7（七）

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Baskaran Adhiban

1st Champions Chess Tour; 7th stage; Goldmoney Asian Rapid; Prelims Tournament; time control: 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; chess24.com, June 27, 2021

Spanish Game C78

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Bc5 6. c3 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. d3 0-0 9. Be3 Bb6 10. h3 Ne7 11. Nbd2 Ng6 12. d4. Apparently a novelty, although not so different from 12. a4 Rb8 13. d4 Qe7 14. a5 exd4 15. cxd4 Ba7 16. e5 Ne8 17. Bg5 Qd7 18. Re1 d5 19. Nf1 c6 20. Ng3 Nc7 21. Bc2 Ne6 22. Nf5 c5 23. h4 cxd4 24. h5 Ngf4 25. h6 Nxg5 26. hxg7 Re8 27. Nxg5 d3 28. Bxd3 Nxd3 29. Nh6+ Kxg7 30. Qxd3 Kxh6 31. Qxh7+ Kxg5 32. Qg7+ Kh5 33. Qh7+ Kg5 34. Qg7+ Kh5 35. Ra3 Bxf2+ 36. Kxf2 Qf5+ 37. Rf3 Qc2+ 38. Re2 Qg6 39. Rxf7 Qxg7 40. Rxg7 Kh6 41. Rg3 Kh7 42. Re1 Re6 43. Rh1+ Rh6 44. Rxh6+ Kxh6 45. Rg8 Ra8 46. Rd8 Bb7 47. Rd7 Rb8 48. e6 Bc6 49. Rd6 Rc8 50. e7+ Kg7 51. Rxc6 Ra8 52. Rxa6 Re8 53. Re6 1 : 0 Arakhamia-Grant – Bhatia, 13th Four Nations Chess League — Division 1, Birmingham 2005. For the interested readers, this game was deeply annotated by Grandmaster Jon Speelman in his Agony Column #45 for ChessBase.
12. ... c5 13. Re1 Bb7 14. Bc2 h6 15. a4 Re8 16. d5 c4 17. b3 cxb3 18. Nxb3 Bxe3 19. Rxe3 Rb8 20. axb5 axb5 21. Nfd2 Nf4 22. Na5 Nd7

23. c4! bxc4 24. Ba4!? 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) is desperately looking for her first win in the tournament and doesn’t hesitate to take risks to make her goal. Objectively speaking, 24. Naxc4 Nc5 25. Rea3⩲ might have been a better modus operandi.
24. ... Rf8 25. Bc6!? Consistent — and consistently controversial. A safer continuation was, probably, 25. Bxd7 Qxd7 26. Naxc4 Bc8 27. Kh2 f5 with a double-edged, but essentially balanced game.
25. ... Bc8 26. Naxc4 Nc5 27. Ra7 Ba6 28. Kh2 Rb4 29. Qc2

29. ... Qb8? An oversight that loses a crucial Pawn. Both 29. ... Qf6! and also 29... Qh4! gave Black a powerful initiative.
30. Ra8 Qc7 31. Rxf8+ Kxf8 32. Nxe5! Qe7 33. Nef3? (33. Nec4! Δ 33. ... Nfd3 34. e5!)
33. ... Nfd3 34. Qc3 Qf6? (⌓ 34. ... Kg8 35. Qa3 Rb6)
35. Qa3 Kg8 (35. ... Rb6 36. e5!+−)
36. Rxd3! The beginning of the end.
36. ... Nxd3 37. Qxa6 Nxf2? And finally the Black Knight self-traps itself. But other moves do not save either.
38. Qe2 Nxe4 39. Nxe4 Qf4+ 40. Ng3 h5 41. Qe8+ Kh7 42. h4 g6 43. Qe7 Kg7 44. Qg5 Qxg5 45. hxg5 f6 46. Bd7 fxg5 47. Nxg5 Kf6 48. N3e4+ Ke5 49. Be6 Kf4 50. g3+ Ke5 51. Kh3 Ra4 52. Nc3 Ra5 53. Nf3+ Kf6 54. Ne4+ Ke7 55. Nh4 1 : 0.