A Day at School

谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí) – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)

2nd “一带一路” (“One Belt One Road”) Women’s World Chess Summit; time control: 15 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; 西安 (Xī’ān)/chess.com, December 5, 2020

English Opening A31

1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 b6 5. f3 Bb7 6. e4 d6 7. Nc3 e6 8. Be3 a6 9. Be2 Be7 10. 0-0 0-0 11. a4 Nc6 12. Nxc6 Bxc6 13. b4 a5 14. b5 (14. bxa5 Rxa5 15. Nb5 Qb8 16. Bd2 Ra8 17. Bb4 Bxb5 18. cxb5 Rc8 19. Kh1 Bf8 20. Qd4 d5 21. Bxf8 Kxf8 22. exd5 Nxd5 23. f4 Rd8 24. Bf3 Ra7 25. Rfd1 Rad7 26. f5 e5 27. Qb2 Kg8 28. Re1 f6 29. a5 bxa5 30. Rxa5 Nb6 31. Ra6 Kh8 32. Qb4 Qc7 33. h3 Rd6 34. Qa5 ½ : ½ Chiburdanidze – S. Kovačević, 3rd “Príncipe de Asturias” Rapid International Open Tournament, Oviedo 1993) 14. ... Bb7 15. e5!? An interesting Pawn sacrifice which seems to offer enough returns. 15. ... dxe5 16. Qxd8 Bxd8 17. c5 Nd5. Better might be 17. ... bxc5 18. Bxc5 Rc8! 19. Bxf8 Bb6+ 20. Kh1 Kxf8 21. Rac1 Be3 22. Rc2 e4! with dynamic equality. 18. Nxd5 exd5 19. c6 Bc8 20. f4 f6 21. fxe5 fxe5 22. Bf3. Maybe the exchange of Rooks on the f-file, followed by the check of the Rook at f1 and the transfer of the Bishop to the diagonal a2-g8, might have put 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) to a harder test. 22. ... Be6 23. Rad1 d4 24. c7? A miscalculation that costs White the game, which suggests that 24. Bf2 Bc7 was the best of possible worlds. 24. ... Bxc7 25. Bxa8 Rxa8 26. Rc1 Bd6 27. Rc6

27. ... Bc5 28. Rxe6? This consistent move falls down to a pretty refutation, but 28. Bd2 Bd5 29. Rc7 Bb3 30. Rc1 Bf8 cannot save White either. 28. ... dxe3 29. Rxe5 (29. Kh1 e2 30. Re1 Rf8−+) 29. ... e2+ 30. Rf2

30. ... Rd8! 0 : 1.