Strength and Beauty

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – 王秦萱逸 (Wáng Qínxuānyì)

19th Chinese Chess League Division A Regular; Match 深圳鹏城队 (Shēnzhèn Péngchéng Team)–杭州棋类协会队 (Hángzhōu Chess and Card Association); time control: 90 minutes per 40 moves plus 30 minutes for the rest of the game plus 30 seconds per move starting on move 1; 南京 (Nánjīng), September 1, 2025

Sicilian Defence B23

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nd4 4. Nf3 a6 5. Bd3 e6 6. 0-0 Nc6 7. Nd5 exd5. Very interesting is 7. ... g5 8. Nxg5 exd5 9. Qh5 Ne5 10. exd5 d6 11. f4 Bg4 12. Qh4 h6∞ Caruana – Narodistky, Late-Titled-Tuesday-Blitz-May-20-2025, chess.com, May 20, 2025 (time control: 3 minutes plus 1 second per move).
8. exd5 Nb4. No good is 8. ... Qf6 9. dxc6 dxc6 10. Re1+ Ne7 11. Ne5 Be6 12. b3 Nd5 13. Bb2 Qg5 14. Qf3 Nf6 15. Bc4 Be7 16. Nxc6+− Kravtsiv – Zienkiewicz, Early-Titled-Tuesday-Blitz-April-01-2025, chess.com, April 1, 2025 (time control: 3 minutes plus 1 second per move).
9. Re1+ Ne7 10. d6 Nxd3 11. cxd3 Qb6 12. dxe7 Bxe7

13. b4! d6? The Pawn cannot be captured now, either by the Queen (13. ... Qxb4?? 14. Qe2+−) or the Pawn (13. ... cxb4 14. Bb2→), but Black misses the chance here to put the King safe in the castle: 13. ... 0-0! for if 14. Rxe7 then 14. ... Qf6 forking both Rooks and thus winning the Exchange.
14. bxc5 dxc5 15. d4 Be6 16. dxc5 Qxc5 17. d4 Qd6 18. Bg5 Rd8 19. Qc2 h6? Black still could not castle (19. ... 0-0? 20. d5!+−), but the text move is also bad as it allows White to deliver a mating attack. Correct was 19. ... f6! 20. Re3 0-0 21. Rae1 Bd5 22. Rxe7 Bxf3 23. Bh6 Rd7 with a tenable defence.

20. Rxe6! fxe6 (20. ... Qxe6 21. Bxe7 Qxe7 22. Re1+−)
21. Qg6+ Kf8 (21. ... Kd7 22. Rc1 hxg5 23. Ne5++−)
22. Ne5 Kg8 23. Qf7+ Kh7 24. Bxe7 Qxd4 25. Qg6+ Kg8 26. Qxe6+ Kh7 27. Qg6+ Kg8 28. Rf1 1–0.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) has consolidated her position as women’s world No. 1 with a perfect 6–0 score in the Regular stage of the Chinese League. Photo: 新华社 (Xīnhuá News Agency).