Five Minutes of the Dragon Queen’s Time

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik

“Satty Zhuldyz” Blitz Tournament; time control: 3 minutes plus 2 seconds per move; Astana, April 25, 2023

French Defence C11

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 c5 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Be3 Qb6 8. a3 cxd4 9. Nxd4 Bc5 10. Na4 Qa5+ 11. c3 Bxd4 12. Bxd4 Nxd4 13. Qxd4 b6 14. Bd3 Ba6 15. Bc2 Qb5 16. Qd2 Rc8 17. b4 Qc6 18. Rc1 0-0 19. Nb2 f6 20. exf6 Nxf6 21. a4 Bc4 22. Nxc4 Qxc4 23. Bd3 Qc6 24. Bb5 Qd6 25. 0-0 Ne4 26. Qe3 Rc7 27. Bd3 Nxc3 28. Bxh7+ Kxh7 29. Rxc3 Rcf7 30. Qh3+ Kg8 31. Re3 Rf6 32. Qg4 d4 33. Rg3 R8f7 34. b5 d3 35. Qd1 Qd4+ 36. Kh1 Rxf4 37. Rxf4 Qxf4 38. Rf3 Qe4 39. Rxd3 g6 40. Rf3 Rxf3 41. gxf3 Qd5 42. Qe2 Kf7 43. Kg2 Qd4 44. Qc2 Kf6 45. Kg3 g5 46. Qe4

The position in the diagram drew the attention of ChessBase’s renowned endgame expert, German Grandmaster Karsten Müller, who analysed it in his article “Endgames from Kazakhstan (2)” (ChessBase.com, April 29, 2023). “Of course, blitz games should not be analysed”, he wrote, “but the players are so strong that I have decided to make an exception”.
46. ... Qxe4!? Müller rightly noted that 46. ... Qg1+ 47. Kh3 Qf1+ with perpetual check would be a simpler way to a draw, because from a practical perspective, a King and Pawn ending is more insidious as it requires exact calculations.
47. fxe4 Ke5 48. Kg4 Kxe4 49. Kxg5

49. ... Kd4? Losing a crucial tempo. As Müller pointed out, Black ought to play 49. ... e5! at once, for after 50. h4 Kd3 (50. ... Kf3 also draws) 51. h5 e4 52. h6 e3 53. h7 e2 54. h8=Q e1=Q 55. Qh7+ Kc4 56. Qxa7 Qe5+ the Queen ending must be a draw.
50. h4 e5 51. h5 e4 52. h6 e3 53. h7 1 : 0.

Making them not just Pawns, but Queens too. Photo: Aditya Sur Roy/ChessBase India.

Engendering China

Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi – 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén)

World Chess Championship 2023; tie-break game 4; time control: 25 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; Astana, April 30, 2023

Spanish Game C84

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Be7 6. d3 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. a4 Bd7 9. h3 0-0 10. Be3 Na5 11. Ba2 bxa4 12. Nc3 Rb8 13. Bb1 Qe8 14. b3 c5 15. Nxa4 Nc6 16. Nc3 a5 17. Nd2 Be6 18. Nc4 d5 19. exd5 Nxd5 20. Bd2 Nxc3 21. Bxc3 Bxc4 22. bxc4 Bd8 23. Bd2 Bc7 24. c3 f5 25. Re1 Rd8 26. Ra2 Qg6 27. Qe2 Qd6 28. g3 Rde8 29. Qf3 e4 30. dxe4 Ne5 31. Qg2 Nd3 32. Bxd3 Qxd3 33. exf5 Rxe1+ 34. Bxe1 Qxc4 35. Ra1 Rxf5 36. Bd2 h6 37. Qc6 Rf7 38. Re1 Kh7 39. Be3 Be5 40. Qe8 Bxc3 41. Rc1 Rf6 42. Qd7 Qe2 43. Qd5 Bb4 44. Qe4+ Kg8 45. Qd5+ Kh7 46. Qe4+

46. ... Rg6! The only comment worth quoting is one by the newly former World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen: “Self-pinning for immortality. Congrats 丁 (Dīng)!!”.
47. Qf5?! Objectively, White’s best seems to be 47. h4, to which Black would probably reply 47. ... h5 with a volatile balance between good and bad thoughts.
47. ... c4! 48. h4? Just too late. White ought to play 48. Qf4 c3 (after 48. ... Bd6!? 49. Qxc4 Rxg3+ 50. fxg3 Qxe3+ Black cannot expect more than a draw) 49. Qf5 which should hold owing to the pin on Black’s Rook.
48. ... Qd3! 49. Qf3 Rf6 50. Qg4 c3 51. Rd1 Qg6 52. Qc8 Rc6 53. Qa8

53. ... Rd6? 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén), caught in his emotions, now misses an easy win with 53. ... c2! 54. Rc1 (54. Rd8 c1=Q+! 55. Bxc1 Rxc1+ 56. Kh2 Qc6−+) 54. ... Rd6−+ — an omission that might have costed him the title.
54. Rxd6 Qxd6 55. Qe4+ Qg6 56. Qc4 Qb1+ 57. Kh2 a4 58. Bd4 a3

59. Qc7? So this is the end! Nepomniachtchi misses his last chance to save the match — at least for a while — by 59. Bxg7! Kxg7 60. Qc7+ with a draw by perpetual check.
59. ... Qg6 60. Qc4 c2 61. Be3 Bd6 62. Kg2 h5 63. Kf1 Be5 64. g4 hxg4 65. h5 Qf5 66. Qd5 g3 67. f4 a2 68. Qxa2 Bxf4 0 : 1.

丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) is the first Chinese to ever win the absolute (i.e., all-gender) title of World Chess Champion. Photo: Stev Bonhage/FIDE.

In many ways, Edna, a TV series is like Snakes and Ladders

Artwork © Jcisdrawing (@jcisdrawing)

After all, tomorrow is another day

Coincidentally, even today, the long-awaited last classical game of the World Chess Championship 2023 ended in a draw, so a tie-breaker is needed to make the final decision. The day of judgment will be tomorrow (Sunday), for the sake of the lovers of fast time controls. Some noted the paradox of having plenty of rest days in between the fourteen classical games and no rest day before the tie-breaker, but maybe it is an intentional paradox. Perhaps today was the day (off). As for tomorrow, it doesn’t make much sense to make predictions based on statistics alone. The match has came down to its last few minutes, and it will be about nerves now. Photo: Stev Bonhage/FIDE.

Wow, aliens would definitely be rooting for you, if they knew who you were, Edna

Credit: Snugglepuppydesign

Looking for Other Worlds

The still-reigning World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen was quoted by Dagbladet as saying in the NRK podcast that he does not buy that this year’s World Championship shows that classical chess is alive and well: “It’s great we’ve got a match now where the players are so little destructive, but the way I see it, that does not mean that the existing structural problems are solved accordingly. What we see here is that people don’t try to be destructive”.

The worst thing you can do when taking a day off, Edna, is to sit all the time in front of the computer screen seeking suggestions on how best to enjoy spare time

Artwork © the yokiter 🪐⚡ (@Yokiter)

Black and White

Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi – 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén)
World Chess Championship 2023; match game 13; Astana, April 27, 2023
2r2bk1/1b2qpp1/p6p/3nr3/P1p1B3/5P1P/1P2NBP1/2RQ1RK1 w - - 6 24

Position after 23. ... Qd8-e7

Still reeling from yesterday’s débâcle, Nepomniachtchi had to struggle a lot to hold his own today, and probably at some point, 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) might have given him serious trouble. With only one game left, if nothing else, Chinese Grandmaster will rely on White, which, in his own words, may be an advantage and a disadvantage depending on Caïssa’s mood.
On his part, speaking with TASS, President of Chess Federation of Russia, Andrey Vasilievich Filatov, seemed to want to abandon all prudence: “Ian Alexandrovich decided to rest before the decisive game. We believe in his victory the day after tomorrow. I think the advantage is on our side. White is nothing compared to the psychological pressure and responsibility that will hang over 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén)”.
24. Qd4! f5 25. Bg3 Rxe4 26. fxe4 Qxe4 27. Qxe4 fxe4 28. Rfd1 Nb4 29. Rd7 Bc5+ 30. Kh2 Bc6 31. Rc7 Rxc7 32. Bxc7 Bd5 33. Nc3 Nd3 34. Rc2 Bc6 35. a5 Kf7 36. Re2 Nc1 37. Re1 Nd3 38. Re2 Nc1 39. Re1 Nd3 ½ : ½.

Yet, in the end, happiness may be all about how well one spends a day off. Photo: Anna Shtourman/FIDE.

A Long Time Ago

The war in Galicia

Giorgio Agamben, Quodlibet, April 24, 2023

There were regions in the centre of Europe that have been wiped off the map. One of these — it is not the only one — is Galicia, which today largely coincides with the territory in which a nefarious war has been fought for over a year. Until the end of World War I, Galicia was the furthest province of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, bordering Russia. With the dissolution of the Habsburg Empire, the victors, certainly no less iniquitous than the vanquished, assigned it to the reborn Poland, just as Bucovina, which bordered it, was just as whimsically annexed to Romania. The borders, every time redrawn with rubber and pencil on the geographical maps by the mighty, are worth what they are worth, but it is probable that Galicia will never reappear on the inventories of European politics. What matters to us, much more than cartography, is the world that existed in that region — that is, the men who breathed, loved, earned a living, cried, hoped and died in the Königreich Galizien und Lodomerien (this was the official name of the province). A variegated set of Ruthenians (as the Ukrainians were called at the time), Poles, Jews (in some cities almost half the population), Romanians, gypsies, Hutsuls (who constituted a short-lived independent republic between 1918 and 1919) walked the streets of Lemberg, Tarnopol, Przemyśl, Brody (birthplace and homeland of Joseph Roth), Rzeszow, Kolomea. Each of these cities had a different name according to the language of their inhabitants; in each of them the Catholic churches around the corner turned themselves into synagogues and these into Orthodox and Uniate churches. It was not a rich region, indeed the officials of Kakania regarded it as the poorest and most underdeveloped of the empire; however, it was, just because of the plurality of its ethnic groups, culturally lively and generous, with theatres, newspapers, schools and universities in more languages and a flowering of writers and musicians that we have yet to learn to know. It is this world which from one day to the next, in 1919 found itself politically and juridically annihilated, and it is this multiform, intricate reality which some decades later received the coup de grâce by the nazi occupation (1941–1944) and then by the Soviet one. But even before becoming part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the land that bore the name of Halych or Galicia (according to some of Celtic origin, like the Spanish Galicia) and at the end of the Middle Ages was under Hungarian rule with the name of Principality of Galicia and Volhynia, had been disputed from time to time between Cossacks, Russians and Poles, until Grand Duchess Maria Theresa took advantage of the first partition of Poland in 1772 to annex it to her empire. In 1922 the territory was annexed to the Soviet Union, with the name of Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, from which it parted in 1991, abbreviating its name to Ukrainian Republic.
It is time to cease believing in the names and borders marked on the map and rather ask ourselves what happened to all of it, what happened to that world and those forms of life that we have just evoked. How do they survive — if they survive — beyond the infamous registers of state bureaucracies? And isn’t war now underway once again the fruit of the oblivion of those forms of life and the odious, fatal consequence of those registers and those names?

(English translation by I, Robot)

Rudolf von Alt, Galician gypsies, 1839. Courtesy of WikiArt.

Yes, Edna, the mere fact that they feel compelled to quote the pontificator’s platitudes only shows that the script must have gone out of control

Artwork © 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗮 (@mbraga.art)

教授 (Professor)

“When 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) [pictured above] withdrew from chess, or rather put her career in stand-by, she was by far the strongest. There was no such dominance before or after her, except perhaps Judit Polgár, but Judit did not play with women”, Kazakh International Master Bibisara Erkhanovna Assaubayeva said in a talk with a Championat correspondent. “侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) is still one of the strongest female players in the world, but in her case, the lack of practice has its telling effect. Many other players, even those who have achieved great careers, still play, while 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) teaches at the university. I think if she decides to restart her career and play constantly, her chess strength may return. Let’s wait and see”. Photo: Eteri Kublashvili/Chess Federation of Russia.

No Farewell, Yet Goodbye

丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) – Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi
World Chess Championship 2023; match game 12; Astana, April 26, 2023
1b3r1k/p4p1p/4p1nr/7N/P2P1pPq/2Q4P/1P2RPB1/6RK b - - 6 34

Position after 34. Re1-e2

After a slew of twists and turnarounds, Nepomniachtchi broke down completely, allowing 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) to win the game and level the match. For most commentators, the timing of Nepomniachtchi’s nervous crisis suggests a shocked response to a shocking declaration by the President of Chess Federation of Russia, Andrey Vasilievich Filatov, who, bothered by the unpredictability of his fellow countryman, called him “a monkey with a grenade”. In a statement published on Nepomniachtchi’s web site, his manager, Zoya Viktorovna Arnatskaya, argued with irony: “We are not hinting at anything. But since we’re talking about comparisons with wildlife, the chameleon-position is a most convenient one. Praises to Ian Alexandrovich in one interview and mocking criticism in another sounds like informational cheating. Whether the match ends in a win or a loss, one can say, anyway, ‘As I said!’”.
34. ... f5?? 35. Rxe6 Rxh5 36. gxh5 Qxh5 37. d5+ 1 : 0.

Much is happened. And yet everything can still happen — or not. Photo: Stev Bonhage/FIDE.

Postscript

After all, who else, if not 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), is able to take centre stage, give up prizes and cups, and still manage to reign simultaneously over East and West? Photos: Aditya Sur Roy/ChessBase India.

Well, Edna, you showed ’em that not they, but you are the centre of the universe, and now it is time to move ahead

Artwork © CHeMnICORn

The Legend of the Holy Drinker

In praise of a writer

Giorgio Agamben, Quodlibet, April 20, 2023

On May 30, 1939, a man was buried in Thiais Cemetery in Paris, whose funeral was blessed by a Catholic priest, although he had never been baptised. He was Jewish, but his Jewish friends declined to recite Kaddish. He was probably dead of delirium tremens, but physicians diagnosed syncope. He was a citizen of the Austrian Republic, but he declared himself a subject of the Habsburgs.
This man — one of the greatest writers of the 20th century — was named Joseph Roth. He was only forty-five, but he thought that death would come too late anyway. He said no one was behind him — neither a people nor a state. Only the language in which he wrote — but even this is not certain, if some could be induced to hear in his German the voice of the Yiddish and the breath of Russian. And yet, perhaps, nobody like him had seen with such lucidity the ruin of the world surrounding him or described with such unprecedented vividness and joyful precision the streets, cafes, hotels of the cities where he happened to live. Perhaps no one had been so insolently happy in all that he was losing — that he had already irrevocably lost.
For this reason, no twentieth-century writer is closer to us than he. We too cannot believe ourselves to be citizens of the state where we have to live. We have been baptised, but we do not belong in any wise to the church. Like him, we have no longer anything behind us — not a people, much less a nation. But this does not deprive us of the ability to be happy and to try to write and speak cheerfully in a language which we refuse to identify with the inane rant that the media and schools never tire of propagating and disheartening. Without believing in any of the values and laws that are imposed on us, we have like him kept pure and intact our faith in the grass, in the starry sky, in the silence and in the beauty of faces.

(English translation by I, Robot)

Pavel Nikolayevich Filonov, Faces, 1940. Courtesy of WikiArt.

Mirrored

[Event "Satty Zhuldyz Blitz Tournament"]
[Site "Astana KAZ"]
[Date "2023.04.25"]
[Round "12.4"]
[White "侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir Borisovich"]
[ECO "C11"]
[Result "1-0"]
[TimeControl "180+2"]
[PlyCount "105"]

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Be3 Qb6 8.a3 cxd4 9.Nxd4 Bc5 10.Na4 Qa5+ 11.c3 Bxd4 12.Bxd4 Nxd4 13.Qxd4 b6 14.Bd3 Ba6 15.Bc2 Qb5 16.Qd2 Rc8 17.b4 Qc6 18.Rc1 O-O 19.Nb2 f6 20.exf6 Nxf6 21.a4 Bc4 22.Nxc4 Qxc4 23.Bd3 Qc6 24.Bb5 Qd6 25.O-O Ne4 26.Qe3 Rc7 27.Bd3 Nxc3 28.Bxh7+ Kxh7 29.Rxc3 Rcf7 30.Qh3+ Kg8 31.Re3 Rf6 32.Qg4 d4 33.Rg3 R8f7 34.b5 d3 35.Qd1 Qd4+ 36.Kh1 Rxf4 37.Rxf4 Qxf4 38.Rf3 Qe4 39.Rxd3 g6 40.Rf3 Rxf3 41.gxf3 Qd5 42.Qe2 Kf7 43.Kg2 Qd4 44.Qc2 Kf6 45.Kg3 g5 46.Qe4 Qxe4 47.fxe4 Ke5 48.Kg4 Kxe4 49.Kxg5 Kd4 50.h4 e5 51.h5 e4 52.h6 e3 53.h7 1-0

[Event "Satty Zhuldyz Blitz Tournament"]
[Site "Astana KAZ"]
[Date "2023.04.25"]
[Round "13.3"]
[White "Aronian, Levon Grigori"]
[Black "侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)"]
[ECO "C02"]
[Result "1-0"]
[TimeControl "180+2"]
[PlyCount "79"]

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.a3 Nh6 7.Bd3 Nf5 8.O-O cxd4 9.b4 Be7 10.Bb2 Bd7 11.Bxf5 exf5 12.cxd4 Be6 13.Nc3 O-O 14.Qd3 Rac8 15.Rac1 a5 16.Na4 Qa7 17.b5 Nb8 18.Nc5 Nd7 19.Nxd7 Bxd7 20.a4 Qb6 21.Ba3 Bxa3 22.Qxa3 Rc4 23.Rxc4 dxc4 24.d5 h6 25.e6 fxe6 26.Ne5 Be8 27.Nxc4 Qd4 28.Nxa5 Qxd5 29.Qa1 Bh5 30.Qc3 Rd8 31.h3 f4 32.f3 Ra8 33.Re1 Bg6 34.Re5 Qd3 35.Qxd3 Bxd3 36.Nxb7 Rxa4 37.b6 Ra1+ 38.Kh2 Rb1 39.Rxe6 Kf7 40.Nd8+ 1-0

[Event "Satty Zhuldyz Blitz Tournament"]
[Site "Astana KAZ"]
[Date "2023.04.25"]
[Round "14.5"]
[White "侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)"]
[Black "Erigaisi, Arjun"]
[ECO "B76"]
[Result "1-0"]
[TimeControl "180+2"]
[PlyCount "77"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 Nc6 8.Qd2 O-O 9.g4 Be6 10.Nxe6 fxe6 11.O-O-O Ne5 12.Be2 Qc8 13.Bd4 Nfd7 14.f4 Nc4 15.Bxc4 Qxc4 16.Bxg7 Kxg7 17.f5 Rac8 18.h4 exf5 19.gxf5 gxf5 20.Qg5+ Kh8 21.Qxe7 Qf7 22.Qxd6 Nb6 23.Rhf1 f4 24.Qd4+ Qg7 25.e5 Rc4 26.Qd6 Rc6 27.Qd4 Rc4! 28.Qd6 Rc6 29.Qd4 f3 30.Kb1 Nc4 31.e6 Qxd4 32.Rxd4 Rxe6 33.Rxc4 Rfe8 34.Rd4 Re3 35.Kc1 Rg8 36.Rdd1 Rg2 37.Rd2 Rg4 38.Rdf2 Rg3 39.Nd1 1-0

[Event "Satty Zhuldyz Blitz Tournament"]
[Site "Astana KAZ"]
[Date "2023.04.25"]
[Round "15.2"]
[White "Martirosyan, Haik Mikaeli"]
[Black "侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)"]
[ECO "D00"]
[Result "1-0"]
[TimeControl "180+2"]
[PlyCount "113"]

1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 d5 3.e3 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nd2 cxd4 6.exd4 Bf5 7.Ngf3 Ne4 8.Nxe4 Bxe4 9.Nd2 Bf5 10.Be2 Qd7 11.a4 e6 12.Bf4 Bd6 13.Bxd6 Qxd6 14.O-O O-O 15.a5 Rab8 16.Bb5 Ne7 17.Re1 h6 18.Qa4 Rfc8 19.Qa3 Qxa3 20.Rxa3 Bc2 21.Be2 Bg6 22.Nb3 Nf5 23.Nc5 Nd6 24.Nd7 Ra8 25.f3 Rc7 26.Nc5 Kf8 27.g4 h5 28.h3 Ke7 29.Kf2 hxg4 30.hxg4 Rh8 31.Kg2 Rcc8 32.Rb3 Rc7 33.Rb4 Kd8 34.Ra1 Ke7 35.Ra3 Bc2 36.Ra1 g5 37.Re1 Bg6 38.Bf1 Rh6 39.Kg3 Rh1 40.Kg2 Rh8 41.b3 Rd8 42.Kg3 Kf6 43.Rd1 Rh8 44.Be2 Rhc8 45.Rd2 Kg7 46.c4 dxc4 47.bxc4 Re7 48.Nb3 b6 49.c5 bxc5 50.dxc5 Ne8 51.a6 Nc7 52.Rb7 Ra8 53.c6 Kf8 54.Nc5 Nd5 55.Nd7+ Ke8 56.Bb5 Rc8 57.Rh2 1-0

[Event "Satty Zhuldyz Blitz Tournament"]
[Site "Astana KAZ"]
[Date "2023.04.25"]
[Round "16.6"]
[White "侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)"]
[Black "Sindarov, Javokhir"]
[ECO "C70"]
[Result "1-0"]
[TimeControl "180+2"]
[PlyCount "83"]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 g6 5.c3 Nge7 6.d4 exd4 7.cxd4 b5 8.d5 bxa4 9.dxc6 Nxc6 10.Qxa4 Bg7 11.O-O O-O 12.Bg5 f6 13.Bf4 Ne5 14.Nxe5 fxe5 15.Be3 d6 16.Qc4+ Rf7 17.Nc3 Qe8 18.Nd5 Be6 19.Rfc1 Bf8 20.Nxc7 Bxc4 21.Nxe8 Bd3 22.Nxd6 Bxd6 23.Rd1 Bxe4 24.Rxd6 Bf5 25.b4 Rb7 26.Bb6 Rc8 27.h3 h5 28.a3 Kf7 29.Bc5 a5 30.Re1 axb4 31.axb4 e4 32.Ra1 Re8 33.Raa6 Rc8 34.Rf6+ Kg8 35.g4 hxg4 36.hxg4 Bd7 37.Rxg6+ Kh7 38.Rh6+ Kg8 39.Rag6+ Kf7 40.Bd4 Rf8 41.Rg7+ Ke8 42.Bc5 1-0

[Event "Satty Zhuldyz Blitz Tournament"]
[Site "Astana KAZ"]
[Date "2023.04.25"]
[Round "17.1"]
[White "侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)"]
[Black "Lagno, Ekaterina Aleksandrovna"]
[ECO "B85"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[TimeControl "180+2"]
[PlyCount "43"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.Be3 a6 7.Be2 Nf6 8.O-O Be7 9.f4 d6 10.Kh1 O-O 11.a4 Nxd4 12.Qxd4 Bd7 13.e5 Ne8 14.Qb4 Bc6 15.Bb6 dxe5 16.Qa5 Qd6 17.fxe5 Qb4 18.Qxb4 Bxb4 19.Na2 Be7 20.Nc3 Bb4 21.Na2 Be7 22.Nc3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Satty Zhuldyz Blitz Tournament"]
[Site "Astana KAZ"]
[Date "2023.04.25"]
[Round "18.6"]
[White "Grischuk, Alexander Igorevich"]
[Black "侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)"]
[ECO "A08"]
[Result "1-0"]
[TimeControl "180+2"]
[PlyCount "81"]

1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 c5 4.O-O h6 5.d3 Nc6 6.e4 dxe4 7.dxe4 Qxd1 8.Rxd1 Nxe4 9.Na3 Nd6 10.Be3 c4 11.Bf4 Be6 12.Nd4 Nxd4 13.Rxd4 O-O-O 14.Rad1 g5 15.Be5 f6 16.Bxd6 Rxd6 17.Rxd6 exd6 18.Bd5 Bxd5 19.Rxd5 Be7 20.Nxc4 Kd7 21.Ne3 Rc8 22.c4 Rc5 23.Kg2 h5 24.Kf3 Ke6 25.Ke4 Bd8 26.Rxc5 dxc5 27.h3 Ba5 28.f4 Be1 29.f5+ Kd6 30.g4 hxg4 31.Nxg4 Ke7 32.Kd5 b6 33.Kc6 Bd2 34.Kb7 Kd6 35.Kxa7 Ba5 36.Ka6 Ke7 37.Kb5 Kd6 38.b3 Ke7 39.a3 Bc3 40.Kxb6 Kd6 41.a4 1-0

[Event "Satty Zhuldyz Blitz Tournament"]
[Site "Astana KAZ"]
[Date "2023.04.25"]
[Round "19.2"]
[White "侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)"]
[Black "Vakhidov, Jahongir Tahirovich"]
[ECO "B38"]
[Result "0-1"]
[TimeControl "180+2"]
[PlyCount "71"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Bg7 5.c4 Nc6 6.Be3 Qb6 7.Nb3 Qd8 8.Qd2 Nf6 9.f3 d6 10.Nc3 O-O 11.Nd4 Nxd4 12.Bxd4 Be6 13.Be2 Qa5 14.b3 a6 15.a4 Nd7 16.Bxg7 Kxg7 17.Rb1 Qb6 18.Bd1 f5 19.Bc2 Rac8 20.Qf2 Qxf2+ 21.Kxf2 Bxc4 22.bxc4 Rxc4 23.Rxb7 Rxc3 24.Bb1 Nc5 25.Rxe7+ Kf6 26.Rxh7 fxe4 27.Rd1 e3+ 28.Ke2 Rb8 29.Rxd6+ Ke5 30.Rd1 Rb2+ 31.Ke1 Rxg2 32.Re7+ Kf6 33.Re8 Rb3 34.Be4 Rbb2 35.Rd6+ Kf7 36.Bxg6+ 0-1

[Event "Satty Zhuldyz Blitz Tournament"]
[Site "Astana KAZ"]
[Date "2023.04.25"]
[Round "20.5"]
[White "Assaubayeva, Bibisara Erkhanovna"]
[Black "侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)"]
[ECO "D38"]
[Result "0-1"]
[TimeControl "180+2"]
[PlyCount "106"]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Bb4 5.Qa4+ Nc6 6.a3 Bxc3+ 7.bxc3 Ne4 8.Qc2 Na5 9.e3 c5 10.Bd3 Nf6 11.cxd5 c4 12.Bxc4 Nxc4 13.Qa4+ Bd7 14.Qxc4 exd5 15.Qb4 Qc7 16.O-O a5 17.Qb2 O-O 18.Ne5 Ne4 19.Bd2 Rfc8 20.Rfc1 Nd6 21.Qb3 Be6 22.Nd3 Nc4 23.Be1 Ra6 24.Nc5 Rb6 25.Qd1 Qe7 26.a4 h6 27.Qd3 Rd6 28.f3 b6 29.Nb3 Bd7 30.e4 dxe4 31.fxe4 Nb2 32.Qe2 Nxa4 33.e5 Rg6 34.Rc2 Bc6 35.Qd3 Bd5 36.Nd2 b5 37.Nf3 Qb7 38.Nh4 Be4 39.Qe2 Bxc2 40.Qxc2 Rgc6 41.Qe4 R6c7 42.Qg4 Nxc3 43.Nf5 g6 44.Nd6 Qc6 45.Nxc8 Rxc8 46.Bxc3 Qxc3 47.Rd1 b4 48.d5 b3 49.d6 b2 50.d7 Rd8 51.e6 Qe3+ 52.Kh1 Qxe6 53.Qd4 Rxd7 0-1

[Event "Satty Zhuldyz Blitz Tournament"]
[Site "Astana KAZ"]
[Date "2023.04.25"]
[Round "21.3"]
[White "侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)"]
[Black "Boris Abramovich Gelfand"]
[ECO "B45"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[TimeControl "180+2"]
[PlyCount "109"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.a3 d5 7.Bb5 Bd7 8.exd5 exd5 9.O-O Be7 10.h3 O-O 11.Be3 Re8 12.Be2 a6 13.Bf3 Be6 14.Na4 Bd6 15.Nxe6 fxe6 16.c4 Ne5 17.Nb6 Rb8 18.cxd5 Bc7 19.Na4 Nxf3+ 20.Qxf3 Nxd5 21.Rad1 Qd6 22.g3 Qc6 23.Nc5 Nxe3 24.Qxe3 Bb6 25.b4 a5 26.Rc1 axb4 27.axb4 Rbd8 28.Qe4 Qxe4 29.Nxe4 Rd4 30.Rfe1 Rxb4 31.Rb1 Rxb1 32.Rxb1 Bd4 33.Rxb7 h6 34.h4 Bf6 35.Kg2 Rc8 36.Rb6 Re8 37.Kf3 Bd4 38.Rd6 Be5 39.Rd7 Rf8+ 40.Kg4 Rc8 41.Re7 Rc6 42.Rb7 Rc4 43.f3 Rc6 44.Rb5 Bd4 45.Kf4 Rc8 46.Rb7 Rf8+ 47.Kg4 Rf7 48.Rb8+ Rf8 49.Rxf8+ Kxf8 50.Kh5 Kf7 51.g4 Be3 52.g5 hxg5 53.hxg5 Bf4 54.Kg4 Bc1 55.Kh5 1/2-1/2

[Event "Satty Zhuldyz Blitz Tournament"]
[Site "Astana KAZ"]
[Date "2023.04.25"]
[Round "22.4"]
[White "Keymer, Vincent"]
[Black "侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)"]
[ECO "A30"]
[Result "1-0"]
[TimeControl "180+2"]
[PlyCount "121"]

1.Nf3 c5 2.c4 b6 3.g3 Bb7 4.Bg2 Nf6 5.O-O e6 6.d4 cxd4 7.Qxd4 Be7 8.Nc3 d6 9.Rd1 a6 10.Bg5 Nbd7 11.Qd2 O-O 12.Bf4 Ne8 13.Rac1 Rc8 14.b3 h6 15.e4 Qc7 16.h3 Ne5 17.Nxe5 dxe5 18.Be3 Nf6 19.Qe2 Bc6 20.Nd5 exd5 21.cxd5 Bb5 22.Rxc7 Bxe2 23.Rdc1 Rxc7 24.Rxc7 Bd8 25.Rb7 a5 26.f3 Ba6 27.Ra7 Bb5 28.Kf2 Re8 29.h4 Bd7 30.Bf1 b5 31.g4 g5 32.hxg5 hxg5 33.Rb7 Bc8 34.Rxb5 Ba6 35.Rb8 Bxf1 36.Kxf1 Be7 37.Rb5 Bb4 38.Bxg5 Kg7 39.Rb6 Nd7 40.Bh6+ Kh7 41.Rc6 Rb8 42.Be3 Rb7 43.Ke2 Kg7 44.Kd3 Kf8 45.Bg5 Kg7 46.Kc4 f6 47.Bc1 Kf7 48.a3 Be1 49.Be3 Ke7 50.Ra6 Rc7+ 51.Rc6 Rb7 52.g5 Bh4 53.gxf6+ Bxf6 54.Bd2 Ra7 55.a4 Bh4 56.b4 axb4 57.Bxb4+ Kd8 58.a5 Be7 59.Bc3 Rc7 60.a6 Nb8 61.Rxc7 1-0

😉

Finally, it should be noted that whether guest or host, Arianna spent all her in-between time inexhaustibly rehearsing for new emojis.

Two Birthdays

Today, April 25, is the birthday of two of the Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna”’s distinguished dancers, Claudia and Letizia, and an informal party was given in honour of them, to which their fellows, friends and families were invited.

Yep, Edna, it takes grit to see the glass as half full when it is half empty

Artwork © Gabriel Dias | Ilustrador 🖍️ (@ogabedesenha)

Letters and Numbers

[Event "Satty Zhuldyz Blitz Tournament"]
[Site "Astana KAZ"]
[Date "2023.04.24"]
[Round "1.4"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir Borisovich"]
[Black "侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)"]
[ECO "A36"]
[Result "1-0"]
[TimeControl "180+2"]
[PlyCount "63"]

1.c4 c5 2.g3 Nc6 3.Bg2 g6 4.Nc3 Bg7 5.d3 e6 6.h4 h6 7.h5 g5 8.f4 d6 9.Bxc6+ bxc6 10.e4 gxf4 11.gxf4 Ne7 12.Nf3 d5 13.Qe2 Ba6 14.Bd2 Rb8 15.b3 Bd4 16.Nxd4 cxd4 17.Na4 dxe4 18.dxe4 Rg8 19.Nc5 Bb7 20.Kf2 Qb6 21.b4 Rd8 22.Rhg1 Rxg1 23.Rxg1 a5 24.a3 axb4 25.Bxb4 Ba6 26.Qd3 Qa7 27.Rg7 Bc8 28.Rh7 Ng8 29.Qg3 Nf6 30.Rh8+ Ke7 31.Nxe6+ Kxe6 32.f5+ 1-0

[Event "Satty Zhuldyz Blitz Tournament"]
[Site "Astana KAZ"]
[Date "2023.04.24"]
[Round "2.3"]
[White "侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon Grigori"]
[ECO "B92"]
[Result "0-1"]
[TimeControl "180+2"]
[PlyCount "158"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be2 e5 7.Nb3 Be7 8.O-O O-O 9.Qd3 Be6 10.Nd5 Nxd5 11.exd5 Bc8 12.Bd2 Nd7 13.Na5 f5 14.c4 e4 15.Qc2 Ne5 16.Bc3 Qc7 17.f4 exf3 18.Bxf3 Nxc4 19.Nxc4 Qxc4 20.Qf2 Bd7 21.Rac1 Rac8 22.Qg3 g6 23.Qf2 Qc5 24.Rfe1 Qxf2+ 25.Kxf2 Bh4+ 26.g3 Bg5 27.Rcd1 Rfe8 28.h4 Bd8 29.Rxe8+ Bxe8 30.Re1 Kf7 31.Re2 Bd7 32.Ke1 Bf6 33.Bxf6 Kxf6 34.Kd2 Re8 35.Rh2 a5 36.Rh1 b6 37.Rc1 Rc8 38.Re1 h6 39.Re3 b5 40.Ra3 a4 41.Re3 Rc5 42.Rc3 Rxc3 43.Kxc3 g5 44.hxg5+ hxg5 45.Kd4 f4 46.gxf4 gxf4 47.Ke4 Kg5 48.Be2 b4 49.a3 bxa3 50.bxa3 Bg4 51.Bb5 Bd1 52.Bd7 Bb3 53.Be6 Bc2+ 54.Kf3 Bf5 55.Bf7 Bg4+ 56.Ke4 Bd7 57.Bg8 Be8 58.Be6 Bg6+ 59.Kf3 Bh5+ 60.Ke4 Be8 61.Kf3 Bg6 62.Bd7 Bh5+ 63.Ke4 Bd1 64.Be6 Bc2+ 65.Kf3 Bf5 66.Bf7 Bg4+ 67.Ke4 Bd7 68.Bg8 Bh3 69.Bf7 Bg2+ 70.Kd3 Kg4 71.Be8 Kg3 72.Bxa4 f3 73.Ke3 f2 74.Bb5 f1=Q 75.Bxf1 Bxf1 76.Ke4 Kg4 77.a4 Kg5 78.a5 Ba6 79.Kd4 Kf4 0-1

[Event "Satty Zhuldyz Blitz Tournament"]
[Site "Astana KAZ"]
[Date "2023.04.24"]
[Round "3.5"]
[White "Erigaisi, Arjun"]
[Black "侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)"]
[ECO "A36"]
[Result "1-0"]
[TimeControl "180+2"]
[PlyCount "76"]

1.c4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.Qd2 e6 7.b3 Nge7 8.Bb2 b6 9.Nd5 exd5 10.Bxg7 Rg8 11.Bf6 Bb7 12.cxd5 Ne5 13.e4 Qd7 14.f4 Ng4 15.Bh3 h5 16.Nf3 Qb5 17.Bxg4 hxg4 18.Ng5 Ba6 19.Rd1 Qd7 20.O-O O-O-O 21.b4 Rgf8 22.a4 Rde8 23.a5 Bb7 24.axb6 axb6 25.bxc5 dxc5 26.Qa2 Nxd5 27.exd5 Bxd5 28.Qa6+ Bb7 29.Qxb6 Qd5 30.Ne4 Re6 31.Qxc5+ Qxc5+ 32.Nxc5 Rxf6 33.Rb1 Bd5 34.Ne4 Rc6 35.Ra1 Re8 36.Ra8+ Kd7 37.Ra7+ Ke6 38.Re1 Rec8 1-0

[Event "Satty Zhuldyz Blitz Tournament"]
[Site "Astana KAZ"]
[Date "2023.04.24"]
[Round "4.2"]
[White "侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)"]
[Black "Martirosyan, Haik Mikaeli"]
[ECO "C67"]
[Result "0-1"]
[TimeControl "180+2"]
[PlyCount "102"]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.O-O Nxe4 5.Re1 Nd6 6.Nxe5 Be7 7.Bf1 Nxe5 8.Rxe5 O-O 9.d4 Bf6 10.Re1 Nf5 11.c3 d5 12.Bf4 c6 13.Nd2 Bg5 14.Bxg5 Qxg5 15.Nf3 Qf6 16.Bd3 Nd6 17.Ne5 Bf5 18.Qf3 Rad8 19.Re2 Be4 20.Bxe4 dxe4 21.Qh3 Rfe8 22.Rae1 Qe6 23.Qxe6 Rxe6 24.f3 exf3 25.Nxf3 Rxe2 26.Rxe2 Kf8 27.Kf2 f6 28.a4 Kf7 29.Nd2 b6 30.Ne4 Nf5 31.g4 Ne7 32.Kf3 Ng6 33.Kg3 Rd5 34.h3 h6 35.Re1 Ne7 36.Kf3 Ng6 37.Kg3 c5 38.dxc5 bxc5 39.Re3 c4 40.Kf2 Ne5 41.Ke2 Nd3 42.b4 Nf4+ 43.Kf2 Kg6 44.Kg3 Nd3 45.Nd2 Ne5 46.Nf3 Nd3 47.Nd2 Nb2 48.Re2 Rd3+ 49.Kf2 Nd1+ 50.Ke1 Nxc3 51.a5 Nxe2 0-1

[Event "Satty Zhuldyz Blitz Tournament"]
[Site "Astana KAZ"]
[Date "2023.04.24"]
[Round "5.6"]
[White "Sindarov, Javokhir"]
[Black "侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)"]
[ECO "B23"]
[Result "1-0"]
[TimeControl "180+2"]
[PlyCount "123"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 a6 3.g3 b5 4.Bg2 Bb7 5.Nge2 e6 6.O-O d6 7.d4 cxd4 8.Nxd4 Nf6 9.Re1 Nbd7 10.e5 dxe5 11.Nxe6 fxe6 12.Bxb7 Ra7 13.Bg2 Bc5 14.Ne4 Nxe4 15.Bxe4 O-O 16.Be3 Bxe3 17.Rxe3 Qb6 18.c3 Nf6 19.Qe2 Raf7 20.Rf1 Qc5 21.Bd3 Nd7 22.a4 bxa4 23.Bxa6 Rf5 24.Bd3 R5f7 25.Bc4 Qb6 26.Bb5 Rb8 27.c4 Qa5 28.Rd1 Qa7 29.Red3 Nf6 30.Rd8+ Rf8 31.Rxb8 Rxb8 32.Qxe5 Qxf2+ 33.Kxf2 Ng4+ 34.Ke2 Nxe5 35.Ra1 Nxc4 36.Bxc4 Rxb2+ 37.Kf3 Rxh2 38.Bxe6+ Kf8 39.Rxa4 Ke7 40.Bc4 h6 41.Ra7+ Kf6 42.Ra6+ Ke7 43.Kg4 Rc2 44.Bd3 Rc5 45.Bf5 Kf7 46.Kf4 Rc4+ 47.Be4 Rc5 48.Rd6 Ra5 49.Bd5+ Ke7 50.Re6+ Kf8 51.Ke5 Ra3 52.Rg6 Re3+ 53.Kd4 Re1 54.Be4 Ra1 55.Ke5 Ra5+ 56.Bd5 Ra1 57.Rb6 Re1+ 58.Kd6 Re3 59.Rb7 Re1 60.Rf7+ Ke8 61.Rxg7 Re3 62.Rg8# 1-0

[Event "Satty Zhuldyz Blitz Tournament"]
[Site "Astana KAZ"]
[Date "2023.04.24"]
[Round "6.1"]
[White "Lagno, Ekaterina Aleksandrovna"]
[Black "侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)"]
[ECO "B51"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[TimeControl "180+2"]
[PlyCount "45"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Nd7 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Nf6 6.O-O a6 7.Bd3 e6 8.c4 Nc5 9.Nc3 Nxd3 10.Qxd3 b6 11.f3 Bb7 12.Be3 Be7 13.Rac1 O-O 14.Rfd1 Qc7 15.Na4 Nd7 16.Qe2 Rac8 17.b3 Nc5 18.Nc3 Rfe8 19.Qf2 Qb8 20.Qg3 Nd7 21.Bg5 Bf8 22.Be3 g6 23.Qf2 1/2-1/2

[Event "Satty Zhuldyz Blitz Tournament"]
[Site "Astana KAZ"]
[Date "2023.04.24"]
[Round "7.6"]
[White "侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)"]
[Black "Grischuk, Alexander Igorevich"]
[ECO "B06"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[TimeControl "180+2"]
[PlyCount "60"]

1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nc3 d6 4.Be3 a6 5.f4 b5 6.Nf3 b4 7.Ne2 Nf6 8.Ng3 h5 9.Bd3 h4 10.Ne2 Bb7 11.Ng5 Bh6 12.Qd2 a5 13.e5 Bxg5 14.fxg5 Nd5 15.Nf4 dxe5 16.dxe5 Nxf4 17.Bxf4 Qd5 18.O-O-O Nc6 19.Kb1 O-O-O 20.Rhe1 Qe6 21.Qf2 Kb8 22.b3 Rd4 23.Be3 Rd7 24.Bc4 Rxd1+ 25.Rxd1 Qxe5 26.Bf4 Qf5 27.Bd3 Qd5 28.Be2 Qf5 29.Bd3 Qd5 30.Be2 Qf5 1/2-1/2

[Event "Satty Zhuldyz Blitz Tournament"]
[Site "Astana KAZ"]
[Date "2023.04.24"]
[Round "8.2"]
[White "Vakhidov, Jahongir Tahirovich"]
[Black "侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)"]
[ECO "A13"]
[Result "0-1"]
[TimeControl "180+2"]
[PlyCount "172"]

1.c4 e6 2.Nc3 Bb4 3.e4 Bxc3 4.dxc3 d6 5.Qg4 Qf6 6.f4 Nc6 7.Nf3 e5 8.f5 g6 9.Bg5 Qg7 10.Nh4 h6 11.Bd2 g5 12.Bd3 Nf6 13.Qg3 Nh5 14.Qg4 Nf4 15.Bxf4 exf4 16.Nf3 f6 17.Qh5+ Qf7 18.Qxf7+ Kxf7 19.O-O-O b6 20.h4 Bb7 21.hxg5 hxg5 22.Nd4 Ne5 23.Rhe1 Rae8 24.Bf1 Re7 25.Ne6 Bc8 26.Nd4 Bb7 27.Ne6 Ng4 28.c5 bxc5 29.Bc4 Ke8 30.Bb5+ Kf7 31.Bc4 Ne5 32.Bb3 c4 33.Bc2 Bc8 34.Nd4 Bd7 35.b3 Rh2 36.Rd2 cxb3 37.Bxb3+ Kg7 38.Kc2 Re8 39.Rb1 Rb8 40.Re1 a5 41.Ne6+ Bxe6 42.Bxe6 Ng4 43.Kd3 Ne5+ 44.Kc2 f3 45.Rg1 fxg2 46.Rgxg2 Rxg2 47.Rxg2 Rh8 48.Kb3 Rh4 49.Re2 g4 50.Ka4 g3 51.Rg2 Rh3 52.Kxa5 Nd3 53.Bc4 Nf4 54.Rg1 g2 55.Bf1 Rg3 56.Bc4 Rxc3 57.Kb4 Rh3 58.Bf1 Rh1 59.Rxg2+ Nxg2 60.Bxg2 Rb1+ 61.Kc3 Kf8 62.a4 Ke7 63.Bf3 Kd7 64.Be2 Kc6 65.a5 Ra1 66.Kb4 Rb1+ 67.Kc3 Kc5 68.Bd3 Ra1 69.a6 Ra3+ 70.Kc2 Kb6 71.Bc4 Rxa6 72.Bxa6 Kxa6 73.Kd3 Kb5 74.Kd4 c6 75.Kd3 Kb4 76.Kd4 c5+ 77.Kd5 c4 78.Kxd6 c3 79.e5 c2 80.exf6 c1=Q 81.Ke7 Qc5+ 82.Ke6 Qf8 83.f7 Kc5 84.Kf6 Kd6 85.Kg6 Ke7 86.f6+ Ke6 0-1

[Event "Satty Zhuldyz Blitz Tournament"]
[Site "Astana KAZ"]
[Date "2023.04.24"]
[Round "9.5"]
[White "侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)"]
[Black "Assaubayeva, Bibisara Erkhanovna"]
[ECO "A30"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[TimeControl "180+2"]
[PlyCount "96"]

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.b3 Bg7 4.Bb2 O-O 5.g3 b6 6.Bg2 Bb7 7.O-O c5 8.d4 cxd4 9.Qxd4 Nc6 10.Qh4 Qc8 11.Nc3 d6 12.Qf4 Nb4 13.Rac1 Qd7 14.Rfd1 Rad8 15.h3 Ne4 16.a3 Bxc3 17.Rxc3 Nxc3 18.Bxc3 Bxf3 19.Qh6 f6 20.Bxf3 Nc6 21.Qe3 Ne5 22.Bd5+ Kg7 23.f4 Nf7 24.Be6 Qc6 25.Bd4 Rde8 26.Bd5 Qd7 27.Be6 Qc6 28.Bd5 Qc7 29.Qf3 e5 30.Bb2 Qc5+ 31.Qf2 Qxf2+ 32.Kxf2 Rd8 33.a4 Nh6 34.Ba3 Nf5 35.Be4 Rd7 36.Bxf5 gxf5 37.Bxd6 Rfd8 38.fxe5 Kf7 39.Rc1 Ke6 40.c5 fxe5 41.b4 bxc5 42.bxc5 Rb7 43.Rc4 a5 44.Rh4 Kd5 45.Rh5 Ke4 46.Rh4+ Kd5 47.Rh5 Ke4 48.Rh4+ Kd5 1/2-1/2

[Event "Satty Zhuldyz Blitz Tournament"]
[Site "Astana KAZ"]
[Date "2023.04.24"]
[Round "10.3"]
[White "Boris Abramovich Gelfand"]
[Black "侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)"]
[ECO "E18"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[TimeControl "180+2"]
[PlyCount "82"]

1.d4 e6 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Bb7 5.Bg2 Be7 6.O-O O-O 7.Nc3 Ne4 8.Bd2 Nxd2 9.Nxd2 Bxg2 10.Kxg2 d5 11.cxd5 exd5 12.Nf3 c6 13.Rc1 Nd7 14.Qd3 Re8 15.Rfd1 Rc8 16.Rc2 Bd6 17.e4 dxe4 18.Nxe4 Nf6 19.Nxf6+ Qxf6 20.Rdc1 c5 21.Qa6 Qe7 22.dxc5 Rxc5 23.Rxc5 Bxc5 24.Re1 Qd7 25.Rxe8+ Qxe8 26.Qxa7 h6 27.Qa6 Qe4 28.Qc8+ Kh7 29.Qd7 Qc4 30.b3 Qe2 31.Qf5+ Kg8 32.Ne5 f6 33.Nd3 Qxa2 34.b4 Bd4 35.Qe4 Qc4 36.b5 Qc3 37.h4 Bc5 38.Qe8+ Kh7 39.Qe4+ Kg8 40.Qe8+ Kh7 41.Qe4+ Kg8 1/2-1/2

[Event "Satty Zhuldyz Blitz Tournament"]
[Site "Astana KAZ"]
[Date "2023.04.24"]
[Round "11.4"]
[White "侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)"]
[Black "Keymer, Vincent"]
[ECO "C77"]
[Result "0-1"]
[TimeControl "180+2"]
[PlyCount "95"]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.d3 Bc5 6.c3 d6 7.O-O b5 8.Bc2 O-O 9.h3 h6 10.Be3 Bxe3 11.fxe3 Ne7 12.Nh4 Ng6 13.Nf5 d5 14.exd5 Nxd5 15.Qe2 Qg5 16.Bb3 Bxf5 17.Bxd5 Rad8 18.c4 c6 19.Be4 Bxh3 20.Nc3 Bd7 21.d4 exd4 22.exd4 Rde8 23.cxb5 axb5 24.Qd3 Nh4 25.d5 c5 26.d6 c4 27.Qd5 Re5 28.Qb7 Bh3 29.Kh2 b4 30.Nd5 Rxe4 31.Ne7+ Kh8 32.Qxe4 Bxg2 33.Qf4 Bxf1 34.Qxg5 hxg5 35.Rxf1 Rd8 36.Rd1 c3 37.bxc3 bxc3 38.a4 f5 39.a5 c2 40.Rc1 Rxd6 41.Rxc2 Re6 42.Nc6 Nf3+ 43.Kg3 Ne5 44.Nxe5 Rxe5 45.Rd2 Re3+ 46.Kf2 Re7 47.a6 Ra7 48.Ra2 0-1

The grande entrée of four-time Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) into the playing hall of Hilton Astana on Monday, April 24, 2023. Photo: Aditya Sur Roy/ChessBase India.

Eleven Plus One Equals Twelve

Yeah, Edna, that’s what a diva does — seems like everyone could care less about them

Credit: Alivia (@life_changer56)

Four to Score

丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) – Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi
World Chess Championship 2023; match game 10; Astana, April 21, 2023
English Opening A28

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. e4 Bc5 5. Nxe5 Nxe5 6. d4 Bb4 7. dxe5 Nxe4 8. Qf3 Nxc3 9. bxc3

9. ... Bc5. “The ... Bf8-c5 idea is quite a rare move. I think that, on a high level, no one has played it yet. But I believe it is an interesting move that can solve a lot of problems there and force the game”, Nepomniachtchi then said.
10. Qg3 Kf8 11. Be2 d6 12. Bf4 Qe7 13. Rd1 h5 14. 0-0. Varying from 14. h4!? dxe5! 15. Bxe5 Bg4!⇄ Nepomniachtchi – Cardoso Cardoso, Titled Tuesday intern op 5th May, chess.com, May 5, 2020 (time control: 3 minutes plus 1 second per move).
14. ... h4 15. Qd3

15. ... g5! A correct Pawn sacrifice to force a general liquidation into a drawish ending. Therefore, it is highly likely that Nepomniachtchi has simply been following a “cooked” line.
16. exd6 cxd6 17. Bxd6 Qxd6 18. Qxd6+ Bxd6 19. Rxd6 Be6 20. f4 Ke7 21. Rd4 gxf4 22. Rfxf4 h3 23. g4 Rac8 24. Kf2 Rc5 25. a4 Ra5 26. Bd1 b6 27. Kg3 Rh6 28. Rfe4 Kf8 29. Rd8+ Kg7 30. Ra8 Rc5 31. Rxa7 Bxc4 32. Rae7 Rhc6 33. R7e5 Rxe5 34. Rxe5

34. ... Bb3! 35. Bxb3 Rxc3+ 36. Kh4 Rxb3 37. Rb5 Ra3 38. Rxb6 Rxa4 39. Kxh3 f5 40. gxf5 Rf4 41. Rb5 Kf6 42. Kg3 Rxf5 43. Rxf5+ Kxf5 44. h4 Kg6 45. h5+ Kxh5 ½ : ½. “He defended quite well”, 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) said. “So, I didn’t have many chances in this game”.

A relatively easy draw today by Nepomniachtchi, but there are four games left and 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) still has a chance to write history. Photo: Stev Bonhage/FIDE.

Magic carpet

Four-time Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) walking the red carpet at the “Satty Zhuldyz” Chess Festival at Hilton Hotel in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Saturday, April 22, 2023. Photos: Maria Alekseevna Emelianova and Damir Kuzhumov for Satty Zhuldyz.