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Four-time Women’s World Chess Champion and Rhodes Scholar 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) crushed Dronavalli Harika 7–3 in their quarterfinal of the 1st Online Women’s Speed Chess Championship Grand Prix’s third leg to advance to the semifinals, where she will face Sarasadat Khademalsharieh of Iran. Screenshot from the live stream.

Dronavalli Harika – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)

1st Online Women’s Speed Chess Championship Grand Prix; third leg; match game 3; time control: 5 minutes plus 1 second per move; chess.com, July 9, 2020

Sicilian Defence B40

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. g3 Nc6 4. Bg2 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. 0-0 Be7 7. h3 0-0 8. Re1 a6 9. d4. If 9. d3 then by transposition 9. ... e5 10. Nh2 Nd4 11. f4 b5 12. a3 Bd7 13. Nf3 a5 14. g4 b4 15. Ne2 Nxf3+ 16. Bxf3 Ne8 17. Bg2 Nc7 18. Kh1 Bh4 19. Rf1 Ne6 20. f5 Ng5 21. Be3 h6 22. f6 g6 23. Qd2 Ne6 24. Bxh6 Bxf6 25. Bxf8 Bg5 26. Qd1 Qxf8 27. axb4 cxb4 28. d4 Bb5 29. c3 bxc3 30. bxc3 Qc8 31. Rf3 Bc4 32. Bf1 Bh4 33. Ng1 Ng5 34. Bxc4 Qxc4 35. Qd3 Qc6 36. d5 Qc5 37. Rff1 Kg7 38. Ra2 Ra7 39. Rb1 Rc7 40. Rc1 Bf2 41. h4 Bxh4 42. Nh3 Qc4 43. Qxc4 Rxc4 44. Nxg5 Bxg5 45. Re1 Bd8 46. Rb2 Rxc3 47. Rb7 Kh6 48. Rxf7 Bb6 49. g5 Kxg5 50. Re2 Kg4 51. Rf6 Rh3+ 52. Kg2 Rg3+ 53. Kh2 Bg1+ 54. Kh1 Bc5 55. Ra2 Bb4 56. Kh2 Rh3+ 57. Kg1 g5 58. Rf8 Rf3 59. Rg2+ Rg3 60. Rxg3+ Kxg3 61. Kf1 a4 62. Ke2 g4 63. Kd3 a3 64. Kc4 Bc5 65. Kb3 Kh4 66. Rh8+ Kg5 67. Kc3 g3 68. Kd3 a2 0 : 1 Yermolinsky – Kasparov, USSR Selection to World Junior Chess Championship, Leningrad 1977. 9. ... cxd4 10. Nxd4 Bd7 11. b3. A vintage Soviet game went instead 11. Kh2 Qc7 12. f4 Rfd8 13. f5!? Nxd4 14. Qxd4 exf5 15. exf5 Bxf5 16. Bg5? (16. Nd5 Nxd5 17. Qxd5 Be6 18. Qxb7 Qxb7 19. Bxb7 Ra7 offers better prospects for equality) 16. ... Be6 17. Rf1 Ng4+! 18. Qxg4 Bxg4 19. Nd5 Qd7 20. Nxe7+ Kh8 21. hxg4 f6 22. Ng6+ (22. Rxf6 Qxe7−+) 22. ... hxg6 23. Rxf6 Qxg4 24. Rh1 Qxg5 25. Kg1+ Kg8 0 : 1 Goldenov – Kortschnoi, 32nd USSR Chess Championship, Kiev 1964. 11. ... Rc8 12. Bb2 b5 13. Nce2 Qc7 14. Rc1 Nxd4!? A new move. Years earlier, a little-known game continued: 14. ... Qb6 15. Qd2 Rfd8 16. c4 Be8 with approximate equality, Grimberg – Zelić, “GMA–JAT” International Open Tournament, Belgrade 1988. 15. Nxd4 Qa5 16. a3 e5 17. Nf5 Bxf5 18. exf5 Rfd8 19. g4 h6 20. f4? This immediately results into a grave weakening of the dark squares. 20. ... Qb6+ 21. Kh1

Now 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) seizes the initiative with an energetic Pawn sacrifice: 21. ... d5! 22. fxe5 Ne4 23. Bxe4? A catastrophic mistake. White had probably nothing better than 23. Bd4, though 23. ... Qc7∓ gives Black powerful play on the dark squares. 23. ... dxe4 24. Qe2 e3? A slight inaccuracy, eyeing only 25. Qxe3?? Qxe3 26. Rxe3 Bg5 winning with a skewer. Instead 24. ... Bh4!−+ would have won at once. 25. Rcd1? But White misses her best chance: 25. f6! eventually followed (after 25. ... gxf6) by 26. Qxe3. 25. ... Rxd1 26. Rxd1 Qc6+ 27. Kg1 Qxc2 28. Re1 Bh4 29. Qxc2 Rxc2 30. Rb1 e2 0 : 1.