Accents, Nuances, and Tempo

Ian Aleksandrovich Nepomniachtchi – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)

7th 海南 (Hǎinán) 儋州 (Dānzhōu) Super Grandmaster Chess Tournament “人民网 (People’s Daily Online) Cup”; 儋州 (Dānzhōu), July 12, 2016

Queen’s Indian Defence E15

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Bb4+ 5. Bd2 Bxd2+ 6. Qxd2 Ba6 7. Qc2 c5 8. Bg2 Nc6 9. dxc5 bxc5 10. 0-0 0-0 11. Rd1 Qe7 12. Qa4 Bb7 13. Nc3 d6 14. Rd2 Rfd8 15. Rad1 a6. The first new move. The old try was 15. ... h6 16. a3 Rab8 17. h3 a6 18. e3 Qc7 19. e4 Na5 20. e5 Bc6 21. Qc2 Bxf3 22. Bxf3 dxe5 23. Rxd8+ Rxd8 24. Rxd8+ Qxd8 25. Qa4 Qb6 26. Ne4 Nb3 27. Nxf6+ gxf6 28. Qd7 Qb8 29. Bh5 Qf8 30. Qb7 Nd4 31. b4 cxb4 32. axb4 Qe8 33. c5 Kf8 34. Qxa6 Qd7 35. Qa8+ Kg7 36. Qb8 e4 37. Qd6 ½ : ½ McCambridge – Dzindzichashvili, 11st International Open, Lone Pine 1981. 16. Ng5 Nd4 17. Bxb7 Qxb7 18. e3 Nf5 19. Qc2 Rac8

20. Nd5 exd5 21. Qxf5 h6 22. Nf3 dxc4 23. Rxd6 Qc7? A mistake that loses a valuable Pawn. She should have played 23. ... Rxd6 24. Rxd6 Re8 with equality, for if 25. Rd2 then 25. ... c3! 26. bxc3 Ne4 regaining the Pawn. 24. Rxd8+ Rxd8 25. Rxd8+ Qxd8 26. Qxc5 Qd1+ 27. Kg2 Qc2 28. Qc8+ Kh7 29. h3 a5 30. Nd4 Qe4+ 31. Kh2 Qd3 32. Qc7 Qf1 33. Qf4 Qb1 34. Qf5+. “The Women’s World Chess Champion surely hoped to come closer to a draw owing to the reduced material, but [...] the Russian player turns the game into a Knight ending in which he’ll display his technique”, says Grandmaster Bachar Kouatly in his commentary for Europe Échecs. 34. ... Qxf5 35. Nxf5 Ne4 36. Kg2 c3 37. bxc3 Nxc3 38. a3 Nb5 39. a4 Nc3 40. Nd4 Nxa4 41. Nb3 h5 42. Nxa5 g6 43. Nc4 Kg7 44. Kf3 Nc5 45. e4 Ne6 46. Ke3 Kf6 47. f4 Nc7 48. Ne5 Nb5 49. Kd3 Ke6 50. Nf3 Ke7 51. Nd4 Nc7 52. Ke3 Na6 53. f5 gxf5 54. Nxf5+ Kf6 55. Kf4 Nc5 56. e5+ Kg6 57. Ne7+ Kg7 58. Kf5 Nd3 59. Nd5 Nc5 60. h4 Kh6 61. Nf6 Ne6 62. Ne8 Nc5 63. Nd6 Kg7 64. Ne8+ Kh6 65. Nd6 Kg7 66. Kg5 Nd7 67. Nc4 f6+ 68. exf6+ Nxf6 69. Nd6 1 : 0. Black is in zugzwang.

Ian Aleksandrovich Nepomniachtchi (left) vs. 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) (right). Photo: cca.cmsa.cn