爱不释手 (Àibùshìshǒu)

Anish Giri – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
47th International Chess Festival “In Memoriam Hans Suri”; Biel/Bienne, July 19, 2014
Sicilian Defence B85

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Be2 a6 7. 0-0 Nf6 8. Be3 Be7 9. f4 d6 10. Qe1 0-0 11. Kh1 Nxd4 12. Bxd4 b5 13. Qg3 Bb7 14. a3 Rad8 15. Rae1 Rd7 16. Bd3 Re8. The critical alternative is 16. ... Qd8 17. Qh3 g6 18. f5 e5 19. Be3 Nh5 20. Bh6 Re8 21. a4 Bf8 22. Bxf8 Rxf8 23. axb5 axb5 24. f6 d5 25. Be2 Nf4 26. Rxf4 exf4 27. e5 Kh8 28. Qh6 Rg8 29. Qxf4 Qb8 30. Bg4 Rdd8 31. Nxb5 Bc8 32. Nd4 Bxg4 33. Qxg4 Qxb2 34. e6 fxe6 35. f7 Rgf8 36. Nxe6 Ra8 37. Nxf8 Rxf8 38. Qe6 Kg7 39. Rf1 h5 40. Qxd5 Qxc2 41. Qe5+ Kh7 42. h3 Qd3 43. Rf2 Qd7 44. Qf6 Qc7 45. g4 Qb7+ 46. Kh2 Qc7+ 47. Kg2 Qc5 48. Rf4 Qd5+ 49. Kh2 Qd2+ 50. Rf2 Qd5 51. gxh5 Qxh5 52. Qe7 Qh6 53. Kg3 Qc1 54. Qxf8 Qe3+ 55. Kg2 Qe4+ 56. Rf3 Qe2+ 57. Kg3 Qe5+ 58. Kf2 Qb2+ 59. Ke3 Qe5+ 60. Kd3 Qd5+ 61. Kc2 Qa2+ 62. Kc3 Qa1+ 63. Kc4 Qa6+ 64. Kc3 Qa1+ 65. Kb3 Qb1+ 66. Ka4 Qe4+ 67. Qb4 Qa8+ 68. Kb5 Qb7+ 69. Ka5 Qa7+ 70. Kb5 Qb7+ 71. Kc4 Qe4+ ½ : ½ Kamsky – Stellwagen, Wijk aan Zee 2009. 17. a4. After 17. e5?! dxe5 18. Bxe5 Qd8! Black gets a nice game, Choisy – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), Trophée Multicoms, 3rd China–France Match, Paris 2006. Other continuations are 17. Rf3 Bd8 18. Nd1 e5 as in 倪华 (Ní Huá) – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), 41st Chinese Chess Championship, 兴化 (Xīnghuà) 2010, and 17. Re2!? Qd8 18. Qh3 h6 19. Nd1 Bf8 as in Sukandar – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), 1st World Mind Sports Games, Rapid Event, 北京 (Běijīng) 2008. 17. ... b4 18. Na2 Qa5

19. Nc1. Possibly a novelty, implying a Pawn sacrifice. On 19. b3 may follow 19. ... d5 20. Bxf6 Bxf6 21. e5 Bd8 22. f5 exf5 23. Bxf5 Rde7 24. Qh3 g6 25. Bd7 Rf8 26. e6 f5 27. Nc1 Qc7 28. Re2 Rg7 29. Nd3 Be7 30. Qe3 a5 31. Qd4 Qd6 32. Ne5 Bf6 33. Rfe1 Re7 34. Qf4 Bxe5 35. Rxe5 Bc8 36. Qd2 d4 37. Rxa5 Bxd7 38. exd7 Rxe1+ 39. Qxe1 Qxd7 40. Qxb4 Re8 41. h3 Qc7 42. Qc4+ Qxc4 43. bxc4 Re2 44. Rd5 Rxc2 45. Rxd4 Kf7 46. a5 Ke6 47. c5 Ra2 48. Rd6+ Ke5 49. a6 Ra5 50. Rd7 Rxa6 51. Rxh7 ½ : ½ C. Balogh – Jakovenko, 15th European Individual Chess Championship, Yerevan 2014. 19. ... Qh5 20. Nb3 Qg6 21. Qh3 Qg4 (21. ... fxe4?? 22. f5+−) 22. Qxg4 Nxg4 23. Na5 Ra8 24. Be2 Nf6 25. Bf3 Ne8 26. c3 bxc3 27. bxc3 Bd8 28. Nxb7 Rxb7 29. e5 d5 30. c4. A very interesting Pawn sac. 30. ... Rb4 31. Rc1 Rxa4 32. g3 g5 33. Bg1 Nc7 34. Bb6 Ne8 35. Be3 Nc7. After 35. ... g4 36. Bg2 Ra3 37. Bg1 Nc7 38. cxd5 Nxd5 39. f5 White holds a powerful initiative for the Pawn. 36. fxg5 Rb8 37. Ba7 Rb7 38. Be3 Rb8 39. Ba7 Rb7 40. Bc5 Bxg5 41. Rc2 Rb3 42. cxd5 Nxd5 43. Bh5 f5 44. exf6 Bxf6 45. Bd6 Rc3 46. Rb2 Rc8 47. Rb7 Rd8 48. Bc5 Rc4 49. Bg1 Rf8 50. Be2. Giri is a little too revengeful. White’s position is no better! 50. ... Rc6 51. Bd3 Rc7 52. Bxa6 Rxb7 53. Bxb7 Kg7 54. Bc6 Rf7 55. Re1 Re7 56. Re4 Kf7 57. Rc4 Be5 58. Rh4 Kg7. Black can even afford to sacrifice a Pawn and not to play the “bureaucratic” move 58. ... Nf6. 59. Rh5 Bf6 60. Bxd5 exd5 61. Rxd5 Re2 62. h4 Kg6 63. Rd6 Kf5 64. g4+ Ke5 65. Rd7 Bxh4 66. Rxh7 Bg5 67. Rf7 Ke6 68. Rg7 Bf6 69. Rg8 Kf7 ½ : ½. Luckily enough, tomorrow is rest day. Yet a heroic defence by 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)!

Anish Giri vs. 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán). Photo: Biel Chess Festival.