From World to World

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Dinara Ramazanovna Saduakassova

Rapid Women Teams Match “Kazakhstan vs. the World”; time control: 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; Astana, April 18, 2023

Vienna Game C28

1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. d3 Nc6 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 Na5 7. Ne2 d6 8. a3 Bxc3+ 9. Nxc3 Be6?! Preferable seems 9. ... Nxc4 10. dxc4 Be6 11. Qe2⩲ Smyslov – Gligorić, 2nd GMA World Cup Preliminary Tournament #3, GMA Baleares Open, Palma de Mallorca 1989.
10. Bd5! Nc6 11. Bxc6+ bxc6 12. d4 Rb8 13. dxe5 dxe5 14. Qxd8+ Rxd8 15. f3 g5 16. Bg3 Nd7 17. h4 Ke7 18. Bf2 Nb6 19. Bc5+ Kf6 20. b3 a6 21. Ke2 Nd7 22. Na4 Rhg8 23. Bf2 Kg7 24. Rad1 Nf6 25. Nc5 Bc8 26. Bg3 Rxd1 27. Rxd1 Re8 28. Nd3 Nd7 29. hxg5 hxg5 30. Nb4 Re6 31. Ke3 Rh6. The Pawn was doomed anyway, but if nothing else, after 31. ... a5 32. Nd3 a4 Black would have sold it more dearly.

32. Nxa6! Rd6 33. Rxd6 cxd6 34. Nb4 Bb7 35. a4 Kf6 36. Nd3 Ke6 37. Be1

37. ... Nc5? Saduakassova places her bet on the Bishops of opposite colour, only to find out that the ending is hopeless for Black.
38. Nxc5+ dxc5 39. c4 Kd6 40. Ba5 f6 41. Bd8 Ke6 42. Bb6 Kd6 43. Kf2 Bc8 44. a5 Bb7 45. Kg3 Bc8 46. Bd8 Ke6 47. Kg4 Kf7+ 48. Kh5 Ba6 49. Bb6 Bc8 50. Bxc5 Ba6 51. Bd6 Bc8 52. g3 Ke6 53. Bc7 Kf7

54. Bxe5! fxe5 55. Kxg5 c5 56. f4 Ke6 57. Kg6 exf4 58. gxf4 Bb7 59. f5+ 1–0.

Returned to the board after a long absence, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) struggled to find herself. Photo: Anna Shtourman/FIDE.