By the Grace of the Queen

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Magnus Carlsen
4th GRENKE Chess Classic; Karlsruhe, April 17, 2017
Sicilian Defence B90

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. a4 e5 7. Nf3 Be7 8. Bg5 Be6 9. Bxf6 Bxf6 10. Nd5 Nd7 11. Bc4 Rc8 12. Qe2. If 12. b3 then 12. ... Bg5 13. 0-0 0-0 14. Nxg5 Qxg5 15. Ne3 Qe7 16. Re1 Nf6 17. Qd3 Rfd8 18. a5 g6 19. Bxe6 Qxe6 20. c4 Kg7 21. Ra4 Rc5 22. h3 Qc8 23. Ra2 Rc6 24. Rf1 b5 25. f4 bxc4 26. bxc4 exf4 27. Rxf4 Nd7 28. Raf2 Ne5 29. Qc3 Rf8 30. Kh2 Qd8 31. Rf1 Rc5 32. Qd4 Rc6 33. Rf6 Qxa5 34. Rxd6 Qc5 35. Qxc5 Rxc5 36. Rxa6 Nxc4 37. Nxc4 Rxc4 ½ : ½ 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn), 4th All-China Games Rapid, (合肥, Héféi) 2010. 12. ... Nb6 13. Nxf6+ Qxf6 14. Bxe6 Qxe6 15. 0-0 0-0 16. Rfd1 Rc6 17. a5!? It is probably a novelty (instead of 17. b3 Nd7 18. Rd5 f5 19. Rad1 fxe4 20. Ng5 Qg6 21. Nxe4 Nf6 22. Nxf6+ Rxf6 23. c4 h6 24. R1d3 Qf5 25. Qe3 Kh7 26. Qd2 Qe4 27. f3 Qg6 28. Qe3 Re6 29. Rd1 Rf6 30. h3 Qg3 31. Qe1 Qxe1+ 32. Rxe1 Kg6 33. Kf2 Kf7 34. g3 Ke6 35. Red1 Rb6 36. R5d3 a5 37. Ke3 Rg6 38. Rg1 Kf5 39. Kf2 Ke6 40. Re1 Rf6 41. Kg2 Kf7 42. h4 Re6 43. Kh3 Re8 44. Kg4 Kf6 45. Ree3 Rc6 46. h5 b6 47. f4 Re7 48. Rd5 Re6 49. Rb5 exf4 50. Kxf4 Rxe3 51. Kxe3 Ke6 52. g4 Ke7 53. Kf4 Kf6 54. Kf3 Kf7 55. Ke3 Ke7 56. Kd3 Kd7 57. Kd4 Ke7 58. Kd5 Kd7 59. Ke4 Ke6 60. Kf4 Kf6 61. g5+ Ke6 62. Kg4 Rc5 63. gxh6 gxh6 64. Rxb6 Rg5+ 65. Kh4 Re5 66. Rb5 Re3 67. Kg4 Rc3 68. Kf4 Rd3 69. Ke4 Rg3 70. Kd4 Rh3 71. Ke4 Rg3 72. Kf4 Rd3 73. Rb6 Rc3 74. Ke4 Kd7 75. Kf5 Rg3 76. Kf6 Kc7 77. Rb5 Kd7 78. Kf7 Kc6 79. Rxa5 Rxb3 80. Kg6 Rb4 81. Kxh6 Rxc4 82. Kg6 Rg4+ 83. Kf5 Rh4 84. Kg5 Rh1 85. h6 d5 86. Ra6+ Kc5 87. Ra7 d4 88. Rd7 Kc4 89. h7 d3 90. Kg6 Kc3 91. a5 d2 92. a6 Rg1+ 93. Kf6 Rf1+ 94. Kg7 Rg1+ 95. Kf8 Rf1+ 96. Ke8 Re1+ 97. Kf7 Rh1 98. Kg7 Rg1+ 99. Kf6 Rf1+ 100. Kg5 Rg1+ 101. Kf4 Rf1+ 102. Kg3 Rf8 103. a7 Kc2 104. Rc7+ Kd3 105. Rd7+ Kc2 106. Kg4 d1=Q+ 107. Rxd1 Kxd1 108. Kg5 Ra8 109. Kg6 Zinchenko – Efimenko, 75th Ukrainian Chess Championship, Poltava 2006). 17. ... Nd7 18. b3 Rfc8 19. Rd2 Nc5 20. Rad1 Qe7 21. Qe3 g6 22. g3 b5? “And now I found a new plan with ... b7-b5, which is just a disaster... I just missed 24. Rd5”, Carlsen said afterwards. 23. axb6 Rxb6 24. Rd5! The strategic battle for control of the d5-square has been won by White, who is now threatening to strengthen her grip on Black’s position by Nf3-d2-c4. If Carlsen was playing Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov in the eighties he could well resign here, but, luckily for him, the girls of 2000s also have other interests than just playing chess and stamp collecting. 24. ... Rcc6 25. Nd2 Nb7 26. Nc4 Rb5 27. Qa7 Qc7

28. Rxb5. After quite a long thought, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) decides to content herself with a draw, which may be a wise choice, at least from a sporting point of view. Probably she was not too convinced with the consequences of 28. Ra1 Rb4 29. Rxa6 Rcxc4! 30. bxc4 Rb1+ 31. Kg2 Qxc4 — and quite rightly so. But, as pointed out by International Master Malcolm Bernard Pein, the interpolation of 28. h4! h5 (otherwise there follows h4-h5) 29. Ra1 would have made Black’s position very unpleasant, as now White’s King has at his disposal the h2-square. The whole thing resembles the second game of the match between Deep Blue and Garry Kimovich Kasparov at New York in 1997. 28. ... axb5 29. Nxd6. Also 29. Ne3 Nc5 30. Qxc7 Rxc7 31. Rxd6 Nxe4 32. Rd5 Rc5 doesn’t seem to lead nowhere. 29. ... Nxd6 30. Qxc7 Rxc7 31. Rxd6 Rxc2 32. Rd5 Re2 33. Rxe5 b4 34. Rb5 Rxe4 35. Kg2 Rd4 36. Kf1 Re4 37. Kg2 Rd4 38. Kf1 ½ : ½.

A lucky escape for Carlsen, who learned his lesson of what a girl can do. Photo: Eric van Reem/GRENKE Chess Classic.