Minutes Matter

Harika Dronavalli – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)

5th Online Women’s Speed Chess Championship “Julius Bär” Main Event; Final match game 4; time control: 5 minutes plus 1 second per move; chess.com, November 22, 2023

Sicilian Defence B22

1. e4 c5 2. c3 d5 3. exd5 Qxd5 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 e6 6. Na3 a6 7. Nc4 Nbd7 8. Be3. Pretty dubious, indeed.
8. ... b5 9. Na5 Qd6. Possibly more intriguing is 9. ... Ng4 10. Bd3 Nxe3 11. fxe3 Bd6 12. Qc2 Qh5 13. 0-0 0-0 14. Rad1 Qh6 15. Qf2 Nf6 16. h3 Ra7 17. e4 Bf4 18. Qe1 cxd4 19. cxd4 Rc7 20. Nb3 Nh5 21. Qh4 g5 22. Qe1 Ng3 23. Rf2 g4 24. Nh2 e5 25. dxe5 gxh3 26. Rf3 Qg5 27. Qf2 Bxe5 28. Nf1 Nxf1 29. Rxf1 Bg4 30. Re3 hxg2 31. Rfe1 f6 32. Qxg2 Rg7 33. Nc5 Bd4 0–1 Tari – Caruana, 11th Norway Blitz, Stavanger 2023 (time control: 3 minutes plus 2 seconds per move).
10. a4 Qc7 11. dxc5 Ng4 12. b4 Nxe3 13. fxe3 Bxc5 14. axb5 axb5! Improving on 14. ... Bxe3 15. Nc4⩲ Harika – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), 5th Online Women’s Speed Chess Championship “Julius Bär” Main Event, chess.com, November 22, 2023, Final match game 2 (time control: 5 minutes plus 1 second per move).
15. Bxb5 Bxe3 16. Qd3 Bb6

17. Rd1? A mistake which loses a Pawn. The comparatively best is 17. Qc4! Qxc4 18. Bxc4 Bb7! 19. Bb5! Bxa5 20. bxa5 Ke7 21. 0-0 Nc5 with more or less equality.
17. ... Bxa5 18. bxa5 Rxa5 19. c4

19. ... 0-0! The pointe: if now 20. Bxd7 then 20. ... Rd8 recovering the piece with at least one Pawn ahead.
20. 0-0 Nc5 21. Qe3 Bb7 22. Rd2 Bxf3 23. Qxf3 h6 24. h3 Qe5 25. Re2 Qd4+ 26. Kh1 Ra1 27. Ree1 Rxe1 28. Rxe1 Rd8 29. Rf1 f5 30. Re1 Ne4 31. Bc6. Perhaps White should have sought to somehow arrange an exchange of Queens, because, as things go now, Black meets no obstacles in consolidating her material advantage.
31. ... Nf2+ 32. Kh2 Qd6+. Or 32. ... Qxc4 32. Qxf2 Qxc6 remaining with two Pawns ahead.
33. Kg1. Again, if 33. Qg3 then 33. ... Qxc6 34. Qxf2 Qxc4 with two Pawns to the good.
33. ... Nd3 34. Rd1

34. ... Qc5+. 34. ... Ne5! at once is decisive.
35. Kh2 Qxc4 36.Bb7 Kh7! 37. Bc6? Ne5! 0–1.