An Afternoon in December

Zhansaya Daniyarovna Abdumalik – 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 4, 2020

Sicilian Defence B28

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 a6 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 b6 5. d4 cxd4 6. Nxd4 Bb7 7. Be2 d6 8. 0-0 Nf6 9. f3 Be7. In a blitz game against the elder of the Muzychuk sisters, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) felt a little uncomfortable after 9. ... Nbd7 10. Be3 Be7 11. a4 Rb8 12. a5 bxa5 13. Nb3 Ba8 14. Qc2 0-0 15. Nxa5 Qc7 16. Rfc1 Rfc8 17. Qd2⩲/± A. O. Muzychuk – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), 3rd SportAccord World Mind Games, Women’s Blitz Tournament, 北京 (Běijīng) 2013, but much time has passed since then. 10. Be3 0-0 11. Qe1 Nbd7 12. Rc1 Re8 13. Qf2 Rc8 14. Rfd1 Qc7 15. Bf1 Qb8 16. b3 Bd8 17. Kh1 Bc7 18. Nde2 Ba8 19. a4 Ne5 20. Bg5!?TN (20. h3 Ned7 21. Rb1 Bb7 22. Rb2 Ba8 23. Rbb1 Kh8 24. Rb2 h6 25. Bf4 Ne5 26. Rbd2 Rg8 27. Bh2 Rcd8 28. f4 Ned7 29. f5 Nc5 30. fxe6 Ncxe4 31. Nxe4 Nxe4 32. Qxf7 Nxd2 33. Nf4 Rdf8 34. Ng6+ Kh7 35. Bd3 Be4 36. Nxf8+ Rxf8 37. Rxd2 Bxd3 38. Rxd3 Rxf7 39. exf7 Qf8 40. Rf3 a5 41. Rf1 g5 42. Rf3 Kg7 43. Bg1 Bd8 44. Bd4+ Kg6 45. Rf1 h5 46. h4 g4 47. g3 Be7 48. Kh2 Qd8 49. Be3 Bf8 50. Bd4 d5 51. Rf4 dxc4 52. bxc4 Bh6 0 : 1 Zlotnikov – D. B. Gurevich, 105th U.S. Open Chess Championship, Fort Lauderdale 2004) 20. ... Bd8 21. Be3 h6 22. h3 Bc7 23. f4 Ned7 24. Ng3 Nc5 25. Qc2 Qb7

26. Re1. Rather than defending the Pawn (with a near equality), White opts for a speculative pseudo-sacrifice which, after all, might have deserved better luck. 26. ... Ncxe4 27. Ngxe4 Nxe4 28. Nxe4 Qxe4 29. Qxe4. This at first sounds a little inconsistent. Instead, White had to give substance to her investment by 29. Bd3 Qc6 30. Bd4 aiming (and hoping) for a dynamic compensation. 29. ... Bxe4 30. Bxb6 Bxb6 31. Rxe4 a5. White has regained the Pawn, but the ending will turn to be a Calvary for her — and of course 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) won’t give her a chance! 32. Rd1 Bc5 33. Bd3 Rb8 34. Bc2 g6 35. Kh2 Kg7 36. Re2 Rb6 37. Kg3 Reb8 38. Rd3 Kf6 39. Kf3 g5 40. fxg5+ (40. f5 e5) 40. ... hxg5 41. Kg4 Rg8 42. Rf3+ Ke7 43. Rf5 f6 44. Rf1 Bd4 45. Kf3 Be5 46. Rd1 Rh8 47. Red2 Rb4 48. Rd3 Rh4 49. Kf2 f5 50. Kf3 Rb8 51. Kf2 Rbh8 52. Re1 Bd4+ 53. Ke2 Be5 54. Kd2

54. ... g4 55. c5 gxh3 56. cxd6+ Bxd6 57. Rxd6 Kxd6 58. gxh3 Rxh3 59. Bd3 Rh2+ 60. Kc3 R8h3 61. Rd1 Kc5 62. Re1 Rg2 63. Re5+ Kd6 64. Rxa5 Rgg3 65. Ra6+ Ke5 0 : 1.