Monday, September 29, 2014

The Blind Mirror

Alexei Dmitrievich Shirov – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
5th Chess World Cup; tie-break game 2; time control: 25 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; Tromsø, August 13, 2013
Queen’s Gambit Declined D38

Notes in quotation marks by Grandmaster Ian Rogers, The Byron Shire Echo, Volume 28 #11, August 20, 2013, p. 32.

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Qa4+ Nc6 6. e3 0-0 7. Qc2 dxc4 8. Bxc4 e5 9. dxe5. If 9. Nxe5 then 9. ... Nxe5 10. dxe5 Ng4 11. Qb3 Bxc3+ 12. Qxc3 Qh4 13. g3 Qh3 14. Bf1 Qh5 15. Be2 Qh3 16. Bf1 Qh5 17. Be2 Qh3 ½ : ½ Chiburdanidze – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2009–11, 5th stage, Ulaanbaatar 2010. If, instad, 9. a3 then 9. ... Bd6 10. d5 Ne7 11. 0-0 a6 12. b4 Bd7 13. Bb2 Ng6 14. Ng5 Qe7 15. Nge4 Nxe4 16. Nxe4 Bf5 17. Bd3 Bxe4 18. Bxe4 Qg5 19. Bxg6 hxg6 20. e4 Rac8 21. Qc3 Qh4 22. f4 f6 23. Qg3 Qxg3 24. hxg3 Rfe8 25. fxe5 Bxe5 26. Bxe5 Rxe5 27. Rfe1 Kf7 28. Rac1 Ke7 29. Rc4 ½ : ½ Koneru – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), Tirana 2011, Women’s World Chess Championship match game 8.
9. ... Ng4 10. 0-0 Ngxe5 11. Nxe5 Nxe5 12. Be2 Bg4?! “Now Black gets pushed around badly. 12. ... c6 was safer”.
(12. ... c6 13. Rd1 Qe7 14. b3 Bg4 15. Bb2 Rfe8 16. h3 Bxe2 17. Nxe2 Ba3 18. Bc3 Rad8 19. Ng3 Bb4 20. Bb2 Qe6 21. Qe4 Ba5 22. Rxd8 Bxd8 23. Rd1 Bc7 24. Nf5 g6 25. Nh6+ Kg7 26. Qf4 f6 27. Ng4 Re7 28. Qh6+ Kg8 29. Bxe5 Bxe5 30. Nxe5 Qxe5 31. Rd8+ Re8 32. Rd7 Re7 33. Rd8+ ½ : ½ Halkias – Fressinet, 8th Gibraltar Chess Festival, Catalan Bay 2010)
13. f3 Bd7 14. a3 Bd6 15. f4! Nc6 (15. ... Ng6 16. e4)
16. b4 a6. “If Black allows b4-b5 then e3-e4-e5 will follow”.
17. Bb2 Re8


18. Rf3! “Crude but effective”.
18. ... Re6 19. Bd3 Rh6 20. Rg3 Bf8 21. Nd5 Qh4 22. Qc3 Qxh2+?! “22. ... Bg4! keeps the game alive, e.g. 23. Bf5?! (23. Be2! is stronger) 23. ... Qxh2+ 24. Kf2 Qxg3+! 25. Kxg3 Bxf5 and Black has plenty for the Queen”.
23. Kf2 f6


“Here Shirov spent more than half his remaining time, convinced that there must be a winning combination available. Eventually he found it...”
24. Nxf6+! Rxf6


25. Rh1! (25. Qxf6?? Qxg3+!−+)
25. ... Qxg3+. “25. ... Qxh1 26. Qxf6 leaves Black helpless”.
26. Kxg3 h6 27. Qc4+ Be6 28. Qc2 1 : 0. “After this defeat 侯 (Hóu) lost the last two playoff games”.

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