Age of Wonders

Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
3rd Isle of Man International Chess Tournament; Douglas, October 2, 2016
Sicilian Defence B85

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Be2 Be7 7. 0-0 a6 8. f4 Qc7 9. Kh1 0-0 10. a4 Nc6 11. Be3 Nxd4 12. Qxd4 Bd7 13. e5 Ne8 14. Qb4 Bc6 15. Bb6 dxe5 16. Qa5 Qc8 17. fxe5 g6. Praggnanandhaa’s sister, Vaishali, got a slight edge after 17. ... f5 18. Rf4 g6 19. Rc4 Qb8 20. Rd1 Ng7 21. Bc7 Qe8 22. Bd6⩲ Vaishali – Dordzhieva, 34th World Junior Chess Championship Girls U-20, Bhubaneswar 2016. 18. Bd3!? A new attempt at improving the existing theory offer: 18. Rad1 Ng7 19. Rd3 (⌓ 19. Rd4 Δ Rd4-c4) 19. ... Nf5 20. Rfd1 Nh4 21. Bf1 f5 22. Bf2 f4 23. Kg1 Rf5 24. Ne2 f3 25. Nd4 fxg2 26. Be2 Rxf2 27. Kxf2 Qf8+ 28. Kg1 Bb4 29. Qb6 Bc5 30. Qa5 Rd8 31. Qe1 Qf4 32. c3 Bxa4 33. R1d2 Bb5 34. Qg3 Rxd4 35. cxd4 Bxd4+ 0 : 1 Lastin – Bukavshin, 64th Russian Chess Championship Higher League, Taganrog 2011. 18. ... Bd8 19. Ne4 Bxb6 20. Qxb6 Qd8 21. Qe3 Bxe4 22. Qxe4 Qc7 23. a5 (23. Rf3 Rd8 24. Qf4 Ng7=) 23. ... Rd8 24. b4 Ng7 25. g4 Qe7 26. Rae1 Rd7 27. Rf6 Rfd8 28. Ref1 Rd4 29. Qe3 Rxb4 (29. ... Rxg4! 30. Rxf7 Qh4∞)

30. Rxf7 Qxf7 31. Rxf7 Kxf7 32. Qc5 (32. Qg5!? Rd5 33. h4!?) 32. ... Rbd4 33. Qb6 R8d7 34. h3 R4d5 35. Kg2 Kg8 36. Kf3 Rxe5

37. h4. Critical was 37. Bxa6! Nh5! (37. ... bxa6?? costs the Rook after 38. Qb8+) 38. gxh5 (38. Bxb7 Rf7+ 39. Kg2 Re2+ 40. Kg1 Nf4↑) 38. ... Rf5+ 39. Ke4 bxa6∞ with an unbalanced balance. 37. ... g5? 38. h5? In mutual time trouble, Praggnanandhaa misses 38. Qa7! grabbing the upper hand. 38. ... Ne8 39. Bxa6? Just too late. 39. ... bxa6 40. Qxa6 Kf7 41. Qb6 Re1 42. Qb5 Nf6. The passed a-Pawn doesn’t compensate White fof his material deficit. 43. a6 Ra1 44. Qxg5 Rxa6 45. Qh6 Ke8 46. Ke2 Rf7 47. Qg5 Rd6 48. c4 Rd4 49. Qb5+ Nd7 50. g5 Rf5 51. Qa6 Ke7 52. Qa3+ Rc5 53. g6 hxg6 54. hxg6 Rxc4 55. g7 Rg4 56. Qa1 Re5+ 57. Kf3 Rxg7 0 : 1.

At 16, she was the youngest World Champion ever. Will he succeed in breaking the record? Photo: Mike Klein.

Nothing Short Of

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – James P. Jackson
3rd Isle of Man International Chess Tournament; Douglas, October 1, 2016
Spanish Game C95

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 0-0 9. h3 Nb8 10. d4 Nbd7 11. Nbd2 Bb7 12. Bc2 Re8 13. Nf1 Bf8 14. Ng3 g6 15. a4 c5 16. d5 c4 17. Bg5 Nc5 18. Qd2 Be7 19. Bh6 Nfd7 20. Nh2 bxa4 21. Ra2!?TN a5 22. Rf1 Bc8 23. Kh1 Rb8 24. Be3 Qc7 (24. ... h5!?) 25. Ng4 Nb6 26. Nh6+ Kg7

27. f4!→ Kxh6 (27. ... Rf8? 28. f5+−) 28. fxe5+ Kg7 29. Qf2! Bf8 [29. ... Rf8? 30. exd6 Bxd6 (30. ... Qxd6 31. Bf4+−) 31. Qf6+ Kg8 32. Bd4+−] 30. e6!? [30. Nh5+! gxh5 31. Qf6+ Kg8 32. exd6 Bxd6 33. Qg5+ Kh8! (33. ... Kf8 34. Qh6+ Kg8 35. e5 f6 36. exd6 Qg7 37. Qxg7+ Kxg7 38. Bxc5±) 34. Bd4+ Re5! (34. ... Be5 35. Rxf7! Qxf7 36. Bxe5++−) 36. Rxf7 Qxf7 37. Qxe5+ Kg8 38. Qxb8 Qf1+ 39. Kh2 h4!⇄ Δ 40. Qxb6 Qf4+=] 30. ... fxe6?? (30. ... Nxe6 31. dxe6 Rxe6 32. Ne2⩲) 31. Nh5+! gxh5 32. Bh6+! Kxh6. Or 32. ... Kg8 33. Qxf8+ and mate next move. 33. Qf6# 1 : 0.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán). Photo: Harry Gielen.