Material Girl

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Viktorija Čmilytė
FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2011–12; 2nd stage; 深圳 (Shēnzhèn), September 15, 2011
Sicilian Defence B76

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 0-0 8. Qd2 Nc6 9. g4 Be6 10. 0-0-0 Nxd4 11. Bxd4 Qa5 12. a3 b5? A misplay that loses a Pawn for no compensation. It’s likely that Čmilytė has mixed up one or more theoretical lines — 12. ... Rab8 13. h4 b5!? just comes to mind — to suddenly realise the quid pro quo. Yet 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) thinks, whether pretendedly or not, that “12. ... b5 is a really interesting idea and maybe Black can have some compensation. After we changed Queens I’m not sure if Black got enough compensation or not. Probably White have slightly better position. Of course 15. ... Rfc8 is a huge mistake”.

13. g5 Nd7 14. Nxb5 Qxd2+ 15. Rxd2 Rfc8? “Well I made a mistake in the opening and 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) didn’t really give me a chance to survive. After 12. ... b5 13. g5 I’m just a Pawn down but 15. ... Rfc8 loses three Pawns. Instead of 12. ... b5 there were many other normal moves, it’s a theoretical position”, Čmilytė said afterwards, somewhat disconsolately.

16. Nxa7 Bxd4 17. Nxc8 Be3 18. Nxe7+ Kf8 19. Nd5 Bxd5 20. exd5 Ne5 21. Be2 Ra4 22. c3 Bxg5 23. Kc2 Bxd2 24. Kxd2 Ke7 25. Ra1 Rh4 26. a4

26. ... Kd7. 26. ... Rxh2 27. a5 Nxf3+ restores material equality — but not for long as after 28. Ke3 Ne5 29. a6 the a-Pawn is unstoppable.
27. a5 Kc7 28. a6 Kb8 29. a7+ Ka8 30. b4 Rxh2 31. Ke3 f5 32. Bb5 f4+ 33. Kxf4 g5+ 34. Kg3 Rb2 35. Ra3 h5 36. Bc6+ Nxc6 37. dxc6 h4+ 38. Kh3 Rf2 39. b5 Rxf3+ 40. Kg4 1 : 0.

Just another Dragon gone wrong. Photo: FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2011–12.