Go Girl

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Sandro Fabio Mareco
13th Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival; Catalan Bay, February 1, 2015
Sicilian Defence B90

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. Qd2 Be7 9. 0-0-0 (9. f3 Nbd7 10. 0-0-0 Qc7 11. g4 h6 12. Kb1 b5 13. Nd5 Bxd5 14. exd5 Nb6 15. Bxb6 Qxb6 16. Na5 Rc8 17. Nc6 Nxd5 18. Nxe7 Nxe7 19. Qxd6 ½ : ½ Mareco – Baramidze, 45th World Junior Chess Championship, Yerevan 2006) 9. ... Nbd7. Of course there’s always a past: 9. ... 0-0 10. f4 Ng4 11. g3 Nxe3 12. Qxe3 Nc6 13. Kb1 Qc7 14. f5 Bxb3 15. cxb3 Nd4 16. Bd3 Rfc8 17. g4 Bf8 18. g5 b5 19. Rhg1 Qa7 20. Nd5 a5 21. Nf6+ Rh8 22. Nxh7 Nxf5 23. Qh3 Nh6 24. gxh6 g6 25. Ng5 a4 26. Qf3 1 : 0 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Nakhbayeva, 3rd Asian Indoor Team Rapid Prelim, Hạ Long 2009 (time control: 25 minutes plus 5 seconds per move). 10. f4 b5 11. f5 Bc4 12. Kb1 Rb8

13. g4! A very promising Pawn sacrifice. 13. ... Nxg4. Mareco accepts the challenge and plays the game. If 14. ... h6 there may follow 14. Qg2 Qc7 15. h4 Bxf1 16. Rdxf1 b4 17. Nd5 Nxd5 18. exd5 Rb5 19. g5 Qc4 20. Nd2 Qxd5 21. Ne4 Kd8 22. Rd1 Qc6 23. f6 gxf6 24. gxh6 Bf8 25. h5 Kc7 26. Qg4 d5 27. Ng3 d4 28. Bc1 Nb6 29. Ne4 Nd5 30. h7 Nc3+ 31. Nxc3 bxc3 32. b3 d3 33. Rh2 d2 34. Bxd2 Rxh7 35. Qg8 Qf3 36. Rhh1 cxd2 37. Qxh7 Bb4 38. Qxf7+ Kb8 39. h6 1 : 0 Felgaer – Ricardi, 83rd Argentine Chess Championship, La Plata 2008. 14. Rg1 Nxe3 15. Qxe3 Bxf1 16. Rdxf1 Bf6 17. Rd1 Nb6 18. Qd3 Ke7. This move — apparently a bit too conservative — is consistent with Black’s plan of “artificial castling”. Better seems 18. ... 0-0 returning the Pawn with good prospects for equality.

19. a3! Re8 20. Nc1. Intending Nc1-a2-b4-d5 — a Karpovian route. 20. ... Qd7 21. N1a2 a5 22. Qxb5 Qxb5 23. Nxb5

23. ... Rec8? Black’s last hope for counterplay was 23. ... d5! (24. exd5 e4!). 24. Nac3 Na4 25. Rd3 Nxc3+ 26. Nxc3 Kd7 27. b3 Rc6 28. Kb2. The position is such that the Knight is far superior to the Bishop. 28. ... Rbc8 29. Rg2 h6 30. Nd5 Bg5 31. a4 Ke8 32. c3 Kf8 33. b4! White obtains two connected passed Pawns. Game over. 33. ... axb4 34. cxb4 Rc4 35. Re2 Rd4 36. Rxd4 exd4 37. Rc2 Ra8 38. a5 d3 39. Rc3 d2 40. Kc2 g6 41. f6 h5 42. a6 1 : 0.

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