Tuesday, August 23, 2022

Lose to Win

Valentina Evgenyevna Gunina – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
4th Online Women’s Speed Chess Championship Main Event; Semifinal match game 2; time control: 5 minutes plus 1 second per move; chess.com, August 22, 2022
Queen’s Gambit Declined D38

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. e3 0-0 8. Rc1 dxc4 9. Bxc4 c5 10. 0-0 cxd4 11. Ne4 Qe7 12. a3. Alternatively, White can play 12. exd4 Rd8 13. Qe2 Nc6 14. Rfd1 Ba5 15. Bb5 Bd7 16. Nc5 Be8 17. d5 Rxd5 18. Rxd5 exd5 19. Qxe7 Nxe7 20. Nxb7 Bb6 21. Nd6 Bxb5 22. Nxb5 Nf5 23. Kf1 h5 24. Rd1 Rd8 25. Nc3 Ne7 26. Ne5 Ba5 27. Na4 Rc8 28. Nd3 Rc4 29. Nac5 Bb6 30. Nb3 f6 31. Nd2 Rc2 32. Nf3 g6 33. Nfe1 Rc4 34. b3 Re4 35. Nc2 Kf7 36. g3 g5 37. Ndb4 Re5 38. Ne1 Ba5 39. Nbd3 Re6 40. Nc2 Bb6 41. Ndb4 Re5 42. Nd3 Re6 43. Ncb4 Ba5 44. Rc1 Bb6 45. Nc5 Rd6 46. Na4 Ke6 47. Ke2 Kd7 48. Nxb6+ axb6 49. Kd3 Re6 50. Nc2 Nc6 51. Rd1 Ne5+ 52. Kc3 Rc6+ 53. Kb2 Rc5 (53. ... Nf3) 54. b4 Rc8 55. Rxd5+ Ke6 56. Rb5 Nc4+ 57. Kb3 Nd2+ 58. Kb2 Nc4+ 59. Ka1 Rd8 60. a4 Rd2 61. Ne3 Nxe3 62. fxe3 Rxh2 63. Rxb6+ Kd7? (63. ... Kd5! 64. a5 Kc4 65. Kb1 h4 66. gxh4 gxh4 67. Rxf6 Kb3 68. Kc1 Kc3 69. Kd1 Kxb4=) 64. a5+− (64. Rxf6? h4! 65. gxh4 Rxh4=) 64. ... h4 (64. ... Kc7 65. Rb5 Kc6? 66. a6!+−) 65. gxh4 Rxh4 66. a6 Kc7 67. Rb7+ Kc8 68. b5 Rb4 69. Ka2 g4 70. Ka3 Rb1 71. Ka4 f5 72. Rg7 Kb8 73. Ka5 Rb3 74. b6 Ra3+ 75. Kb5 Rb3+ 76. Kc5 Rc3+ 77. Kd4 1 : 0 Ruck – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), 18th Corsican Circuit, Bastia 2014, Semifinal match game 2 (time control: 15 minutes plus 3 seconds).
12. ... Ba5 13. Qxd4 Nc6. Out of superstition, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) varies from 13. ... Bd7 14. Qe5 Bc6 15. Ng3 Bxf3 16. Qxa5 Bc6 17. Bd3 Rd8 18. Rfd1 Nd7 19. Be4 Bxe4 20. Nxe4 Nf6 21. Nxf6+ Qxf6 22. Rxd8+ Rxd8 23. h3 a6 24. Qb4 b5 25. Kf1 Qf5 26. Kg1 Qe5 27. Qe7 Qd6 28. Qxd6 Rxd6 29. Rc8+ Kh7 30. Rc2 Rd1+ 31. Kh2 Rb1 32. Kg3 Kg6 33. Kf4 Kf6 34. Ke4 h5 35. Kd4 Rd1+ 36. Kc5 Rd5+? (36. ... g5! 37. Kb6 Rd6+ 38. Rc6 Rd2 39. b4 Rd3 40. Kxa6 Rxa3+ 41. Kxb5 Ra2 seems to be tenable) 37. Kb6 Rd6+ 38. Kb7 (38. Rc6 Rd2 39. b4 Rd3 40. Kxa6 Rxa3+ 41. Kxb5 Ra2 42. Rc4!+−) 38. ... h4 39. b4 g5 40. f3 Kf5 41. Rc5+? (41. Rc6+−) 41. ... e5 42. Rc2 f6 43. Ra2 e4 44. a4 bxa4 45. Rxa4 exf3 46. gxf3 Rd3 47. Ra5+ Kg6 48. Kxa6 Rxe3 49. b5 Kf5 50. Ra4 Rxf3 51. b6 Re3? (51. ... Rb3 52. Ra5+ Kf4 55. b7 Rxb7 56. Kxb7 f5=) 52. b7 Re8 53. Rc4 Rb8 54. Ka7 Re8 55. b8=Q Rxb8 56. Kxb8 Ke5 57. Kc7 f5 58. Kd7 f4 59. Rc5+ Ke4 60. Ke6 g4 61. hxg4 h3 62. g5 h2 63. Rc1 Kf3 64. g6 1 : 0 Gunina – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), 1st Silk Road Women’s International Rapid & Blitz Tournament, 韩城 (Hánchéng) 2016 (time control: 25 minutes plus 10 seconds per move). It should be noted, however, that the outcome had nothing to do with theoretical issues.
14. Qc5 Bd8. Just a bit clumsy, but perfectly sound. Probably simpler is 14. ... Qxc5 15. Nxc5 Bb6 16. Bd3 Bxc5 17. Rxc5 Bd7 18. Rfc1 Rfc8 19. Be4 Rab8 20. h4 Kf8 21. Bxc6 Rxc6 22. Ne5 Rd6 23. Rc7 Ke7 24. h5 Rd5 25. f4 f6 26. e4 Rd4 27. Nf3 Rd3 28. Kf2 Kd8 29. g4 Rc8 30. Rxc8+ Bxc8 31. e5 Bd7 32. exf6 gxf6 33. g5 Bc6 34. Rc3 Rd5 35. Kg3 fxg5 36. fxg5 Rf5 37. gxh6 Rxh5 38. Nd4 Bd7 39. Nf3 Rxh6 40. Ne5 Be8 41. Kf4 Rh2 42. b4 Re2 43. Re3 Rc2 44. Nf3 Rf2 45. Ke5 Ke7 46. Nd4 Bd7 47. Ke4 ½ : ½ Dubov – Donchenko, 2nd FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament, Riga 2021.
15. Qh5!? A novelty in the style of Gunina. More scientific is — or it is supposed to be — 15. Rfd1 Qxc5 16. Nxc5 Bf6 17. Rc2 Ne5 18. Be2 Nxf3+ 19. Bxf3 Rb8 20. b4 b6 21. Nd7 Bxd7 22. Rxd7 Rfc8 23. Rcc7 Rxc7 24. Rxc7 a5 25. g3 Bb2 26. bxa5 bxa5 27. a4 Ba3 28. h4 g6 29. h5 g5 30. Bb7 Kg7 31. Kg2 Rd8 32. Bc6 g4 33. Bb5 Rd5 34. Be2 Rg5 35. Rc4 f5 36. Rc6 e5 37. Rc7+ Kh8 38. Rb7 Bb4 39. Rb5 Kg7 40. Rxe5 Kf6 41. Rb5 Bc3 42. Bd3 Bb4 43. Bc2 Bc3 44. Kf1 Rxh5 45. e4 Bd4 46. Rxa5 Bxf2 47. Kxf2 Rh2+ 48. Ke3 Rxc2 49. Rxf5+ Kg6 50. Rd5 h5 51. Rd2 Rc4 52. Ra2 Rc3+ 53. Kf2 Rf3+ 54. Kg2 Re3 55. a5 Rxe4 56. a6 Re8 57. a7 Ra8 58. Ra5 Kh6 59. Kf2 Kg6 60. Ke3 Kh6 61. Kf4 Rf8+ 62. Rf5 Rg8 63. Rf6+ Kh7 64. Ra6 1 : 0 小島慎也 (Shinya Kojima) – Wiedenkeller, 43rd Chess Olympiad, Batumi 2018.
15. ... Bb6. 15. ... f5!? 16. Nc5 Kh7 17. b4 e5 is surely worth of further analysis since on it depends the assessment of 15. Qh5.
16. Rfd1. 16. g4! at once was better timed and was more forcible, as instead the text gives Black a valuable tempo to defend.
16. ... Bd7 17. g4 Be8 18. Qh3. Obviously not 18. g5?? on account of 18. ... f5! winning material.
18. ... Na5 19. Bd3 Ba4


20. g5! Bxd1 21. Rxd1 Rad8. If, instead, 21. ... Rfd8 there might follow 22. Ne5 (Δ Ne5-g4) 22. ... Rd5 23. Nf6+! (23. Ng4? Rxg5!∓) 23. ... gxf6 24. Qxh6 Rxd3 25. gxf6 Rxd1+ 26. Kg2 Qf8 27. Qh5 with an inevitable draw by perpetual check.


Now Gunina unleashes a pair of sacrifices which gain the Queen at the cost of too much material (two Rooks and Bishop), but stripping the Black King just enough to hope for a draw.
22. Nf6+! gxf6 23. Bh7+! Kxh7 24. Qxh6+ Kg8 25. gxf6 Rxd1+ 26. Kg2 Qxf6 27. Qxf6 Rd5 28. Qf4? The wrong track. 28. Qh6! was White’s only move, as if 28. ... Rfd8 then 29. e4 R5d7 30. Ne5 Nc6! 31. Ng4! (Δ Ng4-f6#) 31. ... Bd4 32. e5 Bxe5 33. Qg5+ with a likely draw.
28. ... Rfd8? Returning the favour. After 28. ... f6! 29. Qe4 Kf7 30. Qh7+ Ke8 Black should consolidate her material advantage.
29. e4 R5d7 30. Ne5 Nc6! 31. Ng4?! Objectively speaking, White should content herself to strive for a draw or something with 31. Nxd7 Rxd7 32. Qg5+, but, given the time control, her tactical gamble not only makes sense, but it also proves to be a winning strategy.
31. ... Rd2?! 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), too, believes in the triumph of her attack. However, it is important to note that 31. ... Kf8! at once would have deprived White of most, if not all, of her attacking possibilities.


32. Qf6? Most dramatically, it is a misstep that could cost Gunina dear. The right move was 32. Qh6! (Δ Ng4-f6#) 32. ... f6! 33. e5! fxe5 34. Qxe6+ drawing by perpetual check.
32. ... Kf8! 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) seizes the day! Now White is dead lost.
33. h4


33. ... Rxf2+?? But Black, apparently oblivious of a trivial tactic, throws it all away! Instead, after 33. ... Re2! White could well resign, for she is absolutely helpless against the double threat of ... Bb6xf2 and ... Rd8-d2.
34. Nxf2 Rd2 35. Qh6+ 1 : 0.

“The winner”, as Tartakower used to say, “is the one who makes the next-to-last mistake”. Screenshot from the live stream.

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