Under the Pink

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Nino Khurtsidze
FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2011–12; 5th stage; Jermuk, July 21, 2012
Sicilian Defence B85

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Be2 Nf6 6. Nc3 d6 7. 0-0 Be7 8. f4 Qc7 9. Kh1 Nc6 10. Be3 0-0 11. Qe1 Bd7 12. Qg3 d5 13. e5 Ne4 14. Nxe4 dxe4 15. Nxc6. Last famous moves:
1) 15. f5? Nxd4 16. Bh6? (⌓ 16. f6 Bxf6 17. Bxd4) 16. ... g6−+ Shiyanovsky – Kholmov, 30th USSR Chess Championship, Yerevan 1962;
2) 15. c3 Nxd4 16. Bxd4 f5 17. exf6 Bxf6 18. Rad1 Rad8 19. Qe3 Bxd4 20. Rxd4 Bc6 21. Rxd8 Rxd8 22. Bc4 Bd5 23. Bxd5 exd5 24. f5 Qe5 25. g4 d4 26. cxd4 Qxd4 27. Re1 Qxe3 28. Rxe3 Rd2 29. Rxe4 Rxb2 30. a4 h6 31. Re7 Rb4 32. h3 b6 33. Rb7 Rxa4 ½ : ½ Lagno – Javakhishvili, European Women’s Chess Championship, Tbilisi 2011.
15. ... Bxc6 16. f5 Kh8. 16. ... exf5 17. Bh6 g6 18. Rxf5! (18. Bxf8?! Kxf8 is fine for Black) 18. ... Bd5 19. Bxf8 Bxf8 is also perfectly playable. 17. Bg4 exf5 18. Bxf5 Rad8 19. Rae1 Bd5 20. c3 Bxa2 21. Bd4 Be6 22. Bxe4 b5 23. Qe3 Rd7

24. h3. 24. Rf6!? Rfd8 25. Rh6!? g6 is exciting but basically equal; a sample line is: 26. h4 Rxd4! 27. cxd4 Qc4 28. h5 Rxd4 29. hxg6 fxg6 30. Rh2 Kg8 31. Qh6 Rxe4 32. Qxh7+ Kf8 33. Qh6+ with a draw by perpetual check.
24. ... b4 25. Ra1 bxc3 26. bxc3 a5 27. Bb6

27. ... Qxe5? 27. ... Qc4 28. Bxa5 Bc5 was better.
28. Rxa5 Qd6 29. Bd4 f6 30. Rh5 Bg8 31. Bf5 Rc7 32. Qe4 h6 33. Be3 Bf7? The losing move. After the correct 33. ... Rf7 (making room to retreat the Bishop to f8) 34. Bf4 Qa6 35. Rd1 Bf8 (otherwise there follows Bf4xh6) 36. Bxc7 Rxc7 37. Qe8 Qa3 in spite of Black being the Exchange down, it is still a hard fight.

34. Qh4! Bxh5 35. Qxh5 Kg8 36. Bxh6 Rc5 37. Qg6 1 : 0.

A brilliant conclusion to a hard-fought game. Photo: FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2011–12.