Saturday, March 26, 2016

The Big Gulp

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Jon Ludvig Nilssen Hammer
5th Norway Chess Qualifier; time control: 25 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; Fagernes, March 26, 2016
Vienna Game C26

1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. g3 d5 4. exd5 Nxd5 5. Bg2 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bc5 7. Ne2 0-0 8. 0-0 Nc6 9. d3 Re8 10. Be3


10. ... Qd6TN (11. ... Bb6)
11. Rb1 Bb6 12. Qd2 Be6 13. c4 Rad8 14. Qc1 (14. c5 Bxc5 15. Bxc5 Qxc5 16. Rxb7 Nd4 17. Nxd4 exd4=)
14. ... Nd4 15. Nxd4 exd4 16. Bf4 Qd7 17. Qa3 c5 18. Rfe1 Bh3 19. Bxh3 Qxh3 20. Qa4 Re6 21. Bd2. 21. Rxe6 Qxe6 22. Qb5 h6 23. a4 g5 24. Bd2 Qe2 25. a5 (25. Be1 Rd6 26.a 5 Kg7!?∞) 25. ... Qxd2 [25. ... Rd6 26. axb6 Rxb6 27. Re1 Qxd2 28. Re8+ Kg7 29. Qxc5 Rf6 30. Qxd4 (30. Qf8+?! Kg6 31. f4 Qd1+ 32. Kf2 Qxc2+ 33. Re2 Qxd3 34. Re5∞) 30. ... Qxc2∞] 26. axb6 a5∞ was given by Grandmaster Branko Tadić in his notes in Chess Informant (Šahovski Informator), No. 128, 2016, pp. 545-546.
21. ... Kf8 22. Rxe6 Qxe6 23. Ba5 Rd6 24. Qa3 Qc8 25. Bxb6 Rxb6 26. Rb5 Rxb5 27. cxb5 a6 28. bxa6 bxa6= 29. Qa5 g5?! 30. Qb6. Stronger seems 30. c3! dxc3 31. Qxc3 Kg8 32. Qf6 g4 33. a4⩲ (Tadić).
30. ... Kg7 31. a4 h5 32. a5 h4 33. Qd6 Qf5 34. Qc6 h3 35. Kf1 g4 36. f4 Kh7. If 36. ... gxf3 then 37. Kf2 Qg5 38. Qxf3 Qd2+ 39. Qe2= (Tadić) 39. ... Qxa5 40. Qe5+ with perpetual check.
37. Qd6 Kg7 38. Qc6 (38. Qxa6?? Qd5!−+)


38. ... Kh7? The punctuation is Tadić’s, who recommends instead 38. ... Qe6 39. Qxe6 (39. Qxc5 Qe3 40. Qg5+ Kf8 41. Qd8+ Kg7=) 39. ... fxe6 40. Ke2 Kf6 41. Kd2 e5 42. fxe5+ Kxe5 43. c3 (43. Kc1? Kd6 44. Kb2 Kc6−+) 43. ... dxc3+ 44. Kxc3 Kd5 45. Kd2 Kd4 46. Ke2 Kc3 47. Ke3 Kb4 48. Kf4 Kxa5 49. Kxg4 Kb4 50. Kxh3 a5 51. g4 a4 52. g5 a3 53. g6 a2 54. g7 a1=Q 55. g8=Q Qf1+ 56. Kh4 Qxd3= with equality.
39. Ke2


39. ... Qe6+?? Too late, for now the King and Pawn endgame is lost for Black. Tougher was 39. ... Kg7, though after 40. Kd1!± (not 40. Qxa6? by reason of 40. ... Qd5! with a likely draw) followed by Kd1-c1 the weakness of Black’s a. and c-Pawns still guarantees White the upper hand.
40. Qxe6 fxe6 41. Kd2+− Kg6 42. c3 Kf5 43. cxd4 cxd4 44. Kc2 e5 45. fxe5 Kxe5 46. Kb3 Kd5 47. Kb4 Kd6 48. Kc4 Kc6 49. Kxd4 Kb5 50. Kd5! Kxa5 51. Kc5 1 : 0.

“Do to no one what you yourself dislike”. Photo: Tom Eriksen.

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