日正当中 (High Noon)

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Matthew J. Wadsworth
137th Varsity Chess Match; London, March 2, 2019
Sicilian Defence B49

If not directly, four-time Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) brought very good luck to Oxford, which won the 137th Varsity Chess Match against Cambridge by 4½ – 3½.
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Be3 a6 7. Be2 Nf6 8. 0-0 Bb4 9. Na4 Be7 10. c4 Nxe4 11. c5 0-0 12. g3 Nf6 13. Nb6 Rb8 14. Rc1 g6 15. Bg5 Rd8 16. Bf3 h6 17. Bxh6 e5!? A novelty but hardly an improvement on 17. ... d5 18. Re1 e5 19. Nxc6 bxc6 20. Qe2 Be6 with satisfactory play for Black: 21. Qxe5 Qxe5 22. Rxe5 Nd7 23. Nxd7 Rxd7 24. b3 Bf6 25. Re2 g5 26. h4 gxh4 27. Bf4 Rb4 28. Bd2 Rb8 29. gxh4 Bxh4 30. Kh2 Kf8 31. Rg1 Ke7 32. Bg4 Rh8 33. Bxe6 fxe6 34. Rg7+ Kd8 35. Rg6 Bxf2+ 36. Kg2 Bxc5 37. Ba5+ Kc8 38. Rexe6 Kb7 39. Rxc6 Rg8 40. Rxg8 Kxc6 41. Rg6+ ½ : ½ Hamdouchi – Stellwagen, 66th Corus Chess Tournament (B Group), Wijk aan Zee 2004.

18. Nxc6. 18. Nf5! looks much more promising, for if Black takes the Knight with 18. ... gxf5?? (but 18. ... d6! seems quite sufficient) there would follow 19. Nd5! Nxd5 20. Bxd5 (threatening Qd1-h5) 20. ... Nb4 21. Bxf7+! Kxf7 22. Qh5+ Ke6 23. g4! with irresistible attack.
18. ... dxc6 19. Qe2 Be6 20. Rfe1. Who knows, perhaps by playing 20. Nc4, White could still hope for something of an advantage.
20. ... Nd7. Black seems to have equalised quite comfortably. What follows is a non-conflicting passage to a drawn opposite-coloured Bishops endgame.
21. b4 Nxb6 22. cxb6 Qxb6 23. Qxe5 Qd4 24. Bf4 Qxe5 25. Bxe5 Rbc8 26. Bc3 Rd3 27. Bg4 Bxg4 28. Rxe7 Bf3 29. h3 Rcd8 30. Kh2 R3d7 31. Rce1 f5 32. g4 fxg4 33. Kg3 Rxe7 34. Rxe7 Rd3 35. Re3 Rxe3 36. fxe3 Bd5 37. hxg4 Bxa2 38. Kf4 Kf7 39. Ke5 Ke7 40. Bd4 Bb1 41. g5 Kd7 42. Bb6 ½ : ½.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) vs. Matthew J. Wadsworth. Photos © John Saunders.