When Time Is Short

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Vassily Mykhaylovych Ivanchuk

“尚街杯” (“MEWE Cup”) 2017 World Champion Summit Chess Match; match game 2; 深圳 (Shēnzhèn), April 6, 2017

Bishop’s Opening C24

1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. d3 c6 4. Nf3 Be7 5. 0-0 d6 6. Bb3 0-0 7. Re1 Re8 8. c3 Bf8 9. Nbd2 Be6!? Maybe a new idea. 9. ... Nbd7 may transpose into 10. d4 Qc7 11. h3 h6 12. Bc2 g6 13. Nf1 Bg7 14. Ng3 Nf8 15. Be3 Be6 16. Qd2 Kh7 17. Rad1 Rad8 18. Qc1 Bc8 19. Nd2 Ne6 20. Nf3 b6 21. b4 Nf8 22. a4 N8d7 23. h4 Nf8 24. h5 Bg4 25. hxg6+ fxg6 26. dxe5 dxe5 27. Rxd8 Rxd8 28. Nh2 Bc8 29. f4 exf4 30. Bxf4 Qe7 31. e5 Nd5 32. Bd2 Qh4 33. Ne4 Ne6 34. Nf3 Qe7 35. Nd6 Rxd6 36. exd6 Qxd6 37. Nh4 Ndf4 38. Bxf4 Nxf4 39. Re8 Be6 40. Qxf4 1–0 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Reinaldo Castiñeira, Jubiläums-Open “200 Jahre Schachgesellschaft Zürich” Alois Nagler Memorial, Zürich 2009. 10. Bc2 Nbd7 11. h3 h6 12. d4 Qc7 13. c4 exd4 14. Nxd4 Qb6 15. Nxe6 Rxe6 16. Nf3 Rae8 17. Nd4 Re5! It is commendable that Ivanchuk wants to avoid the drawing variation 17. ... Nxe4 18. Nxe6 Qxf2+ 19. Kh2 (19. Kh1 Ng3+ 20. Kh2 Rxe6 21. Qd3 g6 22. Rxe6 Nf1+ leads to perpetual check as well) 19. ... Qg3+ 20. Kg1 Qf2+ with perpetual check, and opts instead for a purely positional Exchange sacrifice (à la Petrossiàn!) which offers him more than enough dynamic compensation. 18. Bf4 Qxb2 19. Bxe5. The alternative 19. Rb1 Qxa2 20. Rxb7∞ is just mentioned by the Brazilian Grandmaster Rafael Duailibe Leitão. 19. ... dxe5 20. Nb3 Qa3 21. Qd3 a5 22. Rab1 Rb8. Clearly not 22. ... Qxa2?? on account of 23. Ra1 Qb2 24. Reb1 and (Black’s) Her Majesty is trapped. 23. Re2 g6. The Pawn is still taboo: 23. ... Qxa2?? 24. Ra1 Qb2 25. Bb1 trapping Black’s Queen. 24. Bd1 a4 25. Nc1 Qe7 26. Bxa4. White finds it too hard to resist the temptation to cash in the Pawn, even if the price to pay will be a bit too high. The alternative 26. Qf3 Nc5 27. Nd3 Nfd7 seems a little more balanced. 26. ... Nc5. The super-Knight, the big d4 hole, and the latent dominance over the dark squares gives Black excellent practical prospects. 27. Qc2 Rd8 28. Re3

28. ... h5. The dark-squared Bishop is coming too. 29. Nd3 Bh6. Both players are dramatically short of time, and pretty soon they will have to play only on increments. 30. Rf3 Ncxe4. By taking with the other Knight Black would have apparently tightened his grip even more. 31. Re1 Rd4. And now after 32. Bb3 c5 White would be bottled and packed, but... 32. c5!! A clever try (in order to resuscitate the Bishop) which should have even worked! 32. ... Nd5 33. Bb3 Kg7 34. Qb2. With a subtle threat: 35. Bxd5 cxd5 36. Nxe5! Qxe5? 37. Rd3 winning decisive material. 34. ... Ndf6. Leitão deplores this move, recommending instead 34. ... Bg5! firmly keeping the upper hand. 35. Qc2. And now, according to him, 35. h4! was White’s best chance. 35. ... Qc7 36. Qe2 Nd2. When one has no time to think, it’s hard to keep cool, especially having to face such a Knight’s jump. 37. Qxe5?? And here is the crisis. White should have played 37. Rxf6 (but also the immediate 37. Nxe5 is possible) 37. ... Kxf6 38. Nxe5 Re4 39. Qxd2 Bxd2 40. Rxe4 (Stockfish) as after 40. ... Qe7 41. Ng4+ hxg4 42. Rxe7 Kxe7 43. hxg4 Bb4 the opposite colour Bishops endgame would guarantee the peace. 37. ... Nxf3+ 38. gxf3 Qd7 39. Nb2? 39. Bc2 Rd5 (or 39. ... Rxd3) is good enough for avoiding mate – but nothing more. 39. ... Bf4 40. Qe7 Qxh3. Now mate is unavoidable. 41. Qxf7+ Kh6 42. Qf8+ Kg5 0–1. A very interesting game, regardless of the result.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) vs. Vassily Mykhaylovych Ivanchuk
Photo: sports.sohu.com