死锁 (Deadlock)

The round two of the Women’s World Championship Knockout Tournament saw top seeds falling down, just to make clearer that the format is wrong and unfair. Humpy Koneru lost her match with Natalia Oleksandrivna Zhukova, whilst Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) was forced to play the tie-break with Monika Bobrowska-Soćko tomorrow.

Monika Bobrowska-Soćko – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)

Women’s World Chess Championship Knockout Tournament; match game 1; Khanty-Mansiysk, November 14, 2012

Queen’s Indian Defence E12

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. a3 Ba6 5. Qb3. 5. Qa4 Bb7 6. Nc3 c5 was seen in Matveeva – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), China–Russia Women’s Chess Summit, Ergun 2006.
5. ... Be7 6. Nc3 c5!? Usually Black prefers 6. ... d5.
7. d5 exd5 8. cxd5 0-0 9. e4 Bxf1 10. Kxf1 d6 11. h3 Nbd7 12. Be3 a6 13. Kg1 b5 14. Qc2 Re8 15. Ne2 Bf8 16. Ng3 g6 17. Kh2 Bg7 18. Rhe1 Rc8 19. Rad1 c4 20. Kh1 Nc5 21. Bxc5. White cannot allow the Black Knight to jump to d3.
21. ... Rxc5 22. Re2 h5 23. b4 Rc8 24. e5. A desperate break due to White’s difficulty to face the powerful positional threat of ... Nf6-d7-e5-d3.
24. ... dxe5 25. Nxe5 h4 26. Nc6 Qd7 27. Nf1 Nxd5 28. Red2 Qxc6 29. Rxd5 Qf6 30. Ne3 Qb2 31. a4 Qxc2 32. Nxc2 bxa4 33. Ra5 Re2 34. Ne3 c3! 35. Rc5 Rb8! 36. Rc4 a3 37. Kg1 a2 38. Ra1 c2 39. Kf1 (39. Rxa2 c1=Q+−+)

39. ... Rxe3! 0 : 1. Very pretty conclusion by 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán). White resigns, for both after 40. fxe3 Rxb4!! as well as 40. Rxa2 Bc3!! Black promotes one of her Pawns.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Monika Bobrowska-Soćko

Women’s World Chess Championship Knockout Tournament; match game 2; Khanty-Mansiysk, November 15, 2012

Sicilian Defence B53

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Qxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bb5 Nd7!? The alternative is 6. ... Bd7 7. Bxc6 bxc6? (correct was 7. ... Bxc6) 8. e5 dxe5 9. Nxe5 e6 10. 0-0 Be7 11. Rd1± Sedina – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), Knockout Women’s World Chess Championship Tournament, Nalchik 2008, match game 2.
7. Qd2. “7. Qc4 Nb6 8. Bxc6+ bxc6 9. Qxc6+ Bd7 10. Qb7 Bc8 11. Qc6+ Bd7 s a well-known repetition”, International Master Robert Ris writes in his ChessVibes report.
7. ... g6 8. b3 Bg7 9. Bb2 0-0 10. Na4?! Ris prefers 10. 0-0, and to me 10. 0-0-0 seems even stronger.
10. ... Nf6 11. Bxc6 bxc6 12. e5 Ne4 13. Qb4 d5 14. Nd2 Bf5 15. Nxe4 Bxe4 16. 0-0 Bxc2 17. Rfc1 Be4 18. f3 Bf5 19. Rxc6 Qd7 20. Rac1. Ris: “20. Rc5 and bringing the other Rook to d1 is better”.
20. ... Bh6

21. Rc7? 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)’s cruel fata morgana. After 21. f4 White’s game is still perfectly playable.
21. ... Be3+ 22. Kh1 Qd8 23. R1c6 Bd7 24. Rc2 d4 25. R2c4 Be6 26. R4c6 Bd5. Ris: “26. ... d3 is also strong”.
27. Rc5 d3! 28. Bd4. “If now 28. Bc1 then Black wins with 28. ... Bxc1 29. Rxc1 Bxb3! 30. axb3 d2! and the Pawn carries the day; no better is 28. Bc3 Rb8! 29. Qa5 and now either 29. ... Bxf3 or – even stronger – 29. ... Bxb3 wins easily enough, as the reader can easily verify. PERHAPS the best is 28. Qe1 trying to control the first rank, but even so 28. ... Bxc5 29. Rxc5 Be6 30. Qd2 Rc8 and White’s position is beyond hope“, Grandmaster Kevin Spraggett writes.
28. ... Rb8 (28. ... Bxd4 29. Qxd4 Bxb3!)
29. Qxb8. Desperation, but if 29. Qc3 then 29. ... Bxd4 30. Qxd4 Bxb3! and the d-Pawn goes Hollywood. 29. ... Qxb8 30. Bxe3 Qa8 31. Kg1 Bxf3 32. Rc3 (32. gxf3 Qxf3−+) 32. ... Qe4 33. Bd2 Qd4+ 0 : 1. A shocking outcome: 34. Kh1 (34. Kf1 Be2+ 35. Ke1 Qg1#) 34. ... Qf2! 35. gxf3 Qf1# 0 : 1.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán). Photo: Ugra Chess Academy.