Winged Knight

Anastasia Mikhailovna Bodnaruk – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)

6th Online Women’s Speed Chess Championship “Julius Bär” Main Event; Round of 16 match game 2; time control: 5 minutes plus 1 second per move; chess.com, August 26, 2024

Sicilian Defence B90

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Nb3 e6 7. g4 b5 8. g5 Nfd7 9. Be3 Bb7 10. Bg2 Ne5 11. Qe2 Nc4 12. 0-0-0 Nd7 13. f4 Nxe3 14. Qxe3 b4? An instructive mistake which White can promptly profit by. Much better was 14. ... Qb6 ½–½ Rabatin – Sikora, 25th Czech Team Chess Championship — Extraliga, Ostrava 2017, after which there might follow 15. Qh3 b4∞ with complex play.

15. Nd5! Afterwards 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) called this a “wonderful sacrifice”, although it is pretty thematic in such positions.
15. ... exd5 16. exd5+ Be7 17. Rhe1

17. ... h6? Apparently shocked, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) fails to put up a worthy resistance. 17. ... Ne5 at once should be played, although after 18. Kb1 0-0 19. fxe5 Bxg5 20. Qh3 White still retains a dangerous attack.
18. Nd4! The White Knight takes the scene, eyeing both c6 and f5.
18. ... Ne5 19. h4 hxg5?! This cannot be good, but if 19. ... Ng6 then 20. Nc6! Bxc6 21. dxc6 0-0 22. Bd5! with an overwhelming position.
20. fxe5 0-0 21. Nc6 Bxc6 22. dxc6 gxh4. White couldn’t wish for nothing more than the open g-file, but at least Black threatens a skewer with ... Be7-g5.
23. Kb1 Qc7 24. Bd5! dxe5 25. Rg1 Bf6. Or 25. ... Qd6 26. Bxf7+ winning the Queen and the game.
26. Qh6 Qd6

27. Rxg7+! Bxg7 28. Qxd6 1–0.