The Tie That Does Not Bind

Rafael Duailibe Leitão – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
6th Chess World Cup; tie-break game 2 (25+10); Baku, September 13, 2015
Nimzo-Indian Defence E46

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 0-0 5. Ne2 d5 6. a3 Be7 7. cxd5 exd5 8. Nf4 c6 9. Bd3 Na6. Here the first classical match game continued: 9. ... a5 10. 0-0 Na6 11. f3 Nc7 12. Bc2 c5 13. Na4 Na6 14. dxc5 Nxc5 15. Nc3 Be6 16. Nb5 Bd7 17. Nd4 Ne6 18. Nfe2 Re8 19. Bd2 Bc5 20. Re1 Qb6 21. Bc3 Nc7 22. b4 axb4 23. axb4 Rxa1 24. Qxa1 Bxb4 25. Rb1 Bxc3 26. Qxc3 Qd6 27. Rxb7 ½ : ½ Leitão – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), 6th Chess World Cup, Baku 2015, match game 1. 10. 0-0 Nc7 11. f3 b6 12. Bd2 c5 13. Be1 Bb7 14. Qd2 c4 15. Bc2 b5 16. e4 a5 17. e5 Nd7 18. Nce2 f6? This leads to trouble very quickly. Instead with 18. ... Ra6! Black would have put up an excellent defence. 19. e6! Nb6 20. Bf5! g6

21. Nxg6? Duo cum faciunt idem, non est idem. Much stronger was 21. Bxg6! hxg6 22. Nxg6 Kg7 (22. ... Nxe6 23. Qh6 looks quite scary) 23. Nef4 Bc8 24. Qe3 with very powerful pressure. 21. ... hxg6 22. Qh6 (22. Bxg6 Kg7!∞) 22. ... gxf5 23. Qg6+ Kh8 24. f4? Objectively speaking, White had to content himself with perpetual check by 24. Qh6+. 24. ... Qe8! 25. Qh6+ Kg8 26. Rf3 Nxe6 27. Rg3+ (27. Rh3 Ng7 28. Rg3 Qf7 29. Rh3 Nh5! 30. Rxh5 Qg7−+) 27. ... Ng5 28. fxg5 fxg5 29. Bd2? Qc6? (29. ... g4 30. Qxb6 Qc6−+) 30. Qh5? [30. Qh4! g4 (30. ... Kf7 31. Qh7+ Ke8 32. Bxg5 Bxg5 33. Rxg5 Nd7 34. Nf4↑) 31. Qxe7⩲] 30. ... g4−+ 31. Rf1 Qe8? (31. ... Bc8 32. h3 Qe8−+) 32. Qh6? Once again, White had to be content with 32. Rxg4+ fxg4 33. Qxg4+ drawing by perpetual check. 32. ... Rf6 33. Rxg4+ fxg4 34. Rxf6 Bxf6 35. Qxf6 Qxe2? (35. ... Nd7−+) 36. Qg6+ Kh8 37. Qh6+ Kg8 38. Qg6+ Kh8 ½ : ½.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán): All’s well that ends well. Photo: Zsuzsa (Susan) Polgár.