Queen to King’s Square

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – 宁凯玉 (Níng Kǎiyù)

17th Chinese Chess League Division A Regular-Standard “武陵山大裂谷杯” (“Wǔlíng Mountain Great Rift Valley Cup”); time control: 90 minutes plus 30 seconds per move; 重庆 (Chóngqìng), September 7, 2022

Sicilian Defence B20

1. e4 c5 2. Ne2 d6 3. g3 d5!? Bobby Fischer gives an exclamation mark to this move, and who knows, maybe he is right. On the other hand the strategic alternative 3. ... g6 did not bring 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) any good luck: 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. 0-0 Nc6 6. c3 e5 7. a3 Nge7 8. b4 0-0 9. d3 Be6 10. Be3 b6 11. b5 Na5 12. c4 Qd7 13. Bd2 Nb7 14. Nbc3 f5 15. Nd5 Bxd5 16. exd5 a5 17. bxa6 Rxa6 18. Nc3 Kh8 19. f4 Ng8 20. Qb3 Na5 21. Qa2 Nf6 22. Rae1 Re8 23. Nb5 Raa8 24. Bc3 Nh5 25. fxe5 dxe5 26. Bf3 f4 27. Kg2 Nb7 28. Qe2 Nd6 29. Nxd6 Qxd6 30. Bxh5 gxh5 31. Qxh5 Re7 32. gxf4 exf4 33. Rxe7 Qxe7 34. Re1 Qd7 35. Bxg7+ Qxg7+ 36. Kf3 Qc3 37. Qe5+ Qxe5 38. Rxe5 Rxa3 39. Ke4 Kg7 40. Rf5 Ra2 41. d6 Re2+ 42. Kd5 Rd2 43. Rxf4 Rxd3+ 44. Kc6 1 : 0 Motylev – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), 71st Corus Chess Tournament (Group B), Wijk aan Zee 2009.
4. Bg2 dxe4 5. Nbc3. Or 5. Bxe4 Nf6 6. Bg2 Nc6 7. 0-0 e6= (Fischer’s analysis).
5. ... Nf6. This equalises, according to Fischer, while if 5. ... f5 then 6. d3 exd3 7. cxd3 Nf6 8. 0-0 “and White’s attack is worth more than a Pawn”, he writes in his “My 60 Memorable Games”, Simon and Schuster, New York, 1969, p. 225.
6. Nxe4 Nxe4 7. Bxe4 e5 8. d3

8. ... g6? Not a convincing solution. If, however, 8. ... Bd6 9. Nc3 Nd7 then 10. Qf3 Rb8 11. g4 Nf8 12. Nd5 Ne6 13. c3 Bd7 14. h4 with a powerful bind, Vallejo Pons – Dunis, 26th French Team chess Championship, Port Barcares 2005. Sounder seems 8. ... Nc6 on which there can follow, by transposition, 9. f4 Bh3 10. Ng1 Be6 11. Nf3 exf4 12. Bxf4 Qd7 13. Ne5 Nxe5 14. Bxe5 Bg4 15. Bf3 h5 16. h3 Bxf3 17. Qxf3 0-0-0 18. 0-0-0 f6 19. Bf4 Qd5 20. Qxd5 Rxd5 21. Rhf1 Be7 22. Rde1 Kd7 23. Re2 Rh7 24. Ref2 Bd8 25. Be3 Bc7 26. Rf3 Be5 27. Bf4 h4 28. g4 Bxf4+ 29. Rxf4 Rh8 30. Rf5 Rxf5 31. Rxf5 b6 32. Kd2 Ke6 33. Rf4 g6 34. Re4+ Kf7 35. Rf4 f5 36. gxf5 g5 37. Ra4 Kf6 38. Ke3 Rh7 39. Kf3 Kxf5 40. Re4 Rf7 ½ : ½ Steinsapir – Lilienthal, 27th Championship of Moscow, Moscow 1949.
9. h4! h5 10. Bg5 Be7 11. Qd2 Nc6 12. Nc3

12. ... Be6?! 12. ... Nd4 13. Nd5! f6 14. Be3 (alternatively, White may also content herself with a Pawn after 14. Bxg6+ Kf8 15. Bh6+ Kg8 16. Nxe7+ Qxe7 17. 0-0-0) 14. ... Kf7 15. f4 leaves White with the upper hand.
13. Bxc6+! bxc6 14. Bxe7 Qxe7 15. 0-0-0. White has a manifest advantage.
15. ... Rb8 16. Qe3 f6 17. f4 0-0. 17. ... exf4 does not make much difference, because after 18. Qxf4 Rb4 19. Qf2 0-0 20. Rde1 Black has too many weaknesses to cope with.
18. fxe5 f5?! It was Black’s idea, but indeed, she does not have any hope for a counterattack.
19. b3 c4 20. dxc4 Qa3+ 21. Kb1 Bxc4

22. Rd6! Bf7 23. Rhd1 1 : 0.

What is even more remarkable is that 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) has made a bright university career out of chess. Photo: 梁自明 (Liáng Zìmíng).