Code Like a Girl

Pentala Harikrishna – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
75th Tata Steel Chess Tournament; Wijk aan Zee, January 23, 2013
Sicilian Defence B81

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. g4 h6 7. h4. The alternative is 7. Rg1 e5 8. Bb5+ Nbd7 9. Nf5 a6 10. Bxd7+ Qxd7 11. g5 Nxe4 12. Nxg7+ Bxg7 13. Nxe4 Qc6 14. Qd3(!) Ke7 15. gxh6 Bxh6 16. Bxh6 Rxh6 17. Qe3 Rh5 18. Rd1 Bf5 19. Ng3 (Nakamura – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), 16th Univé Chess Festival, Hoogeveen 2012) and now Black should have played 19. ... Rah8! with unclear play.
7. ... e5. “Respect to 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) today for such a brave fight! This is the case when result not so important but efforts matters!”, Grandmaster Pavel Vladimirovich Eljanov says.
8. Nf5 Nc6. More convincing than 8. ... Be6 9. g5 Nxe4 10. Nxg7+ Bxg7 11. Nxe4 d5 12. gxh6 Bxh6 13. Bxh6 Rxh6 14. Qd2 Rxh4 15. Bb5+ Nc6 16. 0-0-0± Stanciu – Vegh, Ulaanbaatar 1986.
9. Bg2 g6 10. Ne3 Be6 11. Ncd5 Bxd5 12. exd5 Ne7 13. Qe2 Bg7 14. Qb5+ Qd7 15. Qxd7+ Nxd7 16. Bd2 Rc8 17. Bb4 Nc5 18. 0-0-0 0-0 19. h5 Bf6 20. Kb1 Kg7 21. Nf1 Bg5

22. Ng3 b6 23. Bxc5 bxc5 24. Ne4 Rcd8 25. hxg6 fxg6 26. Rh3 Rf4 27. Ra3 Rxg4 28. Bf3 Rf4 29. Rxa7 Rxf3 30. Nxg5 hxg5 31. Rxe7+ Kf6 32. Re6+ Kf5 33. Rd2 g4 34. c3

34. ... Kg5 (34. ... Rh8 35. Rxd6 Rh2−+)
35. Re2 Rdf8 36. Rxd6 Rxf2 37. Rxe5+ R8f5 38. Re3 R5f3 39. Re5+ Rf5 40. Re3 R2f3 41. Ree6 Rf6 42. Re5+ R3f5 43. Rxf6 Rxe5 44. Rf1 Rxd5 45. Kc2 Rf5 46. Rg1 c4

47. Kd2. 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) suggested afterwards 47. b4, but after 47. ... cxb3+ 48. axb3 Kh4 49. c4 g3 50. b4 Kh3 White is doomed anyway.
47. ... Rf2+ 48. Ke3 Rxb2 49. Ra1 g3 50. Kf3 g2 51. Kg3 (51. Rg1 Rxa2−+)
51. ... Rxa2! 52. Rb1 Kf5 53. Kh2 Ke4 54. Rd1 Kf3 55. Rd6 Ra5 0–1.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) proved to be a superb endgame technician. Photo: Tata Steel Chess.