The Masks of Hamlet

Sarasadat Khademalsharieh – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)

2nd Online Chess Olympiad Top Division Pool A; Iran – China; time control: 15 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; chess.com, September 9, 2021

Queen’s Gambit Declined D35

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bg5 c6 6. e3 Bf5 7. Qf3 Bg6 8. Bxf6 Qxf6 9. Qxf6 gxf6 10. h4 h5 11. Nh3 Bd6 12. g3 Nd7 13. Nf4 f5!? A novelty, and a very anti-positional one as it reduces the Bishop on g6 to the status of a Pawn. 13. ... a5 is one of the usual continuations, after which there may follow 14. Kd2 Nb6 15. Bd3 Bxf4 16. gxf4 Bxd3 17. Kxd3 Nc4 18. b3 Nd6 19. f3 f5 20. Rag1 with the initiative, Aravindh – Usmanov, 47th Rilton Cup, Stockholm 2017.

14. Bd3 Nf6 15. f3 Ke7 16. Kf2 Rhe8 17. Rhc1 Nd7 18. b4 a6 19. a4. The classic minority attack. 19. ... Nb6 20. b5 axb5 21. axb5 Rxa1 22. Rxa1 Ra8

23. Rb1. White decides to keep the Rooks on the board, but then 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) finds no particular difficulty in holding her own. 23. Rxa8 Nxa8 24. Na4 still offered some chances. 23. ... Ra3 24. bxc6 Rxc3 25. Rxb6 bxc6 26. Ke2 Bc7 27. Rb7 Kd7 28. Ra7 Rb3 29. Ra8 Rb2+ 30. Kf1 Rb3 31. Ke2 Rb2+ 32. Ke1 Bxf4 33. gxf4 Rh2 34. Kf1 Rd2. Clearly not 34. ... Rxh4?? on account of 35. Kg2! stalemating the Black Rook. 35. Be2 Rb2 36. Kf2 Rb3 37. Ra6 Rb2 38. Ra1 Kd6 39. Rc1 Kd7 40. Ke1 Kd6 41. Rc3 Ra2 42. Rd3 Ra1+ 43. Kf2 Ra2 44. Ke1 Ra1+ 45. Rd1 Rxd1+ 46. Kxd1 c5 47. dxc5+ Kxc5 48. Bd3 d4 49. e4 fxe4 50. fxe4 f6 51. Kd2 Bf7 52. Be2 Be8 53. Bf3 Bf7 54. Bg2 Be8 55. Bh3 Bf7 56. Bf5 Kc4 57. Bh7 d3 58. e5 fxe5 59. fxe5 Kd4 60. Bxd3 Kxe5 61. Ke3 ½ : ½.

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