A Crown of Thorns

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Ekaterina Aleksandrovna Lagno

4th Online Women’s Speed Chess Championship Main Event; Final match game 9; time control: 5 minutes plus 1 second per move; chess.com, September 2, 2022

Spanish Game C77

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. d3 b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 7. Nc3 d6 8. Nd5 h6 9. c3 Be6 10. d4. An enterprising move. White is ready to sacrifice a Pawn in order to claim the initiative.
10. ... exd4 11. cxd4 Bxd5 12. exd5 Bb4+ 13. Kf1! Much better than 13. Bd2? Qe7+?? (13. ... Bxd2+ 14. Qxd2 Ne7∓) 14. Kf1+− Bxd2 15. Qxd2 Ne4 16. Qf4 Nb4 17. Re1 Nd3 18. Qxe4 Nxe1 19. Qxe1 Qxe1+ 20. Kxe1 Kd7 21. Kd2 Rhe8 22. Bc2 g6 23. h4 h5 24. Ng5 Re7 25. Nh7 a5 26. Nf6+ Kc8 27. Bd3 b4 28. Rc1 Rb8 29. f3 Kb7 30. Rc6 Ra8 31. Bb5 Kb8 32. Ra6 Rxa6 33. Bxa6 Ka7 34. Bb5 Kb6 35. Bc6 Ka7 36. Ng8 1 : 0 Engel – Donchenko, Hobbits Invitational, lichess.org, February 9, 2021, Quarterfinal match game 7 (time control: 5 minutes plus 1 second per move).
13. ... Ne7 14. Nh4 0-0 15. Qf3 Nfxd5

16. g4!? c6 17. g5 Ng6? This makes White’s dreams of glory come true. Instead Black should have given back the Pawn with 17. ... h5! 18. Qxh5 Qd7 (threatening ... Qd7-h3+ followed by ... Ne7-g6) 19. h3 g6 with a defensible game.
18. Nf5 hxg5? The capture of the second Pawn indeed proves catastrophic as it gives White all the open files she needs.

19. h4! Ndf4 20. Bxf4 Nxf4. If 20. ... gxf4 then 21. Qg4 Qf6 22. Rg1 d5 23. a3! Ba5 24. h5 winning.
21. hxg5 Qxg5

Now White finishes up with an elegant Queen sacrifice:
22. Qxf4!! 1 : 0. For mate follows after 22. ... Qxf4 23. Ne7#.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) has just sacrificed the Queen on f4 and Lagno resigned. Screenshot from the live stream.