The Epic of a Dragonfly

Valentina Evgenyevna Gunina – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)

4th Online Women’s Speed Chess Championship Main Event; Semifinal match game 8; time control: 5 minutes plus 1 second per move; chess.com, August 22, 2022

Queen’s Indian Defence E16

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Bb7 5. Bg2 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 a5 7. 0-0 0-0 8. Bf4 Be7 9. Nc3 Ne4. Or, in friendship mode, 9. ... Na6 10. Rc1 Ne4 11. d5 Nxc3 12. Rxc3 Nc5 13. Rc2 d6 14. Be3 Bf6 15. Nd4 Bxd4 16. Bxd4 e5 17. Bxc5 bxc5 18. e4 Bc8 19. f4 Qf6 20. Qd3 Bd7 21. Rcf2 a4 22. f5 Qh6 23. h4 g6 24. Bh3 f6 25. Rh2 g5 26. Qe3 Rab8 27. Rff2 Rb4 28. Bf1 Kg7 29. Qf3 Be8 30. Rh3 Kh8 31. Rfh2? (⌓ 31. Qe3) 31. ... g4!−+ 32. Qc3 (32. Qxg4 Bh5−+) 32. ... gxh3 33. Bxh3 Rg8 34. Kf2 Bh5 35. Bf1 Qg7 36. Bh3 Rxb2+! 37. Qxb2 Qxg3+ 0 : 1 Inarkiev – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), 3rd China–Russia Junior Match of Friendship, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky 2016, match game 2 (time control: 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move).
10. Qd3. Varying from 10. Qc2 Nxc3 11. Qxc3 Be4 12. Nd2 Bxg2 13. Kxg2 d6 14. e4 c5 15. Nf3 cxd4 16. Qxd4 Nc6 17. Qd2 Qc7 18. Rfd1 Rfd8 19. Rac1 Rac8 20. h4 Qb7 21. h5 h6 22. b3 b5 23. Qe2 bxc4 24. Rxc4 d5 25. exd5 exd5 26. Rc2 Bf6 27. Qd2 d4 28. Rc4? Nb4 29. Bxh6!? gxh6 30. Qxh6 Bg7 31. Qg5 Rd6?? [31. ... Rd5! 32. Qg4 Rxc4 33. h6 (33. bxc4 Qd7!−+) 33. ... f5!−+] 32. Rdxd4! Rdc6 33. Rg4? (33. h6! Rg6 34. Rxc8+ Kh7 35. Qf5 Bxd4 36. Rf8 Bf6 37. Rxf7+! Qxf7 38. Ng5+ Bxg5 39. Qxf7+ Kxh6 40. f4+−) 33. ... f6? (33. ... f5! 34. Qxf5 Rxc4 35. bxc4 Rf8 36. Qe6+ Kh8 37. Qe3 leaves White with more than enough for the piece, but the game still goes on) 34. Qf5+− Rxc4 35. bxc4 Kf8 36. h6 Bh8 37. Qe6 1 : 0 Gunina – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), 4th Online Women’s Speed Chess Championship Main Event, chess.com, August 22, 2022, Semifinal match game 6 (time control: 5 minutes plus 1 second per move).
10. ... Nxc3 11. bxc3 f5 12. Ne1 Bxg2 (12. ... Qc8 13. e4 fxe4 14. Bxe4 Bxe4 15. Qxe4 Nc6 16. Nc2 Bf6 17. Rfe1 Ne7 18. Rab1 Rb8 19. Na3 Ng6 20. Bd2 Be7 21. Nc2 Qa6 22. Ne3 Qa8 23. Qxa8 Rxa8 24. a4 Nh8 25. Ng4 Nf7 26. Ne5 Nxe5 27. Rxe5 Rac8 28. Reb5 Kf7 29. Be3 Ra8 30. c5 bxc5 31. dxc5 Rfc8 32. Kf1 d6 33. Ke2 e5 34. c4 Ke6 35. Bd2 c6 36. Rb7 dxc5 37. Bc3 Bf6 38. Ke3 Kf5 39. f3 h5 40. h3 Bg5+ 41. Ke2 Bf6 42. Ke3 Bg5+ 43. Ke2 Bf6 44. Ke3 ½ : ½ Kaczmarczyk – Baklan, 51st Biel Master Open Tournament, Biel/Bienne 2018)
13. Nxg2 Bf6 14. e4 fxe4 15. Qxe4 Na6? The Knight has little scope here.
16. Rae1 Qe7 17. Ne3 Qa3. A useless foray on the Queenside.

White immediately reminds Her Majesty that she has more urgent duties to attend on the Kingside:
18. Ng4! (Δ Ng4xf6+)
18. ... Be7 19. Ne5 Qa4 20. h4 Rae8 21. h5 d6

22. Nc6? Much stronger was 22. Ng6! winning material, for if 22. ... hxg6?? then 23. Qxe6+ Kh8 24. hxg6 Bg5 25. Qh3+ Bh6 26. Bxh6 with mate in a few moves.
22. ... Bf6 23. h6 Qxc4 24. hxg7 Bxg7 25. Bg5? The loss of the second Pawn should prove decisive. 25. Re3 was called for, with fair prospects of a draw.
25. ... d5 26. Qe2 Qxc6 27. Qxa6 Qxc3 28. Rc1 Qf3 29. Be3 Re7. It is palpable that by playing 29. ... Rf5! at once, followed by ... Rf5-h5 Black would have mated.
30. Rfe1 Rf5. Quite the same now, but a little bit late.
31. Qf1 Rh5? (31. ... e5! 32. dxe5 Bxe5 33. Qg2 Qxg2+ 34. Kxg2 Bd6−+)
32. Qg2 Qxg2+ 33. Kxg2 Rf5 34. Rc6 e5? It is quite close, but it isn’t the same. 34. ... h5! was one way to maintain both the material as well the positional advantages.
35. dxe5 Rfxe5. After 35. ... Bxe5 36. Bd4 White also wins back a Pawn with a drawish ending.
36. Rec1 Re4 37. Rxc7 Rxc7 38. Rxc7 d4

39. Kf3?? A tragic oversight. White ought first to play 39. Bf4 and only then move her King to f3 with a draw in sight.
39. ... dxe3! 40. Kxe4 e2 41. Rc8+. Or 41. Rc1 Bc3!−+ — which Gunina must have overlooked.
41. ... Kf7 42. Rc7+ Ke6 43. Rxg7 e1=Q+ 44. Kd3 Qxf2 45. Rxh7 Qxg3+ 46. Kd2 Qf2+ 47. Kc3 Qe3+ 48. Kb2 Qd4+ 49. Kc1 Qc3+ 50. Kb1 Qd3+ 51. Kb2 Qxh7 0 : 1

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) suffered some setbacks in the first games of her semifinal match with Gunina, but at last her ferocious will overcame adversity and her perseverance gave her final success. Screenshot from the live stream.