In Infinity

On Sunday, April 9, 2017, after (or before) the “尚街杯” (“MEWE Cup”) 2017 World Champion Summit Chess Match award ceremony, the organising delegation – including 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – accompanied Vassily Mykhaylovych “Chucky” Ivanchuk on a short visit to 深圳 (Shēnzhèn)’s 大芬美术馆 (Dàfēn Art Museum), the ¥100,000,000 元 (yuán) 16,000 square meters oil painting village, where thousands of artists produce up to 60 per cent of the total global volume of reproduction artworks. Maybe it is true that “There’s always something authentic concealed in every forgery”, but, if I must just quote someone, I’d say it with Dylan: “Inside the museums, infinity goes up on trial / Voices echo this is what salvation must be like after a while / But Mona Lisa musta had the highway blues / You can tell by the way she smiles”. All photos: cca.imsa.cn.

Chimes at Midnight

And finally, the “尚街杯” (“MEWE Cup”) 2017 World Champion Summit Chess Match award ceremony took place today in 深圳 (Shēnzhèn), China just before another Midnight chime. The Queen, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) from China, was given spring flowers and gold, while the King, Vassily Mykhaylovych “Chucky” Ivanchuk from Ukraine, cashed in dollars for gold. The feast was attended by most city authorities and officiated by the almighty Chinese Chess Association (CCA)’s Secretary-General 叶江川 (Yè Jiāngchuān). All photos: sports.sohu.com.

Wondering and Wandering

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Vassily Mykhaylovych Ivanchuk

“尚街杯” (“MEWE Cup”) 2017 World Champion Summit Chess Match; match game 4; 深圳 (Shēnzhèn), April 8, 2017

Giuoco Piano C54

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. 0-0 d6 6. c3 0-0 7. a4 a5 8. Bg5 Ne7!? A novelty – at least formally. 9. Nh4. Seeking desperately for a quick initiative, but Ivanchuk’s strong and thematic rejoinder is not a welcome sign: 9. ... d5! 10. Bb3. 10. exd5 followed by Nb1-d2 seems much sounder. 10. ... dxe4 11. Bxf6 gxf6 12. Nd2 Ng6 13. Nxe4 Be7 14. Nxg6 hxg6. Black stands better already, thanks to the Bishop pair and the initiative. Now White must worry about ... f7-f5. 15. Qd2. Dazzled by the shimmering “oasis” of a mirage... 15. ... f5 16. Qh6? She kindly asked for mercy offering her Knight: 16 ... fxe4 17. Qxg6+ and draw by perpetual check.

16. ... Ra6! But the merciless Chucky did not resist the temptation to catch the Queen’s eye. If now Knight moves then would follow ... Be7-g5. Now there’s nothing White can do but resign. 17. f4 fxe4 18. dxe4 Bc5+ 19. Kh1 Be3 20. Rad1 Qe7 0 : 1.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) vs. Vassily Mykhaylovych Ivanchuk
Photo: qipai.people.com.cn

Another Night, Another Day

After the third game of the “尚街杯” (“MEWE Cup”) 2017 World Champion Summit Chess Match underway in 深圳 (Shēnzhèn), China Vassily Mykhaylovych “Chucky” Ivanchuk is leading 2 to 1, so four-time Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) will have to play all out tomorrow in order to equalise the score and reach the tie-break. And she, indeed, promises a radical change of strategy: “I am behind. If I do not win tomorrow’s game, then it’s all over, there will be no other days”, she told reporters. “So, tomorrow, I will have to put up a fight to the very end, and I’m gonna do it”.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
Photo: qipai.people.com.cn

There and Back

Four-time Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) did not lose her good mood after her unfortunate defeat in the second game of the “尚街杯” (“MEWE Cup”) 2017 World Champion Summit Chess Match underway in 深圳 (Shēnzhèn), China. “After a quiet opening, my opponent played a very interesting Exchange sacrifice in the early middlegame in order to not give White time to consolidate”, she told reporters. “Due to my Pawn weaknesses and a little lack of harmony in the position, Black may have some compensation”. Both players agreed that the decisive tactical mistake occurred at move 37, when the White Queen captured the Black e-Pawn. Had White taken the Knight with the Rook, the game would have continued with unclear chances for both colours. Tomorrow is another day.

And Chucky almost begged pardon for having so mercilessly taken advantage of the Queen’s wandering gaze. All photos: kaixian.tv.

Four Days, Five Nights

Vassily Mykhaylovych Ivanchuk – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)

“尚街杯” (“MEWE Cup”) 2017 World Champion Summit Chess Match; match game 1; 深圳 (Shēnzhèn), April 5, 2017

Scotch Game C45

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. Nd2. This used to be Savielly Tartakower’s favourite, and, just to say it with him, “As long as an opening is reputed to be weak it can be played”. 6. ... d5 7. exd5 cxd5 8. Bb5+ Bd7 9. Bxd7+ Qxd7 10. 0-0 Be7 11. b3 0-0 12. Bb2 Qf5. If 12. ... Rfe8 there might follow 13. Qf3 Ng4 14. h3 Bf6 15. hxg4 Bxb2 16. Rad1 c6 17. c3 Qe7 18. Nb1 a5 19. Rd2 Ba3 20. Nxa3 Qxa3 21. Rfd1 ½ : ½ Volokitin – Efimenko, 82nd Ukrainian Championship, Kiev 2013. 13. Nf3 Rfe8. Black finally disconnects herself from the theoretical matrix set by her opponent: 13. ... Ne4 14. Qd3 Rfe8 15. Rad1 Rad8 16. Nd4 Qd7 17. f3 Nd6 18. Ne2 Nf5 19. Rfe1 Bh4 20. g3 Re3 21. Qd2 Be7 22. Nd4 Rxe1+ 23. Rxe1 Bc5 24. Kg2 Nxd4 25. Bxd4 Bb6? (now it’s easy to say that Black should have played 25. ... Bf8! with a perfectly tenable game) 26. Bxg7! Kxg7 27. Qg5+ Kf8 28. Qf6 Bd4 29. Qxd4 Kg8 30. Qh4 Re8 31. Qg4+ 1 : 0 Tartakower – G. Wood, 22nd Hastings International Chess Congress, Hastings 1946/1947. 14. Qd3. More than one kibitzer praised here Ivanchuk’s fighting spirit with gentle irony, but, objectively speaking, this is quite consistent with the unambitious character of the opening line chosen. The alternative 14. Nd4 Qd7 15. Qd3 Ne4 would have led to a balanced play, quite similarly to the aforementioned game Tartakower – G. Wood. 14. ... Qxd3 15. cxd3 Nd7 16. Rac1 Nc5 17. Rfd1 Ne6 18. g3. Ivanchuk thought a very long time about his last four moves, but didn’t succeed in getting any remarkable advantage. 18. ... Rec8 19. Rc6

19. ... a5! Black has equalised completely, and the game ends in a draw very quickly. 20. Nd4 Nxd4 21. Bxd4 a4 22. Rdc1 Ba3 23. R1c2 axb3 24. axb3 Rab8 25. Rxc7 Rxc7 26. Rxc7 h6 27. Rd7 Rxb3 28. Rxd5 Rxd3 29. Ra5 Rxd4 30. Rxa3 h5 ½ : ½.

Vassily Mykhaylovych Ivanchuk vs. 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
Photo: sports.sohu.com

Cat Home Alone

All is ready for the start of the four game “尚街杯” (“MEWE Cup”) 2017 World Champion Summit Chess Match in 深圳 (Shēnzhèn), China except for the fact that there is still no track of Vassily Mykhaylovych Ivanchuk... but these are, of course, idle thoughts. The first game tomorrow, April 5 (incidentally, also Kirsan Nikolayevich Ilyumzhinov’s birthday). Photo: ilonggang.sznews.com.

The Cup-Bearers

In a press conference held today on the 4th floor conference hall of the five-star 友和国际大酒店 (Friends International Hotel) in 深圳 (Shēnzhèn), 龙岗区 (Lónggǎng District), Chinese Chess Association (CCA)’s Secretary-General 叶江川 (Yè Jiāngchuān) introduced the four game “尚街杯” (“MEWE Cup”) 2017 World Champion Summit Chess Match between the four-time Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) and the current World Rapid Chess Champion Vassily Mykhaylovych Ivanchuk, to be held from 5 to 9 April 2017. The meeting was attended by 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) herself and most city authorities, but, as usual happens in such circumstances, produced no interesting remark in regard to the actual chess debate. Time control is 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with an addition of 30 seconds per move.

The official presentation of the “尚街杯” (“MEWE Cup”) 2017 World Champion Summit Chess Match took place at 友和国际大酒店 (Friends International Hotel) in 深圳 (Shēnzhèn), 龙岗区 (Lónggǎng District), China on April 3, 2017. Photo: cca.imsa.cn

The Royal Summit

From 5 to 9 April 2017 in 深圳 (Shēnzhèn), China, four-time Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) will take on Ukrainian Grandmaster and current World Rapid Chess Champion Vassily Mykhaylovych Ivanchuk in the four game “Chess King and Queen Summit Match”, organised by the Chinese Chess Association and 龙岗区 (Lónggǎng District) People’s Government of 深圳 (Shēnzhèn) Municipality. Time control is 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with an addition of 30 seconds per move. The prize money for the winner is $18,000 dollars, while the loser will be content with $12,000 dollars. Taxes excluded.

深圳龙岗区 (Shēnzhèn Lónggǎng District) City Hall Square
Photo: citylife.house.sina.com.cn