Early in the afternoon

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Sarasadat Khademalsharieh

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

Giuoco Piano C54

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. 0-0 Nf6 5. d3 a6 6. c3 d6 7. a4 Ba7. A tea in the desert: 7. ... h6 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. Re1 h6 9. Nbd2 0-0 10. Nf1. No one has only good memories: 10. h3 Be6 11. b4 d5 12. exd5 Nxd5 13. Ne4 Re8 14. Bd2 Nf6 15. Qb3 Nxe4 16. dxe4 Qf6 17. Kh2 Rad8 18. Bd5?? Bxd5 19. exd5 e4−+ 20. dxc6 exf3 21. Rxe8+ Rxe8 22. Be3 Bxe3 23. fxe3 Qe5+ 24. Kh1 fxg2+ 25. Kxg2 Qg5+ 26. Kh2 Rxe3 27. Qc2 Qe5+ 28. Kg1 Re2 29. Qxe2 Qxe2 30. cxb7 Qe3+ 31. Kh2 Qf2+ 0 : 1 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Azarov, 20th Corsican Circuit Final, Bastia 2016, match game 1. 10. ... Ne7 11. h3 Ng6 12. Bb3 Nh5 13. d4 Nhf4!? This is only apparently a novelty, since 13. ... Qf6 14. Be3 Nhf4 15. Ng3 may be considered as a trademarked model for White: 15. ... a5 16. Bc2 Nh4 17. Nxh4 Qxh4 18. Qf3 g6 19. Rad1 h5 20. Ne2 Nxe2+ 21. Rxe2 Be6 22. Bh6 Rfe8 23. Qe3 f6 24. f4 exd4 25. cxd4 Kh7 26. g3 Qxh3 27. Rh2 Qxh2+ 28. Kxh2 Bg4 29. Re1 Kxh6 30. f5+ g5 31. Qc3 Re7 32. Qxa5 c6 33. Kg2 h4 34. gxh4 gxh4 35. Qd2+ Kh5 36. Rh1 Rg8 37. Kf2 Rg5 38. Qd3 Rg8 39. Qg3 Bxd4+ 40. Ke1 h3 41. Rxh3+ Kg5 42. Rh4 1 : 0 Gunina – 肖依依 (Xiào Yīyī), 11th China–Russia Summit Women, 秦皇岛 (Qínhuángdǎo) 2018. 14. Ng3 Qf6 15. Be3 Be6 16. Bc2 Nh4 17. Nxh4 Qxh4 18. Qf3 g6 19. Nf1 Qf6 20. Nh2 g5 21. Rad1 Qg7 22. Kh1 c5 23. dxe5 dxe5 24. g3!? Nxh3 25. Qh5 c4 26. Bxa7 Rxa7 27. Rd2 g4 28. Bd1 Qg6 29. Nxg4 Qxh5 30. Nf6+ Kh8 31. Bxh5 Raa8 32. Kg2 Rad8 33. Red1 Rxd2 34. Rxd2 Kg7 35. Ng4 Ng5 36. f3 Re8 37. a5 Re7 38. Ne3 Rc7

39. Rd6. The immediate 39. Bg4! would have neutralised Black’s next resource with White retaining her manifest superiority. 39. ... Rc5! 40. Bg4 Bxg4 41. fxg4 Nxe4 42. Nf5+ Kg8 43. Rd7 Ng5. 43. ... Rb5 44. Nxh6+ Kg7 45. Nxf7 Rxb2+ 46. Kh3 Kf6 also looks quite balanced. 44. Rxb7 Rxa5 45. Nxh6+ Kf8 46. Nf5 Rb5 47. Rxb5 axb5 48. Nd6 Ke7 49. Nxb5 Ke6 50. Kf2 Ne4+ 51. Kf3 Nc5? The losing mistake. 51. ... Nd2+ 52. Ke3 Nf1+ 53. Kf2 Nd2 certainly gave Black fairly good drawing chances, in spite of the Pawn minus. 52. Na3+− Kd5 53. Nc2 e4+ 54. Kf4 Nd3+ 55. Kf5 Nxb2 56. Ne3+ Kc5 57. Kxe4 Na4 58. Nd1 Nb6 59. Ne3 Na4 60. Nd1 Nb6 61. g5 Nd7 62. Ne3 Kb5 63. Kd5 Nb6+ 64. Kd4 Nc8 65. Nxc4 1 : 0.

A big return to Cap d’Agde for haute couture by four-time Women’s World Chess Champion and Rhodes Scholar 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán). Photo: Le Récap’, No. 1, Saturday, October 26, 2019/capechecs.com.