Dinner Time

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Bassem Amin

7th Karpov Trophy; time control: 20 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; Cap d’Agde, October 25, 2019

Spanish Game C95

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 0-0 9. h3 Nb8 10. d4 Nbd7 11. Nbd2 Bb7 12. Bc2 Re8 13. Nf1 Bf8 14. Ng3 g6 15. a4 c5 16. d5 c4 17. Bg5 Be7. No one has only bad memories: 17. ... Nc5 18. Qd2 Be7 19. Bh6 Nfd7 20. Nh2 bxa4 21. Ra2 a5 22. Rf1 Bc8 23. Kh1 Rb8 24. Be3 Qc7 25. Ng4 Nb6 26. Nh6+ Kg7 27. f4 Kxh6 28. fxe5+ Kg7 29. Qf2 Bf8 30. e6 fxe6?? 31. Nh5+! gxh5 32. Bh6+! Kxh6 33. Qf6# 1 : 0 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Jackson, 3rd Isle of Man International Chess Tournament, Douglas 2016. 18. Be3 Qc7 19. Nh2 h5 20. Qd2 Nc5 21. Bg5 Nh7 22. Be3 Nf6 23. Bh6 Nfd7 24. Qe2 Bf8 25. Qe3 Kh7 26. Bxf8 Rxf8 27. Nf3 Qd8 28. axb5 axb5 29. Rxa8 Bxa8 30. Ra1 Bb7 31. Ng5+ Kg7 32. f4 exf4 33. Qxf4 Qf6 34. Qe3 Qe5 35. Nf1 Re8 36. Nf3 Qf6 37. Rd1 Ne5 38. N1d2 Bc8 39. Nxe5 Qxe5 40. Nf3 Qg3 41. Qd4+ f6 42. Qf2 Qxf2+ 43. Kxf2 Bd7 44. Ra1 Rb8 45. Nd4 b4 46. Ra7 b3 47. Bd1 Kf8. Clearly not 47. ... Nxe4+?? because of 48. Ke3 Nc5 49. Ne6+ winning immediately. Probably better was, however, 47. ... Kh6(!) hiding the King away from the Knight’s check.

48. Be2! Nxe4+ 49. Ke3 Nxc3!? Now 49. ... Re8?? 50. Rxd7 Nc5+ is simply met by 51. Ne6+! — just in time to regret of having played 47. ... Kf8. On the other hand, the text is very speculative. 50. Bxc4. Apparently after 50. Rxd7 Nxd5+ 51. Kd2 c3+ 52. bxc3 b2 53. Bd3 White comes out with the better ending, but everything is relative with such a time control. 50. ... Re8+ 51. Kd3 Ne4 52. Bxb3 Nc5+ 53. Kc4 Bf5? The mistakes begin. If nothing else, 53. ... Rc8 should hold for awhile. 54. Nxf5 gxf5 55. Bd1 Re4+ 56. Kc3. Of course, 56. Kb5! would have been much more consistent with Steinitz’s axiom that the King is a powerful piece in the ending! 56. ... Re3+ 57. Kd2? With 57. Kc4 h4 58. b4 White would have maintained some realistic winning chances. Now the draw is inevitable. 57. ... Rd3+ 58. Kc2 Rxd5 59. Bxh5 Ne4 60. Bf3 Rc5+ 61. Kd3 Rb5 62. Kc2 Rc5+ 63. Kd3 Rb5 64. Bxe4 fxe4+ 65. Kxe4 Rxb2 66. g4 Rh2 67. Kf5 Rxh3 68. Kxf6 Rh6+ 69. Kf5 d5 70. g5 Rb6 71. Rd7 d4 72. Rxd4 ½ : ½.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) enjoys the evening breeze as she takes part in the opening ceremony of the 7th Karpov Trophy in Cap d’Agde, France on Thursday, October 24, 2019. Photo: Le Récap’, No. 2, Sunday, October 27, 2019/capechecs.com.