Half of a Yellow Sun

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – 小島慎也 (Shinya Kojima)

22nd Hawaii International Chess Festival “Grandmaster Challenge”; time control: 5 minutes with no increment; Waikīkī Beach, Honolulu, March 22, 2015

Caro-Kann Defence B10

Notes by Grandmaster Alejandro Tadeo Ramírez Álvarez, ChessBase, March 30, 2015.

1. e4 c6 2. c4 d5 3. exd5 Nf6 4. Nc3 cxd5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Nf3 Nxc3 7. bxc3 g6 8. d4 Bg7 9. Bd3 0-0 10. 0-0 Nc6 11. Re1 Qc7 12. a4 b6 13. Ba3 Re8 14. d5 Ne5 15. Bb5 Rd8 16. Qe2 Nxf3+? Not good. 16. ... Bg4! would have put a serious question on White’s plans. Black is now reasy to take with the Bishop on f3, shattering the Pawn structureand retaining his defense in the center.
17. Qxf3 Qxc3

18. Bxe7! Well calaculated. Blaxk has threats, but White is faster.
18. ... Qxf3 19. gxf3 Bxa1 20. Bxd8. Material is even but the passed d-Pawn is a real problem.
20. ... Bd7! A nice resource to keep afloat, this prevents Re1-e8+.
21. Be7

21. ... Bc3? The losing move. 21. .. Bxb5 22. axb5 Bg7! 23. d6 Bf8! was the only way to continue. Here Black is under some pressure still but he should have enough resources to draw.
22. Rc1 Bxb5 23. axb5 Be5 24. d6 1 : 0. The Pawn will simply queen on d8 now.

Tricked by a Queen. Photo: 小島慎也 (Shinya Kojima).