The ice was broken

Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)

“Belt and Road” 2018 Sino-Russian Chess Champions Showdown; match game 1 (15+10); 哈尔滨 (Hā’ěrbīn), February 5, 2018

Queen’s Gambit Declined D38

In the first game of her rapid match with Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) didn’t just manage to avoid the kind of position her opponent likes more. 1. d4 e6 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. Qb3 c5 8. cxd5 exd5 9. a3 Bxc3+ 10. Qxc3 b6. Varying from 10. ... Nd7 11. e3 0-0 12. Be2 b6 13. 0-0 Bb7 14. Rfc1 Rfc8 15. dxc5 Qxc3 16. Rxc3 Rxc5 17. Rcc1 Rac8 18. Rcb1 Nf8 19. Nd4 Ne6 20. Bg4 Re8 21. b4 Rc4 22. Be2 Rcc8 23. Nf5 Rc7 24. Rc1 Rec8 25. Rd1 Rd8 26. h4 Kf8 27. Bf3 Rcd7 28. a4 d4 29. Bxb7 ½ : ½ Salem – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), Grand Prix 2017, first stage, Sharjah 2017. 11. e3 0-0 12. Be2 Nc6 13. dxc5 Qxc3+ 14. bxc3 bxc5 15. Rb1 Rd8. 15. ... Rb8 16. Rxb8 Nxb8 17. Kd2 Nd7 seems a convincing way to equalise. 16. Rb5 c4 17. 0-0 Ba6? This is probably the mistake which costed Black the game. 17. ... Be6 18. Rfb1 Rab8 seemed to offer a robust defence. 18. Rc5 Ne7 19. Nd4 Rac8 20. Ra5 Rd6 21. Rb1 Ra8 22. Bf3 Kf8 23. Rb4 Bc8 24. Rxc4. White has finally won a Pawn, and can now rely upon his mythical technique virtuosism for bringing home the full point. 24. ... Bg4 25. Rc7 Bxf3 26. gxf3 a6 27. Ra4 Rc8 28. Rxc8+ Nxc8 29. Ra5 g6 30. f4 Ke7 31. h4 Kd7 32. Kg2 Ne7 33. Ra4 Ng8 34. c4 dxc4 35. Rxc4 Nf6 36. Kf3 Rb6 37. f5 h5 38. fxg6 fxg6 39. Rc2 Ng4 40. Kf4 Rb1 41. f3 Nf6 42. e4 Rd1 43. Rc4 Ke7 44. Nc6+ Ke6 45. Ne5 Rg1 46. Rc6+ Ke7 47. Rxa6 Rg2 48. a4 Rh2 49. Nxg6+ Kf7 50. Kf5 Ne8 51. Ra7+ Kg8 52. e5 Rg2 53. Ra8 1 : 0.

Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov vs. 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán). Photo: sportsonline.com.cn.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov

“Belt and Road” 2018 Sino-Russian Chess Champions Showdown; match game 2 (15+10); 哈尔滨 (Hā’ěrbīn), February 5, 2018

Spanish Game C77

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. d3. 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) avoids book lines and opts for a long time variation favoured by Adolf Anderssen and Wilhelm Steinitz. 5. ... b5 6. Bb3 Be7 7. c3 0-0 8. a4 Bb7 9. 0-0 d6 10. Na3 Nb8 11. Ba2 c6 12. Nc2 Nbd7 13. Ne3 g6 14. h3 d5 15. exd5 cxd5 16. d4 e4 17. Ne5 Qc7 18. N5g4 Nxg4 19. Qxg4 Nf6 20. Qg5 Qd7 21. f4 Kg7 22. f5 h6 23. Qg3 Bd6 24. Qf2 g5 25. Bd2 bxa4 26. c4 Bf4 27. cxd5 Bxe3 28. Qxe3 Nxd5

After many complex maneuvers, White could have now won back her Pawn by 29. Qxe4, but she boldly decides to sacrifice another one, probably just “feeling” that there must be something in the position. 29. f6+!? Nxf6 30. d5? And maybe her instinct was right! Apparently, after 30. Bb4! Nh5 (not 30. ... Rfd8? because of 31. Rxf6! Kxf6 32. Rf1+ Kg6 33. Rxf7 Qxd4 34. Qxd4 Rxd4 35. Rxb7 with overwhelming superiority for White) 31. Bxf8+ Rxf8 32. d5 f5 33. Rac1 Nf4 34. Rxf4! gxf4 35. Qxf4 Rc8 36. Rd1 (Δ d5-d6) 36. ... Re8 (in order to answer 37. d6 by 37. ... e3) 37. g4! fxg4 38. Rc1! Rc8 39. Rf1! White has excellent compensation for the two Pawns. 30. ... Nxd5 31. Bxd5 Qxd5 32. Bc3+ f6 33. Rad1 Qe6 34. Qc5 Rac8 35. Qb4? This could be the losing move. Best was 35. Rd6 Rxc5 36. Rxe6 Rc6 37. Rfxf6 Rxf6 38. Bxf6+ Kg6 39. Rxc6 Bxc6 and I guess that White, although two Pawns down, may hope to hold her own in the endgame with Bishops of opposite colours. 35. ... Bd5! 36. Qd4 Rcd8 37. Qa7+ Rd7 38. Qe3 Kg6 39. g4 Bc6 40. Rxd7 Bxd7 41. Rd1 Bb5 42. Qc5 Rc8 43. Qe3 0 : 1.

Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)

“Belt and Road” 2018 Sino-Russian Chess Champions Showdown; match game 3 (15+10); 哈尔滨 (Hā’ěrbīn), February 5, 2018

Queen’s Indian Defence A40

1. d4 e6 2. c4 b6 3. d5 Bb7 4. a3 Nf6 5. Nc3 Qe7! The tricky 5. ... Bd6 doesn’t work (at least against Karpov): 6. Nf3 exd5 7. cxd5 0-0 8. Bg5 Re8 9. e3 Be7 10. Bc4 h6 11. Bf4 Nh5 12. Be5 Bf6 13. Bd4 Ba6 14. Bxa6 Nxa6 15. 0-0 c5 16. Bxf6 Nxf6 17. Qd3 Qc8 18. Nd2 d6 19. Nc4 Rd8 20. e4 Nc7 21. b4 Na6 22. b5 Nc7 23. a4 Qd7 24. f4 Re8 25. Rad1 Rad8 26. h3 Qe7 27. e5 dxe5 28. d6 Qf8 29. fxe5 Nh7 30. Qf3 Ne6 31. Qb7 Ra8 32. Nd5 g6 33. Ne7+ Kg7 34. Nc6 1 : 0 Karpov – A. J. Miles, 6th Torneo Internacional Ciudad de Las Palmas, Las Palmas 1977. 6. Bg5 h6 7. Bh4 d6 8. e3 Nbd7 9. Rc1 c5 10. Nb5 Ne5 11. Bxf6 gxf6 12. Qa4 Kd8! 13. Nc3 f5 14. Rd1 Qd7 15. Qc2 Rg8 16. a4 Be7 17. b3 Ke8 18. g3 Kf8 19. Bg2 Ng6 20. Kf1 Rd8 21. Nge2 a6 22. h4 Bf6 23. f4 e5 24. Bh3 Bc8 25. Kf2 Re8 26. h5 Ne7. White got nothing but an uneasy game. Karpov gradually loses the thread. 27. Ng1 Qd8 28. Nf3 e4 29. Ng1 Rg7 30. Nge2 Ng8 31. a5? Too velleitary. Better sit and wait for her. 31. ... bxa5 32. Ra1 Qc7 33. Ra3 Bd8 34. Rha1 Nf6 35. Rxa5 Nxh5 36. Rxa6? White’s Exchange sacrifice only worsens his already very bad situation. 36. ... Bxa6 37. Rxa6

37. ... Nxg3? A painful miscalculation. 37. ... Qe7! would have won right off, actually threatening 38. ... Nxg3! 39. Nxg3 Qh4. 38. Nxg3 Bh4 39. Ne2 Qe7 40. Ke1? Luckily for 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), Karpov collapses, probably overwhelmed by his lack of time. 40. Kg2 would have turned off many of her fans. 40. ... Bxg3+ 41. Kd2 Be1+! 42. Kc1 Qf6 43. Kb1 Bf2 44. Qd2 Kg8 45. Kc2 Kh8 46. b4 cxb4 47. c5 b3+ 48. Kxb3 Rb8+ 49. Rb6 Rgg8 50. Nd4 dxc5 0 : 1.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán). Photo: sportsonline.com.cn.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov

“Belt and Road” 2018 Sino-Russian Chess Champions Showdown; match game 4 (15+10); 哈尔滨 (Hā’ěrbīn), February 5, 2018

Spanish Game C77

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. d3 b5 6. Bb3 Be7 7. a4. In the second game White played 7. c3. As for this game, both seem to believe there’s a chance to aim for more tomorrow. 7. ... Rb8 8. axb5 axb5 9. 0-0 0-0 10. c3 d5 11. exd5 Nxd5 12. Re1 Bf6 13. Nbd2 Nf4 14. Ne4 Qxd3 15. Bxf4 Qxd1 16. Raxd1 exf4 17. Bd5 Rb6 18. Nxf6+ gxf6 19. Re4 Rd8 20. Rd2 Kg7 21. Rxf4

21. ... b4 22. h3 bxc3 23. bxc3 Ne7 24. Bc4 Rb1+ 25. Kh2 Rxd2 26. Nxd2 Rc1 27. Rf3 Ng6 28. Nb3 Rc2 29. Nd4 Rc1 30. Re3 Ne5 31. Be2 Bd7 32. f4 Ng6 33. Kg3 Kf8 34. Bf3 Ne7 35. Be4 h6 36. Kf2 Ra1 37. g4 Ra2+ 38. Kg3 Ba4 39. Nf5 Nxf5+ 40. Bxf5 Rd2 41. Kh4 Bd7 42. Be4 Be6 43. g5 fxg5+ 44. fxg5 hxg5+ 45. Kxg5 Kg7 46. Rg3 Re2 47. Bf3 Re5+ 48. Kf4+ Kf6 49. h4 Rc5 50. Be2 Rf5+ 51. Ke3 Re5+ 52. Kd2 Re4 53. h5 Rh4 54. Ke3 c5 55. Bf3 Rc4 56. Kd3 Rh4 57. Rg1 Rh3 58. Ke4 Rh4+ 59. Ke3 Rc4 60. Kd2 Rh4 61. Ke3 Rc4 62. Kd2 Rh4 63. Ke3 ½ : ½.

“I’m one point behind after the first day. In tomorrow’s last two games I’ll do my best to raise the creative level of my play”, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) said. “Remembering my first match with her eight years ago, I cannot but notice how much 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) has improved since then. More experience, more stubborness, more stylish”, Karpov finally said.

The ice was broken. Photo: sportsonline.com.cn.