A Matter of Small Matters

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Mariya Olehivna Muzychuk

1st FIDE World Rapid Team Chess Championship; WR Chess – Ashdod Elit Chess Club; time control: 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; Düsseldorf, August 26, 2023

Giuoco Piano C50

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. d3 Nf6 5. a4 d6 6. h3 a6 7. c3 0-0 8. 0-0 Be6 9. Bxe6 fxe6 10. b4 Ba7 11. Be3 Bxe3 12. fxe3 d5!? Tempting, but probably not as solid as 12. ... Ne7 13. Nbd2 Ng6 14. d4 Qe7 15. Qb3 Kh8 16. b5 axb5 17. axb5 exd4 18. cxd4 e5 19. Rxa8 Rxa8 20. Rc1 exd4 21. exd4 Nxe4 22. Nxe4 Qxe4 23. Rxc7 Rf8 24. Qc2 Qd5 25. Qc4 Qxc4 26. Rxc4 Kg8 27. b6 h6 28. Nd2 Nf4 29. Rc7 Rf7 30. Nc4 Nd5 31. Rc8+ Rf8 32. Rxf8+ Kxf8 33. Nxd6 Nxb6 34. Nxb7 Ke7 35. Kf2 Ke6 36. Ke3 Kd5 37. Na5 Na4 38. Nb3 Nb2 39. Nd2 Nd1+ 40. Ke2 Nb2 41. Nb3 Kc4 42. Nc5 Kxd4 43. Ne6+ Ke4 44. Nxg7 Nc4 45. Kf2 Kf4 46. g3+ Ke4 47. g4 Kf4 48. Nh5+ Kg5 49. Kg3 Ne5 50. Nf4 Kf6 51. Kh4 Ng6+ 52. Kg3 Nxf4 53. Kxf4 Kg6 54. h4 Kf6 55. Kf3 Kf7 56. Ke3 Ke7 57. Kd3 Kd7 58. Kc4 Ke6 59. Kd4 Kd6 60. Ke4 Ke6 61. Kf4 Kf6 62. Ke4 Ke6 63. Kf4 ½–½ Carlsen – So, 5th Norway Chess, Stavanger 2017.
13. Nbd2 dxe4 14. Nxe4 Nxe4 15. dxe4 Qe8 16. Qe2! Qg6 17. Qc4 Rf6

18. b5? This is simply premature, as it releases Black from all her trouble. Simply 18. Kh2! first would have made the threat of b4-b5 extraordinarily strong.
18. ... axb5 19. axb5 Rxa1 20. Rxa1 Rxf3 21. bxc6 bxc6 22. Ra8+ Rf8 23. Qxc6 Rxa8 24. Qxa8+ Kf7 25. Qc6 Kf6 26. Qxc7 Qxe4 27. Qd8+ Kf7 28. Qd2 Qc4 29. Kf2 h5 30. Qc2 h4 31. e4 g5 32. Ke3 Kg6 33. Qc1 Qa2 34. Kf3 Qc4 35. Qd2

35. ... Qf1+? Black overlooks here a little, but very effective tactic: 35. ... g4+! 36. hxg4 (but not 36. Kxg4?? Qxe4+ followed by mate) 36. ... Qf1+ 37. Qf2 (or 37. Ke3 h3! 38. gxh3 Qxh3+ 39. Ke2 Qxg4+ 40. Kd3 Qf3+ with a perpetual) 37. ... Qd3+ with a draw by perpetual check.
36. Kg4 Qf6 37. c4 Kh6 38. c5 Qg6 39. Kf3 Qf7+ 40. Ke2 Qb7 41. Qc2 Qc6 42. Ke3

42. ... Kh5?? A terrible blunder, which loses straight away. The Black King should have oscillated between g6, g7 and f6 or h6.
43. Qd1+! Kg6 44. Qd6 Qb5 45. Qxe6+ Kh5 46. Qf7+ Kh6 47. Qf6+ Kh5 48. Qxe5 Qb3+ 49. Kf2 Qd1 50. Qe8+ Kh6 51. Qe6+ Kh7 52. Qe7+ Kh8 53. Qxg5 Qc2+ 54. Kf3 Qd3+ 55. Kf4 Qd2+ 56. Kf5 Qd7+ 57. Ke5 Qe8+ (57. ... Qc7+ 58. Ke6 Qc6+ 59. Kf7 Qc7+ 60. Qe7+−)
58. Kf4 Qf8+ 59. Ke3 Qf7 60. Qxh4+ Kg7 61. Qg5+ Kh8 62. Qe5+ Kg8 63. Qd5 1–0.

As they say, Queen endings are always tricky, and this was no exception. Photo: Lennart Ootes/WR Chess.