Threads That Bind

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – 黃茜 (Huáng Qiàn)

14th National Games of the People’s Republic of China; Women’s Individual Chess Championship Final; time control: 25 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; 合肥 (Héféi), July 29, 2021

Sicilian Defence B90

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. h3 e6 7. g4 d5 8. exd5 Nxd5 9. Bg2 Bb4 10. Ne2 Nxc3 11. Qxd8+ Kxd8 12. Nxc3 Kc7 13. Bd2 Nc6!? In a not-too-recent game, Black continued instead 13. ... Bd7 14. 0-0-0 Bc6 15. Bf4+ Kc8 16. Bxc6 Nxc6 17. Na4 Ba5 18. Be3 b5 19. Nc5 Rd8 20. Ne4 Rd7 21. Rxd7 Kxd7 22. Rd1+ Ke8 23. c4 bxc4 24. Nd6+ Kf8 25. Nxc4 Bc7 26. Bc5+ Ke8 27. Nd6+ Bxd6 28. Rxd6 Rc8 29. Kb1 Ne5 30. Bb4 Rc6 31. Rd1 f6 32. b3 Ng6 with a comfortable equality, 李超 (Lǐ Chāo) – 修德顺 (Xiū Déshùn), Asian Zone 3.5 Chess Championship, 北京 (Běijīng) 2009. But it’s likely that White could play better somewhere. 14. 0-0-0 Bd6? (⌓ 14. ... Rd8 15. a3 Bd6) 15. Be3 Be5 16. Na4! b5 17. Nc5 Bd6. Black wasted too many tempos with her Bishop and now has to jump through hoops to hold on a while longer.

18. Rxd6!? Very tempting, especially with such a time control, but, objectively speaking, the doubling of Rooks on the d-file was here much stronger. 18. ... Kxd6 19. Rd1+ Kc7 20. Bf4+ e5. And not 20. ... Kb6?? on account of 21. Rd6 Kxc5 22. Rxc6+ Kb4 (or 22. ... Kd4 23. Kd2 b4 24. c3+ followed by mate) 23. a3+ Ka5 24. Bc7+ Ka4 25. Rc4+! bxc4 26. Bc6#. 21. Bxe5+ Nxe5 22. Bxa8. At the end, White came out a Pawn ahead, but its weight in the resulting endgame is very small, if not negligible. 22. ... h5 23. f3 hxg4 24. hxg4 Rh3 25. Rf1 Rh2 26. Be4 a5 27. a3 g6 28. b4 axb4 29. axb4 Nc4 30. Bd3 Ne3 (⌓ 30. ... Nd2! 31. Re1 Nxf3 32. Re7+ Kd6 33. Rxf7 Bxg4 34. Rf4 Ne5 35. Bxb5 Bf5 36. Ba4⩲) 31. Re1 Nd5 32. Re4 Rf2 33. Rd4 Ne7 34. Bxb5 Rxf3 35. Bd7 Nc6 36. Bxc6 Kxc6 37. Nd3 Kc7 38. Kd2 f6

39. c4 (⌓ 39. Nf4!) 39. ... Rg3 40. Nf2 f5 41. gxf5 Bxf5 42. c5 Kc6 43. Nd1 Rg2+ 44. Ke3 Rc2 45. Rd6+ Kb5 46. Rb6+ Kc4? The losing move, undoubtedly due to time trouble. ⌓ 46. ... Ka4! was the right play, with a strong probability of a draw. 47. Kf4+− Rf2+?? 48. Nxf2 1–0.