Technique and Confucianism

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov

Friendly match game 6; time control: 25 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; 三亚 (Sānyà), November 11, 2010

Spanish Game C93

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 0-0 9. h3 Bb7. Karpov’s beloved Flohr-Zaitsev Variation. 10. d4 Re8 11. Nbd2 Bf8 12. a3 h6 13. d5. Karpov have met more often 13. Bc2, e.g. 13. ... Nb8 14. b4 Nbd7 15. Bb2 a5 (15. ... g6 16. Rb1 c6! 17. Nb3 Rc8 18. dxe5 dxe5 19. c4 c5!= Hjartarson – Karpov, 7th Torneo Internacional de Ajedrez “Ciudad de Linares”, Linares 1989) 16. Bd3 c6 17. Nb3 axb4 18. cxb4 exd4 19. Nfxd4 c5!= Hjartarson – Karpov, Candidates Quarterfinal, Seattle 1989, match game 3. 13. ... Nb8 14. Nh2 c6 15. dxc6 Nxc6 16. Ng4 Nxg4 17. hxg4 Na5 18. Bd5 Be7. Likewise 18. ... Qc8 19. a4 Bxd5 20. exd5 Nc4 21. Ne4 Nb6 22. a5 Nd7 23. b4 Be7 24. Qf3 Nf6 is satisfactory for Black, Malakhov – Eljanov, 3rd Chess World Cup, Khanty Mansyisk 2009, tie-break game 2. 19. b4 Nc6 20. Qf3 Rf8 21. Nf1 Qd7 22. Ng3 Nd8 23. Nf5 Ne6 24. Rd1 Bxd5 25. Rxd5 Rfd8 26. g3 Qe8 27. Be3 Rac8 28. Rd3 Rc6 29. Rad1 Rdc8 30. Bd2 Qf8 31. Kg2 Rd8 32. Qe2 Bg5 33. Rh1 Rd7 34. Bxg5 Nxg5 35. f3 Qc8 36. Qd2 a5? Too ambitious. He should have consolidated with 36. ... Qd8 (and if 37. Ne3 then 37. ... Ng5).

37. Rd1? To be, or not to be... 37. Rxh6! gxh6 (or 37. ... f6 38. Qa2+ Rc4 39. Rh1 with too many threats) 38. Nxh6+ Kh8 39. Qxg5 was crushing. 37. ... axb4 38. axb4 Qa8 39. Qe2. 39. Nxd6 Ra6(!) 40. Nxb5 Rxd3 41. Qxd3 Ra2+ 42. Rd2 Qa4! is quite unclear. 39. ... Qa3 40. Nxd6 Rxc3 41. Rxc3 Qxc3 42. Nxb5 Qc6 43. Rxd7 Qxd7 44. Nc3. After all, White is still a Pawn up! 44. ... Ne6 45. Nd5 (45. b5 Qd6! 46. Nd5 Qa3 47. b6 Nd4!=) 45. ... Qa4 46. Qb2 Qd1 47. Ne3 Qd3 48. Kf2 Nd4. Dynamic balance at last. 49. Qa2 g6 50. Qb2 Kg7 51. Qa2 Qc3 52. b5 Nxb5 53. Qd5? Both 53. Qc4 and 53. Nd5 should hold. 53. ... Cc7? Karpov returns the favour: after 53. ... Qb2+ 54. Kg1 Nd4! 55. Qxe5+ Kh7 White was in serious trouble. 54. Qd1 Ne6 55. Qc2 Qb4 56. Qc4 Qb2+ 57. Qe2 ½ : ½.

It was a tense, tight affair. Photo: Yè Róngguāng.