咆哮山莊 (Wuthering Heights)

Bela Khotenashvili – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
Women’s Grand Prix 2013–2014; 5th stage, Lopota, June 20, 2014
Nimzo-Indian Defence E53

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 0-0 5. Bd3 d5 6. Nf3 c5 7. 0-0 b6 8. cxd5 exd5 9. Ne5 Ba6!? Most usual is 9. ... Bb7, e.g. 10. Bd2 Nc6 11. a3 Bxc3 12. Bxc3⩲ Gligorić – Ljubojević, Belgrade 1979, match game 10. 10. Bxa6. 10. Nc6!? worked out the best, if undeservedly: 10. ... Qd7?? (Black had to play 10. ... Nxc6 11. Bxa6 Qc7 with a reasonable game) 11. Nxb8 1 : 0 Chuprikov – Bocharov, 13th Master Open, Voronezh 2009. It’s also quite interesting 10. dxc5 bxc5 11. Bxa6 Nxa6 12. Nc6 Qc7 13. Nxd5 Nxd5 14. Qxd5 Rac8 15. Nxb4 cxb4 16. e4 Qc2 17. Be3⩲ 沈阳 (Shěn Yáng) – 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí), 38th Chinese Women’s Chess Championship, 兴化市 (Xīnghuà) 2014. 10. ... Nxa6 11. Qa4!? Nb8 12. dxc5 bxc5 13. Rd1 Qd6 14. Nf3 Bxc3 15. bxc3 Nbd7 16. Ba3 Qe6 17. Rac1 Rfd8 18. h3 Ne4 19. c4 Nb6 20. cxd5 Rxd5 21. Qc2 Rad8 22. Rxd5 Rxd5 23. Bb2 h6 24. a4 Nd7 25. Qb3 a6 26. Qc2 Nf8 27. Ba1 Ng6 28. Qb2 f6 29. Qc2 Kh7 30. Rb1 h5 31. Rb7 Qc6 32. Rb1 Qe6 33. Rb7 Kh6 34. Rb1 Qf5!? Quite a tricky move, but stronger and more direct was 34. ... Rf5! with the (almost imparable) threat of ... Rf5xf3; for instance: 35. Rc1 Rxf3! 36. gxf3 Ng5 37. f4 Nxh3+ 38. Kf1 Qg4 39. Qxc5 Qg1+ 40. Ke2 Qxf2+ 41. Kd3 Qf3! with powerful initiative for Black. 35. Rc1? Khotenashvili seems totally oblivious to any danger. Correct was 35. Rf1! with a roughly balanced position.

35. ... Rd2! A beautiful deflecting sacrifice! 36. Nxd2. The offer must be accepted, for if 36. Qc4 then 36. ... Nh4! and finis. 36. ... Qxf2+ 37. Kh1 Ng3+ 38. Kh2 Nh4 39. Rg1 Ne2. 39. ... Nf1+! 40. Kh1 (or 40. Nxf1 Nf3+ and mate next move) 40. ... Nf5! also wins decisive material for Black (due to the threat of ... Nf5-g3 mate). 40. Qd1 Nxg1 41. Qxg1 Qxd2 42. Qf1 Qxe3. Black has two Pawns ahead and a dominant position. 43. Bb2 Qe4 44. Qf2 Kh7 45. Bc3 c4 46. a5 Nf5 47. Bd2 Qd3 48. g4 Nd4 49. Be3 Nc2 50. Bf4 c3 51. Qc5 Qe2+ 52. Kg1 Qe1+ 53. Kh2 Qe4 54. Qxh5+ Kg8 55. Kg1 Nd4 0 : 1.

Bela Khotenashvili (right) vs. 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) (left). Photo: Alina l’Ami.