Half the World

沈阳 (Shěn Yáng) – 宁凯玉 (Níng Kǎiyù)
12th Chinese Team Chess Championship; 无锡 (Wúxī), August 4, 2016
Queen’s Gambit Accepted D25

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 dxc4 4. e3 a6 5. Bxc4 b5 6. Bd3 Bb7 7. 0-0 Nbd7 8. Bd2!? The immediate 8. a4 is far more common than the text, e.g. 8. ... b4 9. Qe2 e6 10. Nbd2 c5 11. Nc4 Be7 12. a5 0-0 13. Rd1 Qc7 14. Bd2 Be4 15. Bxe4 Nxe4 16. Be1 Nef6 17. dxc5 Bxc5 18. Nfd2 Qb7 19. Nb3 Qb5 20. Qf1 Be7 21. Nd4 Qb7 22. f3 Rfc8 23. Bg3 Ne8 24. Rac1 Rc5 25. Nb3 Rd5 26. e4 Rxd1 27. Rxd1 Rc8 28. Bf2 Nb8 29. Be3 g5 30. Nb6 Rc7 31. Qe2 h6 32. Bf2 Nc6 33. Rd2 Nf6 34. Qd1 Nh5 35. Nd7 Qb5 36. Bb6 Rc8 37. Qf1 Qxf1+ 38. Kxf1 Nf6 39. Nxf6+ Bxf6 40. Rc2 Ne7 41. Rxc8+ Nxc8 42. Bd4 Bxd4 43. Nxd4 Nd6 44. Nc6 Nc4 45. Nxb4 Nxb2 46. Ke2 Kf8 47. Nc6 Ke8 48. Kd2 Na4 49. Nb8 Nc5 50. Kc3 Ke7 51. Kc4 Nb7 52. Kb4 Kd6 53. Nxa6 Ke5 54. Nb8 Nxa5 55. Kxa5 Kf4 56. Nc6 Ke3 57. e5 Kf2 58. Nd8 Kxg2 59. Nxf7 Kxf3 60. Nxh6 1 : 0 Kortschnoi – Damjanović, 2nd International Tournament “Città di Colombo”, Genoa 1987. 8. ... c5 9. a4 b4 10. dxc5 Nxc5 11. Bc4 a5? Allowing the White Bishop to conquer an unexpected diagonal. Better looks 11. ... Rb8 12. Qe2 e6 and Black is fine. 12. Ne5 e6 13. Bb5+ Nfd7? Comparatively better was 13. ... Ncd7 14. e4 Ba6, even though after 15. Nxd7 Nxd7 16. Bg5! White maintains the initiative. 14. e4 Ba6

15. Qh5! Now White will enhance her advantage by means of a rational series of forcing moves. 15. ... g6 16. Qf3 f6 17. Nxd7 Nxd7 18. Rd1 Bxb5 19. axb5 Bc5 20. Bh6! Kf7 21. Qh3 Qc7 22. Nd2 Rad8 23. Nb3 Bb6 24. Be3 Bxe3. Chess engines disapprove, but 24. ... Ne5 25. Rdc1 is similarly unpleasant for Black. 25. Qxe3 Ne5 26. Rdc1 Qb8 27. Rxa5 g5 28. Qa7+ Rd7 29. Qxb8 Rxb8 30. Kf1 Rdb7. Black finally wins back her Pawn, but at the cost of allowing both White Rooks to infiltrate on the seventh rank. 31. Ke2 Rxb5 32. Rc7+ Kg6 33. Raa7 Rg8? If nothing else, 33. ... h6 (34. f3 f5) was a bit more tenacious. Now 沈阳 (Shěn Yáng) will capitalize her preponderance with relative ease. 34. Rxh7 Nc6 35. Rac7 Re5 36. f3 f5 37. h4 gxh4 38. Rxh4 Nd8 39. Kf2 fxe4 40. f4 Rf8 41. Ke3 Rd5 42. Nc5 Nf7. 42. ... Rf7 43. Rc8 is equally hopeless. 43. Nxe6 Re8 44. g4 Rd6 45. f5+ Kf6 46. Kf4 Rdxe6 47. Rh6+ 1 : 0.

沈阳 (Shěn Yáng) (left) and 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) (right). Photo: 刘襄琳 (Liú Xiānglín).