冰雪女王 (The Snow Queen)

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Nafisa Muminova
FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2013–14; 4th stage; Khanty-Mansiysk, April 14, 2014
Catalan Opening E04

1. c4 e6 2. g3 d5 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Bg2 a6 5. d4 dxc4 6. 0-0 Nc6 7. Nbd2!? Nxd4 8. Nxc4 Bc5. The alternative is 8. ... Nxf3+ 9. Bxf3 Be7 10. Qc2 0-0 11. Rd1 Qe8 12. Bf4 Nd5 13. Bxc7 Qc6 14. Be5 b5 15. Bxd5 exd5 16. Ne3 Qxc2 17. Nxc2 f6 18. Bd4 Be6 19. Ne3 Rac8 20. Rac1 Kf7 21. f4 g6 22. Kf2 h5 23. a3 b4 24. axb4 Bxb4 25. Rc2 Rxc2 26. Nxc2 Be7 27. Ra1 Rc8 28. Ne3 Rc6 29. Ra4 Bd6 30. Nd1 Bd7 31. Ra1 Rc4 32. Ke3 Rc6 33. Nc3 Be6 34. Kd3 Bf5+ 35. Ke3 Be6 36. Kd3 Bb4 37. e3 Bf5+ 38. Kd2 Ke6 39. Ke2 Be4 40. Kd2 Kf5 41. Ke2 Kg4 42. Kf2 Kh3 43. Kg1 h4 44. gxh4 Kxh4 45. Kf2 Kh3 46. Kg1 Kg4 47. Kf2 Kf5 48. Kg3 a5 49. Kf2 Rc8 50. Kg3 Rc4 51. Kf2 Ke6 52. Kg3 Bf5 53. Kf2 Rc8 54. Kg3 g5 55. Ra2 Rg8 56. fxg5 fxg5 57. Ra1 Rg6 58. Kg2 Rh6 59. Ra2 Bh3+ 60. Kg1 Rh4 61. Ne2 Kf5 62. Ng3+ Kg4 63. Bc3 Kf3 64. Bd4 Rh6 65. b3 Be1 66. Nf1 Rc6 67. Ra1 Bf2+ 0 : 1 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), 3rd SportAccord World Mind Games, Women’s Basque Tournament, 北京市 (Běijīng) 2013. 9. Nfe5 0-0 10. Be3 Ba7 11. Rc1 c5 12. Bd2 Nd5 13. e3 Nb5 14. Qe2 Nd6 15. Rfd1 Nxc4 16. Nxc4 b5 17. Ba5 Qe7 18. e4 Nb4 19. Bxb4 cxb4 20. Ne5 Qg5 21. Nc6 e5 22. h4 Qf6 23. b3 a5 24. Rc2 Bb7? 25. Nxa7 Rxa7 26. Rc7 Qb6. Black cannot realistically avoid the doubling on the seventh rank; an amusing (but not forced) variation is 26. ... Rd8 27. Rcd7 Rxd7 28. Rxd7 Qb6 29. Qxb5! and White wins. 27. Rdd7. As they say, two Rooks on the seventh rank are almost always enough to force victory... 27. ... a4 28. Kh2! h6 29. Qe3! An admirable blend of strength and beauty! 29. ... Qa6. Despair, for after 29. ... Qxe3 30. fxe3 Black likewise doesn’t avoid big losses. 30. Qc5! axb3. Chivalrously Black allows checkmate, but by now there is nothing to be done, for if 30. ... g6 then 31. Qe7 wins.

31. Qxf8+! 1 : 0. For if 31. ... Kxf8 then 32. Rd8#.

侯逸凡 (Hóu​ Yì​fán) vs. Nafisa Muminova. Photo: Kirill Merkuriev.