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侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Elina Danielian
Sharjah; September 4, 2014
Queen’s Pawn Game D02

1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 c6 4. 0-0 Bg4 5. d4 e6 6. Nbd2 Nbd7 7. Re1 Be7 8. e4 dxe4. For 8. ... 0-0 9. c3 b5 see Hug – Vaganian, Luzern 1985. 9. Nxe4 Nxe4 10. Rxe4 Bf5 11. Re1 0-0 12. c3 a5 13. Qb3 Qb6 14. Ne5 Qxb3 15. axb3 Nxe5 16. Rxe5 Bd8 17. Bf4 g5. Maybe a novelty. For 17. ... Bg6 18. Re2 Bb6 19. Bf3 Rfd8 20. Kg2 Rd7 21. h4 see Panchanathan – Krush, Philadelphia 2012. 18. Bd2 h6 19. h4 Kg7 20. hxg5 hxg5 21. Ree1 Bf6 22. Ra2 Bc2 23. Rea1 Bxb3 24. Rxa5 Rxa5 25. Rxa5 Bd5 26. Bxd5 exd5 27. Ra7 Rb8 28. Kf1 Bd8 29. Ke2 f6 30. Kd3 Bb6 31. Ra3 Kf7 32. c4 dxc4+ 33. Kxc4 Rd8 34. Be3 Rd7 35. Rd3 Ba7 36. d5. Nerwal says: “32. c4 and 36. d5 do look a bit crazy but it’s actually well judged by Hóu Yìfán. She’s not in danger anywhere and this way set some problems to her opponent, which Danielian managed to solve.”. 36. ... b5+ 37. Kb4 Bxe3 38. fxe3 cxd5 39. b3 Ke6 40. Kxb5 f5 41. b4 Ke5 42. Kc6 Rd8 43. Kc7. An indomitable will to win! 43. ... Rh8

44. b5. If White tries 44. Rd4 then after 44. ... Rh3 45. b5 Rxg3 46. b6 Rxe3 47. Rb4 Rc3+ 48. Kd7 Rh3 49. b7 Rh8 50. b8=Q+ Rxb8 51. Rxb8 g4 52. Re8+ Kf4 53. Ke6 g3 54. Kxd5 g2 55. Rg8 Kf3 56. Kd4 f4 57. Ke5 Kf2 Black gets a draw. 44. ... Ke4 45. Rb3 f4 46. exf4 gxf4 47. Rb4+ d4 48. gxf4 Rf8 49. b6 Rxf4 50. Kd6 Rf8 51. b7 Ke3 52. Kd5 d3 53. Re4+ Kf3 54. Rd4 Ke2 55. Re4+ Kf3 56. Rd4 Ke2 57. Re4+ ½ : ½.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
Sharjah; September 4, 2014
Photo: Maria Alekseevna Emelianova

Dronavalli Harika – 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn)
Sharjah; September 4, 2014
Modern Defence A42

1. d4 d6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 Nc6 5. Be3 e5 6. d5 Nd4 7. Nge2. 7. Bxd4 exd4 8. Nb5 c5 9. dxc6 bxc6 10. Nxd4 Qb6 slightly favours Black. 7. ... Nxe2 8. Bxe2 h5!? For 8. ... Ne7 9. c5 see Krush – Harika, Women’s World Blitz Championship, Khanty-Mansiysk 2014. An interesting try is 8. ... Nh6 9. c5 0-0 10. f3 f5 11. Qd2 Nf7 12. cxd6 cxd6 13. 0-0 Bd7 14. Rac1 a6 ½ : ½ Adamski – Suttles, Polanica Zdroj 1967. Finally, for 8. ... f5 9. exf5 (if 9. f3 then 9. ... Nf6 as in Botvinnik – Alexander, 13th Chess Olympiad, Munich 1958) 9. ... gxf5 10. Bh5+ Kf8 see 赵雪 (Zhào Xuě) – Fakhiridou, Mardin 2011. 9. Qd2 Nh6. If 9. ... Bh6 may follow 10. 0-0 Bxe3 11. Qxe3, e.g. 11. ... g5 12. c5 Bd7 13. Rac1 f6 14. c6 bxc6 15. dxc6 Bc8 16. Nd5 Kf7 17. Bc4 Kg6 18. h4 Nh6 19. Qg3 Be6 20. f4 Bxd5 21. fxg5 fxg5 22. Bxd5 Qe7 23. Rf5 Nxf5 24. exf5 Kh6 25. f6 1 : 0 A. J. Miles – Welling, Isle of Man 1995. 10. h3 f5. More reserved – but also less consistent – is 10. ... f6 11. 0-0-0 Nf7 12. f4 Bd7 13. Kb1 Qe7 14. g3 a6 15. h4 Nh6 16. Rhf1 Bh3 17. Rf2 Ng4 with fairly eual game, Niklasson – Bednarski, Oslo 1976. 11. g3. If 11. f3 then 11. ... f4 12. Bf2 Nf7. 11. ... Nf7 12. 0-0-0 Qe7 13. h4 Bd7 14. f3 Bh6 15. Kb1 b6 16. Ka1. A long journey of His Majesty “behind the front”. 16. ... Bxe3 17. Qxe3 Qf6 18. exf5 gxf5 19. Nb5 Kd8 20. f4 a6 21. Na3. Also 21. Qa3 is answered by 21. ... Kc8. 21. ... Kc8 22. Rc1 Kb7 23. Bf3. Overestimating her resources – although her position is not so promising – Dronavalli conjures up the thrust c4-c5, without the certainty of retaining the situation under control. 23. ... Rae8. Already claiming the initiative. 24. Qb3. Intending c4-c5. 24. ... Ka7 25. Nc2 exf4 26. gxf4 Nh6 27. Bxh5? Under the circumstances Black cannot afford time for such nonsense. 21. ... Re4. Infiltration! 28. Nb4 Ng4 29. Bxg4 fxg4 30. h5 Rxf4. A crushing concentration! 31. Qa3. This restless attempt only aggravates the situation. 31. ... a5 32. Nc6+ Bxc6 33. dxc6 Rf3. The death-blow. 34. Qa4 g3. An irresistible advance. 35. Qd1 g2 36. Rg1 Rf2 37. Rb1 Qf5 38. Qd4 Rxh5 39. Qg7 Rh7 40. Qg8 Rf1. Threat: ... Qf5xb1 mate. 41. Qxh7 Rxb1+ 0 : 1.

Dronavalli Harika vs. 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn)
Sharjah; September 4, 2014
Photo: Maria Alekseevna Emelianova