The Glass of Time

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn)

First China Women’s Chess Open Finals 2022; Final match game 3; time control: 15 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; 深圳 (Shēnzhèn), April 2, 2023

Larsen’s Opening A01

1. b3 e5 2. Bb2 Nc6 3. e3 Nf6 4. c4 g6 5. Nf3 d6 6. d4 Bg7 7. dxe5 Nd7 8. Qd2 Ndxe5 9. Nc3 0-0 10. h4! Or else by transposition: 10. Be2 Re8 11. Nd5 a5 12. 0-0 a4 13. Nd4 Nxd4 14. Bxd4 Be6 15. Rad1 axb3 16. axb3 c6 17. Nf4 Bf5 18. Ra1 Qe7 19. Rfd1 Bf8 20. Bc3 Rxa1 21. Rxa1 Nd7 22. Qd4 Qe5 ½ : ½ Porat – Matanović, 12th Chess Olympiad, Moscow 1956.
10. ... Bf5

11. h5 Nb4 12. e4 Bg4 13. Be2? A wrong automatism. 13. Nxe5 dxe5 14. Nd5⩲ was probably the best she could hope for.
13. ... Bxh5? 13. ... Bxf3! 14. gxf3 Nbd3+! would have put White into trouble.
14. 0-0-0!? White’s daredevilness is directly proportional to the necessity of winning.
14. ... Ng4 15. Nd4?! Qf6? 15. ... Nxf2 would have won material for Black (one or two Exchanges), leaving White with the burden of justifying her gambles.

16. Nf5!! White seizes her chance.
16. ... Nxa2+. After 16. ... Nxf2? 17. Nxg7! White eliminates the best defender of Black’s castle.
17. Nxa2 Qxb2+ 18. Qxb2 Bxb2+ 19. Kxb2 Nxf2 20. Bxh5 gxf5 21. exf5 Rae8 (21. ... c6 22. Nc3±)
22. Bf3 Re5. 22. ... c6 23. Nc3± was probably more resilient. Now White gradually increases her advantage, both material and positional.
23. Bxb7 Nxh1 24. Rxh1 Rxf5 25. Nc3 Rb8 26. Bf3 Kg7 27. Ra1 a5

28. Nd5. One Pawn falls, and soon another.
28. ... h5 29. Nxc7 h4 30. Bd5 Rf2+ 31. Kc3 h3 32. gxh3 Rh2 33. Rg1+ Kf8 34. Rg3 Rd8 35. Bg2 Rd7 36. Nd5 f5 37. Nf4 Kf7 38. Bd5+ Kf8 39. Rg8+ Ke7 40. Rg7+ Kd8 41. Ne6+ Ke8. Or 41. ... Kc8 42. Rg8+ followed by mate.
42. Bc6 Rxh3+ 43. Kb2 1 : 0. Mate is unavoidable.

After losing the first two games, and winning brilliantly the third, in the fourth 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) didn’t manage to get more than a draw, giving the match victory to 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn). Photo: Chinese Chess Association.