Closing credits

Early in the morning of Sunday, July 9, 2018 four-time Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) (pictured above centre left) and former FIDE World Chess Champion Ruslan Olegovich Ponomariov (pictured above centre right) participated in the promotional festivities of their clash of genders. On the stage (and in the backstage as well) of the High-Tech Industrial Park, 粤海街道 (Yuèhǎi Subdistrict), 南山区 (Nánshān District), 深圳 (Shēnzhèn), China 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) and Ponomariov met and chatted with a crowd of young fans, sharing their experiences and views about their respective chess odysseys. And finally, they performed their scheduled joint simultaneous exhibition, for the joy of the youngsters challengers as well as of their families. Photos: sznews.com.

蝙蝠女孩 (Batgirl)

Footage from the opening ceremony of the clash of genders between four-time Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) and former FIDE World Chess Champion Ruslan Olegovich Ponomariov held in the early afternoon of Wednesday, July 4, 2018 at the 南山博物馆 (Nánshān Museum) in 深圳 (Shēnzhèn), China.

⚥

Here is another view from Saturday’s grand closing ceremony of the 深圳 (Shēnzhèn) 南山 (Nánshān) clash of genders, narrowly won by ♂ (former FIDE World Chess Champion Ruslan Olegovich Ponomariov) over ♀ [four-time Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)]. In the end, however, there were prizes for everyone. Photos: 樊璐璐 (Fán Lùlù).

Time Delay

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Ruslan Olegovich Ponomariov

Rapid & Blitz World Chess Champions Showdown; match game 8 (15+10); 深圳 (Shēnzhèn), July 5, 2018

Spanish Game C65

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. 0-0 Nd4 6. Nxd4 Bxd4 7. c3 Bb6 8. Na3 c6 9. Ba4 d6 10. Nc4 Bc7 11. Bb3 Be6 12. f4!? exf4 13. Bxf4 d5 14. exd5!? If not new, it is certainly more ambitious than 14. Nd2 0-0 15. d4 Nxe4 16. Bxc7 Qxc7 17. Nxe4 dxe4 18. Bxe6 fxe6 19. Qg4 Qd6 20. Qxe4 Qd5= Efimenko – Fressinet, 30th European Chess Club Cup, Bilbao 2014. 14. ... Nxd5 15. Bxc7 Qxc7 16. Qf3. 16. Qh5!? 0-0 17. Rae1 Rad8 doesn’t seem to offer anything more. Perhaps 16. d4 at once might have been considered. 16. ... 0-0 17. Rae1 Rae8 18. d4 Re7 19. Ne5. 19. Bc2 Nf6 20. Ne5 Nd7 transposes into the game. 19. ... Nf6 20. Bc2. With the deadly threat of Qf3-d3.

20. ... Nd7. The only move. 21. Qe4 g6. Of course, after 21. ... f5? 22. Qh4 the weakening of the a2-g8 diagonal would imply quite dramatic consequences for Black. 22. Nf3. Intending Nf3-g5. If 22. Qh4 there might follow 22. ... Nxe5 23. Rxe5 Rfe8 with an approximate balance, so maybe she could consider 22. Ng4!? f5 23. Nh6+ Kg7 24. Qh4 Nf6 25. g4!? fxg4 26. Qg5∞ which, although very unclear, might have its speculative appeal. 22. ... f5 23. Qh4 Nf6 24. Ng5 Bd5. 24. ... Bxa2(?) 25. b3 is obviously nonsensical. 25. b3? The rapid time control hurts as usual. White ought to have played 25. Rxe7 Qxe7 26. Re1 Ne4 27. Qg3!? keeping tension and unbalance on the board. 25. ... Rfe8 26. c4 Rxe1? But time passes for everyone, even for Ponomariov. After 26. ... Ng4! 27. Rxe7 Qxe7 28. cxd5 Qe3+ 29. Kh1 Nf2+ 30. Kg1 Nh3++ 31. Kh1 Nxg5 Black would have emerged with a very pleasant position. 27. Rxe1 Rxe1+ 28. Qxe1 h6 29. Ne6 Bxe6 30. Qxe6+ Kg7 31. h3 h5 32. Bd3 h4 33. Qe1 Qf4! A pretty way to draw. 34. Qe7+ Kh6 35. Qxf6 Qe3+ 36. Kh2 Qg3+ 37. Kh1 Qe1+ 38. Kh2 Qg3+ ½ : ½.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) (left) and Ruslan Olegovich Ponomariov (right) analysing and discussing their games. Photo: qipai.org.cn.

Working Saturday

Pictured above is Grandmaster 赵雪 (Zhào Xuě), who, like a rabbit out of a hat, suddenly appeared in the studios to comment live on 深圳 (Shēnzhèn)’s clash of genders’ games. Since tomorrow is free day, the match will start over again early Saturday morning with the last 10 games at blitz. Photo: 樊璐璐 (Fán Lùlù).

A Day of Summer

“Maybe it's because I haven’t played chess for three months”, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) (pictured above) said, commentating on the results of the first day of her match with Ponomariov. She regretted especially the loss of the first game, which she unexpectedly lost on time. “I wasn’t able to tune myself. I thought I had time enough, but no. Game over”, she said. In the second game, she finally found back her inspiration, and won quite convincingly... even if only on a Chinese screen: elsewhere the game ended – some hours later – as a draw! At the end, in the last two games she felt quite flattered. So there’s no reason to despair: “I still hope to get back up to my standard as sooner as possible, so as to enjoy my playing”. But as a compensation, when stepping in her summer black evening dress, she was the only one who took over the stage. Photo: 樊璐璐 (Fán Lùlù).

时空 (Spacetime)

The technical meeting for the rapid and blitz World Chess Champions Showdown between four-time Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) (seated, centre left) and former FIDE World Chess Champion Ruslan Olegovich Ponomariov (seated, centre right) was held at the 南山博物馆 (Nánshān Museum) in 深圳 (Shēnzhèn), China on the evening of July 3, 2018. In the drawing of lots 13th Women’s World Champion drew Black for the first rapid game scheduled for tomorrow, July 4, at 14,30. Photos: 樊璐璐 (Fán Lùlù)/Sina Sports.

Oriental Watercolour Techniques

A rapid and blitz chess match between four-time Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) and former FIDE World Chess Champion Ruslan Olegovich Ponomariov is confirmed to be held in 南山区 (Nánshān District), 深圳 (Shēnzhèn), 广东省 (Guǎngdōng province), China from 3–8 July 2018.

南山区 (Nánshān District), 深圳 (Shēnzhèn). Photo © leavril.

Between Stage and Screen

Although former FIDE World Chess Champion (2002–2004) Ruslan Olegovich Ponomariov used Twitter to announce his upcoming rapid and blitz match with four-time Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), he kindly remarks that he is looking for a qualified audience for his own Twitch channel:

Ruslan Olegovich Ponomariov (@Ponomariov)