The Bright Sharpness of Being

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Valentina Evgenyevna Gunina

4th Online Women’s Speed Chess Championship Main Event; Semifinal match game 13; time control: 3 minutes plus 1 second per move; chess.com, August 22, 2022

English Opening A11

1. c4 c6 2. Nf3 d5 3. g3 Bg4 4. Bg2 e6 5. 0-0 Nf6 6. Ne5 Bh5 7. d4 Nbd7 8. Nc3 Bd6 9. Bf4 Qe7. If, instead, 9. ... Qb8 then 10. cxd5 exd5 11. Nxd7 Nxd7 12. Bxd6 Qxd6 13. Qb3 Nb6 14. e4! with advantage to White, Romanishin – Robson, 12th Essent Open, Hoogeveen 2008.
10. Qb3 Rb8 11. e4 dxe4 12. Nxe4 Nxe4 13. Bxe4 0-0 14. Qc2 Bg6 15. Nxg6 hxg6 16. Be3 a6 17. Bg2 Rbd8 18. Rfe1 Nf6 19. Bg5 Qc7 20. Rad1 Qa5 21. h4 Rd7 22. a3 Rfd8

23. d5! 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) claims the initiative with a well-timed breakthrough.
23. ... cxd5 24. cxd5 e5. After 24. ... exd5 25. h5 gxh5 26. Bxf6 gxf6 27. Qf5 White’s attack on the light squares should more than compensate for her material deficit.

25. Qe2? Too slow. White should have played at once 25. h5! with the attack unfolding similarly to the game.
25. ... Re7? The wrong Rook, and particularly bad as it self-pins both Rooks! Instead, 25. ... Re8! is correct, and especially is that correct as it unpins the Rook!
26. h5! So now it’s all okay again.
gxh5 27. Bxf6 gxf6 28. Qxh5 Rc7 29. Be4 Kf8 30. Kg2 Ke7 31. Rh1 Rc4 32. Qf5 Qa4

33. Rde1. Or 33. Rh7! Rxe4 34. Qe6+ followed by mate.
33. ... Qb3 34. Rh6 Qxb2 35. Qxf6+ Kd7 36. Qxd6+ Kc8 37. Bf5+ 1 : 0.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) only showed her sharpness by winning most of the blitz and bullet games. Screenshot from the live stream.