Light-in-Flight

韦奕 (Wéi Yì) – 周健超 (Zhōu Jiànchāo)
Chinese Chess League Division A; 绍兴 (Shàoxīng), August 22, 2015
Sicilian Defence B96

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 d6 3. Nf3 a6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nf6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Nbd7 8. Qe2 Qc7 9. 0-0-0 b5 10. a3 Be7 11. g4 Rb8 12. Bg2 h6 13. Bh4 Bb7. For 13. ... b4 14. axb4 Rxb4 15. Bf2 g5 see 余泱漪 (Yú Yāngyī) – Negi, 11th Asian Continental Chess Championship, Ho Chi Minh City 2012. 14. Rhe1 Nb6 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. e5 dxe5 17. Ndxb5. Very bold play by 韦奕 (Wéi Yì). 17. ... axb5 18. Nxb5 Qc5. Another modus vivendi was 18. ... Qe7 19. Bxb7 Kf8 with a very unclear position. 19. b4. The immediate 19. Nd6+ followed by Nd6xb7 is probably the best. 19. ... Qe7 20. Nd6+ Kf8 21. Bxb7 exf4 22. Qf3 Nc4 23. Nxc4 Qxb7 24. Qxb7 Rxb7 25. Ne5 h5 26. Rd7 Rxd7 27. Nxd7+ Ke7 28. Nxf6 Kxf6 29. gxh5 e5 30. b5 Kf5 31. a4 f3 32. b6? Sinking into the abyss. Necessary was 32. Kd2 Kf4 33. Rb1 e4 34. b6 Rd8+ 35. Ke1 e3 36. Rb4+ Kf5 transposing into the same position of the game. 32. ... e4? Losing a vital tempo, which gives White King time to rush toward the enemy Pawns. The immediate 32. ... Kf4! left White with no resource. 33. Kd2 Kf4 34. Rb1 e3+ 35. Ke1 Rd8 36. Rb4+ Kf5 37. b7

37. ... Rd2? 周健超 (Zhōu Jiànchāo) was in serious time trouble and overlooked one really good opportunity here: 37. ... f2+ 38. Ke2 Rd2+ 39. Kxe3 Nf1+ 40. Kf3 Nxh2+ 41. Kg3 (or 41. Ke3 Nf1+) 41. ... Nf1+ drawing by perpetual check. 38. Rf4+! Surprise! 韦奕 (Wéi Yì) finds himself also in Zeitnot, nonetheless he shows all the elegance of his play. 38. ... Kxf4 39. b8=Q+ Kf5 40. Qc8+ Ke5 41. Qc7+ Ke4 42. Qe7+ Kd4 43. Qb4+ Kd5 44. Qb7+ 1 : 0.

韦奕 (Wéi Yì)
Photo: sinochess (@sinachess)