You have to ask Yeltsin, but, if needed, you can always ask Uncle $crooge too

Ukraine is inevitably struggling hard to put on the map its “Seasons Chess”. No wonder it’s hard to be seen where nobody would look. The chess world is too distracted by something else for wishing to know how cold can be the winter when nowhere is your earth. It’s easier to talk about what serves the interest of chess “families” rather than the interest of chess people. East and West, home’s best. No authority, neither princes nor the emperor helped or was even interested in organizing the Ukrainian Chess Championships. A very small budget was allocated by the Ukrainian Ministry of Youth and Sports and, as a matter of fact, Lviv Regional Chess Federation had to cover all costs of organization. “The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind”. But won’t someone recognize you? Well, you have to ask Yeltsin, but, if needed, you can always ask Uncle $crooge too. Tertium non datur. Otherwise you don’t exist. Photo: Ukrainian Chess (Facebook).

Shall we have to ask Yeltsin?

Mariya’s games are top secret, but maybe we can sense her changes in mood by the choice of her dress. Mariya’s mother and manager Natalia Muzychuk, interviewed by Oleg Petrenko for vgolos.com.ua, kindly explained the reason for not broadcasting her daughter’s games. “Don’t exaggerate everything”, she said. “Everyone can come here and watch. Free entry. The organizers just decided to hide Mariya’s games – they’re in their own right”. Let’s say it’s a good advertising campaign. It inspires me a question which answer I still don’t have. Why did nobody invite Miss Muzychuk to the 78th Tata Steel Chess Tournament? I’m quite sure Dutch organizers would have broadcasted the games of both 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) and Mariya Muzychuk. So, why not Mariya too? Shall we have to ask Yeltsin? Photo: Ukrainian Chess (Facebook).

Round Three
Mariya Muzychuk vs. Sergey Anatoliyovych Fedorchuk ½ : ½

Drawn Together
Photo: Ukrainian Chess (Facebook)

Out Through the Curtain

Sergey Anatoliyovych Fedorchuk – Yuriy Oleksandrovych Kuzubov
84th Ukrainian Chess Championship; Lviv, December 4, 2015
Russian Defence C42

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Nc3 Nxc3 6. dxc3 Be7 7. Be3 0-0 8. Qd2 Nd7 9. 0-0-0 c6 10. Kb1 d5 11. h4!? A sharp novelty by Fedorchuk. The accepted continuation was 11. c4 Nb6 12. cxd5 Nxd5 13. Bc4 Be6 14. Rhe1 (or 14. Bg5 f6 15. Qe2 Bf7 16. Bxd5 cxd5 17. Be3 Re8 ½ : ½ Volokitin – Nisipeanu, Romanian Team Chess Championship, Calimanesti-Caciulata 2014) 14. ... Bb4 15. c3 Be7 16. Bb3 Qa5 17. Nd4 Bd7 18. Bc2 Rfe8 19. Nb3 Qc7 20. Bc5 Bxc5 21. Nxc5 Rxe1 22. Rxe1 Re8 23. Rxe8+ Bxe8 24. Qe2 Kf8 25. g3 Nf6 26. Qe3 b6 ½ : ½ Vachier-Lagrave – Giri, Chess World Cup, Baku 2015, match game 1. 11. ... Nf6 12. Ng5 Ne4 13. Qe1 Bf5 14. Bd3 Nd6 15. Be2 h6 16. g4 hxg5 17. hxg5. A less risky course for White would have been 17. gxf5 gxh4 18. Bd3 with the prospect of a volatile initiative. 17. ... Bg6 18. f4 f5! 19. gxf6 Bxf6 20. f5 Re8 21. Qg1 Rxe3! Black rightly gives back some material to consolidate. 22. Qxe3 Bf7 23. Rh2? This move allows Black to build up a powerful initiative. Best seems 23. Bd3 d4!? 24. cxd4 Bd5 25. Rh5 (or 25. Rh2 Qa5) 25. ... Bf7 with an unclear – but dynamically balanced – position. 23. ... Ne4 24. Rdh1 Kf8 25. c4 Qe7 26. Ka1 Bg8 27. cxd5 cxd5 28. Rh8? White’s Rook asks for trouble! After both 28. Qb3 Rc8 and 28. Bf3 Ng5 Black stands clearly better, but anything reasonable was better than the text. 28. ... Rc8 29. Qb3 g5! 30. R8h6 Rc6. Threatening ... Rc6-b6. 31. Qe3

31. ... Bxb2+! A deadly blow! 32. Kxb2 Qe5+ 33. c3. Or 33. Kb1 Nc3+ winning the Queen. 33. ... Rxc3 34. Qxa7 Rc4+ 0 : 1. There follows mate in two.

需求分析 (Requirements analysis)

Sergey Anatoliyovych Fedorchuk – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)

18th Corsican Circuit; final game 2 (time control: 15 minutes plus 3 seconds per move); Ajaccio, October 22, 2014

Sicilian Defence B72

Notes by Grandmaster Alejandro Tadeo Ramírez Álvarez.

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6!? 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) is well versed in her Sicilians, but it is not so common for her to start the game like this. 3. Nc3. An anti-Sveshnikov move, but I doubt the World Champion was planning to play that with the Black pieces. 3. ... g6. The accelerated Dragon becomes more feasible for top-GMs to play once the Maróczy has been avoided. 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Bg7 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Be2. An old but relatively quiet line, Black is not supposed to have too many problems in this variation. 7. Bc4 0-0 8. Bb3 is still the most theoretically challenging line. Black has a few options at her disposal. 7. ... 0-0 8. f4. 8. 0-0 d5 is already known to be equal. 8. ... d6 9. Nb3. This line has fallen out of popularity for a long time now. Black has more than one continuation that promises good play. 9. ... a6. 9. ... Be6 10. g4 d5 11. f5 Bc8 12. exd5 Nb4 13. Bf3 is a famous and old game between Fischer – Reshevsky, [New York 1961, match game 2]. 9. ... a5! is more assertive. 9. ... e5!?. 10. g4. White’s attack on the Kingside in these kinds of situations is usually somewhat slow. It is more visually impactful than dangerous. 10. ... b5 11. g5 Nd7 12. Qd2 Nb6. Black quickly transfers the Knight to the Queenside, hoping to put pressure there quickly. 13. 0-0-0 Na4! This is the point. Now c3 is under attack and Black already has concrete threats. 14. Nd4 Bb7?! 14. ... Nxc3! 15. Qxc3 Nxd4 16. Bxd4 e5!∓ would have been a perfect way to continue the game. White’s structure is falling apart. 15. Nd5 Nxd4 16. Bxd4 e5 17. fxe5 Bxd5! An important strategical decision. White’s Knight on d5 is far more useful for White than the Bishop as Black is embarking on a dark-attack. 18. exd5 dxe5 19. Be3 Qd6?! Letting Fedorchuk slightly off the hook. 19. ... e4! 20. Bd4 (20. c3 b4 is not a position that White can survive) 20. ... Qxd5∓ is a clean Pawn up. 20. Kb1 Rac8. Black still keeps some initiative. Notice that White has not had time to develop anything on the other flank. 21. h4?

21. ... e4?! Missing a brilliant finish. 21. ... Rc3!! This unusual move wins on the spot. The point is that b4 is now clear for the Queen, making the attack on the Queenside far more dangerous. The Rook is clearly taboo. 22. Ka1 (22. bxc3 Qa3 with unstoppable mate following up) 22. ... e4 23. Rb1 Ra3!. 22. Bd4 Qxd5 23. Qe3 Bxd4 24. Rxd4 Qc5 25. c3 Rfd8 26. Rhd1 Rxd4 27. Rxd4 Re8. At the end of the day White has survived the attack. He is down a Pawn but can regain it in the next move, though he would still be a little worse. 28. h5? (28. Bf3! Qf5 29. Bxe4 Qf1+ 30. Qc1 Qf2⩱) 28. ... Qe5 29. h6 Nc5? Already with both players in time pressure both players miss an important resource here. 30. Bg4? 30. c4! White has the strong threat of Rd4-d5, and its surprisingly difficult to stop! 30. ... Kf8 31. a3 Ne6 32. Bxe6 Qxe6 33. a4 Qf5. Black is now up a Pawn. It is difficult to convert, but it helps when all you need is a draw. 34. a5 Qf3! 35. Qxf3 exf3 36. Rf4 Re1+ 37. Kc2 Re2+ 38. Kb3 f2 39. Ka3 (39. Rf6◻=) 39. ... f5! A nice move. This clears the path for Black’s King as the Pawn cannot be taken. 40. b3 (40. gxf6 g5−+) 40. ... Ke7 41. Rf3 Ke6 42. Kb4 Kd5 43. Rf4 Re4+ 0 : 1. 44. c4+ bxc4 45. Rxf2 cxb3+ 46. Kxb3 f4 is very hopeless.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) won a historic victory in the 18th Corsican Circuit. Photo: corse-echecs.com.

维也纳开局 (Vienna Game)

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Sergey Anatoliyovych Fedorchuk
18th Corsican Circuit; knockout final game 1; Ajaccio, October 22, 2014
Vienna Game C25

1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nc6 3. d3 Bc5 4. Nc3 d6 (4. ... Na5 5. Nge2) 5. Na4 Na5. For 5. ... Bb6 6. Nxb6 axb6 7. f4 take a look at Spielmann – Przepiórka, 15th DSB Kongress, Nuremberg 1906, whereas for 5. ... Nf6 6. Nxc5 dxc5 7. f4 see Spielmann – Olland, Scheveningen 1923. 6. Bb3 Nxb3 7. axb3 Ne7 8. Nf3 Ng6 9. h3 a6 10. Nxc5 dxc5 11. Be3 Qe7 12. 0-0 0-0 13. Nd2 Be6 14. Kh2 b6 15. Nc4 a5 16. Qd2 Qd7 17. f4 exf4 18. Bxf4 Nxf4 19. Rxf4 a4 20. Raf1 axb3 21. cxb3 Qd4 22. R4f3 Ra2 23. Qf4 Qd7 24. Rg3 f6 25. Rf2 Kh8 26. Qh4 Qd4 27. Qf4

27. ... Ra1? Sounder seems 27. ... Rf7 28. Rgf3 and White has at least a slight edge. 28. Qxc7 Rg8 29. Qf4 b5 30. Nd6 Bxb3 31. Nxb5 Qd7 32. Nd6 Be6 33. e5 fxe5 34. Qxe5 Ra7 35. Ne4 c4. Not a panacea, but 35. ... Qd5 would be met by 36. Rg5 as afterwards in the text. 36. Nc5. Sufficient to win, but possibly sharper – and stronger – seems 36. Ng5! Bd5 37. cxd5 and Black is doomed (e.g. 37. ... Bxc4?? 38. Qe4+−). Another good move is 36. Nf6, after which Black is practically compelled to give up the Exchange, as after 36. ... gxf6 37. Qxf6+ Rg7 38. Rxg7 Qxg7 39. Qxe6 the game is over. 36. ... Qd5 37. Rg5 Qxe5+ 38. Rxe5 Bf7 39. dxc4 Bxc4 40. b3 Bf7 41. Ref5 Bg6 42. Rf8 h6 43. b4 Ra1 44. Rxg8+ Kxg8 45. Rb2 Rc1 46. Nd7 Be8 47. Ne5 Bb5 48. Kg3 Re1 49. Nf3 Re4 50. Nd2 Re2 51. Kf3 g5 52. Nc4 Re5?? A blunder. The lesser evil would been 52. ... Rxb2 53. Nxb2 Bc6+ 54. Kf2 and White is a Pawn ahead, which should be sufficient to win. 53. Nxe5 1 : 0.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) vs. Sergey Anatoliyovych Fedorchuk. Photo: Lega Corsa di Scacchi.