Fire under the Ashes

阮露斐 (Ruǎn Lùfěi) – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2011–12; 1st stage; Rostov-on-Don, August 13, 2011
Sicilian Defence B83

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Be2 Nf6 7. 0-0 Be7 8. Be3 0-0 9. Kh1 e5 10. Nb3 Be6 11. Bf3 a5 12. Nd5 Bxd5 (12. ... a4 13. Nd2 Bxd5 14. exd5 Nd4 15. Nc4 Nd7 16. Rb1 ½ : ½ Tringov – Spassky, 21st Chess Olympiad, Nice 1974) 13. exd5 Nb4 14. c3TN (14. c4 b6 15. Be2 Nd7 ½ : ½ Nisipeanu – Sakaev, 4th European Chess Championship, Silivri 2003) 14. ... Na6 15. Qd3 Nd7 16. g4 In order to prevent ... f7–f5. “I was not satisfied with the opening, maybe I made some mistakes, but I am not sure”, 阮露斐 (Ruǎn Lùfěi) then said.

16. .. Bg5 17. Nd2 g6 18. Rg1 Kh8 19. Qe2 a4 20. Ne4 Bxe3 21. fxe3 Qe7 22. Ng3 Rac8 23. Rac1 Rc7 24. Qd2 Qg5 25. Ne4 Qe7 26. Ng3

26. ... h6. Quite rightly Black refuses to repeat moves. 27. Be2 Nac5 28. e4 Qg5 29. Rcd1 Nf6 30. Bf3 Qxd2 31. Rxd2 a3 32. b3

32. ... Na6. Very interesting was 32. ... Nxb3! 33. axb3 Rxc3 with excellent practical chances for Black.
33. c4 Rb8 34. Kg2 b5 35. Be2 Nc5 36. Kf3 b4. “I think at some point my position was better: my Knight was better than her Bishop, but then I had a feeling that after 36. ... b4 that ending was drawish, however, before that I guess I had made some mistakes”, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) said afterwards.
37. Bd1 Nh7 38. h4 Kg7 39. Ke3 Rf8 40. Rf2 Rb7 41. Rgf1 Rc7 42. Rg1 Rb7 43. Rgf1 Rc7 ½ ; ½.

Being better was not enough to win. Photo: FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2011–12.