摇滚年代

Pyotr Veniaminovich Svidler – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
13th Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival; Catalan Bay, February 3, 2015
English Opening A18

1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. e4 d5 4. cxd5 exd5 5. e5 Ne4 6. d4 Bb4 7. Qa4+ Nc6 8. Bb5 0-0 9. Ne2 Bd7 10. 0-0 Bxc3. For 10. ... Nxc3 11. bxc3 Be7 12. Nf4 see Hort – Lengyel, 2nd International Alekhine Memorial Tournament, Moscow 1971. 11. bxc3 a6 12. Bxc6 Bxc6 13. Qc2 Bb5. If 13. ... f6 may follow 14. f3 Ng5 15. Bxg5 fxg5 16. f4 Qd7 17. f5 Ba4 18. Qb1 Bb5 19. e6 Qe7 20. Rf2 h5 21. g4 h4 22. Nc1 Bc4 23. Nd3 Bxd3 24. Qxd3 a5 25. Rb1 b6 26. Re2 Rfd8 27. Rf1 Kh8 28. Qf3 c6 29. Re5 Rd6 30. f6 gxf6 31. Qxf6+ Qxf6 32. Rxf6 Re8 33. Kg2 Kg7 34. Rff5 Rdxe6 35. Rxg5+ Kh6 36. Rh5+ Kg6 37. Kh3 Rxe5 38. dxe5 Rf8 39. Kxh4 Rf2 40. Rg5+ Kh6 41. h3 Rc2 42. Rg8 Rxc3 43. g5+ Kh7 44. Rd8 Re3 45. Rd6 Rxe5 46. Rxc6 d4 47. Rd6 Re2 48. a4 d3 49. Rxd3 Re4+ 50. Kh5 Rxa4 51. g6+ Kg7 52. Rd7+ Kg8 53. Rb7 Rb4 54. h4 a4 55. Kg5 a3 56. h5 Rb5+ 57. Kf6 1 : 0 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) – 韦奕 (Wéi Yì), 4th International Tournament, 儋州市 (Dānzhōu) 2013. 14. Re1. A continuation worth considering is 13. a4, as played in a vintage game: 14. ... Bxe2 15. Qxe2 c5 16. Qe3 Qa5 17. Ra3 Rfe8 18. Qd3 cxd4 19. cxd4 Rac8 20. f3 Rc3 21. Rxc3 Qxc3 22. Qd1 Nc5 23. dxc5 Rxe5 24. Bf4 Qxc5+ 25. Kh1 Re6 26. Qb1 b5 27. Rc1 Qf8 28. axb5 Rb6 29. Qf5 1 : 0 Despotović – Ülker, by correspondence, 1973. 14. ... c5 15. f3 cxd4 16. Nxd4 Nc5 17. Ba3 b6 18. Qd2 Re8 19. Bxc5 bxc5 20. Nf5 Re6 21. h4 h6 22. a4 Bc4 23. Rab1 Rb8 24. Rxb8 Qxb8 25. Nd6 Qb3 26. f4 Qa2 27. Qxa2 Bxa2 28. Re2 Bb3 29. Rb2 c4 30. Rd2 g5 31. hxg5 hxg5 32. g3 f6 33. Rxd5 gxf4 34. gxf4 fxe5 35. fxe5 Bxa4 36. Kf2 Rh6 37. Ke3 Kf8 38. Nf5 Rh1 39. Rd6 Bc2 40. Rf6+ Ke8 41. Nd6+ Ke7 42. Kd4 Rd1+ 43. Kxc4 a5 44. Nc8+ Ke8 45. Kc5

45. ... a4 46. e6. A long awaited moment for Svidler: her opponent cannot stop the Pawn. 46. ... Bb3 47. e7. A more straightforward solution was 47. Rh6! Bxe6 (what else?) 48. Rxe6+ Kd7 49. Rc6 a3 50. Nb6+ Ke8 51. Rc8+ Kf7 52. Ra8 and White has an easy win. 47. ... Bf7 48. c4? “What was Svidler’s only winning move vs. Hóu Yìfán here? (he missed it...)”, the guys of chess24.com asked rhetorically. Indeed, there is only one way: 48. Rf2! a3 49. Nd6+ Kxe7 50. Nxf7 a2 51. Rxa2 Kxf7 52. Re2! (Ramírez Álvarez’s analysis) – Black’s King is cut off and with accurate play White wins. 48. ... a3 49. Nd6+ Kd7!! Perhaps White overlooked this superbrilliant defensive resource! The automatic answer 49. ... Kxe7 50. Rxf7+ Ke6 51. Ra7 Rxd6 52. Rxa3 would lead only to a theoretically lost ending. 50. Rxf7. On 50. Nxf7 a2 51. Re6 Ke8! 52. Nd6+ Rxd6 53. Re1 Ra6 is a clear-cut draw (Ramírez Álvarez’s analysis). 50. ... Rxd6 51. e8=Q+ Kxe8 52. Ra7 Rh6 53. Rxa3 ½ : ½. “The draw is very easy – just keep the Rook on the third rank until the Pawn gets to c6, and then start checking from behind”, Marmot PFL says.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán). Photo: John Saunders.