The World Without

Bibisara Erkhanovna Assaubayeva – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)

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

English Opening A34

1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3 b6 4. e4 d6 5. d4 cxd4 6. Nxd4 Bb7 7. f3 e6 8. Be3 Be7 9. Qd2 a6 10. Be2 0-0 11. 0-0 Qc7 12. Rac1 Nbd7 13. Rfd1 Rac8 14. Bf1 Qb8 15. Qf2 Rfe8 16. Kh1. Or 16. b4 Bd8 17. Nb3 Bc7 18. g3 Ne5 19. Nd2 d5!= M. Pérez – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), 2nd Professional Rapid Online (PRO Chess League), chess.com, February 28, 2018 (time control: 15 minutes plus 2 seconds per move).
16. ... Bd8 17. b4 Ne5 18. Na4

18. ... Nfd7. Black ought to play 18. ... d5! seizing the initiative, Lugovoi – Bazhin, 41st USSR Junior Chess Championship, Jurmala 1992.
19. Bf4 Bc7 20. Bg3 Qa8 21. Nb3 Bc6 22. Nc3 h6 23. a3 Qb8 24. f4 Ng4 25. Qe1 Ngf6 26. Qe3 Nh5 27. Bf2 Nhf6 28. Be2 Qa8 29. Bf3 b5 30. Nd4 Bb6 31. Qe2 Bxd4 32. Rxd4 e5 33. Rxd6 exf4 34. Qd2 bxc4 35. Qxf4 Ne5

36. Rxf6!? Assaubayeva plays a speculative sacrifice aimed at destabilising her illustrious opponent.
36. ... gxf6? And yet it works. The zwischenzug 36. ... Nd3! would have strongly questioned the soundness of White’s judgment.
37. Qxh6 Ng6 38. Bd4 Re6 39. Nd5 Bxd5 40. exd5 Rd6 41. Be4. Simpler and better was 41. h4 Rc7 42. h5 Qf8 43. Qxf8+ Nxf8 44. Bc5 Rdd7 45. Rxc4 with a winning advantage.
41. ... Rc7 42. Rf1 Qe8 43. Bf3? 43. Rxf6 Rxf6 44. Bxf6 Qf8 45. Qg5 c3 46. Qg3! menacing both Qg3xc7 and Be4xg6.
43. ... c3 44. Bc5 Rd8 45. d6

45. ... Rcd7?? Blundering the game away. 45. ... Qb5! would have held everything together.
46. Bd5+− (Δ Qh6xg6+)
46. ... Nf8 47. Qxf6 Nh7 48. Qxc3 Qe2 49. Bc4 Qg4 50. Rf3 Ng5 51. Rg3 Qd1+ 52. Bg1 Qh5 53. Qf6 1 : 0.