月亮公主 (Moon Princess)

“The really significant performance has been from 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), China’s youngest talent. At six, 北京 (Běijīng) pronounced her the new Judit Polgár; by 10 she was competing in adult internationals; last week, less than a month after her 12th birthday, she became the youngest ever to contest a senior world title and eliminated top women from Russia and Ukraine in impressive style”, Leonard Barden wrote in his The Guardian chess column of Saturday, March 25, 2006.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Natalia Oleksandrivna Zhukova

Women’s World Chess Championship Knockout Tournament; match game 1; Yekaterinburg, March 13, 2006

Vienna Game C26

1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. d3 Bc5 4. Nc3 c6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 d6 7. Nge2 Nbd7 8. 0-0 Nf8 9. d4 exd4 10. Nxd4 Ng6 11. Bg3 0-0 12. Kh1 Bb6 13. f3 Bc7 14. Bb3 a6 15. Qd2 Nh5 16. Bf2 Bb8 17. Rad1 Qc7 18. Bg1 Nf6 19. Nf5 d5 20. Ng3 dxe4 21. fxe4 Ng4 22. Nce2! 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) wisely resisted the temptation to play 22. Rxf7 Rxf7 23. Qd8+ Kh7 24. Bxf7 Qxf7 25. Qxc8 on account of 25. ... Nf2+ 26. Bxf2 Qxf2 (threatening 27. ... Bxg3 28. Qxa8 Nh4! 29. Rg1 Bxh2! 30. Kxh2?? Nf3+ and mate next move) 27. e5 (or 27. Rf1 Qa7!=) 27. ... Qa7! with equality.
22. ... b5? Zhukova appears totally oblivious of the impending catastrophe. However, 22. ... Ba7 23. Bxa7 Rxa7 24. h3 N4e5 25. Nh5!↑ gives White a powerful initiative in any event.

23. Bc5! The f7-Pawn is doomed.
23. ... Ne7 24. Bxf7+! Kh7. On 24. ... Rxf7 25. Qd8+ wins heavy material.
25. h3 Nf6 26. Bb3 Re8 27. Qd3 Kh8. If 27. ... Ng6 then 28. e5! Rxe5 29. Nf4 Rg5 30. Nxg6 Rxg6 (or 30. ... Rxg3 31. Nf8++ Kh8 32. Rf3 Rxf3? 33. Qh7+!! Nxh7 34. Ng6#) 31. Rxf6! Qxg3 32. Qxg6+ Qxg6 33. Bg8+ and finis.
28. Nf4 Nfg8 29. Bxg8 Kxg8 30. Qb3+ Kh7 31. Qf7 Bd7 32. Bxe7 1 : 0.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán). Photo: Pufichek.