Between the Acts

于润荷 (Jennifer Yú) – Sabina-Francesca Foişor
58th U.S. Women’s Chess Championship; Saint Louis, March 27, 2019
English Opening A21

1. c4 e5 2. e3 f5 3. d4 e4 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. Nge2 g6 6. Nf4 Bg7. An immediate 6. ... Bh6 proved to be insufficient in at least two “serious” games: 7. Be2 (7. b4 Nc6 8. Rb1 Ne7 9. h4 0-0 10. d5 Ne8 11. c5 d6 12. Bc4 a5 13. b5 Kh8 14. c6 bxc6 15. dxc6 Bg7 16. Bb2 Be5 17. h5 Kg7 18. hxg6 hxg6 19. Nh5+ Kh6 20. Nxe4 1 : 0 Kuligowski – Nogueiras, 24th Chess Olympiad, La Valletta 1980) 7. ... 0-0 8. b3 c6 9. Ba3 d6 10. d5 g5 11. Ne6 Bxe6 12. dxe6 Qa5 13. Qc1 Qe5 14. Qd2 Rd8 15. 0-0-0 Na6 16. Qd4 Qxe6 17. Bxd6 Bg7 18. Qe5 Qc8 19. Qg3 h6 20. c5 b6 21. Be7 Rxd1+ 22. Rxd1 Qb7 23. Qd6 Nh7 24. Qe6+ Kh8 25. Rd7 Nc7 26. Qf7 1 : 0 Harikrishna – Gashimov, 19th World Youth Chess Championship Under-16, Oropesa del Mar 1999. 7. h4! Nc6 8. h5 Ne7. If 8. ... g5? then 9. h6! as in the game. 9. c5 g5? 9. ... d5 10. cxd6 Qxd6 11. Nb5 is likewise unpleasant, but probably a little more sustainable, even though at cost of loss of material; an example variation is 11. ... Qd7 12. h6! Bf8 13. d5! a6 14. Qd4 axb5 15. Qxf6 Rg8 16. Be2 Ra6 17. Qc3 g5 18. Bh5+ Kd8 19. Ne6+ Rxe6 20. dxe6 Qxe6 21. Qb3!± forcing the exchange of Queens and the passage to a better ending. 10. h6! gxf4 (10. ... Bf8 11. Nh5+−) 11. hxg7 Rg8. It is not a thing that happens every day: Black is doomed after only 11 moves!

12. Rxh7! f3!? Not 12. ... Nxh7?? because of 13. Qh5+ Ng6 14. Qxg6+ Ke7 15. Nd5 mate. 13. Rh6 Ng4 14. Rh8 fxg2 15. Bxg2 d5 16. cxd6 Qxd6 17. Qb3 Be6 18. Nb5?? It’s inexplicable why 于 (Yú) did not take the b7-Pawn, which would have ensured her both a material and positional advantage and, likely, a win. One could only observe that, in his third age, 1st World Chess Champion Wilhelm Steinitz used to earn his living in the U.S. with much more pragmatism! 18. ... Bxb3 19. Nxd6+ cxd6 20. axb3 Kf7 21. Bd2 a6 22. Bb4. Somewhat simpler was, perhaps, 22. f3 Nf6 23. fxe4 fxe4 24. Rxg8 Rxg8 25. Rc1 Rxg7 26. Kf2 Ned5 with a roughly balanced ending — two good Knights versus a not-too-strong Bishop pair. 22. ... Ke6 23. Rxg8? Much better seems 23. Rh1! Rxg7 24. Bf1! with safe equality. 23. ... Rxg8 24. Bf1? And 于 (Yú) keeps playing with fire — 24. Bc3 Nd5 25. Bf1 Rxg7 26. Bc4 Nf6 is not comfortable, but yet bearable. 24. ... Rxg7. The tables have dramatically turned, and now White must invent something to save the day. 25. Rc1 Kd7? 25. ... Rh7! followed by the Rook’s invasion into White’s camp seemed decisive. 26. Be2 Nd5 27. Ba5 Nh2 28. Bc4 Nf6 29. Be2 Nf3+? Once again, Foişor misses her big chance: 29. ... Ke6! 30. Bc4+ d5! 31. Bf1 Rg1 leaves Black with a dominant position. 30. Bxf3! Rg1+ 31. Kd2 Rxc1 32. Bxe4. 32. Kxc1?? exf3 33. Kd1 Ne4 tellingly demonstrates that a Knight can also bring rich rewards. 32. ... Ra1 33. Bxf5+ Ke7 34. Bc3. Although her half “bad” dark-square Bishop, White has more than enough compensation for the Exchange, both positional and material, and Foişor should hurry to seek a draw. 34. ... a5 35. e4 d5 36. f3 b5 37. b4 a4 38. Kd3 Ne8 39. e5 Ng7 40. Bg4 Ne6 41. Bf5 Rh1 42. Ke3 Rh2 43. Bd3 Nc7 44. f4 Rh3+ 45. Kd2 Rh2+ 46. Ke3 Rh3+ 47. Kd2 Ke6? Maybe Black could have saved herself even later (I wouldn’t be so sure of that), but Foişor would have done better to immediately “book” a draw by 47. ... Rh2+ — now instead, White’s Bishop comes immediately back to life: 48. f5+! Kd7 49. Ke2 Kc6 50. Bd2! Rh2+ 51. Kd1 Rh4 52. Be3 Kd7 53. Kc2 Rg4 54. Be2 Rg2 55. Kd1 Ke7 56. Ke1 Kf7 57. Bf4 Rg1+ 58. Kd2 Rg2 59. e6+ Nxe6 60. fxe6+ Kxe6 61. Ke3 Kf5 62. Bd6 Ke6 63. Bc5 Rg3+ 64. Kf4 Rb3 65. Bxb5 Rxb2 66. Bxa4 Rf2+ 67. Ke3 Rb2 68. Bc6 Rb1 69. b5 Kf5 70. b6 Rb3+ 71. Kd2 Ke4 72. b7 1 : 0.

After Round Seven, 于润荷 (Jennifer Yú) still has the sole lead with 6½/7, half a point ahead of Anna Vitalievna Zatonskih. Photo © Austin Fuller/Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis.