Skadi Mons

Anish Giri – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
3rd Gashimov Memorial; Shamkir, June 3, 2016
Queen’s Gambit Declined D38

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4. 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)’s specialty. 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6. “6. Bxf6 loses the Bishop pair and the game, a wise man said after watching [Jon Ludvig Nilssen Hammer]’s play”, Magnus Carlsen once joked, when commentating on his game against Shakhriyar Mamedyarov. 6. ... Qxf6 7. Qb3 c5 8. cxd5 exd5 9. a3 Bxc3+ 10. Qxc3 Nd7 11. g3 0-0 12. Bg2 Re8 13. e3 b6 14. 0-0 Bb7 15. Rfc1 a5. A questionable decision. Black subjects herself to a typical isolani position, in which White’s Knight appears far stronger than Black’s “bad” Bishop, but as Grandmaster Reuben Fine wrote in his “Basic Chess Endings”, New York, David McKay Co. Inc., p. 247, “Where there is only one target [on the bad Bishop’s side] the game is normally drawn. Thus the isolated Queen Pawn without any further weaknesses is not fatal. This was shown in [...] Flohr – Capablanca, Moscow 1935 [...]”. Deserving consideration was 15. ... c4, e.g. 16. Nd2 Bc6 17. b3 b5 18. a4 a6 19. bxc4 bxc4 20. Qa5 Qd6 21. Nb1 Nf6 22. Nc3 Rab8 23. Rcb1 Ba8 24. Bf3 g6 25. Rxb8 Rxb8 26. Rb1 Rxb1+ 27. Nxb1 Kg7 28. Nc3 Qa3 29. Kg2 Bb7 30. h4 h5 ½ : ½ Sakaev – Lastin, Moscow 2009. 16. dxc5 Qxc3 17. Rxc3 Nxc5 18. Rac1 Kf8 19. Nd4 Rad8 20. Bf1 Re7 21. Bb5 g6 22. b4 axb4 23. axb4 Ne4 24. Rc7 Nd6 25. Rxe7 Kxe7 26. Rc7+ Kf8 27. Bd3 Rb8 28. g4 Ke8 29. Bb5+ Kf8 30. Bd7 Bc8. As with the aforementioned game Flohr – Capablanca, Moscow 1935, here, too, Black is doomed to defend with nails and teeth. 31. h3 Bxd7 32. Rxd7 Ne4 33. Nc6 Ra8 34. Ne5 Ra1+ 35. Kg2 Ra2 36. Rxf7+ Kg8 37. h4 Rb2 38. Rf4 Kg7 39. Nc6 b5 40. Nd8 Rxb4! Black’s decision is the best under the given circumstances. 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) gives up her Knight for two Pawns, but with very much higher drawing chances in comparison of her yesterday’s game. 41. Ne6+ Kg8 42. Rf8+ Kh7 43. Rf7+ Kh8 44. Rf8+ Kh7 45. Rf7+ Kh8 46. f3 Rb2+ 47. Kh3

47. ... Re2! Alea iacta est. 48. Rf8+ Kh7 49. Rf7+ Kh8 50. Rf8+ Kh7 51. fxe4 Rxe3+ 52. Kh2 Rxe4 53. Rf7+ Kh8 54. Rf8+ Kh7 55. Rf7+ Kh8 56. Nc7 Kg8 57. Rd7 Rxg4 58. Kh3 Rc4 59. Nxd5 Kf8 60. Nf6 Rc6! 61. Ng4 Rb6 62. Nxh6 b4! 63. Rf7+ Ke8 64. Rf2 b3 65. Rb2 Ke7 66. Ng4 Ke6 67. Re2+ Kf7 68. Rb2 Ke6 69. Kg3 Rb5 70. Nf2 Kf6 71. Ne4+ Kg7 72. Ng5 Kh6 73. Nf3 Rb4 74. Kf2 Kh5 75. Ke3 Rb8 76. Ke4 Rb4+ 77. Kd5 Kg4 78. Ne5+ Kh5 79. Nf3 Kg4 80. Kc5 Rb8 81. Ne5+ Kh5 82. Nc6 Rb7 83. Na5 Rb8 84. Nc6 Rb7 85. Ne5 Rb8 86. Kc4 Rc8+ 87. Kd4 Rb8 88. Kc3 Rb5 89. Nf3 Rb8 90. Nd4 Kxh4. Now it’s a blatant draw, but Anish still takes some moves for believing it’s true. 91. Nxb3 g5 92. Rh2+ Kg3 93. Rh7 g4 94. Nd2 Rg8 95. Kd3 Kg2 96. Nc4 Rf8 97. Nd2 g3 98. Rg7 Ra8 99. Ke3 Ra3+ 100. Kf4 Kg1 101. Nc4 g2! It’s the funniest way. 102. Nxa3 Kf2 103. Rxg2+ Kxg2 104. Ke4 ½ : ½. A fantastic defence by 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán).

An impenetrable screen of sky with diamonds. Photos: gashimovchess.com.