeps the Knight away from f5 and is going to castle Queenside — ingredients for a sharp battle”.
9. ... 0-0. “Vallejo played 9. ... f5, after which 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) secured an advantage with 10. exf6 exf6 11. Qe2+ Kf7 12. Be3, and ended up winning in style.”.
10. Qe2 f6 11. Be3. If, instead, 11. Bf4 then 11. ... Nf7 12. 0-0-0 fxe5 13. Bg3 Be6 14. Nxe5 Bd5 15. Nxf7 Rxf7 16. Nxd5 cxd5 17. Be5 Bxe5 18. Qxe5 ½–½ Karpov – Chiburdanidze, International Tournament, Bilbao 1987.
11. ... Nf7 12. 0-0-0. “The circumstances being different, White does not swap on f6. She sacrifices the e-Pawn, confifent that White will have sufficient compensation”.
12. ... fxe5 13. Nd2 b6 14. h4 h6 15. Nde4 Be6 16. Rdg1 a5 17. Kb1 a4 18. a3 Ra7 19. Qd2 Kh8 20. f3. “A position has arisen in which neither player seems to have much chance of undertaking anything. But precisely at this point the fireworks start”.
20. ... c4. “This advance indicates that Black wants to open the d-file”.
10. Qe2 f6 11. Be3. If, instead, 11. Bf4 then 11. ... Nf7 12. 0-0-0 fxe5 13. Bg3 Be6 14. Nxe5 Bd5 15. Nxf7 Rxf7 16. Nxd5 cxd5 17. Be5 Bxe5 18. Qxe5 ½–½ Karpov – Chiburdanidze, International Tournament, Bilbao 1987.
11. ... Nf7 12. 0-0-0. “The circumstances being different, White does not swap on f6. She sacrifices the e-Pawn, confifent that White will have sufficient compensation”.
12. ... fxe5 13. Nd2 b6 14. h4 h6 15. Nde4 Be6 16. Rdg1 a5 17. Kb1 a4 18. a3 Ra7 19. Qd2 Kh8 20. f3. “A position has arisen in which neither player seems to have much chance of undertaking anything. But precisely at this point the fireworks start”.
20. ... c4. “This advance indicates that Black wants to open the d-file”.
21. Ng5!? “Judit would probably not have been able to resist the temptation of this Knight sacrifice either. Objectively speaking, taking on c4 would have been sligthly better”.
21. ... hxg5 22. Qh2. 22. hxg5+ Kg8 23. Qh2 Nh8 transposes into the game.
22. ... Kg8 23. hxg5
21. ... hxg5 22. Qh2. 22. hxg5+ Kg8 23. Qh2 Nh8 transposes into the game.
22. ... Kg8 23. hxg5
23. ... Nh8! “The best defence. Black locks his Knight into the corner, and the g-Pawn is now solidly protected”.
24. Qh7+ Kf7. A heartbreaking situation: White must keep high the rhythm of her initiative, or otherwise Black will easily take advantage of his extra piece.
25. f4. “Again the sharpest continuation”.
25. ... cxd3. “And the best reply. Both Kings are exposed now”.
26. f5 dxc2+ 27. Kc1
24. Qh7+ Kf7. A heartbreaking situation: White must keep high the rhythm of her initiative, or otherwise Black will easily take advantage of his extra piece.
25. f4. “Again the sharpest continuation”.
25. ... cxd3. “And the best reply. Both Kings are exposed now”.
26. f5 dxc2+ 27. Kc1
27. ... Bc4! “余泱漪 (Yú Yāngyī) playes excellently here. With the text he takes control of the crucial f1-square”.
28. Rh2 Rg8. “It would have taken a superhuman effort to find the move that yields Black an advantage here. 28. ... Bb3! was a strong move. With hindsight, you can see the reasoning behind this computer find. With one of the White Rooks gone from the back rank, White’s King is in greater danger, and if Black manages to direct a major piece to d1, there is a potential mate threat. A sample variation would be 29. f6 exf6 30. gxf6 Rd7! 31. Qxg7+ Ke6 and Black wins. The text, by the way, is the beginning of a safe route to the draw”.
28. Rh2 Rg8. “It would have taken a superhuman effort to find the move that yields Black an advantage here. 28. ... Bb3! was a strong move. With hindsight, you can see the reasoning behind this computer find. With one of the White Rooks gone from the back rank, White’s King is in greater danger, and if Black manages to direct a major piece to d1, there is a potential mate threat. A sample variation would be 29. f6 exf6 30. gxf6 Rd7! 31. Qxg7+ Ke6 and Black wins. The text, by the way, is the beginning of a safe route to the draw”.
29. f6! “The Pawn that, nine moves ago, took a cautious step forward, has made great progress”.
29. ... exf6 30. gxf6 Ke8. “The point of the previous moves. The Black King is reasonably safe, and the position is dynamically balanced”.
The tactical pointe of 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)’s 29th move was 30. ... Kxf6?? 31. Bg5+! Kxg5 32. Qh4+ Kf4 33. Qf2+ Kg5 34. Ne4#.
31. Rd2 Qxf6 32. Ne4 Qe6 33. Nd6+ Kf8. “In time-trouble, it becomes incredibly difficult to handle the position perfectly. Stronger was 33. ... Ke7, and after 34. Qh4+ Bf6 35. Qh7+ the game might have ended in a draw”.
34. Nxc4 Nf7
29. ... exf6 30. gxf6 Ke8. “The point of the previous moves. The Black King is reasonably safe, and the position is dynamically balanced”.
The tactical pointe of 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)’s 29th move was 30. ... Kxf6?? 31. Bg5+! Kxg5 32. Qh4+ Kf4 33. Qf2+ Kg5 34. Ne4#.
31. Rd2 Qxf6 32. Ne4 Qe6 33. Nd6+ Kf8. “In time-trouble, it becomes incredibly difficult to handle the position perfectly. Stronger was 33. ... Ke7, and after 34. Qh4+ Bf6 35. Qh7+ the game might have ended in a draw”.
34. Nxc4 Nf7
35. Bxb6. “Obvious but not good, even though it will win White the game. 35. Nxb6 e4 36. Nxa4 would have yielded White a large, probably winning advantage”.
35. ... Qxc4
35. ... Qxc4
“After this move 余泱漪 (Yú Yāngyī) exceeded his time-limit. After 36. Rxc2 the position would have reverted to a dynamic balance. But White couldn’t capture the Rook, since Black would win after 36. Bxa7 Bh6 37. g5 Rg7!”.
1–0.
1–0.
侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) (right) vs. 余泱漪 (Yú Yāngyī) (left). Photo: qipai.org.cn.
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