侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Sarasadat Khademalsharieh
1st Online Chess Olympiad Top Division Pool A; China – Iran; time control: 15 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; chess.com, August 21, 2020
Giuoco Piano C50
Four-time Women’s World Chess Champion and Rhodes Scholar 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) made today her début at the third board of the Chinese team in the Top Division Pool A Round 3 of the 1st Online Chess Olympiad, which is the virtual surrogate of the 44th Chess Olympiad, originally scheduled to take place from August 5–17, 2020 in Moscow, Russia, and then postponed and rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. 0-0 Nf6 5. d3 a6 6. c3 d6 7. Bb3 h6 8. Nbd2 0-0 9. h3 Re8 10. Re1 Be6 11. Nf1 d5 12. Qe2 Bf8. A subplot is 12. ... Qd7 13. Bc2 b5 14. Nh4 Rad8 15. Qf3 Nh7 16. Qg3 Kh8 17. Ne3 d4 18. Nef5 g5 19. cxd4 Bxd4 20. Bb3 Rg8 21. Nf3 Bxf5 22. exf5 Qxf5 23. Nxd4 Rxd4 24. Be3 Rd6 25. Rac1 Rc8 26. Rc5 f6 27. Bd5 Rxd5 28. Rxd5 Nb4 29. Rc5 Nxd3 30. Rec1 Nxc1 31. Rxc1 Nf8 32. Rc6 a5 33. Qg4 Qxg4 34. hxg4 Nd7 35. Bd2 a4 36. Ba5 Kg7 37. a3 Kf7 38. Bxc7 Nf8 39. Rc3 Ne6 40. Bxe5 Rd8 41. Rf3 Rd1+ 42. Kh2 Nf4 43. Bxf4 gxf4 44. Rxf4 Rd2 45. Rb4 Rxf2 46. Rxb5 Kg6 47. Kg3 Rc2 48. Kf3 Rd2 49. Rb4 Kg5 50. g3 Rd3+ 51. Kf2 Rd2+ 52. Ke3 Rg2 53. Kf3 Rd2 54. Rb5+ Kg6 55. Ke4 Rg2 56. Kf4 Rf2+ 57. Ke3 Rg2 58. Rb4 Kg5 59. Kf3 Rd2 60. Rxa4 Rxb2 61. Ra5+ Kg6 62. a4 Rb3+ 63. Ke4 Rxg3 64. Kf4 Rb3 65. Rb5 Ra3 66. Rb4 Ra1 67. Ke4 Kg5 68. Kd5 f5 69. gxf5 Kxf5 70. Kc6 h5 71. Kb6 Kg5 72. a5 h4 73. Rxh4 ½ : ½ 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Stefanova, 4th SportAccord World Mind Games, Women’s Basque Tournament, 北京 (Beijīng) 2014. 13. Bc2 Qd7 (13. ... b5 14. Ng3 g6 15. Rd1 Bg7 16. Be3 Qe7 17. a4 b4 18. Rac1 bxc3 19. bxc3 Rab8 20. d4 exd4 21. Nxd4 Nxd4 22. Bxd4 Nxe4 23. Nxe4 dxe4 24. Bxg7 Kxg7 25. Qxe4 Qc5 26. Qd4+ Qxd4 27. cxd4 Red8 28. Be4 Rb4 29. Rxc7 Rxa4 30. Bb7 ½ : ½ Ganguly – Fressinet, 38th Chess Olympiad, Dresden 2008) 14. Ng3 Rad8 15. Nh4 g6 16. Nf3 b5 17. Be3 Qc8 18. Nh2 Bg7 19. a4 Qb7 20. axb5 axb5 21. Ng4 Nxg4 22. hxg4 d4 23. Bd2 Ra8 24. Rxa8 Rxa8
Now 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) delivers her first blow by a thematic Knight sacrifice on f5: 25. Nf5! gxf5 26. gxf5 Ba2! Naturally, Black must prevent White’s Bishop from taking possession of the a2-g8 diagonal. 27. Qh5. 27. Qg4!? Kf8 28. cxd4 seems more natural and accordant with the line of play White actually took. 27. ... Qc8! (27. ... Kh7?? 28. f6! Bf8 29. c4!+−) 28. Bxh6 Qf8 29. Qg4 Kh7 30. Bd2 (Δ Qg4-h4+) 30. ... f6. Black has successfully neutralised White’s most serious threats, but both 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) and Khademalsharieh must now face very severe time pressure. 31. g3 dxc3 32. bxc3 b4 33. Kg2??! This is objectively losing, but it is also the only winning attempt in such an anti-climatic situation. On the other hand, the last thing one would like to do is 33. cxb4 (33. ... Nxb4), even though it is the only thing one can do. 33. ... b3 34. Rh1+ Kg8 35. Bb1 Ne7 (35. ... Nd8 36. Qh5 Qf7) 36. Qh5 (36. d4 exd4 37. cxd4 Rb8) 36. ... Qf7 37. Qh7+ Kf8 38. d4 Bxb1 39. Rxb1 Ra2
40. Be3? This is, of course, a serious loss of time which should lose the game for White. She ought to have played 40. Bh6 at once, and if, for instance, 40. ... exd4 then 41. Rxb3! Qxb3 42. Bxg7+ Ke8 43. Bxf6 with at least a draw. 40. ... Qc4! Now the threat of ... Qc4-e2 hangs over White like Damocles’ sword. 41. Bh6 Bxh6? (41. ... Qe2!−+) 42. Qxh6+ Ke8 43. Qh8+ Kd7 44. Qxf6 Qe2 45. Qe6+? 45. Kh3! Ra6 46. Qxe5 Rh6+ 47. Kg2 b2 is still terrifically unclear. 45. ... Ke8 46. Rxb3 Qxf2+? Obviously there were better winning chances in the ending resulting from 46. ... Qxe4+ 47. Kh3 Qxf5+, but apparently Khademalsharieh have had enough for today. 47. Kh3 Qg2+ 48. Kg4 Qxe4+ 49. Kg5 Qe3+ 50. Kg4 Qe4+ 51. Kg5 Qe3+ 52. Kg4 Qe4+ ½ : ½.
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