A League of Her Own

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – 万云国 (Wàn Yúnguó)
8th “弈诚杯” (“Yìchéng Cup” Chinese Chess League; 泰州 (Tàizhōu), June 29, 2012

Sicilian Defence B23

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. d3 Bg7 6. Be3 b6 7. Qd2 Nf6 8. Bh6 Bxh6 9. Qxh6 Ng4. If 8. ... e5 then (by transposition) 9. h3⩲ Chernikov – W. Rosen, 11th World Senior Chess Championship, Arco 2001. 10. Qd2 e5 11. h3 Nf6 12. f4 exf4. Or similarly 12. ... Qe7 13. Nf3 exf4 14. Qxf4 Nh5 15. Qh6 f5? (⌓ 15. ... Ng3 16. Rg1 Nf5 17. Qf4 Nd4 18. 0-0-0⩲) 16. 0-0 f4 17. Ne2 Bd7 18. Nxf4 0-0-0 19. Qg5 Qe8 20. Nxh5 gxh5 21. Qe5 Qg8 22. Qxh5 Qg7 23. Qe5 Qh6 24. Qg5 Qd6 25. Qe5 Qh6 26. Qg5 Qd6 27. e5 Qd5 28. Kh2 Rhg8 29. Qe3 Rde8 30. Qe4 Qe6 31. Nd2 Qh6 32. Nc4 Re7 33. Rf6 Qg5 34. Qf3 Kc7 35. Re1 Be6 36. Ne3 Kb7 37. Qf4 Qh5 38. Nf5 Bxf5 39. Qxf5 Qh4 40. Re3 Qd4 41. Qe4 Qd7 42. e6 Qe8 43. Rf7 Rg7 44. Rxg7 Rxg7 45. e7 Rf7 46. Qe6 a6 47. Qxf7 1 : 0 Šolak – Pap, 1st Serbia and Montenegro Team Chess Championship, Budva 2003. 13. Qxf4 Be6 14. Nf3 Nd7. 14. ... Nh5 seems a little better, but after 15. Qe5 0-0 16. g4 Ng7 17. 0-0-0 White keeps a pleasant edge. 15. 0-0-0 0-0 (15. ... Qf6 16. Qd6)

16. d4 cxd4 17. Nxd4 Rc8 18. e5 Qe7? Black — though far from solving all his difficuties — ought to play 18. ... Qc7 19. Rhe1 Bd5 preventing, at least for a while, Nc3-e4. 19. Ne4+− f5 20. exf6 Nxf6 21. Nd6

21. ... Ng4 22. Nxc8 Bxc8 23. Nxc6 Qc5 24. Rd8 Rxd8 25. Nxd8 Bf5 26. Qd2 Ne5 27. Re1 Bxc2 28. Ne6 Qc4 29. Qd8+ Kf7 30. Qf8+ 1 : 0.