Friday, July 2, 2021

Enjoy Teaching

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – 雷挺婕 (Léi Tǐngjié)
2nd Online Women’s Speed Chess Championship Main Event; Semifinal match game 1; time control: 5 minutes plus 1 second per move; chess.com, July 2, 2021
Spanish Game C67

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6. It’s not exaggerated to say that one of the decisive factors of the final result of the match was the difference of understanding of the Berlin endgame.
4. 0-0 Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Nc3 Ke8 10. h3 h5. If nothing else, 10. ... h6 brought Black better luck in the third game, though only after a long struggle: 11. Rd1 Be6 12. g4 Ne7 13. Nd4 Bd7 14. Bf4!? h5 15. f3 hxg4 16. hxg4 Nd5 17. Nxd5 cxd5 18. e6 fxe6 19. Bxc7 Rc8 20. Be5 Kf7 21. Kg2 Be7 22. Re1 Bf6 23. c3 Rh7 24. Bf4 Rch8 25. Re3 Bxd4 26. cxd4 Rc8 27. Re2 Bb5 28. Rd2 a5 29. a4 Bd7 30. Re2 Rc4 31. b3 Rxd4 32. Bc7 Rd3 33. Rb1 d4 34. Bxa5 Bc6 35. Rf2 Rh4 36. Kg3 g5 37. Bd2 Kg6 38. Re1 Kf6 39. b4 Rh8 40. b5 Bd5 41. a5 Rc8 42. Rh1 Rc2 43. Bxg5+ Kxg5 44. Rh5+ Kg6 45. Rxc2 Rxf3+ 46. Kh4 Rf1 47. Rxd5 exd5 48. Ra2 d3 49. a6 bxa6 50. bxa6 d2 51. Rxd2 Rh1+ 52. Kg3 Ra1 53. Rxd5 Rxa6 54. Kh4 Rb6 55. Rg5+ Kh6 56. Rh5+ Kg6 57. Rc5 Ra6 ½–½ 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – 雷挺婕 (Léi Tǐngjié), 2nd Online Women’s Speed Chess Championship Main Event, chess.com, July 2, 2021, Semifinal match game 3 (time control: 5 minutes plus 1 second per move).
11. Rd1 Bb4. The theoretical alternative of 11. ... Be7 did not help Black too much either: 12. Ne2 Nh4 13. Nxh4 Bxh4 14. Be3 Be7 15. Rd2 g5!? 16. Rad1 g4 17. hxg4 hxg4 and now:
a) 18. Nd4 a6 19. e6 fxe6 20. Bf4 Bd6 21. Nb3 Be7 22. Bxc7 Rh5 23. c4 b5 24. Na5 bxc4 25. Nxc4 Ra7 26. Rd8+ Bxd8 27. Rxd8+ Ke7 28. Rxc8 Rb7 29. Bb6 Kf6 30. Rf8+ Kg7 31. Rf4 Rg5 32. Bd4+ Kg8 33. Bf6 Rf5 34. Rxg4+ Kf7 35. Bc3 1–0 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – 雷挺婕 (Léi Tǐngjié), 2nd Online Women’s Speed Chess Championship Main Event, chess.com, July 2, 2021, Semifinal match game 5 (time control: 5 minutes plus 1 second per move);
b) 18. Bf4 Be6 19. Nd4 Bd5 20. b3 Bb4 21. Re2 Rd8 22. Nf5 b5 23. c4 bxc4 24. bxc4 Bxc4 25. Rxd8+ Kxd8 26. Re4 Bd3 27. Rd4+ Kc8 28. Rxd3 c5 29. Ne3 1–0 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – 雷挺婕 (Léi Tǐngjié), 2nd Online Women’s Speed Chess Championship Main Event, chess.com, July 2, 2021, Semifinal match game 7 (time control: 5 minutes plus 1 second per move).
12. Ne2 Be6 13. Nf4! A pretty innovation, by far more natural than 13. Bg5 Bd5 14. Nfd4 Nxd4 15. Rxd4 Bc5 16. Rd2 Bb4 17. Rd4 Bc5 18. Rd2 Bb4 19. c3 Be7 20. Bxe7 Kxe7 21. Nf4 Be4 22. f3 Bf5 23. g4 hxg4 24. hxg4 g5 25. Nh5 Bg6 26. Ng3 Rh3 27. Kg2 Rah8 28. Nf1 Ke6 29. Rad1 Rh1 30. Kf2 Bc2 31. Re1 c5 32. c4 Ba4 33. f4? (⌓ 33. b3) 33. ... gxf4 34. Re4 f3! 35. Rf4 Bc6 36. Rf6+ Ke7 37. Rd3 R8h4 38. Rf4 Ke6 39. Re3 Rh6 40. g5 Rg6 41. Rf6+ Ke7 42. e6 Rxf6 43. gxf6+ Kxf6 44. e7 Rh8 45. Ng3 b6 46. b3 a5 47. a4 Kg6 48. Re5 Re8 49. Nh5 Bd7 50. Kxf3 Be6?? (50. ... f6 51. Nf4+ Kf7 52. Re2 Rxe7−+) 51. Kf4 1–0 Chirila – Kritz, 11th Final Four of College Chess, Washington, D.C. 2011.
13. ... Be7 (13. ... Bc8 14. Bd2 Be7 15. e6)
14. Nxe6 fxe6 15. g3 a5 16. a4 b6 17. Kg2 Rd8 18. Bf4 Rd5 19. c4 Rxd1 20. Rxd1 c5 21. g4 hxg4 22. hxg4 Nh4+ 23. Nxh4 Rxh4 24. f3 Rh8 25. b3 g6 26. Kf2 Rh3 27. Kg2 Rh8 28. Rh1 Rxh1 29. Kxh1 Kf7 30. Kg2 Bd8 31. Be3


31. ... g5! 32. f4 gxf4? This should be the losing move (even if it really isn’t!). After the correct 32. ... Kg6! 33. fxg5 Be7! White has no way to make progress, provided Black does not make the mistake of taking on g5.
33. Bxf4 Kg6 34. Kf3? White’s King goes on the wrong side: correct is 34. Kh3! intending Bf4-g3-h4.
34. ... Bh4? (⌓ 34. ... Be7! Δ ... Be7-f8-g7)
35. Kg2? White was still in time to get back to her ideal position with 35. Bg3! followed by Kf3-g2-h3 and Bg3-h4.
35. ... Be7? (⌓ 35. ... Be1! Δ ... Be1-c3)
36. Kh3? Once again White mixes up her moves. The right order was 36. Bg3! intending Kg2-h3 followed by Bg3-h4: if 36. ... Bg5 there would follow 37. Kh3 Bd2 38. Bh4 Bc3 39. Kf6 similarly to the game.
36. ... Bd8? (⌓ 36. ... Bf8! Δ ... Bf8-g7)


37. Bg3! Finally, at destination.
37. ... Bg5 38. Bh4 Bf4 39. Bf6 Kf7 40. Kg2 Kg6 41. Kf3 Bg5. The only move to prevent Bf6-d8 (as 41. ... Bh2 is of no use on account of 42. Ke4 followed by Bf6-d8), but unfortunately for Black exchanging into a lost Pawn ending:
42. Bxg5 Kxg5 43. Kg3 Kg6 44. Kh4 Kh6 45. g5+ Kg6 46. Kg4 c6 47. Kh4 Kf5 48. Kh5 Kxe5 49. g6 Kd4 50. g7 1–0.

Despite any appearance to the contrary, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)’s two-point win in her semifinal match with 雷挺婕 (Léi Tǐngjié) was not an easy run through to tomorrow’s final against Dronavalli Harika. Screenshot from the live stream.

1 comment:

  1. "I guess it was a tough match for both of the players as most of the time the score was a tie or close to a tie," Hou then told Chess.com. "In general, I felt like the quality of this bullet match somehow was better than my previous match. But the score was very close." See https://www.chess.com/news/view/women-speed-chess-championship-hou-yifan-lei-tingjie

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