薯條 (French Fries)

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Wesley So
7th Asian Continental Chess Championship; Olongapo City, May 22, 2009
French Defence C11

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 c5 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Be3 a6 8. Qd2 b5 9. a3 Bb7 10. Bd3 Qb6 11. Qf2 cxd4 12. Nxd4 Bc5 13. Nce2 b4 14. axb4 Nxb4 15. 0-0 0-0 16. Nc1. 16. Bxh7+ Kxh7 17. Qh4+ Kg8 (17. ... Kg6?? 18. f5+! exf5 19. Nf4 mate) 18. Rf3 f6! 19. Rh3 Kf7 is rather unclear. 16. ... f6 17. exf6 Rxf6 (17. ... Nxf6 18. Nf5!) 18. c3 Nxd3 19. Nxd3 e5 20. Nxc5 Qxc5 21. Nf3 Qc7 22. fxe5 Nxe5 23. Bd4 Nxf3+ 24. gxf3 Re6 25. Kh1 Rae8 26. Rg1 g6 27. Raf1 Bc8 28. Qh4 Qe7 29. Qh6 Qf8 30. Qg5 Re2 31. Qxd5+ Be6 32. Qg5. If 32. Qc6 then 32. ... Rxh2+! 33. Kxh2 Qh6+ drawing by perpetual check. 32. Qh5 Bf5 32. ... Bh3

33. Qh4 Bf5. Not 33. ... Bxf1?? on account of 34. Rxg6+! hxg6 35. Qh8+ Kf7 36. Qf6+ Kg8 37. Qxg6+ and mate next move. 34. Rf2 Re1 35. Rxe1 Rxe1+ 36. Kg2 h5 37. Rd2 Qe7 38. Bf6 Qe6 39. Bd4 Re2+ 40. Rxe2 Qxe2+ 41. Qf2 Qxf2+ 42. Kxf2 Kf7 43. Ke3 Ke6 44. c4 Kd6 45. b4 Kc6 46. Bc3 Be6 47. Kd4 Bf7 48. Bb2 Be6 49. Bc3 Bf7 50. Bb2 Be6 ½ : ½.

要塞 (Stronghold)

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Santosh Gujrathi Vidit
7th Asian Continental Chess Championship; Olongapo City, May 15, 2009
Sicilian Defence B66

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 Be7 8. 0-0-0 Nxd4 9. Qxd4 a6 10. f4 b5 11. Be2 Bb7 12. Bf3 0-0 13. h4!?TN Qc7 14. Bxf6 gxf6. 14. ... Bxf6 15. Qxd6 Qa5 is the thematic alternative, as after 16. e5 Bxf3 17. gxf3 Rad8 18. Qc5 Rc8 Black seems to have sufficient compensation for the Pawn. 15. f5 e5. This concedes White a clear edge. 15. ... Rac8 16. Kb1 Qc5 was probably better. 16. Nd5 Bxd5 17. Qxd5 Rfc8 18. Rd2 Qc4 19. Be2 Qxd5 20. Rxd5 Rc7 21. a3 Rac8 22. c3 Rc5 23. Rhd1 Kf8 24. Kc2 R8c7 25. R1d3 Rc4 26. Bf3 Ke8 27. b3 R4c6 28. Be2 Rc8 29. Rg3 Kf8 30. Rgd3 Ke8 31. b4 Kd7 32. Rg3 Bf8. If 32. ... Bd8 then likewise 33. a4! bxa4 34. b5 with unpleasant consequences for Black, but the text is even worse.

33. a4! bxa4 34. Ra5 Kc7 35. Rxa6 Rxa6 36. Bxa6 Ra8 37. Bc4 Kb6 38. Rg8 a3 39. Kb1 Rc8 40. Bxf7 Kb5 41. Ka2 Rxc3 42. Rxf8 1 : 0.

Half of One Thing

J. Deepan Chakkravarthy – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
7th Asian Continental Chess Championship; Olongapo City, May 16, 2009
Queen’s Gambit Declined D38

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. d4 Bb4 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bg5 Nbd7 7. e3 c5 8. Qc2 0-0 9. Bd3 Qa5 10. 0-0 c4 11. Bf5 Re8 12. Nd2 g6 13. Bh3 Kg7 14. Bh4 Nb6 15. Bxc8 (15. Nb3 cxb3 16. axb3 Bxc3 17. Rxa5 Bxa5 18. Bxf6+ Kxf6 19. Qc5 Bxh3 20. gxh3 Bd2 21. Rd1 Bxe3 22. fxe3 Rxe3 23. Qc7 Kg7 24. Rf1 Rf8 25. Qxb7 Rxb3 26. Qxa7 Rxb2 27. Rf2 Rb1+ 28. Kg2 Nc4 29. Qe7 Rb3 30. Rf3 Rb2+ 31. Rf2 Rb6 32. Re2 Rf6 33. Rf2 Rd6 34. Kg3 Kg8 35. Rf6 Rxf6 36. Qxf6 Ne3 37. Qe5 Nf5+ 38. Kf2 Rd8 39. Kg1 h5 40. Kf2 Ng7 41. Qc7 Ne6 42. Qa5 Rc8 43. Qxd5 Rd8 0 : 1 Alekseev – Morozevich, 14th Russian Team Chess Championship, Sochi 2007) 15. ... Raxc8 16. Bxf6+ Kxf6 17. a3 Bxc3 18. bxc3 Na4 19. Rac1 Kg7. Black stands better already, intending ... Rc8-c6-b6-b2.

20. Rfe1!?TN (20. e4 dxe4 21. Nxe4 Rc6 22. f3 Nb6 23. Qb2 Re7 24. Nc5 Nd5 25. Nxb7 Qb6 0 : 1 Onischuk – Morozevich, 15th Russian Team Chess Championship, Dagomys 2008) 20. ... Rc6 21. e4 dxe4 22. Rxe4 (22. Nxe4 Rce6−+) 22. ... Rxe4 23. Nxe4 Re6 24. h4. 24. f3 Nb6 is quite similar to the game. 24. ... Re7 25. Ng3 Nb6 26. Qd2 h6! 26. ... Qxa3? 27. Qg5 would make White happy. 27. Qa2? After this Black has no difficulty in consolidating her advantage. Instead 27. Re1! Qxa3 28. h5 was not yet clear at all. 27. ... h5 28. Qd2 Qxa3 29. Qg5 Kh7 30. Rd1? (30. Rb1 Qd6∓) 30. ... Qd6 31. d5? Re5−+ 0 : 1.

Touch and Go

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Tamijani Homayoon Toufighi
7th Asian Continental Chess Championship; Olongapo City, May 19, 2009
French Defence C10

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. e5 Ne4 6. Bd3 Bb4 7. Bd2 Nxd2 8. Qxd2 f6 9. a3 Bxc3 10. Qxc3 fxe5 11. dxe5 0-0 12. h4 Qe7 13. Qd2 Bd7 14. Qe3 b6 15. 0-0-0 h6 16. c4 Qf7? (16. ... Na5! 17. Bc2 Nxc4 18. Qd3 g6! 19. Qxg6+ Qg7) 17. Bc2 Ne7 18. Qd3 g6 19. Kb1 Rad8 20. h5 g5 21. Nh2 Qg7 22. Ng4 Kh8 23. Nf6 Nc6 24. Nxd7 Rxd7 25. cxd5 Nxe5 26. Qb3 exd5 27. Rxd5 Rxd5 28. Qxd5 c6 29. Qe4 b5 30. Qe2 Rd8 31. Re1 Nc4. With threat of mate at b2, but White had prepared a pretty finale:

32. Qe8+! Rxe8 33. Rxe8+ Qg8 34. Rxg8+ Kxg8 35. Bb3! Kf7 36. Kc2 Ke6 37. Kc3 Kd5. Now what?

38. Ba2! Clearing the way for the b-Pawn. 38. ... Kc5 39. b4+ Kd5 40. a4 a6 41. Bb3 g4 42. Ba2 1 : 0. Zugzwang! If 42. ... c5 then 43. Bxc4+ bxc4 44. b5 and finis.