Renaissance Madonna

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Csaba Balogh
5th György Marx Memorial; Paks, August 6, 2007
Sicilian Defence B83

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Be2 Nf6 7. 0-0 Ae7 8. Be3 Bd7 9. Nb3 a6 10. a4 Na5 11. Nd2. If 11. Nd4 then 11. ... Nc6 with equality. 11. ... 0-0 12. f4 Bc6. The alternative is 12. ... Qc7 in order to answer 13. Qe1 by 13. ... b5. 13. Qe1!? A novelty by 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán). If 13. Bd3 then 13. ... d5 14. e5 d4 15. exf6 Bxf6 16. Nde4 Be7 (Nisipeanu – Rublevsky, 1st Aerosvit Chess Tournament, Foros 2006) 17. Bd2 dxc3 18. Bxc3 Nc4= (Rublevsky’s analysis). 13. ... d5. That’s a strategic goal for Black! 14. Rd1 Bb4 15. exd5 Nxd5 16. Nxd5 Qxd5? After 16. ... exd5 Black’s position was at least more tenable, if not more balanced. 17. Qf2. White has a very powerful initiative force, which 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) will soon turn into an overwhelming attack. 17. ... b5 18. Nb3 Qf5 19. Nd4 Qg6 20. c3 Be7 21. b4 e5 22. fxe5 Nb7 23. Nxc6 Qxc6 24. Qf3 Qc7 25. axb5 axb5 26. Bxb5 Ra3 27. Rd7 Qxe5 28. Bd4! Qxb5 29. Rxe7 Nd8

And here is the “clou”: 30. Bxg7! Kxg7 31. Qf6+ Kg8 32. Re5 1 : 0.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) (left) vs. Csaba Balogh (right).

中国女孩 (China Girl)

Viktor Lvovich Kortschnoi – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
5th György Marx Memorial; Paks, August 11, 2007
Catalan Opening E06

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 e6 3. Bg2 d5 4. 0-0 Be7 5. d4 0-0 6. c4 dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4 b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Be4 11. Qc1 Bb7 12. Bf4 Bd6 13. Nbd2 Nbd7. The alternative is 13. ... Nd5 14. Be5 Nd7 15. Nb3 a5 16. Nc5 Bxc5 17. dxc5 Ra6 18. Rd1 Qe7 19. e4 N5f6 20. Bxf6 (20. Bxc7 Nxc5) 20. ... Nxf6 21. Nd2 e5 22. a4 bxa4 23. Rxa4 Bc6 24. Ra1 Raa8 25. Qc2 a4 26. b4 axb3 27. Nxb3 Ba4 28. Ra3 Nd7 29. Rc1 Rfb8 30. Qc3 Bxb3 31. Rxa8 Rxa8 32. Qxb3 Rb8 33. Qa4 Nf8 34. Bh3 g6 35. c6 Rb2 36. Qa7 Qd6 37. Qc5 ½ : ½ P. H. Nielsen – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yifán), 4th NH Chess Tournament, Rising Stars vs. Experience, Amsterdam 2009. 14. Nb3 Bd5 15. Rd1 (15. Nc5 Qe7 16. Nxd7 Nxd7=) 15. ... Qe7 16. Ne5 Bxg2. Not 16. ... Rfc8 because of 17. Nc6 Qe8 18. Nba5 and Black’s game is cramped. 17. Kxg2 Nd5 (17. ... Bxe5? 18. dxe5 Nd5 19. Bg5±) 18. Nc6. If 18. Nxd7 then 18. ... Qxd7 (18. ... Nxf4+ 19. gxf4 Qxd7 20. e4 f5 21. e5 Be7) 19. Bd2 f5 with a dynamic balance (Kramnik’s analysis). 18. ... Nxf4+! Copyright and puntuaction by Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik. Both 18. ... Qf6 19. Bxd6 cxd6 20. e4 [20. Qd2 Qg6 21. Rac1 f5 22. Nb4 N7f6 23. Nxd5 Nxd5= Lastin – 赵骏 (Zhào Jún), 4th Aeroflot Open, Moscow 2005] 20. ... N5b6 21. Nba5 and 18. ... Qe8 19. e4 Nxf4+ 20. gxf4 give White a sligt edge. 19. Qxf4. Not 19. gxf4? on account of Qh4 with the initiative. 19. ... Qe8 20. Qf3. Both 20. Qe3 and 20. Qd2 are equally answered by 20. ... f5. 20. ... f5! 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)’s novelty! The historic reference was 20. ... e5? 21. dxe5 Nxe5 22. Nxe5 Qxe5 23. Rd2 Rae8! 24. e3 Re6! (Kasparov – Kramnik, London 2000, Classical World Chess Championship match game 15) and now, according to Kramnik, both 25. Rc1!? and 25. Qd5 should give White a slight but lasting advange. 21. Rac1. Neither 21. e3 g5! nor 21. Nba5 Nf6 would cause Black any worries. 21. ... Nf6 22. Kh1 Kh8 23. Nba5 Qg6 24. Ne5 Bxe5 25. dxe5 Ng4 26. h3. If 26. Rxc7 then 26. ... Qh5 27. Qg2 (not 27. h4? because of 27. ... f4 with powerful attack) 27. ... Nxe5 with equality. 26. ... Nxe5 27. Qe3 Qf6 28. Rxc7 h6. If 28. ... f4 then 29. Qxf4 Qxf4 30. gxf4 Rxf4 31. Ra7 Raf8 32. Rxa6 (32. f3 Ra4) 32. ... Rxf2 (or 32. ... Ra4 33. Rxe6) 33. Rxe6 with an edge for White. Also after 28. ... Rf7 29. Qc3 White stands a bit better. 29. f4 Nf7 30. Rdd7 Rad8 31. Qc3! Rxd7 32. Rxd7 Qxc3 33. bxc3. The ending is slightly favourable to White. 33. ... e5 34. e3 exf4 35. exf4 g5 36. Nc6 gxf4 37. gxf4 Rc8 38. Na7 Rf8 39. Kg2 Kg7 40. Nc6 Kf6 41. Ra7 Nd6 42. Rxa6 Ke6 43. Kf3 Rg8 44. Rb6 Rc8 45. Ke2 Ra8 46. Nd4+ Kd5 47. Nxb5 Rxa2+ 48. Kd3 Ne4 49. Nd4 Rd2+? (49. ... Ra3 50. Nb5 Ra1 51. Rxh6 Rd1+ 52. Ke2 Rg1!=) 50. Ke3 Rh2 51. Rxh6 Nd6 52. Kf3 Rd2 53. Rf6? (53. c4+! Nxc4 54. Nxf5+−) 53. ... Rd3+! 54. Kg2 Rd2+ (54. ... Rxc3?? 55. Rxd6+!+−) 55. Kf1

55. ... Ne4!!= 56. Rxf5+ Kc4 57. Kg1 Nxc3 58. Nf3 Ra2 59. Rf8 Ne2+ 60. Kf2 Nd4+ 61. Kg3 Ra3 62. Rc8+ Kb5 63. Kg4 Rxf3 64. Rd8 Rxf4+ 65. Kxf4 Ne6+ 66. Ke5 Nxd8 67. Kf6 Kc6 68. h4 Kd7 ½ : ½.

A Class in Geometry

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Viktor Lvovich Kortschnoi
5th György Marx Memorial; Paks, August 5, 2007
Spanish Game C80

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6 9. Be3 Bc5 10. Bxc5 Nxc5 11. Nd4 Nxd4 12. Qxd4 Nb7 13. c3 c5TN (13. ... 0-0 14. Nd2 c5 15. Qf4 Na5 16. Bc2 Nc6 17. Ne4 Nxe5 18. Nxc5 Nd7 19. Nb3 Qf6 20. Qxf6 Nxf6 21. Rfe1 Rfc8 22. Nd4 b4 23. cxb4 Rc4 24. Rad1 Rxb4 25. b3 Rc8 26. Bb1 Bd7 27. f3 Kf8 28. Kf2 a5 29. a3 Rb7 30. Rc1 Rbc7 31. Rxc7 Rxc7 32. a4 h6 33. Bd3 Ne8 34. Bb5 Bxb5 35. axb5 Rb7 36. Ra1 Nc7 37. Rxa5 Ke7 38. Ke3 g6 39. Kd3 Kd6 40. Kc3 Kc5 41. g4 h5 42. gxh5 gxh5 43. f4 Ne6 44. f5 Nc7 45. b6+ Kxb6 46. b4 Rb8 47. Rc5 Re8 48. Rc6+ Kb7 49. Rf6 Re3+ 50. Kd2 Rh3 51. Rxf7 Rxh2+ 52. Ke3 Kc8 53. f6 Rh4 54. Rxc7+ Kxc7 55. f7 Re4+ 56. Kd3 1 : 0 Nisipeanu – Šimáček, 8th European Individual Chess Championship, Dresden 2007) 14. Qf4. White almost imperceptibly slips into a quicksand. Here 14. Qe3 (keeping an eye on c5) seems a better arrangement. 14. ... Na5 15. Bc2 h6!

16. Nd2?! The idea to allow Black to exchange Queens proves to be not a good one. Now 16. h4 g5! 17. Qh2 gxh4 18. Nd2 Rg8 may be playable, but it looks quite dangerous for White. Maybe 16. h3 should have been considered. 16. ... Qg5 17. Qxg5 hxg5 18. Nb3?! (18. f4!? gxf4 19. Rxf4 Ke7⩱) 18. ... Nxb3 19. axb3 Kd7 20. Rfd1 Kc7

21. b4? (21. Rd3 a5 22. Rg3 g4∓) 21. ... cxb4 22. cxb4 Rh4 23. Bb3 Rxb4 24. Bxd5 Bxd5 25. Rxd5 Rxb2−+ 26. Rc1+ Kb6 27. Rd6+ Ka5 28. Rd7 b4 29. Ra1+ Kb6 30. h4 Ra7 31. Rd6+ Kb5 32. hxg5 a5 33. Rd5+ Kc4 34. Rdxa5 Rxa5 35. Rxa5 b3 36. Ra7 Re2 37. Rc7+ Kd5 38. Rb7 b2 39. Kh2 Rxf2 40. Kg3 Re2 41. g6 fxg6 42. Kf4 g5+ 43. Kf5 Rf2+ 44. Kg6 Rxg2 45. Rb5+ Ke6 0 : 1.

As the years come and go, they do not pass in vain.

At Last

Péter Ács – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
5th György Marx Memorial; Paks, August 7, 2007
Nimzo-Indian Defence E58

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Nf3 c5 5. e3 0-0 6. Bd3 d5 7. 0-0 Nc6 8. a3 Bxc3 9. bxc3 Qc7 10. h3 dxc4 11. Bxc4 e5 12. Ba2 Bf5 13. d5 Rad8 14. c4 e4 15. Nh4 (15. Qc2 Bg6 16. Nh4 Ne5 17. Bb2 Rfe8 18. Bc3 Rd6 19. Rab1 b6 20. Rbd1 Qc8 21. Nxg6 hxg6 22. Kh2 g5 23. Qb2 Nfg4+ 24. hxg4 Rh6+ 25. Kg1 Nf3+ 26. gxf3 exf3 0 : 1 Henrichs – Prusikin, 78th German Chess Championship, Bad Königshofen 2007) 15. ... Bc8 16. Bb2 Qe7 17. f4 exf3 18. Qxf3 Ne5 19. Qg3 Rfe8 20. Nf5 Bxf5 21. Rxf5 Nfd7 22. Raf1 g6 23. e4 Qd6 24. R5f4 Re7 25. Bb3 Rf8 26. h4 f6 27. Ba1 Nb6 28. h5 Nbd7 29. Ba4 Nb6 30. hxg6 hxg6 31. Bb3 Nbd7 32. Bd1 Rg7 33. Bg4 Nxg4 34. Qxg4 Ne5 35. Qe6+ Qxe6 36. dxe6 Nc6 37. Rxf6 Re8 38. Rd1 Rge7 39. Rxg6+ Kh7

40. Rg5. Even stronger seems 40. Rg4 Rxe6 41. Rd5 Ne5 42. Rg3 with a quasi-zugzwang. 40. ... Rxe6 41. Rd3 R8e7 42. Rxc5 Rxe4 43. Bf6 R7e6 44. Rd7+ Kg6 45. Bb2 b6 46. Rcd5 Re2 47. Bc3

47. ... Rc2?? Black blunders away the game. Instead, 47. ... Ne7! would probably have saved the day. 48. Rg7+ Kh6 49. Rg3 Rc1+ 50. Kh2 1 : 0.

The sun sank at last. Photo: marxgy.ase.hu.