A Journey Far Away

Alice Lee – 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí)
4th Cairns Cup; Saint Louis, June 13, 2024
Queen’s Indian Defence A50

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 b6 3. Nc3 Bb7 4. a3 e6 5. d5 Bd6 6. Nf3 0-0 7. e4 exd5 8. exd5 c6 9. Be2 cxd5 10. cxd5 Na6 11. 0-0 Nc7 12. Bg5 h6 13. Bh4 g5 14. Bg3. This implies the sacrifice of a Pawn for a nebulous compensation, whereas instead 14. Nxg5!? hxg5 15. Bxg5 would leave White with two Pawns and the initiative for the sacrificed Knight. No wonder Lee, whose overly cautious opening repertoire makes it often difficult for her to play for a win even with White, opted for the least expensive price.
14. ... Bxg3 15. hxg3 Nfxd5 16. Nxd5 Bxd5 17. Nd4 Qf6 18. Bd3 Ne6 19. Nf5 Nc5 20. Bc2 Be6 21. Nd4. Interesting was 21. Nd6! Qxb2 22. Rb1 Qxa3?! 23. f4! Qxg3 24. Rf3 Qg4 25. f5 Ba2 26. Ra1 Bb3 27. Bxb3 Nxb3 28. Rxb3 Qxd1+ 29. Rxd1 a5∞ with four Pawns for the Knight and an asymmetrical balance.
21. ... Bc4 22. Re1 Rfe8 23. Qd2 Kf8 24. Nf5 d5

25. g4? So far White had achieved little or nothing for the Pawn, but now Lee has further bad judgment, conceding her opponent too much. Best was 25. Rab1 Rxe1+ 26. Rxe1 for if Black continued with 26. ... Qxb2 27. Nxh6 Ne4 (as in the game), the rejoinder would be 28. Rxe4! dxe4 29. Qd6+ Kg7 (29. ... Ke8?? 30. Nf5 Qa1+ 31. Bb1!+−) 30. Nf5+ Kg8 31. Qh6 Re8 32. Qxg5+ with a draw by perpetual check.
25. ... Qxb2 26. Nxh6 Ne4 27. Qd1 Nc3 28. Qf3 Ne2+ 29. Kh2 Nf4 30. g3 Be2! 31. Qb3 Qxb3 32. Bxb3 Nd3 33. Bxd5 Rad8 34. Bxf7 Nxe1 35. Rxe1 Re7 36. Nf5 Kxf7 37. Nxe7

37. ... Bf3! The pointe: White’s Knight is doomed, and its moves are numbered.
38. Nf5 Rh8+ 39. Nh4 gxh4. Now the ending is easily won by Black.
40. Kh3 Rg8! 41. Re3 Bxg4+ 42. Kxh4 Kf6 43. f3

43. ... b5! 44. Rc3 (44. fxg4 Rh8#)
44. ... a5 45. Rc6+ Be6 46. g4 Rh8+ 47. Kg3 Rb8 48. f4 Ke7 49. f5 Bd5 50. Rc2 b4 51. axb4 axb4 52. Kf4 b3 53. Rb2 Kd6 54. g5 Rb4+ 55. Ke3 Ke5 56. Kd3 Kxf5 57. Kc3 Rf4 58. Rd2 Bf7 59. Rg2 Kg6 0–1.

The grand debut in the Cairns Cup of 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí). Photo: Crystal Fuller/Saint Louis Chess Club.

Perfidious Albion

Elisabeth Pähtz – Alice Lee
2nd FIDE Women’s Grand Swiss Tournament; Douglas, October 25, 2023
English Opening A20

1. c4 e5 2. g3 c6 3. d4 e4 4. Nc3 d5 5. Nh3 Bb4 6. Qb3 Ba5 7. Bg5 f6!? Nothing trascendental, but 7. ... Qb6 8. cxd5 h6 9. Bd2⩲ isn’t entirely satisfying either, J. J. Cox – Hillarp Persson, 7th London Classic Open, London 2015.
8. Bd2 dxc4 9. Qxc4

9. ... b5. 9. ... f5 10. Nf4 is also quite unpleasant for Black.
10. Qb3 Qxd4!? Very risky.
11. 0-0-0 Qe5

12. Nxe4? Too hasty. More methodical would have been 12. Bg2 Be6 13. Qc2 with advantage for White.
12. ... Qxe4?? The young Asian American hope, at her début on the world stage, pays the price of her inexperience, and will soon see the worst of it. Simply 12. ... Bxd2+ 13. Nxd2 a5! would have left Black with a perfectly playable game.
13. Bxa5+− Be6 (13. ... Nd7 14. Bg2! Qxg2 15. Qe3+ ~ 16. Nf4+−)

14. Bg2! Qe5. Not 14. ... Qxg2 because of 15. Qxe6+ followed by mate.
15. Rd8+ Kf7 16. Qa3! The King hunt proceeds inexorably.
16. ... b4 17. Bxb4 g5 18. Bc3 Qb5 19. Qf8+ Kg6 20. Qe8+ Bf7 21. Be4+ f5 22. Rd6+ Kh5 23. Bf3+ 1 : 0.

Daylight Saving

Alice Lee – Irina Borisivna Krush

2nd American Cup — Women’s Champions Bracket; match game 2; Saint Louis, March 25, 2023

Bogo-Indian Defence E11

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4+ 4. Bd2 Bxd2+ 5. Qxd2 d5 6. cxd5. That’s a strange way to go all out for a win as the text gives White little or nothing.
6. ... exd5 7. Nc3 Bf5 (7. ... c6 8. e3 0-0 9. Bd3 Nbd7 10. 0-0 Qe7 11. a3 ½ : ½ Dražić – Savić, GM Third Saturday 122, Novi Sad 2019)
8. e3 0-0 9. Bd3 Bxd3 10. Qxd3 c6 11. 0-0 a5 12. Na4 Ne4 13. Rac1 Nd7 14. Nc5 Ndxc5 15. dxc5 Qe7 16. Nd4

16. ... a4 (16. ... Nxc5 17. Qa3 b6 18. Nxc6⩲)
17. f3 Nxc5 18. Qa3 b6 19. Nxc6 Qf6 20. Nb4 Rad8. 20. ... d4 at once seems likewise possible; for example: 21. Nd5 Qd6 22. e4 f5 23. Nxb6 Qxb6 24. Qxc5 Rab8 with a dynamic equilibrium.
21. Rfd1. Possibly the wrong Rook, as Black can now make the advance ... d5-d4.
21. ... d4 22. e4. Had the other Rook been on d1, White could now play 22. exd4 Rxd4 23. Nd5 Qe5 24. Ne7+! Kh8 25. Nc6 winning material, since ... Rd4xd1 is not check!
22. ... Rd6 23. Nd5 Qg5. Perhaps simpler was 23. ... Qe5 24. Nxb6 Rxb6 25. Rxc5 Qb8 26. Qxa4 Rxb2 27. Qxd4 Rxa2 28. Rg5 g6 29. h4 Qb2! coming down to a four Rooks ending in which White’s extra Pawn counts for nothing.
24. Nxb6! Alea iacta est.

24. ... Nxe4? A clear oversight, overlooking White’s 25th move. She ought to play 24. ... Rg6 25. g3 Rxb6 (25. ... Nxe4 26. Nd7 Rd8 27. fxe4 Rxd7 28. Rc5! Qd8 29. Rdc1 Qf8 30. Qxa4 might be a bit more difficult for Black) 25. ... Rxb6 26. Rxc5 Qf6 27. Rd2 d3! 28. Rf5 Qh6 29. Qc3 Qe3+ 30. Kg2 Rfb8 31. Rd5 Qxd2+! 32. Qxd2 Rxb2 33. Rxd3 Rxd2+ 34. Rxd2 Kf8 and Black, despite the minus Pawn, should draw the ending.
25. Nc8! A deadly zwischenzug. In all probability White was expecting 25. fxe4? Rxb6= with equality.
25. ... d3. Desperation, but if 25. ... Rg6 (menacing mate at g2), then 26. Ne7+ forking King and Rook.
26. fxe4 Rd7 27. Qc5 Qd8 28. Nb6 Rd4 29. Nd5 Rxe4 30. Rxd3 Rfe8 31. Rdd1 Qh4 32. Qf2 Qxf2+ 33. Kxf2 Re2+ 34. Kf3 Rxb2

35. Re1! Rd8 36. Re2! An elegant display of technique by Lee.
36. ... Rb5 37. Ne7+ Kf8 38. Rc8 Rxc8 39. Nxc8 Rf5+ 40. Ke4 g6 41. Nd6 Rf1 42. Kd4 f5 43. Nc4 Kg7 44. Kd3 f4 45. Ke4 Kf6 46. Nd2 Rh1 47. Nf3 g5 48. Re1 1 : 0.

Nice comeback from Lee, but in the end — like last year — it was Krush who had the last word, taking her second straight title on a tie-breaker. Photo © Lennart Ootes/Saint Louis Chess Club.