Between Two Lines

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Simone De Filomeno
Match game 1; Florence, February 8, 2014
Sicilian Defence B70

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 g6 7. 0-0 Bg7 8. a4 0-0 9. Be3 Nc6 10. Qd2 Bd7 11. Rfd1 Ne5!? A dubious improvisation. The usual continuations 11. ... Nxd4 12. Bxd4 Bc6 or 11. ... Rc8 are more to the point. 12. f3. After thinking for almost ten minutes. 12. ... Rc8 13. a5 Nc4 14. Bxc4 Rxc4 15. Nde2 Rc8 16. b3 Bc6 17. Bb6 Qe8 18. Bd4 Nd7 19. Nd5 Bxd4+ 20. Nxd4 Bxd5 21. exd5 Nf6 22. c4 Qd7 23. Re1. White’s advantage is manifest. 23. ... Rce8 24. Qg5 Nh5 25. Rad1. It ain’t no use in 25. g4 Ng7. 25. ... e5 26. dxe6 fxe6

27. Ne2. Against 27. c5!? 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) suggested 27. ... Nf4! with unclear consequences. 27. ... Qc7 28. Qd2 Qc5+ 29. Kf1 Rd8?? An awful blunder. More stubborn was 29. ... Qc6 and if 30. Qxd6? then 30. ... Rxf3+! with perpetual check. 30. Nd4+− Nf4 31. Nxe6 Nxe6 32. Rxe6 d5 33. Re5 1 : 0.

Simone De Filomeno – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
Match game 2; Florence, February 9, 2014
Queen’s Indian Defence E17

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Bb7 5. Bg2 Be7 6. 0-0 0-0 7. d5!? exd5 8. Nh4! c6 9. cxd5 Nxd5 10. Nf5 Nc7 11. Nc3! If 11. e4 then 12. ... Ne6 13. e5 f6!⩱ (Kasparov’s analysis). 11. ... d5. Consideration deserves also 11. ... Ne6!? (Kasparov). 12. e4 Bf6. Not 12. ... dxe4?! on account of 13. Nxe4 Nd5 14. Qg4± (Kasparov). 13. Bf4!? A famous game by Kasparov went 13. exd5 cxd5 14. Bf4 Nba6 15. Re1 Qd7? (⌓15. ... Bc8) 16. Bh3 Kh8 17. Ne4 Bxb2 18. Ng5 Qc6 19. Ne7 Qf6 20. Nxh7 Qd4 21. Qh5 g6 22. Qh4 Bxa1 23. Nf6+ 1 : 0 Kasparov – Marjanović, 24th Chess Olympiad, La Valletta 1980. 13. ... Bc8. After 13. ... d4 14. e5! (on 14. Ne2 c5 15. e5 Bxg2 16. exf6 Qxf6! 17. Kxg2 Qxf5 18. Bxc7 Nc6⩱) 14. ... dxc3 15. exf6 Qxf6 16. Nd6 (16. Nxg7 cxb2 17. Rb1 Qxg7 18. Bxc7 Na6∞) 16. ... cxb2 17. Rb1 Ba6 18. Re1 White’s initiative compensates for the three Pawns minus (Kasparov’s analysis). Another try is 13. ... Nd7 14. exd5 cxd5 15. Re1 Nc5 16. Bd6 Re8 17. Qg4 g6 18. Bxc7 Qxc7 19. Nxd5 Bxd5 20. Bxd5 Rxe1+ 21. Rxe1 Rd8 22. Rd1 ½ : ½ Hort – F. Olafsson, 3rd Clarin Tournament, Buenos Aires 1980. 14. Rc1!? Perhaps a novelty, threatening 15. Bxc7 Qxc7 16. Nxd5. Bad was 14. Nd6? g5−+ (Kasparov), while sharper 14. g4!? Nba6 15. Rc1 Bd7 (15. ... Bxf5! 16. gxf5 Bg5= Sosonko – Tukmakov, 8th Interpolis Chess Tournament, Tilburg 1984) 16. Qd2 Nc5 17. e5 (Kasparov recommended afterwards 17. Bxc7 Qxc7 18. exd5 Bxf5 19. gxf5 Rad8 20. b4 Nb7 21. Ne4±) 17. ... Be7 18. Nxe7+ Qxe7 19. Bg5 Qe6 20. h3 Qg6 21. f4 f6! 22. exf6 gxf6 23. Bh4 f5 24. b4? fxg4! 25. hxg4 Nd3 26. Rf3!? Nxc1 27. f5 Qg7 28. Qxc1 Rae8 29. Qd2 d4 30. Ne2 Nd5 31. Nxd4 Kh8 32. g5 Re4 33. Bf2 Qe5 34. Rg3 Rf4 35. f6 Be8 36. b5 c5 37. Nc6 Qa1+ 38. Bf1 Rf5 39. g6 Bxg6 40. Rxg6 R5xf6? (40. ... Rxf2 41. Kxf2 Nxf6−+) 41. Rxf6 Qxf6 42. Qe1 Rg8+ 43. Kh2 Qf4+ 44. Bg3 Rxg3 45. Qxg3 Qxf1 46. Qb8+ Kg7 47. Qg3+ ½ : ½ Kasparov – Karpov, Moscow 1984, World Chess Championship match game 2. 14. ... Bxc3 15. bxc3 Bxf5 16. exf5 Nba6 17. c4! White rightly opens up the position, so that his Bishop pair could be very powerful. 17. ... Qf6 18. cxd5 Nxd5

19. Rxc6! White regains his Pawn through a petite combinaison. 19. ... Qxc6 20. Bxd5 Qf6 21. Bxa8 Rxa8 22. Qf3 Rf8 23. Qa3! Stronger than 23. Qb7 Nb4! and if 24. Qxa7 then 24. ... Nd5 with equality. 23. ... Nc5 24. Qxa7 Nd3 25. Be3 Qxf5 26. Qxb6 Ne5 27. Qb7 h5!? (27. ... g5? 28. f3!?) 28. h4 Re8 29. Kg2 Qc2 30. Qd5 Ng4 31. Bd4 Qd2! (Δ ... Ng4-e3+!) 32. Qc6 Rd8 33. Bb6 Rd6 34. Qc8+ Kh7 35. Qf5+ Kg8 36. Qc8+. If 36. Qxh5 then 36. ... Qe2! (Δ ... Ng4-e3+) with the initiative, in spite of the two Pawns minus. 36. ... Kh7 37. Qf5+ Kg8 38. Qc8+ ½ : ½.