Queen Takes Bishop

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk

1st Chess Super League; Quintessential Queens – Brutal Bishops; time control: 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; chess.com, October 12, 2021

Sicilian Defence B30

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. Bb5 Nd4 5. Bd3. Meanwhile, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) has changed her mind: 5. 0-0 a6 6. Bd3 Nc6 7. b3 d6 8. Bb2 Nf6 9. Re1 Nd7 10. Bf1 Nde5 11. d3 Nxf3+ 12. Qxf3 Be7 13. Ne2 e5 14. c3 0-0 15. d4 f5 16. exf5 d5 17. Ng3 (18. c4!?) 18. ... cxd4 18. c4 Be6 19. Qg4 Bf7 20. cxd5 Bxd5 21. f4 Bf6 22. Rad1 Qa5 23. fxe5 Nxe5 24. Qf4 Rae8 25. Nh5 Nf3+ 26. gxf3 Rxe1 27. Nxf6+ Rxf6 28. Rxe1 Qxe1 29. Bxd4 Qb4 30. a3 Qxa3 31. Bxf6 gxf6 32. Qg4+ Kf7 33. Qh5+ Kf8 34. Qh6+ Kg8 35. Qxf6 Qf8 36. Qxf8+ Kxf8 37. b4 Bxf3 38. Kf2 Be4 39. Bh3 Ke7 ½ : ½ 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Gelfand, FIDE Grand Prix 2017, 3rd stage, Geneva 2017. 5. ... Ne7 6. b3 Nec6 7. Bb2 a6 8. Nxd4 cxd4 9. Ne2 Bc5 10. 0-0 b5!? Probably a novelty. Play usually continues 10. ... 0-0 11. c3 dxc3 12. dxc3 d6 13. Nd4 e5 14. Nxc6 bxc6 15. b4 Ba7 16. c4 a5 17. a3 Be6 with approximate equality, Vallejo Pons – Gelfand, 40th Chess Olympiad, Istanbul 2012. Furthermore, 10. ... d5!? is very interesting here: 11. Nf4 dxe4 12. Bxe4 Bd6∞ Plaskett – Chandler, 8th Four Nations Chess League — Division 1, Birmingham 2001. 11. c3 dxc3 12. dxc3 Bb7 13. c4 bxc4 14. Bxc4 Qg5?! (⌓ 14. ... 0-0 15. Ng3 d6)

15. Qc1. The offer of exchanging Queens is probably due to the apprehension that Black may mount an attack on the Kingside with ... h7-h5-h4-h3. 15. ... Qxc1 16. Raxc1 Ne7? Simply 16. ... 0-0 17. Bxe6 Bxf2+ followed by retaking the Bishop with the d-Pawn gave Black a relatively acceptable position. 17. Bxe6! Bxf2+ 18. Rxf2 fxe6. What’s even worse is that now after 18. ... dxe6 19. Ng3 Black cannot castle because of 20. Rc7 winning a piece.

19. Ng3 Bc6? By defending the Pawn with 19. ... Rg8 Black would surrender the f-file (on account of 20. Rcf1) with obviously unpleasant consequences, but the text is much worse as it costs infinitely more. 20. Bxg7 Rg8 21. Nh5 0-0-0 22. Rf7 Ng6 23. Nf6 Nf4

24. Rxc6+! Liquidating to a won ending. 24. ... dxc6 25. Nxg8 Rxg8 26. Kf2 Ng6 27. Ke3 Rd8 28. Bd4 e5 29. Bb6 Rd7 30. Rf6 Rd1 31. Ba5 Kd7 32. Rf7+ Kd6 33. Rxh7 Kc5 34. g3 Nf8 35. Rh5 Nd7 36. Bc3 Kd6 37. Rf5 Rc1 38. Bb4+ c5 39. Bd2 Rc2 40. h4 Rxa2 41. h5 Rb2 42. h6 Rxb3+ 43. Kf2 Rb8 44. g4 Nf8 45. Bc3 Ke7 46. Bxe5 Rc8 47. Bg7 Ng6 48. h7 c4 49. Rg5 Nh8 50. Bc3 Kf7 51. Rg7+ 1 : 0.

The Queen told the Bishop she would come back if Arthur let Lancelot and his comrades return to their country. Screenshot from the live stream.