Friday, September 26, 2025

Queens in Between

居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
15th National Games | Chess Finals; Round-Robin Women; time control: 25 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; 深圳 (Shēnzhèn), September 26, 2025
Sicilian Defence B51

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Nd7 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 e6 6. d3 a6 7. c4 Be7 8. Nc3 0-0 9. h3 b6 10. d4 Bb7 11. d5 b5! 12. cxb5 exd5 13. exd5 axb5 14. Bxb5 Nb6 15. Bc6 Bxc6 16. dxc6 Qc8 17. Re1 Re8 18. Bg5 Qxc6 19. Qd3 h6


20. Rxe7! hxg5!? Rather than accept the Exchange and to subject to White’s initiative after 20. ... Rxe7 21. Bxf6 gxf6 22. Nh4, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) turns the tables by giving up a Pawn in order to give her pieces more scope and utimately get to a drawish endgame.
21. Rxe8+ Rxe8 22. Nxg5 d5 23. b3 d4 24. Ne2 Nbd5 25. a3 Qd6 26. Nf3 Nh5 27. b4 cxb4 28. axb4 Nhf4 29. Nxf4 Nxf4 30. Qb5 Rb8 31. Qe5 Qxe5 32. Nxe5 Rxb4 33. Ra8+ Kh7 34. Nxf7 d3 35. Rd8 Ne2+ 36. Kh2 Rd4 37. Rxd4 Nxd4 38. Ng5+ Kg6 39. Ne4 Nb3 40. g4 d2 41. Nc3 Nd4 42. f4 Ne2 43. f5+ Kh6 44. Nd1 Kg5 45. Kg2 Nf4+ 46. Kg3 Ne2+ 47. Kf2 Nf4 48. Kg3 Ne2+ ½–½.

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