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Notes by Miss Lonelyhearts

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侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) & Nigel D. Short – Alisa Marić & 叶江川 (Yè Jiāngchuān)
成都 (Chéngdū), July 9, 2014
French Defence C00

1. e4 e6 2. Qe2. Michail Ivanovič Čigorin’s own invention, designed to prevent 2. ... d5 (because of 3. exd5). 2. ... c5. Black should avoid 2. ... e5 3. f4! when White has a slightly improved King’s Gambit. 3. f4 Nc6 4. Nf3 g6. 4. ... Be7 is another common sense choice, e.g. 5. g3 d5 6. d3 Nf6 7. Bg2 0-0 8. 0-0 b5 9. e5 Nd7 10. c3 Nb6 11. d4? b4 12. dxc5 Bxc5+ 13. Kh1 a5! is good for Black, L. M. Kovacs – Uhlmann, Sarajevo 1969. 5. g3. An interesting try is 5. Na3!? a6 6. c3 b5 7. Nc2 Nf6 8. g3 d5 (8. ... d6!?) 9. e5 Nd7 10. d4 with a slight edge for White, Day – Kuligowski, New York 1981. Here I’d like to mention an old game of professor Antonio Rosino: 5. c3 Bg7 6. Qf2 b6 7. d4 cxd4 8. cxd4 Nge7 9. Nc3 d6 10. Be2 0-0 11. 0-0 Bb7 12. Be3 d5 13. e5 Nf5 14. g4 Nxe3 15. Qxe3 a6 16. f5 exf5 17. gxf5 gxf5 18. Bd3 Ne7 19. Nh4 Bc8 20. Kh1 Ra7 21. Rg1 f4 22. Qf3 Ng6 23. Nf5 Bxf5? (23. ... f6 was necessary) 24. Bxf5 Nh4 25. Qxf4 Nxf5 26. Qxf5 Qd7? (Fricker blunders, but also after 26. ... Kh8 27. Rg4! leaves Black without hope) 27. Rxg7+! 1 : 0 Rosino – Fricker, 10th International Chess Festival, La Spezia 1963. Black resigned on account of 27. ... Kxg7 28. Rg1+ and mate next move. 5. ... Bg7 6. Bg2 Nge7 7. d3 d6. For 7. ... 0-0 8. c3 b5 see Bricard – Barsov, Calvi 2004. 8. 0-0 0-0 9. a4 a6 10. Qf2 Rb8 11. Kh1 b5 12. Nc3 b4 13. Ne2 f5. Trying to establish a blockade. 14. Rb1 h6 15. b3 Bb7 16. Bb2 Bxb2 17. Rxb2 e5 18. Rbb1 fxe4 19. dxe4 Qc7 20. Qe3 Kh7 21. fxe5 Nxe5 22. Nf4 Rf6? A mistake, losing a Pawn by force. After 22. ... Ng4 23. Qe2 Rf6 24. Bh3 Bc8 25. Kg2 White can still rely on a slight edge. The proper rejoinder probably was 22. ... N7c6 in order to meet 23. Ne6 by 23. ... Rxf3! 24. Bxf3 (else 24. Qxf3 Nxf3 25. Nxc7 Nd2 with equality) 24. ... Qe7 25. Nf4 Nd4 and Black’s compensation for the Exchange is adequate; for example, after 26. Bd1 Nf7! the e4-Pawn is doomed. 23. Nxe5 dxe5 24. Nd3. Cashing in! 24. ... Rbf8 25. Rxf6 Rxf6 26. Qxc5 Rc6. On 26. ... Qxc5 27. Nxc5 Bc8 28. Rf1 with an extra Pawn White should win easily enough. 27. Qf2 Ng8. 27. ... Rxc2 loses outright to 28. Qf7+ Kh8 29. Rf1 Ng8 30. Qxg6 Qg7 31. Qe6. 28. Nxb4 Rc3 29. Rf1 Kh8 30. Qf8 Re3 31. h4 Qc3 On 31. ... Rxg3 32. Rf7 wins. 32. Nd3 Qxc2. Also after 32. ... Bxe4 33. Bxe4 Rxe4 34. Qe8 Black is lost. 33. Rf7 1 : 0.

Nigel D. Short & 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
Photo: 雷远东 (Léi Yuǎndōng)