Given Away

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Anish Giri
FIDE Grand Prix 2017; 3rd stage; Geneva, July 14, 2017
Sicilian Defence B84

Notes by Grandmaster Ľubomír Ftáčnik.

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 e6 7. 0-0 Be7 8. f4 0-0 9. Kh1 Qc7 10. Qe1. The line with 10. Qe1 is a dangerous weapon in the Scheveningen Variation. Black will get counterplay, but White’s concentated pieces on the Kingside will represent great attacking potential. 10. a4 Nc6 11. Be3 Re8.
10. ... Nc6 11. Be3 Nxd4 12. Bxd4 b5 13. Qg3 Bb7 14. a3 Rad8 15. Rae1 Bc6 16. Bd3 Qd7!? A very interesting development in a well known position. Attention has shifted from the older move 16. ... Qb7 to the clever idea 16. ... Rd7 followed by ... Qc7-d8 to this clever move. Black players are getting very good results with counterplay in the centre.
17. Rf3 17. Ne2 g6 18. Qe3 Ng4 19. Qg3 Nf6 20. Qf3 Ne8 21. Qe3 Bf6 22. Bxf6 Nxf6 23. Nd4⩱ Dragun – Grachev, 14th Aeroflot Open, Moscow 2016. 17. Nd1 Nh5 (17. ... g6 18. Ne3 Nh5 19. Qh3 Nxf4 20. Rxf4 e5 21. Qh6 f6 22. Rg4+− Schröder – Korneev, 3rd Heusenstammer Schloss-Open, Heusenstamm 2016) 18. Qg4 Nf6 (18. ... g6 19. Ne3 Nf6 20. Qf3 Qc7 21. f5 e5 22. Bc3 Kh8 23. Ng4 Nxg4 24. Qxg4= Brkić – Bosiočić, Mali Lošinj 2016) 19. Qg3 Nh5 20. Qh3 Nxf4 21. Rxf4 e5 22. Rg4 exd4 23. e5 g6 24. e6 Qe8⩱ 刘庆南 (Liú Qìngnán) – I. Popov, 11th “映美杯” (“Yìng Měi Cup”) Chinese Chess League, 杭州 (Hángzhōu) 2015.
17. ... e5! This counterblow was enabled by the location of the Black Queen. Black hopes to get enough compensation for the Pawn. 17. ... g6 18. f5 exf5 19. Rxf5 Ne8 20. a4 (20. Rf3 Ng7 21. Ref1⩲) 20. ... Ng7 21. axb5 axb5 22. b4 Rde8 23. Bxg7 Kxg7 24. Bxb5 Bxb5 25. Rxb5 Bf6⩲ Stukopin – Ramírez Álvarez, 1st Spring Chess Classic (Group C), Saint Louis 2017.
18. fxe5 Nh5 19. Qh3 (19. Qf2 dxe5 20. Bxe5 f6 21. Bg3 Nxg3+ 22. Rxg3 Bd6=)
19. ... Qxh3 20. Rxh3 Nf4 21. Rf3 Nxd3 22. cxd3 (22. Rxd3 dxe5 23. Bxe5 f5 24. Rxd8 Bxd8 25. Bd6 Re8=)
22. ... dxe5 23. Bxe5. The landscape has changed radically. Instead of defending against White’s attack Black will be hoping to prove full compensation with active pieces and the Bishop pair.
23. ... b4 (23. ... Rfe8 24. Bc7 Rd7 25. Ba5 Bf6=)
24. axb4 Bxb4 25. Rc1 Rc8 (25. ... a5 26. Kg1 Rfe8=)
26. h3 (26. Ne2! Bb5 27. Rxc8 Rxc8 28. Bc3 Bc5 29. Rg3⩲)
26. ... f6 27. Bg3 (27. Na2 Bxe4! 28. dxe4 Rxc1+ 29. Nxc1 fxe5 30. Rxf8+ Kxf8=)
27. ... Rfd8 28. Bf2 Bb7 29. Kh2. 侯 (Hóu) is a bit helpless and thus moves the King from the a8-h1 diagonal. 29. Be1 Rd7=.
29. ... f5! The dynamic potential of Black’s position is substantial, now White must be careful not to lose the extra Pawn.
30. Ra1 (30. Rxf5 Rxd3 31. Rf3 Rd2⩱)
30. ... fxe4 31. dxe4 Rd2 32. Nd5 Bf8. Giri had probably started dreaming about turning the tables and was not satisfied with a small advantage after grabbing the b2-Pawn. 32. ... Rxb2 33. Nxb4 Rxb4 34. Rd1 Bxe4 35. Rf4 Rb2 36. Rxe4 Rxf2 37. Re7⩱.
33. b4 (33. Rf1 Bxd5 34. exd5 Rxb2 35. Rd3 Rcc2 36. Bg3 Rxg2+ 37. Kh1 Rgd2 38. Re3=)
33. ... h6 34. Bc5?! The old wisdom in chess suggests putting your opponent under pressure, as even the players may crack. The former World Champion wants to limit the pressure at the cost of a Pawn.
34. ... Bxc5 35. bxc5 Rxc5 36. Rb3. Black will have an extra Pawn, but limited chances to hope for more than the better side of a draw.
36. ... Bxd5 37. exd5 a5 38. d6 (38. Rb8+ Kh7 39. Ra8 Rdxd5 40. h4⩱)
38. ... Rxd6 39. Rb8+ Kf7 40. Ra8 Rdd5 41. Ra7+ Kg6 42. Ra3 (42. h4! h5 43. Ra3=)
42. ... Rh5!? 43. Ra4 Rb5 44. h4. Both players understood that getting the Pawn to h4 would seriously help White. 44. Ra3 Kh7⩱.
44. ... Rb4 45. R4xa5 Rhxh4+ 46. Kg3 Kh7 47. Ra3 (47. R5a6 Rhg4+ 48. Kh3 h5⩱)
47. ... h5 48. Rf7 Rh1

49. Re3? All players know the slippery feeling when defending a worse position. The situation may not get better, but any serious inaccuracy will multiply the burden. White had to find 49. Rf4! with excellent drawing chances. 49. Rf4! Rb2 50. Rd3 Kh6 51. Rfd4⩱.
49. ... h4+! 50. Kf2 Rbb1 51. Ree7?! When it rains it pours, 侯 (Hóu) did not realise how difficult the defence would be in the plain Rook ending. 51. Rc7 Kh6 52. Re6+ g6 53. Rc2 Rhf1+ 54. Ke3 Kh5∓.
51. ... Rhf1+ 52. Ke2 Rbe1+ 53. Kd3 (53. Kd2 Rxe7 54. Rxf1 Kg6 55. Rh1 Kg5 56. Rh3 Kg4 57. Ra3 g5−+)
53. ... Rxf7 54. Rxf7 (54. Rxe1 Rd7+ 55. Kc2 Kg6−+)
54. ... Kh6 55. Kd2 (55. Ra7 g5−+)
55. ... Re6 56. Rf4 Kh5 (56. ... g5 57. Rf3 Kh5 58. Ra3 Re4 59. Ra2 Kg6−+)
57. Rf7 Rg6! 58. Rf2 Kg4 59. Ke1 (59. Re2 Kg3 60. Ke1 Ra6−+)
59. ... Re6+ 60. Kf1 Rf6! Transitioning to a Pawn ending is mostly trival for very strong players. The defence becomes hopeless as it is fairly easy to force a theoretically won position.
61. Rxf6 gxf6 62. Kf2 (62. Kg1 h3−+)
62. ... Kf4 63. Kg1 Kg3 64. Kf1 h3 65. Kg1 (65. gxh3 Kxh3 66. Kf2 Kg4 67. Ke3 f5 68. Kf2 Kf4−+)
65. ... Kg4 66. gxh3+ Kxh3 67. Kf2 Kg4 68. Kg2 Kf4 0 : 1. 69. Kf2 f5−+.

Too much inertia and 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) gave away an otherwise drawn endgame. Photo: Maria Moschou for ESPN.