Say That Again

Ekaterina Aleksandrovna Lagno – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
41st Women’s Chess Olympiad; Tromsø, August 9, 2014
Queen’s Gambit Declined D38

Notes by Grandmaster Alejandro Tadeo Ramírez Álvarez, ChessBase.com, August 9, 2014.

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4. 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)’s Ragozin has served her well for many games. 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bg5 Nbd7 7. Qc2 c5 8. g3. An unusual idea, but it has bee tried this year a few times. 8. ... h6 9. Bf4. Wojtaszek has tried this move before, against Peralta in 2012. The more common retreat is to e3. 9. ... 0-0 10. Bg2 b6 11. 0-0 Bb7?! Black’s development seems sensible enough for now, but this last move understimates White’s threats. 11. ... Bxc3! 12. bxc3 Re8 13. Ne5 Bb7=. 12. Nb5 Bc6? 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) fails to smell the danger. 12. ... c4 13. a3 Be7 14. Nh4 is a little more pleasant for White.

13. Nc7! Rc8 14. a3! Ba5 15. b4. This is the uncomfortable point for Black. Now her Bishop is trapped on a5 and she must at least lose the Exchange. There is also not a good way to get decent compensation for it. 15. ... Ne4. A try that is as good as any. 16. dxc5 bxc5 17. bxa5 Rxc7 18. Bxc7 Qxc7 19. Nd2 f5 20. Rac1 Kh8 21. f3 Nxd2 22. Qxd2 f4 23. gxf4 Rxf4 24. e3 Ra4 25. f4 Qxa5 26. Rfd1 Nb6. 26. ... Nf6 gave more hope. White would still need some convincing technique to win the game. 27. Qb2 Rxa3

28. f5 (28. Qe5!) 28. ... Ra2 29. Qe5 Qb4 30. e4 Nc4 31. Qc3! The trade of Queens is not feasable for Black, but either is allowing f5-f6. 31. ... Qb7. 31. ... Qxc3 32. Rxc3 Nb6 33. Rxc5 is not really holdable. 32. exd5 Rxg2+. Desperation. 32. ... Bb5 33. f6 gxf6 34. Qxf6+ Qg7 35. Qxg7+ Kxg7 36. Rc3+−. 33. Kxg2 Bxd5+ 34. Kg1 Bf7 35. f6 Qe4 36. fxg7+ Kh7

37. g8=Q+! The cleanest way to finish the game.
37. ... Kxg8 38. Rd8+ Kh7 39. Rh8+ Kg6 40. Qg3+ 1 : 0. A very tough loss for 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) and one that could not have come at a worse moment.

Two women on stage, under the interested eye of FIDE President Kirsan Nikolayevich Ilyumzhinov. Photo: Georgios Souleidis.