Moon Festival

Four-time Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) and Woman Grandmaster 丁亦昕 (Dīng Yìxīn) playing chess on 乌棚船 (Wūpéng Boat) (black-awning boat) on the Moon Festival in 绍兴市 (Shàoxīng City), China. Caption and photos: 梁子铭 (Liáng Zimíng).

Round the Moon

丁亦昕 (Dīng Yìxīn) – 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí)
6th Chinese Women’s Masters Chess Tournament; 无锡 (Wúxī), May 30, 2017
Four Knights Game C49

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bb4 5. 0-0 0-0 6. d3 Bxc3 7. bxc3 d6 8. Bxc6 bxc6 9. h3 h6 10. Be3 Be6 11. c4 Nd7 12. Nd2 f5!? New wine in old bottle. The older try was 12. ... c5 13. f4 f5 14. Qe2 Qe7 15. fxe5 Nxe5 16. exf5 Bxf5 17. Bf4 Ng6 18. Qxe7 Nxe7 ½ : ½ Sydor – Adamski, 35th Polish Chess Championship, Kraków 1978. 13. exf5 Bxf5 14. f4 exf4 15. Bxf4 Nc5 16. Qh5 Qe8 17. Qxe8 Raxe8 18. Bg3 Re2 19. Rf2? A seemingly trivial oversight which loses a (maybe not so valuable) Pawn. Stockfish’s line 19. Nb3 Ne6 (after 19. ... Rxc2 20. Nd4 Black could find difficult to get adequate compensation for the Exchange) 20. Rf2 Rxf2 21. Bxf2 c5 appears to lead to equality.

19. ... Bxd3! 20. Rxe2 Bxe2 21. Re1 Bh5 22. Nb3 Na6!? 16th Women’s World Chess Champion judges, perhaps correctly, that after 22. ... Nxb3 23. cxb3 c5 24. Re7 her chances to exploit her extra Pawn would be virtually zero, and opts for a move which, at least from a psychological viewpoint, gives her opponent more pressure. 23. Nd4? So it worked out! Best was 23. c5! dxc5 24. Nxc5 as after 24. ... Nxc5 25. Re5 White regains the piece with concrete drawing chances. 23. ... c5! Now 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí) forces a very pleasant ending, which will be able to handle with confident technique. 24. Nb5 Bf7 25. Nxa7. If 25. Re7 then 25. ... Rd8! (Stockfish) 26. Nxa7 (on 26. Nxc7? Kf8 wins the Exchange) 26. ... Bxc4 with consequences not too different from those in the game. 25. ... Bxc4 26. a3 Kf7. Here ... Rf8-b8-b2 looked also very strong. 27. Re4 Bd5 28. Ra4 Bb7 29. Nb5 Ke6 30. Rg4 Rf7 31. h4 Kd7 32. h5 Bd5 33. Nc3 Be6 34. Ra4 Nb8 35. Ne2 Nc6 36. c3 Bb3 37. Ra8 Re7 38. Kf2 Ne5 39. Bxe5 Rxe5 40. Nf4 Re4 41. g3 Ra4 42. Rh8 Ke7 43. Rc8 Ra7 44. Ke3 Be6. 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí) shows herself to be more than a chess machine, not fearing to enter the Rook endgame a Pawn up and thus challenging Tartakower’s statement that “all Rook endgames are drawn”. 45. Nxe6 Kxe6 46. Rg8 c6 47. Kd2 Kd5. Black’s win turns out to be quite easy as, in addition to her extra Pawn, she can rely on Steinitz’s dictum, who held that His Majesty is a strong piece. 48. Kc2. 48. Kd3 c4+ 49. Kc2 c5 does not appear to change anything. 48. ... Kc4 49. Kb2 d5! 50. a4 d4 51. Rc8 Rb7+ 52. Kc2 d3+ 53. Kd2 Rb2+ 54. Ke3 Kxc3 55. Rxc6 c4 56. Rc7 Re2+ 57. Kf3 Re1 0 : 1.

丁亦昕 (Dīng Yìxīn) vs. 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí)
Photo: qipai.org.cn

An Aesthetic Idea through Bureaucracy

丁亦昕 (Dīng Yìxīn) – 沈阳 (Shěn Yáng)
2016 Chinese Chess League Division A; 嘉兴 (Jiāxīng), June 24, 2016
Four Knights Game C47

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. Nxd4 Bb4 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. Bd3 d5 8. exd5 cxd5 9. 0-0 0-0 10. h3 c6 11. Qf3 Rb8 12. Bf4 Bd6 13. b3 Rb4 14. Ne2 Bxf4 15. Nxf4 Qd6 16. Nh5 Nxh5 17. Qxh5 g6 18. Qf3. Thus she cannot cause Black any worries. More promising is 18. Qg5 Kg7 19. Rae1 Qf6 20. Qe3 with an edge for White, Alsina Leal – Dvirnyy, 39th International Open, Badalona 2013. 18. ... Qf4. 沈阳 (Shěn Yáng) plays safe and ensures herself a comfortable balance. Anyway, 18. ... Rf4 also was good. 19. Qxf4 Rxf4 20. Rfe1 Be6 21. c3 Rd8 22. Rad1

22. ... a5! 23. Ba6 Rb8! 24. Bd3 a4! 沈阳 (Shěn Yáng) is playing so well from so much time that you could well wonder why the superbosses of Chinese chess didn’t call her to join the Olympic women’s team. 25. Bc2 axb3 26. axb3 Bf5 27. Bxf5 Rxf5 28. b4 Rf4 29. Re7. White has sufficient life in her to achieve a draw. 29. ... Ra8 30. Re2 Ra3 31. b5 cxb5 32. Rxd5 Rxc3 33. Rxb5 ½ : ½.

沈阳 (Shěn Yáng)
Photo: games.sports.cn

Fading Beauty

沈阳 (Shěn Yáng) – 丁亦昕 (Dīng Yìxīn)
1st China Chess Queen; match game 2; 台州 (Tāizhōu), November 25, 2015
Grünfeld Defence D85

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Qb3 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Ba3 b6 8. e3 0-0 9. Nf3 Nc6 10. Be2 Na5 11. Qc2. Also after 11. Qb4 c5! 12. Qb2 Be6 13. Nd2 Qc7 we’d subjectively prefer Black, Mah – Hawkins, 4NCL 2012/2013, Staverton 2013. 11. ... c5 12. dxc5? 沈阳 (Shěn Yáng) must win at any cost, and doesn’t hesitate to unbalance the position. Objectively, her move is very dubious. On the other hand, 12. 0-0 Qc7 was dead equal. 12. ... Bf5! 13. Qb2 bxc5 14. 0-0. By taking the Pawn, 沈阳 (Shěn Yáng) would have subjected herself to a very powerful initiative: 14. Bxc5? Qc7 15. Bb4 Nc4! would leave White in a very unpleasant position. 14. ... Rb8 15. Qc1 Qc7 16. Nd2 Qe5 17. Bb2 Rfd8 18. Rd1

18. ... Bd3! Black gained a strong advantage. 19. Bf3 c4 20. h3 h5 21. Nf1 Nb7 22. Rd2. A bad move in a bad position. Now White will be soon overwhelmed by Black’s huge preponderance. 22. ... Nc5 23. Qd1 Qc7 24. Rc1 Qa5. Even simpler was 24. ... Bxf1 25. Kxf1 Rxd2 26. Qxd2 Nd3 and White could well resign. 25. Ba1 Na4 26. Qe1 Rd6 27. Ng3 Rdb6 28. Ne2 Rb1 29. Rdd1 Rxc1 30. Rxc1 e5 ½ : ½. White is substantially helpless, but 丁亦昕 (Dīng Yìxīn) needed just a half point to qualify for the next round.

沈阳 (Shěn Yáng) (R.) vs. 丁亦昕 (Dīng Yìxīn) (L.)
Photo: General Administration of Sport in China

The Other Side of the Moon

丁亦昕 (Dīng Yìxīn) – 沈阳 (Shěn Yáng)
1st China Chess Queen; match game 1; 台州 (Tāizhōu), November 24, 2015
Four Knights Game C48

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bd6!? A very strange move, but – I must confess – very often I don’t understand chess as it is played today. 5. d3 h6 6. a3 a6 7. Ba4 b5 8. Bb3 Bb7 9. Be3. For 9. Ne2 Bc5 10. Ng3 d6 11. Be3 0-0 12. 0-0 Nd4 13. Bxd4 Bxd4 14. Nxd4 exd4 15. Nf5 see Naiditsch – B. Tóth, 5th International Chess Festival, Basel 2015. 9. ... 0-0 10. Ne2 Re8 11. Ng3 Bf8 12. 0-0 d5 13. exd5 Nxd5 14. Nf5 Re6 15. Nd2 Rf6 16. Ng3 Nd4 17. Ba2 c5 18. Nde4 Rg6 19. Qd2 Qh4 20. f4? A very imprudent decision. She should have first played 20. Bxd5 Bxd5 and only then 21. f4. 20. ... Nxe3 21. Qxe3 Nxc2 22. Qf2 Bxe4? Not 22. ... Nxa1? on account of 23. fxe5 Kh7 (what else?) 24. Qxf7 Be7 25. Rf4 and wins. However, here 22. ... exf4 23. Qxc2 c4 looks much stronger. 23. Qxc2 Bc6 24. fxe5 Qd4+ 25. Kh1 Ra7 26. Rae1 Qd8

27. e6!? To light the Dragon’s fire. 27. ... fxe6? 沈阳 (Shěn Yáng) panics and opens up lines for White’s Bishop as well as her Rook. Correct was 27. ... Bd5 28. exf7+ Rxf7 29. Rxf7 Kxf7 30. b4 Rc6 when Black should hold her own. 28. Rxe6 Rxe6 29. Bxe6+ Kh8 30. d4! The decisive break-up of the Black’s castled position, even if it’s far (very far!) from His Majesty’s position! 30. ... c4. Clearly bad, but after 30. ... Bd6 31. Nf5 Qf6 32. d5 Black is helpless anyway. 31. Qg6. With the threat of Be6-f5. 31. ... Bd7 32. Bd5 Be7 33. Nh5 Bf6. Else 33. ... Bf8 34. Be4 mates in a few moves. 34. Nxf6 1-0.

沈阳 (Shěn Yáng)
Photo: qipai.org.cn

Play to Win

丁亦昕 (Dīng Yìxīn) – Valentina Evgenyevna Gunina
China – Russia Match; 宁波市 (Níngbō), July 20, 2015
Caro-Kann Defence B19

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. h4 h6 7. Nf3 Nd7 8. h5 Bh7 9. Bd3 Bxd3 10. Qxd3 e6 11. Bd2 Ngf6 12. 0-0-0 Be7 13. Kb1 0-0 14. Ne4 c5 15. g4!? Dernier cri. 15. ... Nxg4 16. Rhg1 f5 17. Qc4 Qb6 18. dxc5!? Quite a novelty. If, instead, 18. d5 then 18. ... Qa6! and Black should hold, Baumegger – Kreisl, 55th Austrian Chess Championship, Zwettl 2012. 18. ... Qc6. Worth considering was 18. ... Nxc5 as after 19. Nxc5 Bxc5 20. Bc3 Rf7 21. Nd4 the position looks only slightly better for White. 19. Bc3 b5!? After 19. ... Rf7 20. Qe2 Qxe4 21. Qxe4 fxe4 22. Rxd7 Nf6 23. Bxf6 Bxf6 24. Rxf7 Kxf7 25. Nd2 White wins a Pawn. 20. Qe2 b4!? Now it’s too late for 20. ... Qxe4 21. Qxe4 fxe4 because of 22. Rxd7 Rf7 23. Rxg4 exf3 24. b4! and Black is completely tied up. 21. Bxb4 Rab8 22. Bc3 e5? The decisive mistake! Instead of this hasty move, necessary was 22. ... Rf7 though after 23. Nd4 Qxe4 24. Qxe4 fxe4 25. Rxg4 Nf6 26. Rg6 White stands better.

23. Rxd7! A destructive Exchange sacrifice! 23. ... Qxd7 24. Qc4+ Kh7 25. Nxe5 Qc8. Needless to say, after 25. ... Nxe5 26. Bxe5 White threatens both Rg1xg7+ and Be5xb8. 26. Ng6 Qc7 27. Qe6 Bxc5 28. Nxf8+ Rxf8 29. Qg6+ Kg8 30. Nxc5 Rf7 31. Ne6 1 : 0. For if 31. ... Ne5 then 32. Qxh6 finis. Thus 丁亦昕 (Dīng Yìxīn) won her first game!

丁亦昕 (Dīng Yìxīn) vs. Valentina Yevgenyevna Gunina
Photo: sinochess (@sinachess)