Crashdown

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Eduardo Patricio Iturrizaga Bonelli

2nd Chess Festival Eighth Centenary 2019 of Salamanca University; time control: 40 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; Salamanca, November 30, 2019

Caro-Kann Defence B10

1. e4 c6 2. Nf3 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 5. Qe2 Nxe4 (5. ... Nbd7?? 6. Nd6 mate, Keres – Arlamowski, Szczawno Zdrój 1950) 6. Qxe4 Qd5 7. Qh4 Qe6+ 8. Be2 Qg4 9. Qg3 Qxg3 10. hxg3 g6 11. a4!? An interesting strategic novelty which will provide White with a lasting initiative, though in the end 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) won’t achieve more than a drawish endgame, probably due to some omissions along the way. Proof theory gave 11. d4 Bg7 12. Bh6 Bf6 13. Ne5 Be6 14. 0-0-0 Nd7 15. f4 Rg8 16. g4 Rd8 17. c4 Bxe5 18. fxe5 Nb6 19. b3 g5 20. Kc2 f6 21. exf6 exf6 22. Kc3 Kf7 23. Rdf1 Rg6 24. Bd3 Bxg4 25. Bxg6+ Kxg6 26. Re1 Nc8 27. c5 Rg8 28. a4 a5 29. b4 axb4+ 30. Kxb4 Rd8 31. Kc3 b6 32. Kc4 Bf5 33. Re3 Bc2 34. Bxg5 Kxg5 35. Rg3+ Kf5 36. Rxh7 Bxa4 37. Rh5+ Ke6 38. Re3+ Kf7 39. Rh7+ Kg6 40. Rc7 Bb5+ 41. Kc3 bxc5 42. dxc5 Kf5 43. g3 Kg6 44. Kb4 Rd4+ 45. Kc3 Rd8 46. Kb4 Rd4+ ½ : ½ Bacrot – Topalov, 3rd Grand Chess Tour, 1st stage, Rapid Tournament, Paris 2017. 11. ... Bg7 12. a5 Bf5 13. c3 e5 (13. ... Nd7 14. d4 0-0 15. 0-0 Rfd8 16. Re1⩲) 14. d3. After 14. d4!? exd4 15. Nxd4 Bxd4 16. cxd4 0-0 17. g4 Be6 “Two Bishops and the better King gives White the upper hand”, says Grandmaster Vasif Durarbayli. 14. ... Nd7 15. Be3 0-0 16. Nd2 Nf6 17. Nc4 (17. f3⩲) 17. ... Nd5 18. Bc5 Rfd8 19. Nd6 b6 20. Nxf5 bxc5 21. Nxg7 Kxg7 22. Rh4 Rab8 23. Ra2 f5 24. Rc4 Rb5 25. Kd2 Nf6 26. Kc2 Ne8 27. Rca4 Nd6 28. a6 Kf6 29. Ra5 Rdb8 30. c4 Rxa5 31. Rxa5 Rb6 32. f4 e4 33. dxe4 Nxe4 34. g4 fxg4 35. Bxg4 Nd6 36. Rxc5 Rxa6 37. Bf3 Nf5 38. Kc3 Ne7 39. Re5 h5 40. b4 Ra3+ 41. Kd4 Ra4 42. Kc5 a5 43. b5 cxb5 44. cxb5 Rxf4 45. Re1 Rf5+ 46. Kb6 Nc8+ 47. Ka6 Re5 48. Rc1 Re6+ 49. Kxa5 Nd6 50. b6 h4 51. Bg4 Re5+ 52. Ka6 Re4 53. Bd7 Re2 54. Ka7 Rxg2 55. Rd1 Ra2+ 56. Kb8 Nc4

57. Rf1+. A pretty drawing variation is 57. b7! Na5 58. Rd6+ Ke7 59. Ra6 Kxd7 60. Rxa5 Rxa5 stalemate. 57. ... Ke7 58. b7?? Crashdown. 58. Kc7 should still be enough for White to draw the game. 58. ... Kxd7 59. Rd1+ Nd6 0 : 1.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) is still struggling to recover her best form after her year of full-time study at the University of Oxford. Photo: Ajedrez Salamanca via Flickr.