第四轮 (Round Four)

Raunak Sadhwani – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)

4th Rapid “Tournament of Stars”; time control: 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; Moscow, June 28, 2024

Sicilian Defence B42

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Bd3 Nf6 6. 0-0 Qc7 7. Qe2 d6 8. c4 Nbd7 9. Nc3 Ne5 10. h3 Be7 11. Be3 Nxd3 12. Qxd3 b6 13. Rac1 Bb7 14. Rfd1 0-0 15. b3 Rac8 16. f4 Nd7 17. f5 Nc5 18. Qb1 Bf6 19. b4 Bxd4 20. Bxd4 Nd7 21. Ne2 Ne5 22. f6 gxf6 23. Rf1 f5 24. exf5 Qc6 25. Nf4 Qe4 26. Qxe4 Bxe4 27. fxe6 fxe6 28. Rce1 Nxc4 29. Nxe6 Rxf1+ 30. Rxf1 b5 31. Re1 Bc6 32. Ng7 Kf7 33. Nf5 Re8 34. Rf1 Kg6 35. Nh4+ Kh5 36. Rf5+ Kh6 (36. ... Kxh4?? 37. Bf2#)
37. Rf6+ Kg5 38. Rf5+ Kh6 39. g4 Ne5 40. Kf2 Kg7 41. Rh5 Be4 42. Kg3 Bg6 43. Nf5+ Bxf5 44. Rxf5

44. ... Kg6? 44. ... Rc8! at once would have saved a tempo and offered chances for a draw.
45. h4! Rc8 46. h5+ Kg7 47. Bxe5+ dxe5 48. Rxe5 Rc3+ 49. Kh4 Kf6 50. Rf5+ Kg7 51. Rd5 Ra3 52. Rd7+ Kg8 53. Kg5! The triumphal epiphany of the King march.
53. ... Rxa2 54. Kh6 Rb2 55. g5 Rxb4 56. Rd8+ Kf7 57. Kxh7 Rh4 58. h6 Rg4 59. g6+ 1–0.

It took only an unfortunate slip for 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) to run into a defeat she didn’t deserve. Photo: Sergey Sergeevich Moiseev.