The Year Without Summer

熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xiong) – Andrey Evgenyevich Esipenko

1st Online Chess Olympiad Semifinal Russia – United States; Match 2; time control: 15 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; chess.com, August 29, 2020

Nimzo-Indian Defence E32

And thus, after all, India e Russia are the two finalists of the 1st Online Chess Olympiad. However, both semifinals were tough and very hardly fought. 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 0-0 5. e4 d5 6. e5 Ne4 7. Bd3 c5 8. Nf3 cxd4 9. Nxd4 Nd7 10. Bf4 Qh4. It should be noted that four-time Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) preferred here 10. ... Ndc5 11. 0-0 Bxc3 12. bxc3 Bd7 13. Be2 Na4 14. cxd5 exd5 15. c4 Rc8 16. Qb3 dxc4! 17. Bxc4? Nac3! 18. a4 Bxa4! 19. Rxa4 Nxa4 20. Nf5 Nac3! 21. e6 Rxc4! 22. Qxc4 b5 23. Qb3 Qd3 24. exf7+ Rxf7 0 : 1 Ushenina – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), 台州 (Tāizhōu) 2013, Women’s World Chess Championship match game 3. 11. g3 Qh5 12. h4 Nxe5 13. Be2 Ng4 14. Bxg4 Qxg4 15. f3 Qh5 16. g4 Qg6 17. fxe4 e5! Only this way! If, instead, 17. ... Qf6? then 18. Ne2! e5 19. Bg5 Qf3 20. 0-0-0 and Black’s game is desperate, Vallejo Pons – So, 31st Torneo Magistral de Ajedrez “Ciudad de León”, León 2018, match game 1 (time control: 20 minutes plus 10 seconds increment per move). 18. 0-0-0. 18. Bxe5 Bxg4 followed by ... Ra8-e8 provides Black with enough compensation for the Knight. 18. ... Bxc3 19. Nf5 Bxf5 20. gxf5 Qa6!? Here is finally the long awaited novelty. A recent game went instead 20. ... Qg4 21. Be3 Bd4 22. Bxd4 exd4 23. exd5 Rac8 24. Kb1 b5 25. c5 Rfd8 26. Rhg1 Qxh4? (“Yorkshire’s James Adair has been very close to the GM title for years now, but has not reached the required 2500 rating. His live rating was in the upper 2490s when he took on Howell, which explains Black’s ambitious opening. It was level until Black took a hot Pawn where 26. ... Qf3! 27. Rxd4 Rxd5 would draw. As played, White’s central Pawns overran the Black Rooks”, Leonard Barden wrote in his The Guardian chess column of August 3, 2018) 27. c6! g6 28. fxg6 hxg6 29. Qf5 Kg7 30. c7 Re8 31. d6 Re6 32. Rdf1 Rf8 33. c8=Q! 1 : 0 Howell – Adair, 105th British Chess Championship, Hull 2018. 21. Qxc3 d4 22. Qb3 exf4 23. Rxd4 Rad8 24. Qd3 Rxd4 25. Qxd4 Rc8 26. b3 Qxa2

27. Rd1!? Now 27. Rg1 g6 28. fxg6 hxg6 29. Rxg6+ fxg6 30. Qxd5+ is only a draw by perpetual check, while instead the team needs a win. 27. ... g6 28. f6??! 熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xiong) is in the same dilemma as before, and courageously goes on attacking. 28. Qf6 was probably safer, but 28. ... Qxb3 29. Rd8+ Rxd8 30. Qxd8+ Kg7 31. f6+ Kh6 32. Qf8+ Kh5 33. Qxf7 Qc3+ would end up with a draw. 28. ... h5 29. Rd3? White can no longer afford himself the luxury of such a “loss of time”. If nothing else, 29. Qd7 would be consistent with his previous choices, still hoping for 29. ... Rf8 (29. ... Ra8!!−+ is not a human obvious: if 30. Qxb7 there may follow 30. ... Re8−+) 30. Qe7 with tricky tactics (Δ Qe7xf8+), rather similarly to the game. 29. ... Qg2? This hasty move radically changes the balance of powers, as White can snatch the initiative from his opponent’s hands. Black should first have played 29. ... Re8−+ followed by the penetration of the Queen to the Kingside (if 30. e5 then 30. ... Qe2−+). 30. Qd7 Rf8 31. Qe7. Threatening Qe7xf8+ followed by mate. 31. ... Qg1+ 32. Kc2 Qb6 33. Rd6 Qa5 34. Rd5 Qb6 35. Rd6 Qa5 36. Rd5 Qb6

37. Rg5! Qf2+? And in the end, White’s bet succeeded, as His Majesty goes forward to conquer his enemy’s Kingdom. 37. ... Rc8! is the unanimous proposal of the engines, for after 38. Rxg6+ Kh8 39. Rg5 (38. Rg2!? is at least interesting) 39. ... Qf2+ 40. Kb1 Qe1+ 41. Ka2 Qd2+ 42. Ka3 Qc1+ 43. Ka4 Qa1+ 44. Kb4 Qe1+ 45. Kb5 any similarity with the position of the game after 43. Kb5 is a mere appearance, since Black would play 46. ... Qc3! (47. Rxh5+ Kg8=). 38. Kb1 Qe1+ 39. Ka2 Qd2+ 40. Ka3 Qc1+ 41. Ka4 Qa1+ 42. Kb4 Qe1+ 43. Kb5 a6+. Now it’s too late for 43. ... Rc8 44. Rxg6+ Kh8 45. Rg7 Qc3 on account of 46. Rh7+! with mate in two. 44. Kb6 Qe3+ 45. Kc7 Qc3 46. Rxg6+ Kh7 47. Rg7+. Or 47. Rh6+! Kg8 48. Qxf8+! followed by mate. 47. ... Kh6 48. Qxf8 Qe5+ 49. Qd6 1 : 0.