Round the Clock

Abhimanyu Mishra – Christopher Woojin Yoo
4th Spring Chess Classic—B; Saint Louis, March 10, 2022
French Defence C05

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Be7 4. Ngf3 Nf6 5. e5 Nfd7 6. Bd3 c5 7. c3 Nc6 8. 0-0 g5 9. Nb1 b6!? Better the unknown than the known, sometimes. Quite recently Black dropped into a vale of tears after 9. ... h5 10. Be3 cxd4 11. cxd4 f6 12. Bg6+ Kf8 13. Nxg5 fxg5 14. Bxh5 Rh7 15. f4 Kg8 16. Qg4 Rg7 17. fxg5 Ndxe5 18. dxe5 Nxe5 19. Qf4 Bd6 20. Qh4 Bd7 21. Rf6 Qe7 22. Nd2+− 梁世奇 (Awonder Liáng) – Kumar, 121st U.S. Open, Cherry Hill 2021 — even though then he ended up winning the game! 10. Be3 Bb7 11. a3 c4 12. Bc2 h5 13. Ne1 Qc7 14. f4

14. ... gxf4? This seems to be the cause of most bad things. 14. ... g4! 15. f5 0-0-0∞ seemed pretty interesting. 15. Bxf4 0-0-0 16. Nd2 Rdf8?! Intending to push the Pawn to f6, but it’s debatable whether ... Rd8-g8 may make a little more sense. 17. Qe2 f6 18. exf6 Bd6 19. Bxd6 Qxd6 20. Nef3 Rxf6 21. Ng5 Qe7

22. Ndf3 Re8 23. h4 Qd6 24. Nd2 e5 25. Bf5 Rff8 26. Bxd7+ Kxd7 27. Qxh5. And thus White got two passed and united Pawns as Black cannot do anything else but wait for his doom. 27. ... Rxf1+ 28. Rxf1 exd4 29. cxd4

29. ... b5. By 29. ... Nxd4 30. Qg4+ Ne6 Black restores material equality, but only the material one, since after 31. Kh1! he ends up being stuck in a kind of strategic zugzwang. 30. Ndf3 Qe7 31. Re1 Qxe1+ 32. Nxe1 Rxe1+ 33. Kf2 Re8 34. Qf7+ Re7 35. Qxd5+ Kc8 36. Qf5+ Kc7 37. Qf4+ Kc8 38. Ne4 Nd8 39. Nd6+ Kd7 40. Nf5 Rf7 41. g4 Nc6 42. d5 Ne7 43. Qd6+ Ke8 44. Qb8+ Nc8 45. Kg3 a5 46. Nd6+ 1 : 0.

It was just another stop on the way from wunderkind to superstar. Photo © Austin Fuller/Saint Louis Chess Club.

A Teacher’s Tale

雷挺婕 (Léi Tǐngjié) – Christopher Woojin Yoo

1st Julius Bär Challengers Chess Tour; Quarterfinal tie-break game 2; time control: 5 minutes plus 3 seconds per move; chess24.com, October 12, 2021

Pirc Defence B09

1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. f4 Bg7 5. Bd3 0-0 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. 0-0 e5 8. d5 Nd4 9. f5 c6 10. Bg5 h6. The only known reference about 9. f5 went 10. ... gxf5 11. exf5 (but 11. Nxd4! exd4 13. Ne2 seems much stronger) 11. ... Nxf5 12. Bxf5 Bxf5 13. Kh1 Qd7 14. dxc6 bxc6 15. Nxe5 dxe5 16. Qxd7 Nxd7 17. Rxf5⩲ van Wissen – de Graaf, 35th European Club Chess Cup, Ulcinj 2019. 11. Bh4 Qb6? The b2-Pawn hunt will soon betray its fallacy.

12. Kh1! Qxb2? If you said A you must say B, but... 13. Qd2! gxf5 (13. ... g5 14. Nxg5!→) 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. Qxh6 Bg7 16. Qh5 Nxf3. 16. ... Qxc3?? 17. Ng5 falls into mate. 17. gxf3 f6. After all, the g-file opened is the last thing Black needed! Here again 17. ... Qxc3?? was unplayable because of 18. Rg1 with mating attack. 18. Rg1 Rf7 19. Ne2 fxe4 20. fxe4 cxd5 21. Ng3 f5 22. Raf1 (22. Qg6+−) 22. ... f4 23. exd5 Qd4 24. Ne4 Bf5

25. Rxg7+! White is going to finish her opponent off in grand style. 25. ... Rxg7 26. Qxf5 Qxd5 27. c4. 27. Rxf4!+− is strong and even stronger for White, threatening Bd3-c4. 27. ... Qf7 28. Nf6+ Kf8 29. c5! Rd8 30. Be4 d5 31. Bc2 d4 32. Bb3 Qg6 33. Nh7+ Ke7 34. Qxe5+ Kd7 35. Nf6+ Kc6

36. Ba4+?? The drama explodes! 雷挺婕 (Léi Tǐngjié) was too much excited to pick her lucky number: 36. Bd5+! Rxd5 (or 36. ... Kb5 37. a4+! with mate in a few moves) 37. Qxd5+ Kc7 38. Qd6+ Kc8 39. Qf8+ Kc7 40. Qxg7+! winning. 36. ... b5! 37. cxb6+ Kb7! (37. ... Kxb6?? 38. Qb5+ Kc7 39. Rc1++−) 38. Bc6+?? And the drama ends in tragedy. After 38. Qe4+ Qxe4 39. Nxe4 Kxb6 40. Rb1+ Kc7 a draw was in sight, which would have meant that the Armageddon was just there. 38. ... Kxc6 39. Rc1+ Kb7 40. Rc7+ Ka6 (40. ... Ka8?? 41. b7+ Kb8 42. Rd7#) 41. Rxg7 Qxg7 42. bxa7 Qb7+ 43. Ne4 Qxa7 44. Nc5+ Kb6 45. Qf6+ Kxc5 46. Qxd8 Qb7+ 47. Kg1 Qb1+ 48. Kf2 Qxa2+ 49. Kf3 Qd5+ 50. Qxd5+ Kxd5 51. Kxf4 Kc4 52. Kf3 d3 0 : 1.

As a mentor and a teacher, four-time Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) may well feel glad that two of her three students got to the knockout finals of the inaugural Julius Bär Challengers Chess Tour, and even more importantly that 雷挺婕 (Léi Tǐngjié) was the only woman to have qualified for the quarterfinals. Screenshot courtesy of chess24.com.

9（九）

Christopher Woojin Yoo – 雷挺婕 (Léi Tǐngjié)

1st Julius Bär Challengers Chess Tour; 1st stage; Polgár Challenge; time control: 10 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; chess24.com, April 9, 2021

Queen’s Gambit Declined D38

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Qb3 c5 6. Bg5 Qa5 7. Bxf6 dxc4 8. Qxc4 gxf6 9. dxc5 Bd7. 9. ... Nc6 transposes to never-ending theory: 10. Rc1 Qxc5 11. Qb3 Qb6 12. e3 Bd7 13. a3 Ba5 14. Qc2 Rc8 15. Be2 Bxc3+ 16. bxc3 Qc5 17. Qb2 Qb6 18. Qa1 Na5 19. Nd2 Nb3 20. Nxb3 Qxb3 21. c4 Rg8 22. Qxf6 Qxa3 23. 0-0 Qe7 24. Qd4 Qc5 25. Ra1 a5 26. Rfb1 Qxd4 27. exd4 a4 28. g3 Bc6 29. d5 exd5 30. cxd5 Bxd5 31. Rxa4 Kf8 32. Bd3 h6 33. Be4 Bc6 34. Rc4 Rg4 35. f4 Rg8 36. Rbc1 Kg7 37. Bxc6 Rxc6 38. Rxc6 bxc6 39. Rxc6 Ra8 40. Rc2 Ra3 41. Kg2 Kg6 42. Kh3 Ra5 43. Kh4 Rb5 44. g4 Kg7 45. f5 Rb3 46. Rg2 Ra3 47. Rg3 Ra2 48. h3 Ra6 49. Rb3 Rc6 50. Kh5 Ra6 51. h4 Rf6 52. Rb5 Ra6 53. Rb7 Rf6 54. Rc7 Kh7 55. Rc5 Ra6 56. Rd5 Kg7 57. Rd7 Rf6 58. Rb7 Kh7 59. Ra7 Kg7 60. Rd7 Kh7 61. Rd5 Ra6 62. g5 hxg5 63. hxg5 Ra1 64. Rd7 Kg8 65. f6 Rh1+ 66. Kg4 Rg1+ 67. Kf5 Rf1+ 68. Ke5 Rg1 69. Kd6 Rxg5 70. Rd8+ Kh7 71. Ke7 Ra5 72. Kxf7 Ra7+ 73. Ke6 Ra6+ 74. Rd6 Ra8 75. Ke7 Ra7+ 76. Rd7 Ra8 77. Kf7 Ra1 78. Re7 Ra8 79. Re6 Rb8 80. Re1 Rb7+ 81. Re7 Rb8 82. Ra7 Rb1 83. Ke6+ Kg6 ½ : ½ Shirov – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), 5th Chess World Cup, Tromsø 2013, match game 1. 10. Rc1 Bxc5 11. e3 Nc6 12. Be2 Qb4TN (12. ... Be7 13. 0-0 0-0 14. Qf4 Kh8 15. Rfd1 Rad8 16. Ne4 f5 17. Nd6 Bxd6 18. Rxd6 Bc8 19. Ng5 f6 20. Nxh7 Kxh7 21. Qh4+ Kg8 22. Qg3+ Kh8 23. Qh4+ Kg7 24. Qg3+ Kh8 25. Rc4 f4 26. Rxf4 Rf7 27. Qg6 Rg7 28. Qxf6 Qg5 29. Rxd8+ Nxd8 30. Qxg5 Rxg5 31. Rf8+ Rg8 32. Rxg8+ Kxg8 33. g4 e5 34. f4 exf4 35. exf4 Ne6 36. f5 Nf4 37. Kf2 Kg7 38. Kf3 Nxe2 39. Kxe2 Kf6 40. h4 Bd7 41. Ke3 Ba4 42. Kf4 Bd1 43. g5+ Kf7 44. Ke5 Be2 45. b4 a6 46. a4 b6 47. Kd6 Bg4 48. f6 b5 49. a5 Bh5 50. Ke5 Bg4 51. Kd5 Bh5 52. Kd6 Ke8 53. Kd5 Kf7 54. Kd6 Ke8 55. Ke6 Kf8 56. f7 Bxf7+ 57. Kf6 Bh5 58. g6 Be2 59. Kg5 Bd3 60. h5 Kg7 61. h6+ Kg8 62. Kf6 Be2 63. Kg5 Bd3 64. Kf6 Bc2 65. g7 Kh7 66. Ke7 Bb3 67. Kd6 Kxh6 68. Kc6 Kxg7 69. Kb6 Kf7 70. Kxa6 Ke7 71. Kxb5 Kd7 72. Kb6 Kc8 73. Ka7 Bc4 74. Kb6 Kb8 75. b5 Bxb5 ½ : ½ Vocaturo – Debashis, 12th Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival, Catalan Bay 2014) 13. Qd3 Ne5?! 13. ... Be7 14. 0-0 Rd8 seems more solid. 14. Nxe5 fxe5 15. Bf3 f5? Despite any appearance to the contrary, Black is not threatening anything. It was not too late for her to proceed as suggested in note after her 13th move.

16. 0-0! e4 17. Bh5+ Ke7 (17. ... Kd8 18. Qd2+−)

18. Nd5+! exd5? This loses brilliantly (and immediately), but 18. ... Kd6 19. Nxb4+ exd3 20. Nxd3 would leave White a Pawn ahead with great advantage. 19. Qxd5 Be6 20. Qe5 b6 21. Qg7+ Kd6 22. Rfd1+ Kc6 23. Qe7! Rac8. The King is naked. If 23. ... Bc8 then 24. a4! with threat of mate by Rd1-d6#. 24. Qxe6+ Kb7 25. Rd7+ Ka8 26. Qd5+ 1 : 0.