Half the World

沈阳 (Shěn Yáng) – 宁凯玉 (Níng Kǎiyù)
12th Chinese Team Chess Championship; 无锡 (Wúxī), August 4, 2016
Queen’s Gambit Accepted D25

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 dxc4 4. e3 a6 5. Bxc4 b5 6. Bd3 Bb7 7. 0-0 Nbd7 8. Bd2!? The immediate 8. a4 is far more common than the text, e.g. 8. ... b4 9. Qe2 e6 10. Nbd2 c5 11. Nc4 Be7 12. a5 0-0 13. Rd1 Qc7 14. Bd2 Be4 15. Bxe4 Nxe4 16. Be1 Nef6 17. dxc5 Bxc5 18. Nfd2 Qb7 19. Nb3 Qb5 20. Qf1 Be7 21. Nd4 Qb7 22. f3 Rfc8 23. Bg3 Ne8 24. Rac1 Rc5 25. Nb3 Rd5 26. e4 Rxd1 27. Rxd1 Rc8 28. Bf2 Nb8 29. Be3 g5 30. Nb6 Rc7 31. Qe2 h6 32. Bf2 Nc6 33. Rd2 Nf6 34. Qd1 Nh5 35. Nd7 Qb5 36. Bb6 Rc8 37. Qf1 Qxf1+ 38. Kxf1 Nf6 39. Nxf6+ Bxf6 40. Rc2 Ne7 41. Rxc8+ Nxc8 42. Bd4 Bxd4 43. Nxd4 Nd6 44. Nc6 Nc4 45. Nxb4 Nxb2 46. Ke2 Kf8 47. Nc6 Ke8 48. Kd2 Na4 49. Nb8 Nc5 50. Kc3 Ke7 51. Kc4 Nb7 52. Kb4 Kd6 53. Nxa6 Ke5 54. Nb8 Nxa5 55. Kxa5 Kf4 56. Nc6 Ke3 57. e5 Kf2 58. Nd8 Kxg2 59. Nxf7 Kxf3 60. Nxh6 1 : 0 Kortschnoi – Damjanović, 2nd International Tournament “Città di Colombo”, Genoa 1987. 8. ... c5 9. a4 b4 10. dxc5 Nxc5 11. Bc4 a5? Allowing the White Bishop to conquer an unexpected diagonal. Better looks 11. ... Rb8 12. Qe2 e6 and Black is fine. 12. Ne5 e6 13. Bb5+ Nfd7? Comparatively better was 13. ... Ncd7 14. e4 Ba6, even though after 15. Nxd7 Nxd7 16. Bg5! White maintains the initiative. 14. e4 Ba6

15. Qh5! Now White will enhance her advantage by means of a rational series of forcing moves. 15. ... g6 16. Qf3 f6 17. Nxd7 Nxd7 18. Rd1 Bxb5 19. axb5 Bc5 20. Bh6! Kf7 21. Qh3 Qc7 22. Nd2 Rad8 23. Nb3 Bb6 24. Be3 Bxe3. Chess engines disapprove, but 24. ... Ne5 25. Rdc1 is similarly unpleasant for Black. 25. Qxe3 Ne5 26. Rdc1 Qb8 27. Rxa5 g5 28. Qa7+ Rd7 29. Qxb8 Rxb8 30. Kf1 Rdb7. Black finally wins back her Pawn, but at the cost of allowing both White Rooks to infiltrate on the seventh rank. 31. Ke2 Rxb5 32. Rc7+ Kg6 33. Raa7 Rg8? If nothing else, 33. ... h6 (34. f3 f5) was a bit more tenacious. Now 沈阳 (Shěn Yáng) will capitalize her preponderance with relative ease. 34. Rxh7 Nc6 35. Rac7 Re5 36. f3 f5 37. h4 gxh4 38. Rxh4 Nd8 39. Kf2 fxe4 40. f4 Rf8 41. Ke3 Rd5 42. Nc5 Nf7. 42. ... Rf7 43. Rc8 is equally hopeless. 43. Nxe6 Re8 44. g4 Rd6 45. f5+ Kf6 46. Kf4 Rdxe6 47. Rh6+ 1 : 0.

沈阳 (Shěn Yáng) (left) and 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) (right). Photo: 刘襄琳 (Liú Xiānglín).

Time and Chance

许昱华 (Xǔ Yùhuá) – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)

2nd “火炬地产杯” (“Torch Real Estate Cup” Chinese Chess League; 北京 (Běijīng), April 4, 2006

Sicilian Defence B52

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Bd7 4. Bxd7+ Qxd7 5. 0-0 Nf6 6. Qe2 Nc6 7. Rd1 e6 8. b3 Be7 9. Bb2 0-0 10. c4. 10. c3 Rac8 11. Na3 b6 12. d4 cxd4 13. cxd4 d5 is fine for Black, Galego – David, Zonal Tournament, Linares 1995. 10. ... e5! 11. Nc3 Nd4 12. Qd3 Qg4 13. Nxd4 cxd4 14. f3 Qg6 15. Ne2 Rfe8 16. Ng3 Bf8 17. Rf1

17. ... d5! 18. Rac1. Of course, 18. cxd5? Nxd5 is very much in Black’s favour. 18. ... a6 19. Qe2 dxe4 20. fxe4 Qg4 21. Rf3 Qe6 22. Rcf1 Nd7 23. Bc1. 23. Rxf7 Nf6 forces White to give up the Exchange for an uncertain compensation. 23. ... g6. More accurate seems 23. ... f6 followed by ... g7-g6. 24. d3. White could win the Queen and a Pawn for two Rooks by 24. Rxf7, but it wouldn’t be an easy game for her anyway. 24. ... f6 25. h4 Qg4?! (25. ... h5∞) 26. h5!→ Bg7 27. Qe1 Qh4? The Queen stands badly here. 27. ... Qe6 was better and quite good.

28. h6! Bf8 (28. ... Bxh6? 29. Nf5!+−) 29. R1f2? White misses 29. Qa5 (Δ Qa5-d5+) 29. ... b5 30. Qc7 breaking through with powerful effect. 29. ... Qg4 30. Rf1 Qe6 31. Nh1 b5 32. Qh4 Be7 33. Ng3 (33. g4) 33. ... bxc4 34. dxc4 (34. bxc4) 34. ... Bf8 35. Bd2? White ought to continue with Ng3-h1-f2-d3. Now Black easily shatters her opponent’s Queenside. 35. ... a5! 36. a4 Ra6 37. Kh2 Rb8 38. Nh1 Rab6 39. Qg3 Nc5 40. Qe1

40. ... Nxb3? (40. ... Be7!−+) 41. Bxa5? 41. Rxf6! Qxc4 42. Rxb6 Rxb6 43. Bg5! gave White enough for the Pawn. 41. ... Nxa5 42. Qxa5 Bxh6 43. Rxf6 Qxf6 44. Rxf6 Rxf6−+ 45. g3 Rb2+ 46. Kh3 Rf1 47. Qd5+ Kh8 48. Qxe5+ Bg7 49. Qe8+ Bf8 50. Qe5+ Bg7 51. Qe8+ Rf8 52. Qd7 h5 53. Qd5 Rf1 54. e5 Rbb1 55. e6 Rxh1+ 56. Kg2 Rhg1+ 57. Kh3 Rge1 58. a5 Re2 59. a6 Rbb2 60. Qh1 Ra2 61. g4 Ra3+ 62. Kh4 Bf6+ 63. g5 Be7 64. c5 Rxa6 65. c6 Bd6 66. e7 Ra8 0 : 1.