Thursday, November 21, 2019

Elephant Memories

Jan Smeets – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
70th Corus Chess Tournament (B Group); Wijk aan Zee, January 19, 2008
French Defence C13

Notes by Grandmaster Nick de Firmian, Chess Room Newsletter #893, November 16, 2019.

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e5 Nfd7 6. h4. Smeets plays aggressively offering a Pawn sacrifice as Alekhine did long ago. 逸凡 (Yìfán) prefers to just develop.
6. ... Nc6 7. Nf3.
Ed. Note: Just one year earlier, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) had ended up entangled in the Chatard-Alekhine Attack: 7. Rh3 h6 8. Bxe7 Qxe7 9. Qd2 Nb6 10. Rg3 Rg8 11. Nf3 a6 12. Nd1 Qf8 13. a4 a5 14. Nc3 Bd7 15. Nb5 0-0-0 16. b3 f6 17. 0-0-0 fxe5 18. dxe5 Kb8 19. Kb1 Nb4 20. Rg4 Be8 21. Bd3 Qe7 22. Bg6 Bxg6 23. Rxg6 c5 24. Qf4 Nd7 25. Qg4 Nf8 26. Rxh6 Qf7 27. Rh5 g6 28. Rg5 Nh7 29. Nd6 Qg7 30. Qxe6 Nxg5 31. Nxg5 Qc7 32. c3 Nc6 33. Qxd5 Ne7 34. Qc4 Qc6 35. Ne6 Rd7 36. Nxc5 Rc7 37. Ne6 Qxc4 38. Nxc4 Rc6 39. Rd6 Re8 40. Nxa5 Rxc3 41. Kb2 Rcc8 42. Rb6 Nd5 43. Rxb7+ Ka8 44. Rb5 Nc3 45. Rc5 Nd1+ 46. Kc2 Rxc5+ 47. Nxc5 Rxe5 48. Kxd1 Rxc5 49. Nc4 Kb7 50. Ke2 Kc6 51. f4 Kd5 52. Kf3 Rc7 53. Kg4 Rb7 54. Ne5 Rxb3 55. Nxg6 Ke6 56. Ne5 Ra3 57. h5 Kf6 58. Nd7+ Kg7 59. Nb6 Kh6 60. Kh4 Rb3 61. a5 Rb5 62. g4 Rxa5 63. g5+ Kh7 64. Kg4 Ra1 65. Nd5 Rh1 66. Nf6+ Kh8 67. Nd7 Rd1 68. Ne5 Kh7 69. Kf5 Ra1 70. Nf7 Ra5+ 71. Ke6 Kg7 72. h6+ Kg6 73. Ne5+ Kh7 74. f5 Ra6+ 75. Ke7 Ra5 76. Kd6 Ra6+ 77. Nc6 Ra8 78. Ne7 Ra1 79. Ke6 Re1+ 80. Kf7 Rg1 81. g6+ Kxh6 82. f6 Rg2 83. g7 1 : 0 E. Pähtz – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), 5th North Urals Cup, Krasnoturinsk 2007.
7. ... Nb6 8. Rh3?! f6 9. Bf4 fxe5 10. Nxe5 0-0. Black has achieved a sound and devoloped position and has good chances to start the middle game.
11. Qd2 Nxe5 12. Bxe5 Nd7 13. Bf4 c5. It is important to use the Pawns to hit the center.
14. dxc5 Nxc5 15. Be3 Bd7 16. 0-0-0 Rc8 17. g4


17. ... b5! This aggressive Pawn sacrifice brings Black the initiative on the Queenside.
18. Bxb5. Ed. Note: Who knows, maybe 18. b4!? Na4! 19. Nxd5! was a better way to cash in the Pawn.
18. ... Bxb5 19. Nxb5 Ne4 20. Qe1 Qd7 21. Nd4? White already needs to be careful and this is a mistake which lets Black gain momentum. Necessary to keep the disadvantage to a minimum was 21. Qe2.
21. ... e5 22. Nf5


22. ... Rxf5! 23. gxf5 Qxf5 24. Rh2 d4 25. f3. White is in trouble. The only way to keep it close was 25. Bxd4! exd4 26. f3 Qf4+ 27. Rdd2 Nd6! 28. Qxe7? Re8.
Ed. Note: 25. Bd2?? Rxc2+! 26. Kxc2 Nc5+ would blunder into a smothered mate.


25. ... Nc3! 26. Bxd4. 26. bxc3 Ba3+ 27. Kb1 Rb8+ 28. Ka1 Bb2+ 29. Kb1 Bxc3+.
26. ... Nxd1 27. Bxe5 Nf2! 28. Rxf2 Bxh4 29. Bc3 Qf7 30. Kb1 Rf8. Black wins the Exchange because of the pin and has a technically winning position. It takes a while, but there is no escape for Smeets.
31. a4 a6 32. Bb4 Bxf2 33. Qxf2 Qxf3 34. Qc5 Rd8 35. b3 Qd5 36. Qc7 Re8 37. Bc3 Qf7 38. Qc6 Qg6 39. Qd5+ Kh8 40. Qd7 Rf8 41. b4 h5 42. b5 axb5 43. axb5 Rf2 44. Qc8+ Kh7 45. Bd4 Rd2 46. Qc3 Rd1+ 47. Kb2 Qg5 48. Qc4 Qf4 49. c3 h4 50. Qd5 Qc1+ 51. Kb3 Qb1+ 52. Ka3 Qa1+ 53. Kb4 Rb1+ 54. Kc5 Qa7+ 55. Kd6 Qb8+ 56. Ke7 Qc7+ 57. Ke6 Re1+ 58. Be5 Rxe5+! 0 : 1. The Black h-Pawn queens and then skewers the newly queened b-Pawn on b8.

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