蜘蛛女之吻 (Kiss of the Spider Woman)

Antoaneta Stefanova – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2013–14; 4th stage; Khanty-Mansiysk, April 15, 2014
Queen’s Indian Defence A50

1. d4 e6 2. c4 b6 3. a3 Bb7 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. d5 Bd6! 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) on the track of chess artist Albin Planinc. 6. Nf3 0-0 7. g3. Another line is 7. e4 exd5 8. exd5 c6 9. Be2 cxd5 10. cxd5 Na6 11. 0-0 Re8= T. V. Petrosian – Planinc, 3rd Alekhine Memorial, Moscow 1975. 7. ... c6 8. Bg2 cxd5 9. cxd5 exd5TN (9. ... Nxd5 10. Nxd5 exd5 11. Ng5 Be5 12. Bxd5 Bxd5 13. Qxd5 Nc6 14. 0-0 Qf6 15. Rb1 Rfe8 16. Nf3 Re6 17. b4 Rae8 18. Be3 Ne7 19. Qxd7 Nf5 20. Bg5 Qg6 21. e4 Nd6 22. Nxe5 Qxg5 23. f4 Qe7 24. Qxe7 R6xe7 25. Rbd1 Nxe4 26. Rd4 Nc3 27. Rd3 Rc7 28. Rff3 Ne4 ½ : ½ L. Z. Stein – Planinc, International Tournament, Zagreb 1972) 10. Nh4 Be5. With Planinc on her side, who can hurt her? 11. Nxd5 Nxd5 12. Bxd5 Bxd5 13. Qxd5 Nc6 14. Nf3 Bf6 15. 0-0 Re8 16. Re1 Rc8 17. Bg5 Bxg5 18. Nxg5 Qf6 19. Ne4 Qe6 20. Qxe6 Rxe6 21. Nc3 g6 22. Red1 Ne5 23. Rab1 a6 24. Kg2. 24. f4 Nc4 25. Rxd7 Nxb2 is roughly even. 24. ... Kf8 25. e3 Nc4 26. Ne2 Rd6 27. Nd4 Rc5 28. a4 Ne5 29. b4 Rc4 30. Rdc1 Rxc1 31. Rxc1 Nc6 32. Rc4

32. ... Nxd4 33. Rxd4? Nerwal: “[...] the other Pawn endgame 33. exd4 Rc6 34. Rxc6 dxc6 may just be a draw as White’s King is more active and Black doesn’t have a waiting move in reserve”. 33. ... Rxd4 34. exd4 Ke7 35. Kf3 Ke6 36. Ke4 f5+ 37. Kd3

37. ... g5? As originally shown by Nerwal, “This innocent-looking Pawn endgame may actually be just lost for White after 37. ... b5, e.g. 38. axb5 [RR 38. a5 g5−+] 38. ... axb5 39. h3 [RR 39. f3 g5!−+] 39. ... Kd5 40. f3 h6 41. Kc3 h5 42. h4 Ke6 43. Kd3 Kf6 44. Ke3 g5 45. hxg5+ Kxg5 46. Kf2 f4−+”. 38. h3 h5. Now 38. ... b5 39. axb5 axb5 40. g4! would play towards a draw. 39. Kc4 g4 40. hxg4 hxg4 41. a5. The only move! 41. ... bxa5 42. bxa5 Rd6

43. d5. Again the only move. 43. ... Ke5 44. Kc5 Ke4 45. Kd6 Kd4 46. Kxd7 Kxd5 47. Ke7 f4 48. Kf6 fxg3 49. fxg3 Kc5 50. Kf5 Kb5 51. Kxg4 Kxa5 52. Kf5 Kb4 53. g4 a5 54. g5 a4 55. g6 a3 56. g7 a2 57. g8=Q a1=Q 58. Qb8+ Ka3 59. Qa7+ Kb2 60. Qxa1+ ½ : ½.

A tough fight to the last Pawn! Photo: Kirill Merkuriev.