Dataclisma

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Miguel Santos Ruiz

2nd Chess Festival Eighth Centenary 2019 of Salamanca University; time control: 40 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; Salamanca, November 28, 2019

Spanish Game C65

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3. In her round one game against Ponomariov, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) continued instead with 5. Bxc6. 5. ... 0-0 6. 0-0 d6 7. h3 Ne7 8. Ba4 Bb6 9. Re1 Ng6 10. Nbd2 c6 11. d4 exd4. The alternative 11. ... Re8 leaves White with a lasting initiative: 12. Bc2 h6 13. a4 Bc7 14. Nf1 d5 15. Nxe5 Nxe5 16. dxe5 Bxe5 17. f4 Bc7 18. e5 Ne4 19. Bxe4 dxe4 20. Qh5 Be6 21. Ng3 Bb6+ 22. Be3 Qd3 23. Nf1 Rad8 24. f5 Bb3 25. f6 Qd5 26. Bxb6 axb6 27. fxg7 Qxe5 28. Qxh6 Qxg7 29. Qh4 Rd3 30. Re3 Re6 31. Rae1 Rh6 32. Qf4 Rxh3 33. Rxd3 Rxd3 34. Rxe4 Be6 35. Ne3 Rd8? 36. Re5! 1 : 0 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Bacrot, 50th Internationales Schachfestival, Biel/Bienne 2017. 12. cxd4 d5 13. e5 Nh5 14. Bc2 Nhf4 15. Nf1 f6. 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) entered a variation which is assessed as quite uncomfortable for White. 16. Ng3. After 16. Bxf4 Nxf4 17. Qd2 fxe5 18. Rxe5 Qf6 19. Re3 Be6 20. Rae1 Rae8 White’s position deteriorated very quickly in Kasimdzhanov – Giri, 3rd HMC Calder Cup Élite, Rosmalen 2014 (maybe because in a rapid tournament): 21. Ng3 c5 22. Ne5 cxd4 23. Rf3 Qg5 24. Qb4 d3 25. Bxd3 Nxh3+ 0 : 1. 16. ... fxe5 17. Nxe5. Only relatively better is 17. Bxg6 Nxg6 18. Bg5 Qc7 19. Nxe5 Nxe5 20. Rxe5 (Svidler – Anand, Candidates Tournament, Khanty-Mansiysk 2014) and now Anand ought to have capitalised on his advantage with 20. ... Rxf2!∓ remaining a clear Pawn to the good.

17. ... Qh4? Much stronger was 17. ... Qf6!→ with too many threats to meet, Antipov – Ragger, 4th World Rapid Chess Championship, Berlin 2015. 18. Bxg6 Nxg6 19. Nxg6 hxg6 20. Be3 Bc7 21. Qd2 Bxg3. The “dual” 21. ... Bxh3!? 22. gxh3 Rf3! 23. Kg2 Raf8 is obviously more unclear, but it seems that Black has enough compensation for at least a draw. On the other hand, after the text the draw follows as a matter of course. 22. fxg3 Qxg3 23. Bf2 Qd6 24. Bh4 Bd7 25. Re5 Rae8 26. Rae1 Rxe5 27. Rxe5 Re8 28. Bg3 Rxe5 29. Bxe5 Qe7 30. Qa5 Bf5 31. Qxa7 Be4 32. Qb8+ Kh7 33. Qc7 ½ : ½.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) took some risk in the opening, but not so much as to make her opponent feel like a winner. Photo: Ajedrez Salamanca via Flickr.