Empty Seats

谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí) – Hoàng Thanh Trang
7th World Women’s Team Chess Championship; Astana, March 5, 2019
Dutch Defence A81

China, Russia, Ukraine and United States are among the favourite teams to win the 7th World Women’s Team Chess Championship, which is taking place in Astana, Kazakhstan from 4–16 March. For China, indeed, it might be just a little difficult to get to, due to the absences of the world No 1 and No 2 women 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) and 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn), the first being in her first year at Oxford on her Rhodes Scholarship, and the latter playing the Challengers Tournament of the 1st Prague International Chess Festival as the only woman in the cast. 1. d4 f5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 g6 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. 0-0 0-0 6. Nbd2!? Nc6! 7. c4 e6!? 8. Re1 d5 9. b3 Ne4 10. Bb2 b6 11. a3 Bb7 12. e3 Na5!? A new move. 12. ... g5 13. Nxe4 dxe4 14. Nd2 g4 15. b4 Qd7 16. b5 Nd8 17. a4 a6 produced an unclear but quite balanced position, Marjanović – Nakamura, 43rd Chess Olympiad 2018, Batumi 2018. 13. Qc2 Nxd2 14. Nxd2 dxc4 15. bxc4 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Qd7 17. Nf3 c5 18. dxc5 Bxb2 19. Qxb2 Nxc4 20. Qd4 Qxd4 21. exd4 bxc5 22. dxc5!? Objectively better seems 22. Rec1(!) Na5 23. Rab1 winning back the Pawn with interest. 22. ... Rac8 23. Ng5 e5 24. Rac1 Nb2 25. Rc3 e4 26. Rb1 Nd3 27. c6

27. ... h6? Undoubtedly this is the losing move. Correct was 27. ... Rfe8! followed by ... h7-h6 with a still tenable position. 28. Ne6 Rf6 29. Nd4 Rd6. On other replies White equally continues c6-c7. If, instead, 29. ... Rf7 then 30. Rb7! winning easily. 30. c7! Rb6 31. Rxb6 axb6 32. Rc6 Ne5 33. Re6 Nf7. 33. ... Rxc7 34. Rxe5 just leads to a lost ending. 34. Nb5 Kf8 35. Rxg6 Ke8 36. Rg8+ Kd7 37. Rg7 Rf8 38. Rxf7+! 1 : 0. For after 38. ... Rxf7 39. c8=Q+! Kxc8 40. Nd6+ it’s all over.

China’s Board 1 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí). Photo: sohu.com.

Slam the Door Softly

Hoàng Thanh Trang – 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí)

7th “天津弈诚杯” (“Tiānjīn Yìchéng Cup”) Chinese Chess League Division A; 重庆 (Chóngqìng), April 12, 2011

3q2k1/1Q1b1p2/B2Bp1pp/1p2P3/2p2PP1/2P1b1KP/1P6/8 b - - 3 34

Position after 34. Kh2-g3

White has just played Kh2-g3(??) to prevent Black’s Queen from coming to h4, but her “prophylaxis” proves to be a comical confirmation of the Nimzowitschian maxim that the threat is stronger than its execution: 34. ... Qh4+!! 0–1. Whether White takes or not, mate is unavoidable: 35. Kxh4 Bf2#; 35. Kg2 Qf2+ 36. Kh1 Qg1#; 35. Kf3 Qf2+ 36. Ke4 Qxf4#; 35. Kh2 Qf2+ 36. Qg2 Bxf4+ 37. Kh1 Qe1+ 38. Qg1 Bc6#.

模型论 (Model theory)

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Hoàng Thanh Trang
41st Women’s Chess Olympiad; Tromsø, August 8, 2014
French Defence C13

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e5 Nfd7 6. h4 c5 7. Bxe7 Kxe7 8. Nf3!? Theoretical modelisation! Although its reductionist approach, this move is perfectly playable. The alternative is 8. f4 Nc6 9. dxc5 Nxc5 10. Qd2 d4 11. Nd1 Qd5 12. Nf2 Rd8 13. Nf3 b6 14. Bd3 f5 15. exf6+ gxf6 16. Qe2 Nxd3+ 17. Qxd3 f5 18. 0-0 Rg8 19. c4 Qd6 20. Nh3 Bd7 21. Rae1 Raf8 22. a3 h6 23. b4 Rg3 24. Rf2 Rfg8 25. Kf1 a6 26. Nhg1 b5 27. Ne2 bxc4 28. Nxg3 Rxg3 29. Qxc4 Qxf4 30. Ne5 Qxh4 31. Nxc6+ Bxc6 32. Qxe6+ Kd8 33. Qd6+ Bd7 34. Qb8+ Bc8 35. Qb6+ Kd7 36. Qe6+ Kd8 37. Qe8+ Kc7 38. Rc2+ Rc3 39. Rxc3+ dxc3 40. Qe7+ Qxe7 41. Rxe7+ Kb6 42. Re3 a5 43. bxa5+ Kxa5 44. Rxc3 Bd7 45. Kf2 Ka4 46. Ke3 Be6 47. Kf4 h5 48. g3 1 : 0 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Danielian, 38th Women’s Chess Olympiad, Dresden 2008. 8. ... Qb6 9. Qd2 Nc6 10. 0-0-0 cxd4 11. Nb5 h6 12. Qf4! a6. Russian theoretician Nikolai Mikhailovich Kalinichenko mentions (and dismisses) 12. ... Rf8 13. Nbxd4 Nxd4 14. Nxd4 Qc7 15. Re1 Qa5 16. Re3 Nc5 17. b4!+− (Kovačević – Šarić, Herceg Novi 2007). 13. Nbxd4 Nc5 14. g4 Ne4?! 14. ... Bd7 (Kalinichenko) was preferable. 15. Qe3 Qa5 16. a3! Bd7 17. Bd3. White got a very good attacking position. 17. ... Nc5 18. g5 Nxd4 19. Nxd4 hxg5? After this White’s attack will become irresistible, but other moves seem likewise insufficient: 19. ... h5 20. g6!+− or 19. ... Nxd3+ 20. Rxd3 Raf8 (Kalinichenko) 21. Rb3+− — probably Black is already lost. 20. Qxg5+ Kf8 21. Rhg1 Nxd3+. On 21. ... g6 22. Qf6 is deadly. 22. Rxd3 Rh7. If 22. ... g6 then 23. Rf3 (threatening 24. Rxf7+! Kxf7 25. Qxg6+ Kf8 26. Qf6+) 23. ... Rg8 24. h5 winning immediately. 23. Rf3. With the big threat of Qg5-g6. 23. ... Ke8 24. Qf4 g6 25. h5! Qc5. Cearly not 25. ... gxh5 because of 26. Rg8+ Ke7 27. Qf6#, nor 25. ... Rxh5 on account of 26. Qxf7+ Kd8 27. Nxe6+! Bxe6 28. Qf8+ Kc7 29. Qd6+ Kc8 30. Rf8+ and mate next move. 26. hxg6 fxg6 27. Rxg6 Bc8 28. Rg8+ Kd7

29. Nxe6! Easy, but very stylish! 29. ... Qa5. On 29. ... Kxe6 30. Qf5+ Ke7 31. Qxh7+ Ke6 32. Qf5+ Ke7 33. Qf7#. 30. b4 Rh1+ 31. Kb2 Qb6 32. Qf7+ 1 : 0.