Not This Time

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Parimarjan Negi

2015 Showdown in Saint Louis — Fischerandom Chess; match game 2; time control: 20 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; Saint Louis, November 13, 2015

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Position #436

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. c3 a5 4. d4 d6 5. Ne3 Nf6 6. Qd3 Qe8 7. 0-0 exd4 8. cxd4 Nb4 9. Qb3 c5

10. Re1! Indirectly defending the e-Pawn as after 10. ... Nxe4?? 11. a3! Black loses a piece due to the back rank weakness: 11. ... a4 12. Qd1 Nc6 13. Bxe4 Qxe4 14. Nd5! and finis.
10. ... cxd4 11. Nxd4 Ba7 12. Qd1 Nc6? A listless Negi goes adrift in his mare magnum, thus burdening himself with grave weaknesses. ⌓ 12. ... Bc5 13. Ndf5 is obviously better for White, but Black can still hope to defend himself.

13. Nb5! Be6? An Exchange sacrifice with no meaning, but Black’s situation was bad enough anyway.
14. Nc7 Qd8 15. Nxa8 Qxa8 16. Nd5 Bxd5 17. exd5 Ne5 18. Be3! Because it is very easy to be content when one has all one can desire, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) is most satisfied with a job well done by simple means.
18. ... Bxe3 20. Rxe3 0-0 21. Bd3 b6 22. Be2 Rc8 23. Qd4 Rc5 24. Rd1 g6

25. Qh4 Kg7. Not 25. ... Nxd5? on account of 26. Rh3 h5 27. Bxh5! with irresistible attack.
26. f4 Ned7 27. Bf3 Rc4 28. b3 Rc7 29. Qf2 Nc5 30. h3 b5 31. g4 b4 32. g5 Ng8 33. Rde1 Rc8 34. Qd2 (34. Qb2+ Kf8 35. Qh8+−)
34. ... a4 35. Qxb4 axb3 36. axb3 Kf8 37. Qd4 Rb8 38. b4 Na6 39. b5! Nc5 (15. ... Rxb5 16. Re8+ Qxe8 17. Rxe8+ Kxe8 18. Qa4 Nc7 19. Be2+−)
40. Be2 Nd7 41. Ra1 Qb7 42. Qa7 Qc8 43. Bg4 f5 44. gxf6 Ngxf6 45. Bxd7 Nxd7 46. Rae1 Qc5 1–0. Negi exceeded the time limit while making his last move, which would have been followed by 47. Qxd7, leaving White up a Rook and a Pawn.

Guess who’s who in an approximation of a handshake. Screenshots from the live stream.