Priority inversion

卜祥志 (Bǔ Xiángzhì) – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)

2022 深圳 (Shēnzhèn) Grandmaster Chess Match game 3; 深圳 (Shēnzhèn), February 23, 2022

Queen’s Gambit Declined D38

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. d4 Bb4 5. Qa4+ Nc6 6. e3 0-0 7. Qc2 Bd6 8. c5. The more reserved 8. h3 has also its merits: 8. ... dxc4 9. Bxc4 e5 10. 0-0 a6 11. a3 Bd7 12. Rd1 h6 13. b4 Qe7 14. d5!⩲ with a space advantage for White, Mamedyarov – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), 78th Tata Steel Chess Tournament, Wijk aan Zee 2016. 8. ... Be7 9. Bb5. Forget it not: 9. a3 a5 10. Bb5 Nb8 (10. ... Bd7 11. Rb1 b6 transposes into the Kurajica – Vl. Kovačević game mentioned below) 11. 0-0 b6 12. c6 Ba6 13. Bd2 Ne8 14. a4 Nd6 15. Ne5 Qe8 16. Rac1 Ra7 17. Rfe1 f6 18. Nd3 Bc8 19. Qb3 with a powerful bind, 王玥 (Wáng Yuè) – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), 7th 海南 (Hǎinán) 儋州 (Dānzhōu) Super Grandmaster Chess Tournament “人民网 (People’s Daily Online) Cup”, 儋州 (Dānzhōu) 2016. 9. ... Bd7 10. a3 a5 11. Rb1 Qe8!? A novelty by 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán). Vintage theory reads 11. ... b6 12. b4 axb4 13. axb4 bxc5 14. bxc5 Rb8 15. 0-0 Ng4? (⌓ 15. ... Na5) 16. h3 Nh6 16. e4! with great advantage to White. Kurajica – Vl. Kovačević, Zonal Tournament 1.2b, Zagreb 1993. 12. Bd3. 12. b4? Nxb4! was the point behind Black’s previous move. 12. ... a4!? 13. 0-0. If 13. Nxa4?! then 13. ... Nxd4! regaining the Pawn with interest. 13. ... b6 14. cxb6 cxb6 15. Ne5. White is perhaps too hasty. Also considering the position of Black’s Queen, probably it would have been better to play 15. Re1 aiming for e3–e4. 15. ... Nxe5 16. dxe5

16. ... Ne4! Black sacrifices a Pawn to stretch her piece play and two Bishops to its maximum potential. 17. Nxe4 dxe4 18. Bxe4 Rc8 19. Qd1. Of course taking the Pawn would cost the Bishop. 19. ... Bc6 20. Qf3 Bxe4 21. Qxe4 Qb5 22. Bd2 Qb3 23. Bc3

23. ... Bxa3. The beginning of a semi-forced liquidation to a virtually drawn Rook ending. 24. bxa3 Qxc3 25. Qxa4 Ra8 26. Qd4 Qxd4 27. exd4 Rfd8 28. Rfd1 Rxa3 29. Rxb6 Ra5 30. f4

30. ... g5! 31. fxg5 Rxe5 32. Rb8 Rxb8 33. dxe5 Rb4 ½ : ½.