The Sunday School

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Alexey Vasilyevich Sarana

7th Karpov Trophy; time control: 20 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; Cap d’Agde, October 27, 2019

Sicilian Defence B92

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 e5 7. Nb3 Be7 8. 0-0 0-0 9. Be3 Be6 10. Qd2 Nbd7 11. a4 Nb6 12. a5 Nc4 13. Bxc4 Bxc4 14. Rfd1 Rc8. If 14. ... h6 then 15. Nc1 Rc8 16. Nd3 Be6 17. Bb6 Qe8 18. f3 Nd7 19. Be3 f5 20. exf5 Rxf5 21. Nb4± Karpov – Quinteros, 25th Chess Olympiad, Lucerne 1982. 15. f3 Qc7 16. Bb6 Qc6 17. Nc1 Rfe8. Another instructional game by Karpov continued: 17. ... h6 18. Nd3 Bxd3 19. Qxd3 Qc4 20. Be3 Rc6 21. Qxc4 Rxc4 22. Kf1± Karpov – Ostermeyer, Hannover 1983. 18. N1a2 Be6 19. Nb4 Qc4 20. Nd3 Bd7 21. Kh1 h5 22. Bf2 Be6 23. Ra4. 23. Nc5! (and if 23. ... dxc5 then 24. Ra4 winning the Queen for Rook and Bishop) is probably the key to claim an advantage for White. 23. ... Qc7 24. Nb4 Bd7 25. Raa1 Qc4 26. Nbd5 Nxd5 27. Nxd5 Qxc2 28. Nxe7+ Rxe7 29. Qxd6 Rce8 30. Rd2 Qb3 31. Rad1 Bc6 32. Qc5 f6 33. h4 Kh7 34. Qb6 Qf7 35. Bc5? White loses her thread, offering her opponent the chance to grab the initiative. 35. ... Re6! 36. Qb3 f5! 37. exf5 Qxf5 38. Qe3 e4 39. f4 Qg4

40. Rd6. Maybe now White realises that 40. g3 is met by 40. ... Rd8!!−+ 41. Rxd8 Qh3+ 42. Kg1 Rg6 43. Kf2 Qh2+ 44. Ke1 Rxg3 and, in spite of being a Rook down, Black’s attack is irresistible. 40. ... Qxh4+? Sarana misses 40. ... Rg6!−+ (41. Rxg6 Qxd1+). 41. Kg1 Qg4 42. R1d2 Qf5 43. Bb4 Qg6 44. Kh2 R8e7 45. Qh3 Qf7 46. Qe3 Qf5 47. Bc3. 47. Rxc6 bxc6 48. Bxe7 Rxe7 49. Rc2 Re6 50. Rc5 is also rather close to a draw. 47. ... Qg6 48. Be5 Qg4 49. Qg3 Qxg3+ 50. Kxg3 Rg6+ 51. Rxg6 Kxg6 52. Kf2 Kf5 53. Ke3 Kg4 54. Rd6 Kf5 55. Rd8 Rf7 56. Bd4 g6 57. Rg8 Bd7 58. Rb8 Be6 59. Re8 Rc7 60. Bc3 Rc6 61. Re7? After a strenuous defence, White ends up throwing away a well-deserved draw. Correct was 61. Rf8+! Kg4 62. Rf6! eventually forcing opposite-colour Bishops and, consequently, an almost inevitable draw. 61. ... b6 62. axb6 Rxb6 63. Rg7 Rd6 64. Bd4 Rc6 65. Bc3 Bc8 66. Rg8 Kg4 67. Kxe4 Bf5+ 68. Kd5 Re6 69. Be5 Kg3 70. Rf8 Rb6 71. Kc5. White can still go for opposite-colour Bishops with 71. Rf6, but, of course, by now it’s too late to hope for a draw (71. ... Rxf6 72. Bxf6 Kxg2−+). 71. ... Rb5+ 72. Kc4 Kxg2 73. Bf6 Kg3 74. Ra8 Rb6 75. Bd4 Re6 76. Kd5 h4 77. Rb8 h3 78. Rb3+ Kg2 0 : 1.

For a good part of the game, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) played the way Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov played back in the 1980s, but then the year off chess, however for a more noble cause, had its telling effect over result. Screen capture from CAPNEWS #3 (Dimanche 27 Octobre 2019)/CAPÉCHECS YouTube Channel.