Living to Tell the Tale

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – 韦奕 (Wéi Yì)
45th Chinese Chess Championship; 兴化 (Xīnghuà), March 18, 2014
Sicilian Defence B92

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 e5 7. Nb3 Be7 8. Bg5 Be6 9. Bxf6 (9. f4 exf4 10. Bxf4 Nc6 11. 0-0 0-0=)
9. ... Bxf6 10. Qd3 Nc6 11. 0-0-0. No more promising is 11. Nd5 Bg5 (Arnason – Kasparov, 19th World Junior Chess Championship, Dortmund 1980) 12. Rd1!= (Kasparov).
11. ... Qb6 12. Nd5 Bxd5 13. exd5 Nd4 14. Nxd4 Qxd4 15. Qxd4 exd4. A draw is in the air: four Rooks and Bishops of opposite colours.
16. Bd3. Or 16. f4 h5 17. a4 Kd7 18. a5 Rae8 19. Bd3 h4 20. g4 hxg3 21. hxg3 g5 22. b4 gxf4 23. gxf4 Kc7 24. Kb2 Rxh1 25. Rxh1 Rh8 26. Rf1 b5 27. axb6+ Kxb6 28. Kb3 Ra8 29. Ra1 Bg7 30. Re1 Bf6 31. Rg1 Rb8 32. Re1 Ra8 33. Kb2 Rh8 34. Ra1 Ra8 35. Kc1 Bg7 36. Kd1 Bh6 37. f5 Bg7 38. Ra5 Ra7 39. Ke2 Bf6 40. Kf3 Ra8 41. Ra1 a5 42. bxa5+ Rxa5 43. Rxa5 ½–½ Karjakin – Nakamura, 6th Tal Memorial, Moscow 2011.
16. ... 0-0-0 17. f4 h5 18. a4 Rde8 19. b4 Re3 20. Kb2 Kb8 21. a5 Ka7 22. Ra1 h4 23. Kb3 g6 24. Rhe1 Rc8 25. Reb1 Rc3+ 26. Ka4 Bd8 27. Rb3 Rxb3 28. Kxb3 Bf6 29. Kc4 Kb8 30. b5 axb5+ 31. Kxb5 Re7 32. Ka4 Rc7 33. Re1 g5 34. g3 hxg3 35. hxg3 gxf4 36. gxf4 Rc5 37. Re8+ Rc8 (37. ... Ka7 38. Rf8 Rc7=)
38. Re2 Rc5 39. Rg2 Rc8. After 39. ... Rxd5? 40. Rg8+ Ka7 41. Rf8 White regains her Pawn with interest.
40. Rg1 Ka7 41. Rh1 Rh8 42. Rb1 Rc8 43. Rb6 Be7 44. f5 Rc5 45. f6

45. ... Rxa5+! 46. Kxa5 ½–½. There might follow 46. ... Bd8 47. Bg6 Bxb6+ 48. Kb5 Bd8 49. Bxf7 Bxf6 with dead equality.

 

Although still recovering from a severe sore throat, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) managed to hold 韦奕 (Wéi Yì) to a draw in their game of Round 7 of the absolute Chinese Chess Championship. “I’m feeling a little better”, she said afterwards with a still hoarse voice. “I went to the doctor yesterday to get some medicine”. Photos: 樊璐璐 (Fán Lùlù).