Sugarcane

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – 朱锦尔 (Zhū Jǐn’ěr)

19th Asian Games — Women’s Individual Rapid Chess; time control: 25 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; 杭州 (Hángzhōu), September 26, 2023

Sicilian Defence B22

1. e4 c5 2. c3 d5 3. exd5 Qxd5 4. d4 Nc6 5. Nf3 Nf6 6. Be3 cxd4 7. cxd4 e6 8. Nc3 Qd8 9. a3 Be7 10. Bd3 0-0 11. 0-0 b6 12. Qe2 Bb7 13. Rad1 Re8 14. Bb1 Rc8 15. Rfe1 Bf8 16. Bg5 Ne7

17. Bxf6 (17. Ne5 Ned5 18. Qd3 h6 19. Bd2⩲)
17. ... gxf6 18. d5 Nxd5 19. Nxd5 Bxd5 20. Be4 f5 21. Bxd5. Simpler seems 22. Qxe8 Rxe8 23. Rxe8 Rxe8 24. Kf1 Bg7= with equality.
21. ... exd5 22. Qd3 Re4 23. Nd4 Qf6 24. h3 Rce8 25. Rxe4. By proudly refusing the possibility of a draw, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) made the initiative slip in her opponent’s hands.
25. ... fxe4 26. Qb5 Re5 27. b4 Rg5 28. Qd7 Qg6

29. Ne2?? The beginning of a tragicomedy of errors. 29. g4 was now called for, as after 29. ... h5 30. f4! exf3 31. Nxf3 Qc2 32. Rxd5 Rxd5 33. Qxd5 White would save the day.
29. ... e3?? 29. ... Rxg2+ 30. Kh1 Bd6 forces White to give up the Queen.
30. g4 Qc2? (30. ... exf2+ 31. Kxf2 Re5 32. Rxd5 Qf6+ 33. Ke1 Re6−+)
31. Rxd5 Rxd5 32. Qxd5 h6. If 32. ... Qxc2 then 33. Qg5+ with a draw by perpetual check.
33. Qf3 exf2+ 34. Kxf2 a5

35. bxa5?? Another huge mistake, which should lose the game for White. 35. Qf6! would have hold on to the end.
35. ... bxa5 36. Qd5 Qc5+ 37. Qxc5 Bxc5+ 38. Kf3 Bf8?? Indeed, there’s no obvious reason why Black did not take the Pawn (38. ... Bxa3−+).
39. Kf2?? Unbelievable but true. Of course 39. a4 would have drawn easily enough.
39. ... Bc5+ 40. Kf3 Bxa3. Black is not given a second chance!
41. Nc3 Bb4 42. Na4 Kg7 43. Ke4 Kf6 44. Nb6 Kg5 45. Kf3 Kh4 46. Kg2 Bc5 47. Nc4 Bb4 48. Ne5 Kg5 49. Nxf7+ Kf4 50. Nxh6 a4 51. Nf5 Ke4 52. Ng3+ Kd3 53. Kf3 a3 54. Ne2 Bd2 0 : 1.

And thus 朱锦尔 (Zhū Jǐn’ěr) grew to be a kind of bête noire to 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán). Photos: 新华社 (Xīnhuá News Agency).