Sunday, September 11, 2022

The Found and the Lost

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – 胡聿 (Hú Yù)
17th Chinese Chess League Division A Regular-Rapid “武陵山大裂谷杯” (“Wǔlíng Mountain Great Rift Valley Cup”); time control: 25 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; 重庆 (Chóngqìng), September 11, 2022
Sicilian Defence B70

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 d6 3. Nge2 Nf6 4. g3 g6 5. d4 cxd4 6. Nxd4 Bg7 7. Bg2 0-0 8. 0-0 Nc6 9. Nde2 Bd7 10. h3 Rb8 11. a4 a6 12. Bg5 b5 13. axb5 axb5 14. b3. 14. Nd5 Nxd5 15. exd5 Ne5 also seems quite adequate for Black, Evdokimov – Yılmaz, 10th European Individual Chess Championship, Budva 2009.
14. ... h6 15. Be3 Ne8 16. Rb1 Nc7. Here 16. ... b4 17. Nd5 e6 is well worth considering.
17. Qd2 Kh7 18. Nd5


18. ... Nxd5? This is the losing move, and maybe deserves two question marks. Correct was 18. ... Ne8! 19. c3 e6 with a playable game.
19. exd5 Na5. The old saying was never more true, “Knight on the rim is dim”.
20. h4!


20. ... Qc7. 20. ... h5 prevents the further advance of the adverse h-Pawn, but then after 21. Nd4 White is dominating anyway.
21. h5 Bf5 22. Nd4 Bxd4 23. Bxd4 Rfc8 24. hxg6+ fxg6 25. Rbc1 Nb7 26. Rfe1 Re8 27. Bb2 Qc5 28. b4 Qc7


29. g4! Bc8 (29. ... Bxg4 30. Qd4+−)
30. Be4 Rg8 31. Kg2! Bxg4 32. Rh1 1 : 0. There could still follow 32. ... h5 33. Rxh5+! Bxh5 34. Rh1 with mate in a few moves.

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