Behind the Bid

丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) – 白金石 (Bái Jīnshí)

2022 “Welcome to the Asian Games” Chess Grandmaster Invitational Tournament; 杭州 (Hángzhōu), March 30, 2022

Tarrasch Defence D32

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c5 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. dxc5 d4 7. Na4 Bxc5 8. Nxc5 Qa5+ 9. Bd2 Qxc5 10. b4!? 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) hopes that the gambit line will yield him something more than 10. e3 Bg4 11. exd4 Qe7+ 12. Be2 Bxf3 13. gxf3 Nf6∞ 14. Bc3 0-0 15. Qd2 Rfe8 16. Kf1 Rad8 17. Rg1 g6 18. Rd1 Qe6 19. Rg5 Nd5 20. Re1 Qf6 21. Rg4 Qf5 22. Kg2 Qf6 23. Rd1 a6 24. Bf1 Nce7 25. Bd3 h5 26. Re4 Nf5 27. Rxe8+ Rxe8 28. Bxf5 Qxf5 29. Re1 Nf4+ 30. Qxf4 Qxf4 31. Rxe8+ Kg7 32. d5+ f6 33. Re6 Qg5+ 34. Kf1 Qxd5 35. Rxf6 Kh7 36. a3 g5 37. h3 ½ : ½ Knaak – Lalić, 24th “Zlatni Pyasåtsi” International Tournament, Varna 1985. 10. ... Qf5. 白金石 (Bái Jīnshí) is not interested in knowing what his opponent had prepared with regard to 10. ... Nxb4 11. Rc1 Qd6 12. e3 Ne7 (12. ... dxe3 13. Bc3 exf2+ 14. Kxf2 Qb6+ 15. Bd4 Qh6 16. Qe1+ Ne7 17. Qxb4 0-0 18. Bc4 Nc6 19. Qc3 Bg4 20. Be3 Qh5 21. Be2 Rae8 22. Bc5 1 : 0 Kobo – Korning, 15th Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival, Catalan Bay 2017) 13. Nxd4 0-0 14. Bc4 Nbc6 15. Nxc6 Nxc6 16. Bc3 Qg6 17. 0-0 Rd8 18. Qb3 Rb8 19. Rfd1 Be6 20. Bxe6 Qxe6 21. Qxe6 fxe6 22. f4 Rxd1+ 23. Rxd1 Rd8 24. Rxd8+ Nxd8 25. Kf2 Nc6 26. e4 Kf7 27. Ke3 b5 28. g4 g6 29. g5 a6 30. h4 Ke7 ½ : ½ Kántor – Kosić, First Saturday GM October 2017, Budapest 2017. 11. Rc1 Nf6 12. Rc5 Qd7TN (12. ... Qe6 13. b5 Ne4 14. Rc1 Ne5 15. Bf4 Ng4 16. Qxd4 0-0 17. h3 Ngxf2 18. Rh2 Qxa2 19. g4 Bxg4 20. Rxf2 Nxf2 21. Kxf2 Bxf3 22. Kxf3 Qe6 23. Rd1 Rac8 24. Qd6 Qxd6 25. Bxd6 Rfd8 26. e4 f6 27. Kf4 a6 28. Rd4 ½ : ½ Gusev – Giesemann, Champions League 2017 B4 Board 4, by e-mail, 2017) 13. b5 Nd8 14. Bb4 Ne6 15. Rc4 Nd5. If 15. ... a6!? there might follow 16. bxa6 b5 17. Rxd4! Nxd4 18. Nxd4 Bxa6 19. e3 with good play for the Exchange. 16. Nxd4 Nxb4 17. Rxb4 0-0 18. e3 Qe7 19. Qd2 Rd8 20. Be2 Nxd4 21. Rxd4 Be6 22. 0-0 Rxd4 23. Qxd4 b6

24. Rd1. White decides to return the Pawn for some initiative rather than betting on a 4 Pawns vs. 3 on the same side ending being won. 24. ... Bxa2 25. Bf3 Rc8 26. Bb7 Rc5. The Bishop is obviously taboo because of back rank mate. 27. Qd8+ Qf8 28. h3 Bb3 29. Rd4 (29. Rd7 Be6=) 29. ... g6 30. Qf6 Rf5 31. Qh4

31. ... Qc5? This loses at once. After the forced move 31. ... Rh5 White had probably nothing better than repeating by 32. Qf6 Rf5= because, instead, 32. Qe4 Qxb5 33. Qd3 Qc5 34. Rd8+ Kg7 35. Rc8 Qb4 36. Qd8 Be6∞ can still be tricky but likely not winnable. 32. Be4! Re5. Apparently hoping for 33. Qf6 Re8 34. Bc6 Qe5 with good chances of saving the game.

33. Bxg6! fxg6 34. Rd7! Bf7 35. Qf6 Qc1+ 36. Kh2 1 : 0. Black has no other defence against the threat of mate but to lose heavy material.

Up to Date

居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) – 白金石 (Bái Jīnshí)
51st Chinese Chess Championship; 兴化 (Xīnghuà), December 30, 2020
Slav Defence D10

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. cxd5 cxd5 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. Bf4 e6 6. e3 Bd6 7. Bxd6 Qxd6 8. Bd3 0-0 9. Nf3 Nc6 10. 0-0 Bd7 11. Rc1 Rac8 12. a3 a6 13. h3 Rc7 14. e4!?TN (14. Qe2 Rfc8 15. Rc2 h6 16. Rfc1 Na5 17. e4 dxe4 18. Nxe4 Nxe4 19. Qxe4 f5 20. Qe1 Rxc2 21. Rxc2 Rxc2 22. Bxc2 Nc6 23. Qc3 Be8 24. Bb3 Bh5 25. Qe3 Bxf3 26. Qxe6+ Qxe6 27. Bxe6+ Kf8 28. gxf3 Nxd4 29. Bc8 b6 30. Bxa6 Nxf3+ 31. Kf1 Ke7 32. Bc8 g6 33. Kg2 Nd4 34. Kf1 Kd6 35. Ke1 Ke5 ½ : ½ Belov – Matlakov, 17th Russian Team Chess Championship Premiere League, Dagomys 2010) 14. ... dxe4 15. Nxe4 Nxe4 16. Bxe4 h6

17. d5 exd5 18. Bxd5 Be6 19. Bxc6 Rxc6 20. Rxc6 Qxc6 21. Nd4 Qb6 22. Nxe6 Qxe6 23. Re1 Qb6 24. Qc2 Qd6 25. Qd1 Qb6 26. Qc2 Qd6 27. Qd1 Qb6 28. Qc2 ½ : ½.

Well, they are the Champs: 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí) (♀) and 余泱漪 (Yú Yāngyī) (♂). Photo: Chinese Chess Association.

But a Lady in White is the superstar of superstars: 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) from 上海 (Shànghǎi), a three-time Women’s World Chess Champion, finished at 4th place in the men’s field with a score of 6/11 — quite an unprecedented result for a debutant, and something which echoes the flamboyant “past” of world’s woman No. 1 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), who was the first girl to ever be admitted to the all-gender Championship (uninterruptedly from 2009 to 2014). Photo: Chinese Chess Association.