Perhaps

Perhaps               ––reply to the loneliness of a poet Perhaps our hearts        will have no reader Perhaps we took the wrong road        and so we end up lost Perhaps we light one lantern after another        storms blow them out one by one Perhaps we burn our life-candle against the dark        but no fire warms the body Perhaps once we’re out of tears        the land will be fertilized Perhaps while we praise the sun        we are also sung by the sun Perhaps the heavier the monkey on our shoulders        the more we believe Perhaps we can only protest others’ suffering        silent to our own misfortune Perhaps        because this call is irresistable               we have no other choice 舒婷 (Shū Tíng), December 1979

Nigel David Short – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
12th Bangkok Chess Club Open; Bangkok, April 17, 2012
Queen’s Indian Defence E14

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 b6 4. e3 Bb7 5. Bd3 d5 6. 0-0 Bd6 7. b3 0-0 8. Bb2 Nbd7 9. Nc3 a6 10. Qc2 dxc4. If 10. ... Qe7 then 11. e4 dxe4 12. Nxe4 Nxe4 13. Bxe4 dxe4 14. Qxe4 Nf6 15. Qe2 (15. Qh4 is answered by 14. ... Nd7, and 15. Dc6 by 15. ... Dd7= Malaniuk – Ionov, Saint Petersburg 1996) 15. ... c5 16. Rfd1 with a slight edge for White (L. Portisch’s analysis). 11. bxc4 Bxf3! Less convincing is 11. ... e5?! 12. Nd5!↑ exd4 13. Bxd4 Re8 14. Rad1 h6 15. e4?! (15. Ba1! c5 16. a4!±) 15. ... Ng4 16. h3 Nge5 17. Nxe5 Bxe5 18. Be3 c6 19. Nc3 Nc5 20. Na4 ½ : ½ L. Portisch – Tiviakov, Kropotkin 1995. 12. gxf3 c5 13. d5!? Short goes his own way, perhaps because he was not too convinced neither by 13. Ne2!? Qc7 14. Kg2! cxd4 15. Nxd4∞ (L. Portisch’s analysis) nor 13. Ne4!? Nxe4 14. fxe4 Bxh2+ 15. Kxh2 Qh4+ 16. Kg2 ½ : ½ E. Geller – Averbakh, Training Tournament, Gagra 1953. 13. ... exd5 14. cxd5 b5 15. Ae2 c4. Black is fine. 16. Ne4 Nxe4 17. fxe4 Qe7 18. f4 f6 19. Rad1 Rac8. “From what follows we may suggest the logical improvement 19. ... Nc5!? 20. Bf3 Rae8 and Black seems to have a decent position”, writes Peter Doggers. 20. Bd4 Nc5 21. Bxc5!? Short decides to sacrifice a Pawn. After 21. Bg4 (Doggers) Black could even afford herself 21. ... Qxe4!? 22. Qxe4 Nxe4 23. Be6+ Kh8 24. Bxc8 Rxc8 and her Pawn preponderance on the Queenside should more than compensate for the Exchange. 21. ... Bxc5 22. Bg4 Bxe3+ 23. Kh1 f5? It is hard to understand why 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) gave back the Pawn Yìfán right now. Maybe she was afraid of 23. ... Rcd8 24. Be6+ Kh8 25. Rf3 Bc5 26. Rh3, but after 26. ... g6 White’s compensation is anything but proved. 24. Bxf5 Rcd8 25. e5 Rh8. If 25. ... g6 then 26. Bxg6! with devastating effect; for instance: 26. ... Rxf4 27. Rxf4 Bxf4 28. e6 Qf6 [28. ... hxg6 29. Qxg6+ Kh8 (29. ... Qg7 30. e7+−) 30. Rg1+−] 29. Bxh7+ Kf8 30. Qf2 winning immediately. 26. Qe4 Qc5. No better is 26. ... Qe8 27. Bxh7 Bxf4 28. Rxf4 Rxf4 29. Qxf4 Kxh7 30. e6 and Black can resigns. 27. Bxh7 c3. Maybe Black was still relying upon her passer, but... 28. Bg6 c2 29. Qg2! Very pretty coup, in the style of Alexander Aleanndrovich Alekhine! If now 29. ... cxd1=Q there would follow 30. Qh3+ Kg8 31. Qh7 mate. 29. ... Bxf4 30. Bxc2 Qe7 31. d6 Qe6 32. Rde1. Both 32. d7! (Δ 33. Rd6 Qxe5 34. Qh3+ Kg8 35. Bb3+ Rf7 36. Re6+−) with the tactical pointe of 32. ... Rxd7?? 33. Rxd7 Qxd7 34. Rxf4!+− and 32. Rf3! were quicker ways of resolving the game, but... de gustibus non est disputandum. 32. ... g5 33. Rf3 g4 34. Rf2 Qh6 35. Qxg4 Bxe5 36. Rxe5 Rxf2 37. Rh5 Rxd6 38. Rxh6+ Rxh6 39. Qc8+ Kg7 40. Qc7+ Rf7 41. Qg3+ Kf8 42. h4 Rhf6 43. Bb3 Rf1+ 44. Kg2 R7f6 45. h5 1 : 0.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) standing on top of a Bangkok’s skyscraper. Photo: Kruttika Nadig via ChessBase.com.