Queen on Tuesday

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – 叶诗雯 (Carissa Yip)

4th Online Women’s Speed Chess Championship Main Event; Round of 16 match game 5; time control: 5 minutes plus 1 second per move; chess.com, July 19, 2022

Spanish Game C95

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 0-0 9. h3 Nb8 10. d4 Nbd7 11. Nbd2 Bb7 12. Bc2 Re8 13. Nf1 Bf8 14. Ng3 g6 15. a4 Bg7 16. Bd3 c6 17. Be3. Likewise after 17. Bg5 h6 18. Be3 Qc7 19. Qd2 Kh7 20. b4 Rad8 21. Qa2 Re7 22. Rad1 White stands better, 朱锦尔 (Zhū Jǐn’ěr) – 叶诗雯 (Carissa Yip), 1st Julius Bär Challengers Chess Tour, 2nd stage, Gelfand Challenge, chess24.com, June 10, 2021 (time control: 10 minutes plus 5 seconds per move).
17. ... Qc7. The U.S. Women’s Chess Champion will have no better luck with 17. ... h6 18. Qd2 Kh7 19. Bc2 exd4 20. cxd4 c5 21. d5 Nb6 22. Bd3?! Nxa4 23. h4 h5 (⌓ 23. ... Ng4) 24. Bg5 Rc8? 25. Nxh5! Bh8 26. Qf4 Nxb2 27. Bc2 1 : 0 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – 叶诗雯 (Carissa Yip), 4th Online Women’s Speed Chess Championship Main Event, chess.com, July 19, 2022, Round of 16 match game 13 (time control: 3 minutes plus 1 second per move).
18. Qd2 Rad8 19. Bh6 Bh8

20. Bc2 (20. Bg5 Nf8 21. c4 Ne6 22. axb5 axb5 23. cxb5 exd4 24. bxc6 Bxc6 25. Bh4 Rb8 26. Rab1 Qb7 27. b4 Bb5 28. Bxf6 Bxf6 29. Ne2 Bxd3 30. Qxd3 Qb5 31. Red1 Qxd3 32. Rxd3 Nc5 33. Rdd1 d3 34. Nf4 Nxe4 35. Nd5 Bd8 36. Rxd3 Nf6 37. Nxf6+ Bxf6 38. Rxd6 Be7 39. Rd4 Rb5 40. Re1 Kf8 41. Ree4 f5 42. Re1 Rxb4 43. Rd7 Re4 44. Rxe4 fxe4 45. Nd2 Bg5 46. Nc4 Kg8 47. Ne3 Re5 48. Rd4 Kg7 49. Kf1 Bxe3 50. fxe3 Kf6 51. Kf2 h5 52. h4 Rf5+ 53. Kg3 Ke5 54. Ra4 Rf1 55. Ra8 Rh1 56. Ra6 Kf5 57. Rb6 Rg1 58. Rb5+ Kf6 59. Rd5 Rh1 60. Rg5 Rf1 61. Ra5 Rh1 62. Ra4 ½ : ½ Kryvoruchko – Kobo, 16th European Individual Chess Championship, Jerusalem 2015)
20. ... d5 21. exd5 Nxd5 22. Bg5

22. ... Bf6 (22. ... Rc8 23. Bb3!↑)
23. Bxf6 N5xf6 24. Qh6

24. ... c5? One move after another, Black runs into a mating attack. A better defensive idea is 24. ... Qd6 (so as to reply to 25. Ng5 with 25. ... Qf8), though after 25. Qg5 exd4 26. Nf5 Qc5 27. N3xd4 White maintains her strong initiative.
25. Ng5! exd4?

26. Nh5! 1 : 0.

Despite her long absence from the stage, four-time Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) showed herself in her best colours. Screenshot from the live stream.