Six to Four

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Aryan Tari
25th Four Nations Chess League — Division 1; Telford, May 6, 2019
Giuoco Piano C54

In today’s match with Manx Liberty, Guildford shuffled its lineup, moving 13th Women’s World Chess Champion and Rhodes Scholar 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) from sixth to fourth board. 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. 0-0 d6 6. c3 h6 7. a4 a5. The alternative 7. ... a6 may possibly transpose into 8. Nbd2 0-0 9. h3 Be6 10. b4 Ba7 11. Bxe6 fxe6 12. Nc4 Qe8 13. Be3 Bxe3 14. Nxe3 Nh5 15. g3 Rd8 16. Qe2 Nf6 17. Kg2 Ne7 18. Ng4 Ng6 19. Nxf6+ Rxf6 20. a5 Qc6 21. Rac1 Rf7 22. h4 Nf8 23. d4 Nd7 24. dxe5 Nxe5 25. Nd4 Qc4 26. Qxc4 Nxc4 27. Nxe6 Re8 28. Nf4 Rxe4 29. Rfe1 Rfe7 30. Rxe4 Rxe4 31. Rd1 Kf7 32. h5 Ne5 33. Nd5 c6 34. Ne3 d5 ½ : ½ 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Jakovenko, Grand Prix 2017, 1st stage, Sharjah 2017. 8. Nbd2. Tari had a pleasant memory of 8. Be3 Bxe3 9. fxe3 0-0 10. Nbd2 Ne7 11. Nh4 Bg4 12. Qe1 Be6 13. Bxe6 fxe6 14. d4 Qe8 15. Qe2 Qc6 16. Qd3 d5 and Black soon equalised, van Foreest – Tari, 56th World Junior Chess Championship, Tarvisio 2017. 8. ... 0-0 9. Re1 Be6 10. Bxe6 fxe6 11. Nc4!? A very interesting new continuation. A recent game continued: 11. Nf1 Ng4 12. Re2 Bb6 13. Ng3 Qe8 14. h3 Nf6 15. Be3 Bxe3 16. Rxe3 Qf7 17. Qb3 Rab8 18. Rc1 Nd7 19. d4 and White can at most claim an infinitesimal advantage, Kobalia – Diermair, 19th European Individual Chess Championship, Batumi 2018. 11. ... Ng4 12. Ne3 Bxe3!? A very basic strategy to make ... d6-d5 happen. 12. ... Nxe3 13. Bxe3 Bxe3 14. Rxe3 may be somewhat similar to the aforementioned game Kobalia – Diermair. 13. Bxe3 d5 14. Bc5 Re8 15. Qb3 b6 16. Ba3 Nf6 17. Rac1 Rb8

18. h3! A powerful prophylactic move which greatly limits the scope of the f6-Knight. Idem to say that Black has every reason to be worried about the weakness of the doubled Pawns on the e-file. 18. ... Kh8 19. Qc2 Qd7 20. b4! axb4 21. cxb4 dxe4 22. dxe4. White could go for an ending with 22. Qxc6 Qxc6 23. Rxc6 exf3 24. Bb2 winning back the Pawn with a slight edge, but 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) is, rightly, more interested in the middlegame, which looks far more uncomfortable for Black. 22. ... Nd4 23. Qd1 Nxf3+ 24. Qxf3 Qxa4 25. Rxc7. 25. Bb2 at once might also come in consideration, trying to maintain a point of tension; for instance: 25. ... Qxb4 26. Bxe5 Nd7 27. Bxc7 Rbc8 (idem to say 27. ... Rb7) 28. Qg3!?↑ and White’s initiative is not yet extinguished. 25. ... Ra8 26. Re3 Rec8! 27. Rxc8+. Both 27. Re7 Re8 and 27. Rb7 Rcb8 do not make a difference. 27. ... Rxc8 28. Bb2 Qxb4 29. Bxe5 Rf8 30. Qg3 Kh7 31. Kh2 Rf7! Black seems to have defended everything, whilst White, on the other hand, is short of time enough to be content with a draw. 32. Qf4 (32. Bd6 Qd4=) 32. ... Qc5 33. Bd6 Ng4+! 34. hxg4 Rxf4 35. Bxc5 bxc5 36. Kg3 g5 37. Rc3 ½ ; ½.