Things that happen when you join the wrong club

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Arkadij Mikhailovich Naiditsch
5th GRENKE Chess Classic; Baden-Baden, April 9, 2018
Giuoco Piano C54

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. 0-0 h6 7. Re1 a5 8. Nbd2. Varying from 8. a4 0-0 9. h3 Be6 10. Na3 Bxa3 11. Bxe6 Bxb2 12. Bxf7+ Rxf7 13. Bxb2 Qd7 14. c4 Raf8 15. Nh4 Kh7 16. f4!? exf4 17. d4 Re8 18. Qb1 Kg8 19. Nf3 Rfe7 20. d5 Ne5 21. Bxe5 Rxe5! 22. Nxe5 Rxe5 23. Qxb7 f3! 24. Qb3 fxg2 25. Qf3 Qe8 26. Ra2 Nxe4 27. Rae2 Ng5 28. Qg4? (correct was 28. Qxg2 Nxh3+ 29. Kh2 Ng5 with an unclear balance) 28. ... Rxe2! 29. Rxe2 Qxe2! 30. Qxe2 Nxh3+ 31. Kh2 g1=Q+ 32. Kxh3 Kh7 33. Qd2 h5 34. Qxa5 Qh1+ 35. Kg3 h4+ 36. Kf4 Qh2+ 37. Kf5 Qe5+ 38. Kg4 Qg3+ 39. Kf5 h3 0 : 1 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Caruana, 3rd Isle of Man International Chess Tournament, Douglas 2016. 8. ... 0-0 9. Nf1 Be6 10. Bxe6!? fxe6 11. Be3!? As far as I can know, this is a novelty. In a not too known game by correspondence was seen 11. a4 Rf7 12. Ng3 d5 13. exd5 exd5 14. d4 exd4 15. cxd4 Bb6 16. Qd3 Qf8 17. Bd2 Re8 18. Bc3 Rfe7 19. Rxe7 Rxe7 20. h3 Ne4 21. Nf1 Rf7 22. Re1 Rf4 23. Re3 Qf7 24. g3 Rf6 25. Kg2 Nd6 26. Re2 Nc4 27. Re1 Nd6 28. N1d2 Qd7 ½ : ½ Rook – Holroyd, Australian Masters 2015, ICCF email 2015. 11. ... Bxe3 12. Nxe3 d5 13. h3 a4 14. Qe2 a3 15. b4 d4 16. cxd4 exd4 17. Nc2 Nh5 18. b5 Nf4 19. Qd1 Ne5!? Naiditsch plays very aggressive rhythm as usual, and doesn’t hesitate to sacrifice a Pawn to make play sharp. Nevertheless, 19. ... Na7 (another version of the same idea) was also worth considering, for after 20. Ncxd4 Qf6 or 20. Rb1 c5 21. bxc6 Nxc6 22. Rxb7 Rb8! Black appears to have good compensation for the Pawn. 20. Nxe5 Qg5 21. Ng4 h5 22. Nxd4 hxg4 23. Qxg4 Qxg4 24. hxg4 Rad8 25. Nb3 Nxd3 26. Re2 b6 27. f3. White eventually came out a clear Pawn to the good, but its eventual conversion into a win it’s not so easy. 27. ... Rd7 28. Rc2 Rfd8 29. Kf1 g5 30. Ke2 Rh7. Naiditsch’s design to force the exchange of Rooks seems crazy, but, even if it were, it will bring him luck! 31. Rd2 Nf4+ 32. Kf2 Rxd2+ 33. Nxd2 Rh2 34. Rg1 Nh3+ 35. Kg3 Nxg1 36. Kxh2 Ne2 37. Nc4 Nc3 38. Nxa3 Nxa2 39. g3 Nb4 40. Kg2? This will turn out to be the most unfortunate place for His Majesty!

40. ... c6! Naiditsch does not miss the time to cling to his only saving chance. 41. f4. Had not the King been on g2, White could have played 41. Nc2 that now is defused by 41. ... Nxc2 42. bxc6 Ne3+ (that’s the reason why) 43. Kf2 Nc4 44. e5 b5 and it is Black who wins. 41. ... cxb5 42. Nxb5 e5! This is the corollary of Black’s brilliant defence. 43. Kf3 Nd3 44. Ke3 Nc5 45. f5 Kf7 46. Nc7 Nb7 47. Ne6 Kf6 48. Nf8 Ke7 49. Nh7 b5 50. Nxg5. White is now two Pawns up, but Black’s passed Pawn prevents her from making any progress. 50. ... b4 51. Nf3 b3 52. Nd2 Nc5 53. g5 b2 54. Nb1 Kf7 55. g6+ Kg7 56. g4 Kf6 57. Kf3 Kg7 58. g5 Nd3 59. Ke2 Nc5 60. Ke3 Na4 61. Ke2 Nc5 62. Kf3 Nd3 63. Kg4 Nf4 64. Kf3 ½ : ½.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)’s aesthetic representation that no matter whether White or Black, for in any case “luck favours the prepared”. Photo: Georgios Souleidis/GRENKE Chess Classic.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) (left) vs. Arkadij Mikhailovich Naiditsch (right). Photo: Georgios Souleidis/GRENKE Chess Classic.