Not One Less

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Erwin l’Ami
75th Tata Steel Chess Tournament; Wijk aan Zee, January 14, 2013
Caro-Kann Defence B19

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. h4 h6 7. Nf3 Nd7 8. h5 Bh7 9. Bd3 Bxd3 10. Qxd3 e6 11. Bd2 Ngf6 12. 0-0-0 Be7 13. Kb1 0-0 14. Ne4 Nxe4 15. Qxe4 Nf6 16. Qe2 Qd5 17. Ne5 (17. Be3 Rfd8 18. Rhg1 Ng4=) 17. ... Qe4. The Pawn is obviously taboo: 17. ... Qxg2?? 18. Bxh6!+− with devastating effect. 18. Qxe4 Nxe4 19. Be3 (19. Be1 Rfd8 20. f3 Nf6 21. Bh4 Kf8=) 19. ... Rfd8 20. Rhe1. Four years earlier 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) had preferred the more trendy 20. g4 with a very slight but lasting edge for White: 20. ... c5 21. f3 cxd4 22. Bxd4 Bc5 23. Bxc5 Nxc5 24. c3 f6 25. Ng6 (25. Nc4 Kf8 26. Kc2 Ke7 27. Ne3 a5!? 28. Rxd8 Rxd8 29. Re1 a4 30. b4 axb3+ 31. axb3 Nd3!= Zelčić – Dautov, 14th European Team Chess Championship, Plovdiv 2003) 25. ... e5 26. Kc2 Kf7 27. Nh4 Ne6 28. Rh2 Rxd1 29. Kxd1 Rc8 30. Rd2 Rc7 31. Nf5 b6 32. Ke2 Kf8 33. Ke3 Kf7 34. Rd6 Nc5 35. Rd2 Ne6 36. c4 Nc5 37. b3 Nb7 38. Ke4 Ke6 39. Rd5 Nc5+ 40. Ke3 Nb7 41. Kd2 Kf7 42. Kc3 g6 43. hxg6+ Kxg6 44. Ng3 Rf7 45. b4 Kg5 46. Rd3 Kf4 47. Nh5+ Kg5 48. Rd5 Kh4 49. c5 bxc5 50. bxc5 f5 51. Rxe5 fxg4 52. fxg4 Kxg4 53. Kd4 Nd8 54. Kd5 Rd7+ 55. Kc4 Rf7 56. Kd5 Rd7+ 57. Kc4 ½ : ½ 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – 周唯奇 (Zhōu Wéiqi), 44th Chinese Chess Championship, 兴化 (Xīnghuà) 2009. 20. ... c5 21. c3 Rac8 22. dxc5 Bxc5 23. Bxc5 Nxc5 24. Kc2 Kf8 25. b4 Na4 26. c4 Nb6 27. Rxd8+ Rxd8 28. Kc3 Ke7 29. g4 Nd7 30. Nd3 Rg8 31. f3 g6 32. hxg6 fxg6 33. Nf4 Nf8 34. c5 Rg7

35. Nd5+ Kd8 36. Nf4 Rf7 37. Nxe6+ Nxe6 38. Rxe6 Rxf3+ 39. Kc2 Rf4 40. Rxg6 Rxb4 41. Kc3 Ra4 42. Rxh6 Rxg4 ½ : ½.