A Class in Geometry

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Viktor Lvovich Kortschnoi
5th György Marx Memorial; Paks, August 5, 2007
Spanish Game C80

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6 9. Be3 Bc5 10. Bxc5 Nxc5 11. Nd4 Nxd4 12. Qxd4 Nb7 13. c3 c5TN (13. ... 0-0 14. Nd2 c5 15. Qf4 Na5 16. Bc2 Nc6 17. Ne4 Nxe5 18. Nxc5 Nd7 19. Nb3 Qf6 20. Qxf6 Nxf6 21. Rfe1 Rfc8 22. Nd4 b4 23. cxb4 Rc4 24. Rad1 Rxb4 25. b3 Rc8 26. Bb1 Bd7 27. f3 Kf8 28. Kf2 a5 29. a3 Rb7 30. Rc1 Rbc7 31. Rxc7 Rxc7 32. a4 h6 33. Bd3 Ne8 34. Bb5 Bxb5 35. axb5 Rb7 36. Ra1 Nc7 37. Rxa5 Ke7 38. Ke3 g6 39. Kd3 Kd6 40. Kc3 Kc5 41. g4 h5 42. gxh5 gxh5 43. f4 Ne6 44. f5 Nc7 45. b6+ Kxb6 46. b4 Rb8 47. Rc5 Re8 48. Rc6+ Kb7 49. Rf6 Re3+ 50. Kd2 Rh3 51. Rxf7 Rxh2+ 52. Ke3 Kc8 53. f6 Rh4 54. Rxc7+ Kxc7 55. f7 Re4+ 56. Kd3 1 : 0 Nisipeanu – Šimáček, 8th European Individual Chess Championship, Dresden 2007) 14. Qf4. White almost imperceptibly slips into a quicksand. Here 14. Qe3 (keeping an eye on c5) seems a better arrangement. 14. ... Na5 15. Bc2 h6!

16. Nd2?! The idea to allow Black to exchange Queens proves to be not a good one. Now 16. h4 g5! 17. Qh2 gxh4 18. Nd2 Rg8 may be playable, but it looks quite dangerous for White. Maybe 16. h3 should have been considered. 16. ... Qg5 17. Qxg5 hxg5 18. Nb3?! (18. f4!? gxf4 19. Rxf4 Ke7⩱) 18. ... Nxb3 19. axb3 Kd7 20. Rfd1 Kc7

21. b4? (21. Rd3 a5 22. Rg3 g4∓) 21. ... cxb4 22. cxb4 Rh4 23. Bb3 Rxb4 24. Bxd5 Bxd5 25. Rxd5 Rxb2−+ 26. Rc1+ Kb6 27. Rd6+ Ka5 28. Rd7 b4 29. Ra1+ Kb6 30. h4 Ra7 31. Rd6+ Kb5 32. hxg5 a5 33. Rd5+ Kc4 34. Rdxa5 Rxa5 35. Rxa5 b3 36. Ra7 Re2 37. Rc7+ Kd5 38. Rb7 b2 39. Kh2 Rxf2 40. Kg3 Re2 41. g6 fxg6 42. Kf4 g5+ 43. Kf5 Rf2+ 44. Kg6 Rxg2 45. Rb5+ Ke6 0 : 1.

As the years come and go, they do not pass in vain.