Strawberry Fields Forever

Pia Cramling – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)

2nd SportAccord World Mind Games; Women’s Blindfold Event; 北京 (Běijīng), December 18, 2012

Queen’s Gambit Declined D38

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Bg5 Nbd7 6. cxd5 exd5 7. e3 c5 8. Qc2 Qa5 9. Bd3 c4 10. Bf5 0-0 11. 0-0 Re8 12. Nd2 g6 13. Bxd7 Nxd7 14. e4 Bxc3 15. Qxc3 Qxc3 16. bxc3 f6 17. Bf4. Curiously enough, only one day later, elsewhere in Croatia, a game with “eyes wide shut” continued: 17. Bh4 g5 18. Bg3 Nb6 19. f4 g4 20. e5 Na4 21. Rac1 b5 ½ : ½ Šarić – Brkić, 19th Open, Zadar 2012. 17. ... Nb6 18. f3 Bd7 19. Rab1 Bc6 20. Rfe1 Na4 21. Re3 g5 22. Bd6 Re6 23. Bb4 a5 24. Bc5 Rae8 25. Bb6 Ra8 26. g4 Kf7 27. Kf2 Ra6 28. Bc7 b5 29. a3 Ra7 30. Bg3 Rb7 31. exd5 Bxd5 32. Ne4 Kg6 33. h3. 33. h4! was much more to the point. 33. ... Rbe7 34. Rxb5? This leads to troublesome consequences; hence White ought to prefer 34. Bd6. 34. ... Bxe4 35. fxe4 Rxe4 36. Rxe4? Of course, after 36. Rf3 Re2+ 37. Kf1 R7e3 White’s game is anything but easy, but the text will cost even dearer. 36. ... Rxe4 37. Rxa5 Nxc3 38. Kf3 Rxd4 39. Rc5? This loses immediately.

39. ... Rd3+ 40. Kg2 Rxg3+! 41. Kh2 Na4 42. Rxc4 Rxa3 0 : 1.