Life After Lunch

Nihal Sarin – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)

7th Karpov Trophy; 20 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; Cap d’Agde, October 26, 2019

Trompowsky Attack A45

1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 e6 3. e4 h6 4. Bxf6 Qxf6 5. c3 d6 6. Bd3 g5 7. Ne2 h5 8. Na3 Nc6. 8. ... Nd7 may eventually transpose into 9. 0-0 Bh6 10. Nb5 Kd8? (10. ... Qd8) 11. c4 a6 12. Nbc3 Nf8 13. c5 dxc5 14. e5 Qg7 15. Be4 Nd7 16. dxc5 Qxe5 17. c6 bxc6 18. Nd4 Ke8 19. Bxc6 Rb8 20. Re1 Qd6 21. Ne4 Qe5 22. Qa4 Bf8 23. Nf3 Qf4 24. Rad1 Bd6 25. g3 1 : 0 Pasman – Rinberg, 36th Israeli Chess Championship, Haifa 2010. 9. 0-0 Bh6 10. Bb5 a6 11. Bxc6+ bxc6 12. Qa4 Bd7 13. Qa5 Ra7 14. Nc4 Qg6 15. f3 0-0 16. Rae1 h4 17. f4 c5 18. dxc5 Bb5. 18. ... Qxe4 19. fxg5 Bg7 20. Rf4 was certainly better for White, but it was also much more defensible. 19. Nd2 (19. f5!) 19. ... gxf4 20. c4 h3 21. Rf2 Bc6 22. cxd6 cxd6? (22. ... f5!?) 23. Qb6 f3 24. Ng3 (24. Nd4+−) 24. ... Bxd2 25. Rxd2 Qg5 26. Rf2? 26. Rxd6 Rb7 27. Qf2 would have left White with an imposing advantage (but not 27. Qxc6? on account of 27. ... f2+! 28. Kxf2 Qf4+ 29. Kg1 Rxb2∞). 26. ... Qc5! 27. Qxc5 dxc5 28. Rxf3 hxg2 29. Rf2 Rd8 30. Rxg2 Kf8 31. Rge2 Rd4 32. Rc1 Rad7 33. Kf2 Rd3 34. Re3 Rd2+ 35. Re2 R2d3 36. Rcc2 Ke7 37. Re3 Kf6 38. e5+ Kg5 39. Rxd3 Rxd3 40. Ke2 Rd4 41. Ke3 Rf4 42. Rd2 Rxc4 43. Rd6 Bd5 44. Rxa6 Rc2 45. Rb6 Rxh2 46. Ne4+ Bxe4 47. Kxe4 Re2+ 48. Kd3. 48. Kf3 Rxe5 49. a4 was an even more orthodox path towards a draw. 48. ... Rxe5 49. a4 Rd5+ 50. Kc3? 50. Kc4! Rd4+ 51. Kxc5 Rxa4 is a book draw. 50. ... e5! 51. a5 e4 52. Rb8 c4? 52. ... Rd1! followed by ... Rd1-a1 would have won quite comfortably. 53. Kb4 Re5 54. a6 e3

55. a7? White ought to exchange Rooks by 55. Rb5! as the subsequent Queen ending cannot but end in a draw. 55. ... e2 56. a8=Q e1=Q+ 57. Kxc4 Re4+. Instead, now Black’s attack is irresistible. 58. Kd5 Kf4 59. Rh8 Qd2+ 60. Kc5 Qb4+ 61. Kc6 Re6+ 62. Kd7 Qd4+ 63. Kc7 Qc5+ 64. Kd8 Rd6+ 65. Ke8 Qe5+ 0 : 1.

Pictured above from left to right: Marie Rachel Sebag, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), Nihal Sarin, Bassem Amin, Elisabeth Pähtz, Alexey Vasilyevich Sarana, Sarasadat Khademalsharieh, and Étienne Bacrot. Photo: Le Récap’, No. 2, Sunday, October 27, 2019/capechecs.com.