Give what you can, take what you need

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Humpy Koneru
Women’s World Chess Championsip match game 4; Tirana, November 18, 2011
Spanish Game C80

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6 9. Nbd2 Nc5 10. c3 Be7 11. Bc2 d4 12. Nb3 d3 13. Nxc5 dxc2 14. Qxd8+ Rxd8 15. Nxe6 fxe6 16. Be3 Rd5 17. c4. Here the first Chinese woman to ever win a World Chess Championship continued 17. Rac1 Nxe5 18. Nxe5 Rxe5 19. Rxc2 Kf7 20. c4 b4 21. Rd1 Rd8 22. Rxd8 Bxd8 23. Kf1 Bg5 24. Ba7!⩲ 谢军 (Xiè Jūn) – Zsu. Polgár, Jaén 1996, Women’s World Chess Championship match game 10 — “This slightly worse ending may be Black’s best choice”, Nick de Firmian and Walter Korn wrote in “Modern Chess Openings”, 14th edition, New York, David McKay Company, 1999, p. 73. 17. ... bxc4 18. Rac1 Nb4. Another Chinese milestone is 18. ... Bc5 19. Rxc2 Bxe3 20. fxe3 Rc5 (⌓ 20. ... Nxe5 21. Nxe5 Rxe5 22. Rxc4⩲) 21. Ng5 Nd8 22. Rd2 Rd5 23. Rfd1 Rxd2 24. Rxd2 c3 25. bxc3 Ke7 26. Rd4 Nc6 27. Rf4 Nxe5 28. Re4 Kf6 29. Rxe5 Kxe5 30. Nf7+ Kf6 31. Nxh8 g5 32. Kf2 Kg7 33. e4 Kxh8 34. Ke3 Kg7 35. g4 Kf6 36. Kd4 Ke7 37. e5 Kd7 38. Kc5 a5 39. Kb5 a4 40. a3 h6 41. h3 1 : 0 谢军 (Xiè Jūn) – 秦侃滢 (Qín Kǎnyìng), Women’s World Chess Championship Knockout Tournament, New Delhi 2000, Final match game 1.
19. a3 Nd3 20. Rxc2 Kd7 21. Bd4 Rb8 22. Bc3 c5. Afterwards Koneru suggested 22. ... Bc5 23. g3 Rf8 as an easier way to aim toward equality. 22. ... Rf8 may imply similar rights.
23. Nd2 Nxe5 24. f4. Koneru: “After this move I think White is better in the endgame. I have weak Pawns. But the question is how to convert it into a win. It was a tough game, I had to defend a lot”.
24. ... Ng4 25. Nxc4 Bf6 26. Re1 Bd4+ 27. Bxd4 Rxd4 28. h3 Nf6 29. Ne5+ Kd6 30. Nf7+ Kd7 31. Ne5+ Kd6 32. Nf7+ Kd7 33. Rxc5 Rxb2 34. Ne5+ Ke8

35. Nf3. Koneru: “I think White could have tried 35. Rc7. This would have been better for White than the actual game”.
35. ... Re4 36. Rxe4 Nxe4 37. Re5 Nc3 38. Rxe6+ Kf8

39. Rxa6. 39. Kh2 Ne2 40. Re5 was probably White’s last chance to keep playing for a win.
39. ... Ne2+ 40. Kh2 Nxf4. Now it’s an easy draw. 41. Kg3 Nxg2 42. Re6 h6 43. Ne5 Ra2 44. a4 g5 45. Rxh6 Ne1 46. Rf6+ Kg7 47. Rg6+ Kh7 48. Rxg5 Rxa4 49. h4 Ra3+ 50. Kg4 Ng2 51. h5 Ne3+ 52. Kf4 Nd5+ 53. Kf5 Ra5 54. Rg1 Ra2 55. Ng4 Ra5 56. Ke4 Nc3+ 57. Kd3 Nd5 ½ : ½.

“Maybe I missed some good chances today”, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) said afterwards. Photo: Anastasiya Valeryevna Karlovich.