Harvard Square

叶诗雯 (Carissa Yip) – 于润荷 (Jennifer Yú)
62nd U.S. Women’s Chess Championship; Saint Louis, October 6, 2023
Caro-Kann Defence B12

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nf3 e6 5. Be2 Ne7 6. 0-0 h6 7. Nbd2 Nd7 8. Nb3 g5 9. Ne1 Bg7 10. f4 gxf4? 10. ... Qc7 11. Nd3 b6 is, by transposition, a sounder form of Black’s line of defence; for example: 12. Be3 c5 13. dxc5 gxf4 14. cxb6 axb6 15. Bxf4 Ng6 16. Bg3 0-0 17. Nd4 Be4 18. c3 Ndxe5 19. Nf2 Qd8 20. Bh5 Qg5 21. Nxe4 dxe4 22. Qe2 e3 23. Bxg6 Nxg6 24. Nf3 Qc5 25. Rfe1 f5 26. Qxe3 Qxe3+ 27. Rxe3 f4 28. Rxe6 Kf7 29. Rxb6 fxg3 30. hxg3 Rfb8 31. Rxb8 Rxb8 32. Rf1 Ke6 ½ : ½ Domínguez Pérez – 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén), 10th World Team Chess Championship, Tsaghkadzor 2015.

11. Nd3! Ng6 12. Nxf4 Nxf4 13. Bxf4 Qe7 14. Qd2 Nf8

15. c4! dxc4 16. Na5! 0-0-0 17. Nxc4 Kb8 18. Nd6 Ng6 19. Bg3 Ka8 20. Bd3

Black is in a valley of tears, and her desperate gamble does nothing but precipitate the catastrophe:
20. ... Rxd6 21. exd6 Bxd4+ 22. Kh1 Qf6 23. Bxf5 exf5 24. Rad1 c5 25. Bf2 Qxd6 26. Bxd4 cxd4 27. Qxd4 Qxd4 28. Rxd4 f4 29. Rfd1 Kb8 30. Rd8+ Rxd8 31. Rxd8+ Kc7 32. Rd5 Ne7 33. Rh5 Kd6 34. Rxh6+ Ke5 35. Rh5+ Nf5 36. Kg1 Ke4 37. Rh3 Nd6 38. Rc3 a5 39. a4 Kd4 40. Rc7 Kd5 41. Kf2 b6 42. Kf3 Nc4 43. Rxc4 1 : 0.

叶诗雯 (Carissa Yip) has “picked up the baton” from the reigning U.S. Women’s Champ. Photo: Lennart Ootes/Saint Louis Chess Club.