It Always Starts with One

Antoaneta Stefanova – 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

Torre Attack A46

1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 e6 3. Nd2 h6 4. Bh4 c5 5. e3 b6 6. Ngf3 Bb7 7. c3 Be7 8. a3 d6 9. Bb5+ Nc6!?TN (9. ... Bc6 10. Bxc6+ Nxc6 11. e4 0-0 12. 0-0 d5 13. dxc5 Nxe4 14. Bxe7 Nxe7 15. Nxe4 dxe4 16. Ne5 Qc7 17. Qd4 bxc5 18. Qxe4 Rad8 19. b4 ½ : ½ Mihajlovskij – Shaposhnikov, 2nd Inautomarket Open, Minsk 2006) 10. 0-0 0-0 11. e4 a6 12. Bd3 Nh5 13. Bxe7 Nxe7 14. Re1 Nf4 15. Bf1 b5 16. g3 Nfg6 17. h4 Nc6 18. h5 Nge7 19. dxc5 dxc5 20. Nb3 Qb6 21. Qd6 c4 22. Qc5 Qc7 23. Nbd4 Rac8 24. Nxc6 Bxc6 25. a4 (25. Rad1 Rfd8=) 25. ... Qb7 26. Qe3 bxa4 27. Ne5 Qc7 28. Nxc4 Bb5 29. Nd2. 29. Nb6 Rb8 30. Nxa4 a5 gives rise to a more or less balanced play. 29. ... Rb8 30. Bxb5 axb5

31. c4?! If there’s a beginning to White’s further trouble, then (very likely) it starts here. 31. b3!? seems safer. 31. ... Rfd8 32. cxb5 Qa5 33. Nf3 Qxb5 34. g4? (34. Kg2 Qxh5 35. Rxa4 Qb5 36. Ra2 Ng6⩱) 34. ... Nc6 35. g5? (35. Qe2 Qa5∓)

35. ... hxg5. Nevertheless 35. ... Rd3! was also very strong. 36. Qxg5?! 36. e5 might be a little better, but not that much: 36. ... Qb4 (36. ... g4!? 37. Qg5 Qd3! 38. h6 Qh7 39. Qxg4 Rb4 seems also good enough) 37. Qxg5 Nd4 leaves Black with a great advantage. 36. ... Nd4! 37. Qg4 Nxf3+ 38. Qxf3 Qg5+ 39. Qg2 Qxh5 40. Rxa4 Rxb2 41. e5 Re2 42. Rea1 Qxe5 43. Rg4?? A blunder that puts an end to Stefanova’s suffering. 43. ... Qxa1+ 0 : 1.

Four-time Women’s World Chess Champion and Rhodes Scholar 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) gives her speech at the opening ceremony of the 2nd “一带一路” (“One Belt One Road”) Women’s World Chess Summit which took place Friday, December 4, 2020 in the 西安市铁一中学 (Xī’ān Tiěyī Middle School) in 西安 (Xī’ān), 陕西省 (Shǎnxī province), China. Photo: 闫斌 (Yán Bīn).