The Road Home

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Sachini Ranasinghe

Women’s World Chess Championship Knockout Tournament; match game 1; Khanty-Mansiysk, November 11, 2012

French Defence C11

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 c5 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Be3 a6 8. Qd2 b5 9. a3 g5. The alternative is 9. ... Qa5 10. Ra2!? (Δ b2-b4) 10. ... Qb6 11. g3 cxd4 12. Nxd4 Bc5 13. Nce2 a5 14. c3 a4 15. Bh3 Na5 16. Bf2 Nc4 17. Qc2 f6 18. Bxe6 fxe5 19. fxe5 Ndxe5 20. Bxc8 Rxc8 21. Qf5 Rb8 22. Nf4 g6 23. Qe6+ Qxe6 24. Ndxe6 Bxf2+ 25. Kxf2 Kf7 26. h3 Rhe8 27. Nc7 g5 28. Nxe8 Rxe8 29. Rd1 (after 29. Nxd5? Nd3+ 30. Kg2 Nd2! White gets into trouble) 29. ... gxf4 30. gxf4 Nd7 31. Rxd5 Nf6 32. Rxb5 Re3 33. b3 Ne4+ 34. Kg2 Ncd2? (34. ... Nxc3!+−) 35. Rb7+ Kg8 36. Rxd2 Nxd2 37. bxa4 Rxc3 38. f5 Ne4 39. a5 Rg3+ 40. Kh2 Rxa3 41. Ra7 Ra2+ 42. Kg1 Ng5 43. f6 Nxh3+ 44. Kh1 Nf2+ 45. Kg1 Ne4 46. Rg7+ Kf8 47. Rxh7 Rxa5 48. Rh4 Nxf6 49. Kg2 Kf7 50. Rd4 Ke6 51. Kf3 Ra3+ 52. Ke2 Nd5 53. Rh4 Ke5 54. Rh8 Ke4 55. Re8+ Kd4 56. Rd8 ½ : ½ 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén), 43rd Chinese Chess Championship, 兴化 (Xīnghuà) 2012. 10. fxg5. If 10. Nxg5 then 10. ... cxd4 11. Bxd4 Nxd4 12. Qxd4 Bc5 13. Qd2 Qb6 with good play for the Pawn, A. Ivanov – Lintchevski, Saint Petersburg 2005. 10. ... cxd4 11. Nxd4. Apparently more convicing than 11. Bxd4 Bg7 12. 0-0-0 0-0 13. Na2 Nxd4 14. Nxd4 Nxe5 15. h4 Nc4 16. Bxc4 bxc4 17. Kb1 Rb8∞ Anand – Morozevich, 14th Amber Blindfold Chess Tournament, Monte Carlo 2005. 11. ... Ncxe5 12. Bd3!? Or else 12. Be2 [章钟 (Zhāng Zhōng) – Roiz, 6th World Team Championship, Beer Sheva 2005] and now Black’s best continuation is 12. ... Bg7 13. 0-0 (13. Nxd5? exd5 14. Nf5 0-0 15. Nxg7 Kxg7 16. Qxd5 Rb8∓) 13. ... 0-0 14. b3 Bb7 with a dynamic balance (Roiz’s analysis). 12. ... Bg7 13. 0-0 Bb7 14. Nce2 Qe7? If 14. ... Ng4? then 15. g6! hxg6 16. Nxe6! Be5 (16. ... fxe6?? 17. Bxg6+ Ke7 18. Qb4++−) 17. Rxf7!! (17. Nxd8? Bxh2+ 18. Kh1 Bf4+ 19. Kg1 Bh2+ ½ : ½ Glek – Sambuev, Moscow 2006) 17. ... Qxh4 (17. ... Bxh2+ 18. Kf1 Kxf7 19. Nxd8+ Raxd8 20. Bd4+−) 18. Bxg6! and finis. However, the e7-square doesn’t seem very safe for Her Majesty, either. Thus, perhaps 14. ... 0-0 should have been considered, in order to reply 15. Ng3 with 15. ... Ng4. 15. Ng3 Nxd3 16. cxd3 Rg8? Black’s fatal blunder. However, 16. ... 0-0 17. Nh5 was also very embarrassing for Black.

17. Ngf5! Qf8. The Knight is taboo: 17. ... exf5 18. Nxf5 Qf8 19. Bf4+−. 18. Nxg7+ Qxg7 (18. ... Rxg7 19. Nxe6+−) 19. Rac1. White’s Rooks dominate the board. 19. ... Qe5 20. Qf2 Qg7 21. Rc7 Bc8 22. Rfc1 Kd8 23. Qc2. Mamma mia! 23. ... Ke7 24. Qc5+ 1 : 0. For after 24. ... Kd8 mate would follow in a few moves: 25. Nc6+ Kxc7 26. Bf4+ e5 27. Qxd5 exf4 28. Ne5+ Kb6 (or 28. ... Kb8 29. Qd6+ Ka7 30. Qc7+ Bb7 31. Nc6#) 29. Qc6+ Ka5 (29. ... Ka7 30. Qc7+ Bb7 31. Nc6 matto) 30. Qc3+ Kb6 31. Qc7#.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) (left) vs. Sachini Ranasinghe (right). The ceremonial first move was made by the Governor of Ugra Natalia Komarova. Photo: fide.com.