Working Class Heroine

倪华 (Ní Huá) – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)

3rd 海南 (Hǎinán) 儋州 (Dānzhōu) Grandmaster Chess Tournament; 儋州 (Dānzhōu), June 6, 2012

Sicilian Defence B82

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Be3 Be7 7. f4 0-0 8. Qf3 e5 9. Nf5 (9. fxe5 dxe5 10. Nf5 Bxf5 11. Qxf5 Nc6=)
9. ... Bxf5 10. exf5 Nbd7 11. 0-0-0 Rc8 12. Bb5 Rxc3 13. bxc3 d5!?TN (13. ... Qc7 14. Bxd7 Nxd7 15. fxe5 dxe5 16. Qd5 Qxc3 17. Qb3 Qc6 18. Qd5 Qc3 19. Qb3 Qc6 20. Qd5 ½–½ M. Hoffmann – Babula, 30th Schachbundesliga, Berlin 2008)
14. Rxd5 Ba3+ (14. ... e4!)
15. Kb1 Qa5 16. fxe5 Nxe5 17. Rxe5 Qxc3 18. Bc1 Qxe5 19. Bxa3 Ne4? 19. ... Qxb5+ 20. Qb3 Qxb3+ 21. axb3 Re8 was roughly level.
20. Bb4? A blind spot for 倪华 (Ní Huá). After 20. Qd3! Black is in trouble; for example: 20. ... Nc3+ 21. Ka1 Nxb5+ 22. Bb2 Qc5 23. c4 Nd6 24. Ba3 winning material.
20. ... Qxb5 21. Qxe4 Re8? Better was 21. ... a5! at once, in order to avoid the exchange of Queens.
22. Qd4 a5 23. a4! Transposing into a winning endgame.
23. ... Qxb4+ (23. ... Qxa4 24. Bc3+−)
24. Qxb4 axb4 25. Rd1 g6 26. f6 h5 27. Kb2 Re6 28. Rd8+ Kh7 29. Rd7 b6 30. Rxf7+ Kh6 31. Rf8 Kh7 (31. ... g5 32. f7 Kg7 33. Re8! Kxf7 34. Rxe6 Kxe6 35. Kb3+−)
32. h4 Rc6 33. Kb3 Rc3+ 34. Kxb4 Rxc2 35. Rb8 Rf2 (35. ... Rxg2?? 36. f7+−)
36. Rxb6 Rxg2 37. a5 g5 38. f7!! An elegant solution.
38. ... Kg7

39. Rf6! Morphy’s legacy. 39. ... Kf8 40. hxg5 Rxg5 41. a6 Rg1 42. a7 Ra1 43. Rh6! Only this way!
1–0. For if 43. ... Kg7 then 44. Rf8!+−, while if 43. ... Kxf7 then 44. Rxh5+− (Δ Th5-a5); finally, if 43. ... Rxa7 then 44. Rh8+ Kxf7 45. Rh7+−.

A lone woman in a man’s world.