Dragon Tiger Gate

韦奕 (Wéi Yì) – 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn)

Mixed Team Rapid & Blitz Tournament “深新 (Shēnxīn) Media Cup”; 深圳 (Shēnzhèn), June 4, 2017

English Opening A20

1. c4 e5 2. g3 c6. A kind of reversed Alapin. 3. Nf3 e4 4. Nd4 d5 5. cxd5 Qxd5 6. Nc2. The alternative is 6. Nb3 Nf6 7. Bg2 Qh5 8. h3! Qg6 9. Nc3 Nbd7 10. Qc2 e3! 11. Qxg6 exf2+ 12. Kxf2 hxg6 13. d4 Nb6 14. e4 Be6 15. Bf4 Bb4 (B. Larsen – Kortschnoi, Interzonal Tournament, Leningrad 1971), when “Kortschnoi suggests the simple 16. Rad1! as an improvement. White can meet 16. ... Nc4 with 17. Bc1 0-0-0 18. g4, when Black doesn’t have much to do and must be on a constant look-out for d4-d5 and e4-e5 ideas”, Cyrus Lakdawala writes in his “Kor[ts]chnoi: Move by Move”, London, Everyman Chess, 2014, pp. 156-157. 6. ... Nf6 7. Nc3 Qe5 8. Bg2 Na6!? A novelty. For 8. ... Be7 9. Ne3 Na6 10. Qc2 Nb4 11. Qb1 Be6 12. b3 Nbd5 see Hammer – Navara, Nový Bor 2016, match game 4. 9. Rb1 Nb4 10. Ne3 Bc5 11. b3. 11. a3 would seem more to the point. 11. ... Bxe3! 12. fxe3 Bg4! 13. 0-0 0-0-0 14. Bb2 Qh5 15. Qe1 Bh3

16. Rxf6!? This Exchange sacrifice seems practically forced for not falling down. 16. ... gxf6 17. Bxe4? Stockfish gives the pyrotechnic 17. Bxh3 Qxh3 18. Nxe4 Qf5 19. d3 Nxd3! 20. exd3 Rxd3 21. Nxf6 Rxe3! when Black can force (at least) a draw as much as she likes. 17. ... Rhe8 18. Rc1. White is still dreaming about giving mate, but, given the seriousness of his own situation, he should have probably played 18. a3 followed by Be4-f3. 18. ... Kb8 19. Bh1. It wasn’t too late to play 19. a3 followed by Be4-f3. 19. ... Qg6 20. e4? A grave error which fatally compromises White’s position. It was 韦奕 (Wéi Yì)’s last chance to play 20. a3 followed as soon as possible by Nc3-d1-f2. 20. ... Qg5 21. Ba3 a5 22. Nb1. Played with heavy hand (I guess), but if 22. d3 there would follow 22. ... Rxd3! 23. exd3 Nxd3 with total destruction. 22. ... Nxa2 23. Rc5 Re5! 24. Rc2 Nb4 25. Rc3 Rc5! 26. Qc1. 26. Bb2 Na2 is worse enough not to appeal 韦奕 (Wéi Yì). 26. ... Rxc3 27. Qxc3 Qe5. 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) plays safely and mercilessly. 28. Qc1. White quite gallantly chooses to submit to the limelight. On the other hand, after 28. Bb2 Qxc3 29. Bxc3 Be6 30. Bxf6 Re8 (followed by ... Be6xb3) the endgame would be literally unsustainable. 28. ... Qd4+ 29. e3 Qd3 30. Bf3 f5 31. e5. After 31. exf5 Bxf5 32. Nc3 Qxd2 Black wins all the same, even if more prosaically. 31. ... f4 32. gxf4 Qg6+ 33. Kh1 Rg8! 0 : 1. Mate follows in a few moves.

居文君 (Jū Wénjūn)
Photo: sports.sina.com.cn