At Last

刘庆南 (Liú Qìngnán) – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
43rd Chinese Chess Championship; 兴化 (Xīnghuà), March 29, 2012
Sicilian Defence B25

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nd4 4. Bc4 e6 5. Nge2 Nf6 6. 0-0 a6 7. d3 b5 8. Bb3 Nxb3 9. axb3 Bb7 10. Bg5 d6 11. f4 Be7 12. Ng3 h6 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. f5 (14. Qe2 b4 15. Nd1 0-0 16. Kh1 g6 17. e5 dxe5 18. fxe5 Bg7 19. Nf2 h5 20. Nh3 Qd4 21. Rae1 Qxb2 22. Ng5 Qd4 23. Nxh5 Qh4 24. Nxg7 Qxg5 25. Rf6 Kxg7 26. Qf2 Rae8 27. h3 Re7 28. Kg1 Rc8 29. h4 Qh5 30. Rf1 Rcc7 31. Qg3 Bc6 32. R1f4 Be8 33. Rg4 Rcd7 34. Rg5 Qd1+ 35. Kh2 Qxc2 36. Rf3 Rd4 37. h5 Qd2 38. Rf6 Rxd3 39. hxg6 fxg6 40. Rgxg6+ Kh8 41. Rh6+ 1 : 0 Degraeve – Roser, 23th Cappelle-la-Grande Open, Cappelle-la-Grande 2007) 14. ... Bd4+ 15. Kh1 Qg5 16. Nge2 Be5 17. fxe6 fxe6 18. Ng1 Qg6

Now Black might pay the price for her failure to castle: 19. Nxb5! d5! The best reply. If 19. ... axb5? then 20. Rxa8+ Bxa8 21. Qa1! Bc6 (or 21. ... Bb7 22. Qa7 Bc8 23. Qc7+−) 22. Qa6 Kd7 23. Qa7+ Kc8 24. Rf7+− winning at once. 20. Nc3 Bxc3 21. bxc3 dxe4 22. dxe4 Qxe4 23. Rf2 Qd5 24. Rd2 Qg5 25. Rf2 Rf8 26. Rxf8+ Kxf8 27. Qd6+ Kg8 28. Qxe6+ Kh7 29. Nf3 Qh5 30. Qe2 Re8 31. Qf2 Qf5 32. Rf1 Re6 33. Kg1 Bxf3 34. gxf3 Qg5+ 35. Kh1 Re3 36. c4 Qe5 37. Qg3 Qf5 38. Rf2 Re1+ 39. Kg2 Re6 40. Qh4 Qe5 41. Qe4+ Qxe4 42. fxe4 Rxe4 43. Kf3 Re6 44. Rd2 Kg6 45. Rd8 Kf5 46. Rc8 Ke5 47. Rxc5+ Kd4 48. Rd5+ Kc3

49. Rd3+ Kxc2? After defending wonderfully, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) finally misses her best opportunity: 49. ... Kb4! 50. Re3 Rf6+ 51. Ke4 Re6+ 52. Kd3 Rd6+ 53. Ke2 a5 with a likely draw. 50. Re3 Rb6 51. Ke4 a5 52. c5 Rb8 53. Kd5 Rd8+ 54. Kc4 Rd2 55. h3 Kb2 56. Kb5 Rc2 57. c6 g5 58. Kb6 Ka3 59. c7 1 : 0.