Speedy Mouse

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Ekaterina Aleksandrovna Lagno

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

Spanish Game C78

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 7. c3 d6 8. d3 h6 9. Be3 0-0 10. Nbd2 Re8 11. h3 Bd7. Another way is 11. ... Rb8 12. d4 Bb6 13. Bc2 Bd7 14. Re1 Qc8 15. a3 Na5 16. b4 exd4 17. Bxd4 Bxd4 18. cxd4 Nc4 19. Nxc4 bxc4 20. Nd2 Bb5 21. Qf3 Qe6 22. Rab1 d5 23. e5 Nh7 24. Nf1 Ng5 25. Qc3 f5 26. h4 Ne4 27. Qh3 Bd7 28. Rbc1 Qf7 29. Qe3 Nf6 30. Qf3 Ng4? (30. ... Ne4 31. Qf4 a5! 32. bxa5 c5 33. f3 cxd4! 34. fxe4 fxe4!∞) 31. Qf4+− h5 32. Ng3 Rf8 33. f3 Nh6 34. Qg5 Be8 35. e6 Qg6 36. Re5 c6 37. Ne2 Kh7 38. Nf4 Qxg5 39. hxg5 Ng8 40. e7 1 : 0 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – 阮露斐 (Ruǎn Lùfěi), FIDE Women's Grand Prix 2011–12, 5th stage, Jermuk 2012.
12. d4 Bb6 13. Bc2 a5 14. Re1. In the first game 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) played 14. a4 exd4 15. cxd4 Nb4 16. Bb1 bxa4 17. Re1 Bb5 18. Ra3 c5 19. d5 Nd7∞ 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Lagno, 4th Online Women’s Speed Chess Championship Main Event, chess.com, September 2, 2022, Final match game 1 (time control: 5 minutes plus 1 second per move). Then White gained a big advantage, but due to shortage of time she even risked losing the game!
14. ... a4 15. d5 Ne7 16. Bxb6 cxb6 17. Bd3 a3 18. b4 Ng6 19. Bf1. Less convincing is 19. Rb1 Nf4 20. Bf1 g5 21. Rb3 Kh7 22. Nh2 h5 23. Qc1 Rg8 24. c4 h4 25. c5 g4 26. c6? Bc8? (26. ... gxh3! 27. cxd7 Rxg2+! 28. Bxg2 Qg8−+) 27. hxg4 Nxg4 28. Ree3? (panicking!) 28. ... Nxe3 29. Rxe3 Qg5 30. Ndf3 Nh3+ (30. ... Ne2+!−+) 31. Kh1 Nxf2+ 32. Kg1 Qg3 33. Qd2 Nh3+ 34. Kh1 Nf4 35. Nxe5 Qg7 36. Nef3 h3 0 : 1 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Lagno, 3rd Online Women’s Speed Chess Championship Main Event, chess.com, September 2, 2022, Final match game 3 (time control: 5 minutes plus 1 second per move).
19. ... Nf4 20. Rc1! g5 21. c4! Kh7 22. c5 g4? Aiming at counterattack, but White’s breakthrough on the Queenside comes first. Better seems 22. ... bxc5 23. bxc5 dxc5 24. Rxc5 g4 with complex play.
23. hxg4 Bxg4 24. Qb3 Rg8 25. g3 N6h5 26. cxd6 Qf6 27. Rc7 (27. gxf4?? Bxf3+−+)
27. ... Rg7 (27. ... Bh3 28. Qc3)
28. Qc3 Qxd6 29. Qxe5 Qg6 30. Nh4 Qg5 31. Qxg5 hxg5 32. Nhf3 Nh3+ 33. Kg2 f5 34. Rxg7+ Nxg7 35. e5

White’s two connected passed Pawns win almost by force.
35. ... Rd8 36. d6 Ne6 37. Bxb5 Kg6 38. Rc1 Rh8 39. Kf1 Nhf4!? Desperation.
40. gxf4 Nxf4 41. Ng1 Rh1 42. Be8+!? (42. Rc3! Bh3+ 43. Rxh3 Nxh3 44. Nf3 g4 45. Kg2+−)
42. ... Kg7

43. d7?? Drama! 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) must have miscalculated something, but what is certain is that now Black turns the tables. 43. Rc7+ Kf8 44. f3 or even 43. f3 would have won quite easily.
43. ... Bh3+ 44. Ke1 Rxg1+ 45. Nf1 Rxf1+ 46. Kd2

46. ... Rg1?? Falling from drama to tragedy. Due to a mouse slip Lagno blunders her Rook! Simply 46. ... Rxf2+ 47. Ke3 Re2+ 48. Kd4 Rd2+ 49. Kc3 Rd3+ 50. Kc4 Kf8 must win for Black.
47. Rxg1 Ne6 48. Rxg5+! Kf8 49. Rh5 Bg4 50. Rh6 Ke7 51. Rxe6+! 1 : 0

But not even a mad mouse could stop Lagno from winning the Final and the Speed title! Screenshot from the live stream.