A gentlewoman’s agreement

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Humpy Koneru

1st Tech Mahindra Global Chess League; Ganges Grandmasters – upGrad Mumba Masters; time control: 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; Dubai, June 25, 2023

King’s Pawn Game C44

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. d3 Nc6 4. g3 g6 5. Bg2 Bg7 6. c4 d6 7. h3 h6. Here, one cannot but mention 7. ... 0-0 8. Nc3 Nd7 9. Bg5 f6 10. Be3 f5 11. exf5 gxf5 12. Qd2?! (both 12. Ng5 and 12. Bg5 came into consideration) 12. ... Nc5 13. 0-0 Ne6 14. Nd5? (⌓ 14. Ne2) 14. ... f4! 15. gxf4 Ncd4 16. Bxd4 exd4−+ (Duda – Giri, 81st Tata Steel Chess Tournament, Wijk aan Zee 2019) as an omen of what was to come.
8. Nc3 Be6 9. Be3 Qd7 10. Qd2 Ng8 11. Rb1 a5 12. b3 Nd4 13. Bxd4 exd4

14. Nb5 (14. Ne2 c5 15. Nf4⩲)
14. ... c5 15. Qf4 Ra6 16. 0-0. Not an easy move to make.
16. ... g5 17. Qd2 Ne7

White cannot be happy at all with how the opening has gone, but with her few following moves she may end up making the situation worse.
18. h4? Better perhaps (or without perhaps) was 18. Nh2 at once, followed by f2-f4.
18. ... g4 19. Nh2 Be5 20. a3 Nc6 21. Rb2 Kf8 22. Kh1 Kg7 23. Qe1 Kh7 24. f4. They were both already gravely short of time, and 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)’s move, further weakening her already frail position, reflects her own discomfort.
24. ... gxf3 25. Nxf3 Rg8 26. Nxe5 Nxe5 27. Rd2 Raa8 28. b4 axb4 29. axb4 b6 30. bxc5 bxc5 31. Bf3

31. ... Bh3? Koneru too had very little time left, which would explain why she was content with a draw by repetition, rather than going for the jugular with 31. ... Nxd3! 32. Rxd3 Bxc4 simply disintegrating the whole White’s army.
32. Bg2 Be6 33. Bf3 Bh3 34. Bg2 Be6 ½–½.

And yet 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)’s miraculous save wasn’t enough to avoid Ganges Grandmasters’ first setback. Photo: Maria Alekseevna Emelianova/Global Chess League.