Thursday, February 9, 2012

God is a girl

Alexei Dmitrievich Shirov – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
10th Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival; Catalan Bay, February 1, 2012
Sicilian Defence B97

Comments in quotation marks by Grandmaster Simon Williams, ChessBase.com, February 2, 2012.

“The two played the most uncompromising of openings, the Poison Pawn Variation in the Siciian Najdorf. One might think that, after all theee years, everything is understood about this ferociously complex tactical variation. With the growth of computer chess that is far from true. Using computers has changed people’s conception of what positions are defensible. Thus players are stronger. That is one reason so many people are rated over 2700, not inflation in the numbers”.

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Qb6!? 8. Qd2 Qxb2 9. Rb1 Qa3 10. e5 h6 11. Bh4 dxe5 12. fxe5 Nd5!? 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán’s speciality. 12. ... Nfd7 13. Ne4 Qxa2 is a tabiya.
13. Nxd5 exd5 14. e6 Bxe6 15. Nxe6 fxe6 16. Be2. “One would think 16. Bd3 is more natural, so that Bd3-g6+ would tie the g7 Pawn down. Another alternative is 16. Rxb7”.
16. Bd3 Be7 17. Bg6+ Kd8 18. Bxe7+ Qxe7 19. 0-0 Nd7! is fine for Black, Motylev – Sutovsky, 39th Chess Olympiad, Khanty-Mansiysk 2010.
16. ... Be7. “16. ... b5 prevents Rb1xb7, but neglects Black’s development”.
17. Bh5+ Kd8 18. Bxe7+ Qxe7 19. 0-0 Nd7. “19. ... b5 is possible. 19. ... Nc6 probably runs afoul of 20. c4”.
20. Rxb7. If 20. Rf7 then Qc5+ 21. Kh1 Rf8 22. Rxg7 Rc8 23. h3 Rc6 24. Qxh6 Kc8 25. Bg4 Qxc2 26. Re1 Qc3 27. Rxe6 Rxe6 28. Bxe6 Rf1+ 29. Kh2 Qe5+ 30. Rg3 Qe1 31. Qh8+ Kc7 32. Qc3+ Qxc3 33. Rxc3+ Kd6 34. Bxd7 Kxd7 35. h4 Ke6 36. h5 Kf6 37. Rc7 Kg5 38. Rxb7 Kxh5 39. Rb6 d4 40. Rxa6 d3 41. Rd6 Ra1 42. Kg3 Rxa2 43. Rd5+ Kg6 44. Rxd3 Ra6 45. Rd4 Rb6 46. Kf4 Ra6 47. Kg3 Rb6 48. Rg4+ Kh6 49. Kh4 Ra6 50. Rg8 Kh7 51. Rg5 Kh6 52. g4 Rb6 53. Rc5 Kg6 54. Rg5+ Kh6 55. Rh5+ Kg6 56. Rg5+ Kh6 ½ : ½ N. A. Kosintseva – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2011–12, Rostov-on-Don 2011. 20. c4!? also comes into consideration.
20. ... Qc5+ 21. Kh1 Rb8 22. Rxb8+ Nxb8. “That Black’s King is in the centre is adequate compensation for the Pawn”.
23. Qe2. “23. Qe1 Rf8 is an alternative”.
23. ... Qb5 24. Qxb5 axb5 25. Rf7 Nc6 26. Rxg7 Rf8 27. Kg1 Nb4 28. Rb7 Nxc2. 28. ... Nxa2 is also possible, but then Black won’t have two connected passed Pawns”.
29. Rxb5 Ke7 30. a4 Ra8 31. Rb2 Ne3 32. Kf2 Nc4 33. Rb7+ Kd6 34. Bd1 e5 35. Rh7 Nb2! 36. Rxh6+ Kc5 37. Bc2 Nxa4. “It is true a Bishop is better than a Knight in the endgame. But Black’s Pawns are further advanced and she exerts greater control of the centre”.
38. h4 Nc3! 39. Bf5 (39. g4?? Ra2)
39. ... Ra2+ 40. Kf1 Ra1+ 41. Kf2 Ra2+ 42. Kf1 Nd1 43. g4 Ne3+ 44. Ke1 Kd4 45. Bc8 Ng2+ 46. Kd1 e4 47. h5 e3 48. Ba6 Nf4 49. Rb6 Nd3 50. Bxd3 Kxd3 51. Rb3+ Ke4 52. h6 d4 53. h7 Rh2. “White’s position is hopeless”. 0 : 1.

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