Slow Takes a Long Time

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik

10th ROMGAZ Kings Tournament in memoriam of Elisabeta Polihroniade; match game 6; time control: 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; Mediaș, November 29, 2016

French Defence C16

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 Ne7 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 b6 7. Qg4 Ng6 8. h4 h5 9. Qg3 Ba6 10. Bxa6 Nxa6 11. Ne2 Qd7 12. a4 c5 13. 0-0 (13. Nf4 Nxf4 14. Bxf4 f5 15. exf6 gxf6 16. a5 b5 17. Rb1 Kf7 18. Qf3 Raf8 19. Rh3 Qc6 20. Qd3 c4 21. Qf3 Nb8 22. Bxb8 Rxb8 23. Rg3 Rh7 24. Qf4 Rf8 25. Kd2 a6 26. Re1 Qd7 27. Rf3 Kg8 28. Rfe3 e5 29. dxe5 fxe5 30. Rg3+ Rg7 31. Qxe5 Rxf2+ 32. Kc1 Rxg2 33. Rxg2 Rxg2 34. Qxh5 Kg7 35. Re8 Qd6 36. Kb2 b4 37. Qh8+ Kf7 38. Re3 bxc3+ 39. Qxc3 Qb8+ 40. Ka2 Rg1 41. Rf3+ ½ : ½ Kupka – F. Blatný, 25th Czechoslovak Chess Championship, Brno 1964) 13. ... Rc8 14. Qd3. Not 14. Bg5 cxd4 15. Nxd4? (⌓ 15. cxd4 Rxc2 16. Qf3) on account of 15. ... Nc5∓ Milliet – Medić, 7th Mediterranean Chess Championship, Rijeka 2009. 14. ... Nb8 15. Bg5 Nc6 16. Ng3 Nge7 17. Rfd1 cxd4 18. cxd4

18. ... Nf5? (18. ... Na5!? 19. Qf3 g6 20. c3⩲) 19. Nxf5 exf5 20. Qg3 g6 21. Rab1 0-0 22. Rb5 Nd8 23. Qf3 Ne6

24. Bf6? White ought to play 24. Qxd5 at once, for after 24. ... Qc7 25. Qb3 Nxf5 26. hxg5 Qxc2 27. Qxc2 Rxc2 28. d5 the ending — similarly to the game — is seemingly a win for White. 24. ... Rxc2? But Black returns the courtesy. 24. ... Nc7! should hold everything together. 25. Qxd5 Qc8 26. Qb3 Rc1 27. Kh2 Rc3 28. Qb4 Rc4 29. Qd2 Kh7 30. d5 Nc5 31. d6. Despite material equality, the ending must be won for White. 31. ... Qd7 (31. ... Nd7 32. Be7 Re8 33. Qd5 Kg7 34. a5+−) 32. Qd5 Rxa4

33. Rxc5! bxc5 34. Be7 Kg8 35. Bxf8 Rxh4+ 36. Kg1 Kxf8 37. Qxc5 Kg7 38. Qc3 Kh7 39. e6! fxe6 40. Qf6 Qa4 41. Rc1 Rc4 42. Qe7+ Kh6 43. Rxc4 Qxc4 44. Qc7 Qf4 45. Qc5 Qa4 46. Qe3+ Kg7 47. Qxe6 Qd1+ 48. Kh2 Qd4 49. Qe7+ Kg8 50. Qd8+ Kf7 51. Qd7+ Kg8 52. Qc8+ Kf7 53. Qd7+ Kg8 54. Qe6+ Kg7 55. Qe7+ Kg8 56. Qc7 Qxf2 57. Qc4+ Kf8 58. Qc8+ Kg7 59. Qc3+ Kf7 60. Qc7+ Ke6 61. Qe7+ Kd5 62. d7 Qf4+ 63. g3 Qf2+ 64. Kh3 Qf1+ 65. Kh4 g5+ 66. Kxg5 Qc1+ 67. Kg6 Qc6+ 68. Kf7 1 : 0.

In the 6th game of the match, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) gave an impressive display of technical skill and physical endurance. Photo: Kings Tournament.