Night Study

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Nihal Sarin

7th Karpov Trophy; time control: 20 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; Cap d’Agde, October 28, 2019

Spanish Game C90

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Be7 6. d3 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 0-0 9. Re1 Na5 10. Bc2 c5 11. Nbd2 Qc7 12. Nf1 h6 13. h3 Re8. A famous and beautiful game by Mikhail Moiseyevich Botvinnik, the so-called patriarch of Soviet chess, continued: 13. ... Be6 14. Ne3 Rad8 15. Nf5 Bxf5 16. exf5 Nc6 17. d4 exd4 18. cxd4 d5 19. Be3 Rfe8 20. Rc1 c4 21. g4 Ne4 22. Bb1 Bd6 23. Nh4 Bf4 24. Qf3 Bg5 25. Ng2 Bxe3 26. Qxe3 Re7 27. Qf4 Nxd4 28. Qxc7 Nf3+ 29. Kf1 Ned2# 0 : 1 Dubinin – Botvinnik, 11th USSR Chess Campionship, Leningrad 1939. 14. Ng3 Bf8 15. d4 cxd4 16. cxd4 exd4 17. Nxd4 d5 18. Qf3 Nc6 19. Nxc6 Qxc6 20. Re2 dxe4 21. Nxe4 Bb7 22. Nxf6+ Qxf6 23. Qxf6 gxf6 24. Rxe8 Rxe8 25. Be3 Bd5 26. b3!?TN (26. a4 Bc6 27. a5 Bd5 28. Rc1 Bb4 29. Bf5 Bc4 30. Bxh6 Bxa5 31. Be3 Rd8 32. Ra1 Bc7 33. b4 Be5 34. Re1 Bb2 35. Re2 Ba3 36. Rd2 Re8 37. Rd6 Bxb4 38. Rxa6 Bc3 39. Rc6 Rd8 40. Kh2 Kg7 41. Kg3 Be5+ 42. f4 Bc3 ½ : ½ Brodsky – Ad. David, 11th “Berlin Summer” Open, Berlin 1993) 26. ... Rc8 27. Bd3 Be6 28. Rd1 Kg7 29. Bd4 Bc5 30. Bb2 Bb4 31. Be4 Bc3 32. Bc1 a5 33. Rd3 Be5 34. Bd2 f5 35. Bd5 Rc2 36. f4 Bf6 37. Bxa5 Rxa2 38. b4 Ra1+ 39. Kh2 Rb1 40. Bxe6 fxe6 41. Rd7+ Kg6 42. Rd6 Kf7 43. Rb6 Bd4

44. Rxb5?? White shows herself oblivious to the danger, but the proffered Pawn was really a poisoned one! After the correct 44. Rb7+ Kf6 45. g3!= apparently Black has nothing better than a draw. 44. ... Bg1+ 45. Kg3? 45. Kh1 Be3+ 46. Kh2 Bxf4+ 47. g3 Rb2+ 48. Kh1 Bxg3−+ is disastrous enough, but at least it does not run into mate. 45. ... Rb3+ 46. Kh4 Kg6! 47. Bb6 Bh2 48. Bf2 Bxf4 0 : 1.

Indian prodigy Grandmaster Nihal Sarin won an unexpected victory over world’s No. 1 woman player 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) who ultimately panicked by her own lack of time. Photo courtesy of Chess Club “Asenevtsi”.