Round the Moon

丁亦昕 (Dīng Yìxīn) – 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí)
6th Chinese Women’s Masters Chess Tournament; 无锡 (Wúxī), May 30, 2017
Four Knights Game C49

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bb4 5. 0-0 0-0 6. d3 Bxc3 7. bxc3 d6 8. Bxc6 bxc6 9. h3 h6 10. Be3 Be6 11. c4 Nd7 12. Nd2 f5!? New wine in old bottle. The older try was 12. ... c5 13. f4 f5 14. Qe2 Qe7 15. fxe5 Nxe5 16. exf5 Bxf5 17. Bf4 Ng6 18. Qxe7 Nxe7 ½ : ½ Sydor – Adamski, 35th Polish Chess Championship, Kraków 1978. 13. exf5 Bxf5 14. f4 exf4 15. Bxf4 Nc5 16. Qh5 Qe8 17. Qxe8 Raxe8 18. Bg3 Re2 19. Rf2? A seemingly trivial oversight which loses a (maybe not so valuable) Pawn. Stockfish’s line 19. Nb3 Ne6 (after 19. ... Rxc2 20. Nd4 Black could find difficult to get adequate compensation for the Exchange) 20. Rf2 Rxf2 21. Bxf2 c5 appears to lead to equality.

19. ... Bxd3! 20. Rxe2 Bxe2 21. Re1 Bh5 22. Nb3 Na6!? 16th Women’s World Chess Champion judges, perhaps correctly, that after 22. ... Nxb3 23. cxb3 c5 24. Re7 her chances to exploit her extra Pawn would be virtually zero, and opts for a move which, at least from a psychological viewpoint, gives her opponent more pressure. 23. Nd4? So it worked out! Best was 23. c5! dxc5 24. Nxc5 as after 24. ... Nxc5 25. Re5 White regains the piece with concrete drawing chances. 23. ... c5! Now 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí) forces a very pleasant ending, which will be able to handle with confident technique. 24. Nb5 Bf7 25. Nxa7. If 25. Re7 then 25. ... Rd8! (Stockfish) 26. Nxa7 (on 26. Nxc7? Kf8 wins the Exchange) 26. ... Bxc4 with consequences not too different from those in the game. 25. ... Bxc4 26. a3 Kf7. Here ... Rf8-b8-b2 looked also very strong. 27. Re4 Bd5 28. Ra4 Bb7 29. Nb5 Ke6 30. Rg4 Rf7 31. h4 Kd7 32. h5 Bd5 33. Nc3 Be6 34. Ra4 Nb8 35. Ne2 Nc6 36. c3 Bb3 37. Ra8 Re7 38. Kf2 Ne5 39. Bxe5 Rxe5 40. Nf4 Re4 41. g3 Ra4 42. Rh8 Ke7 43. Rc8 Ra7 44. Ke3 Be6. 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí) shows herself to be more than a chess machine, not fearing to enter the Rook endgame a Pawn up and thus challenging Tartakower’s statement that “all Rook endgames are drawn”. 45. Nxe6 Kxe6 46. Rg8 c6 47. Kd2 Kd5. Black’s win turns out to be quite easy as, in addition to her extra Pawn, she can rely on Steinitz’s dictum, who held that His Majesty is a strong piece. 48. Kc2. 48. Kd3 c4+ 49. Kc2 c5 does not appear to change anything. 48. ... Kc4 49. Kb2 d5! 50. a4 d4 51. Rc8 Rb7+ 52. Kc2 d3+ 53. Kd2 Rb2+ 54. Ke3 Kxc3 55. Rxc6 c4 56. Rc7 Re2+ 57. Kf3 Re1 0 : 1.

丁亦昕 (Dīng Yìxīn) vs. 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí)
Photo: qipai.org.cn

Win, Lose or Draw

沈阳 (Shěn Yáng) – 袁烨 (Yuán Yè)
6th Chinese Women’s Masters Chess Tournament; 无锡 (Wúxī), May 28, 2017
Semi-Slav Defence D45

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Be2 Bd6 7. 0-0 0-0 8. a4 a5 9. b3 b6 10. Qc2 Bb7 11. e4!? A variation to the theme in respect to 11. Bb2 Qe7 12. e4 dxe4 13. Nxe4 Nxe4 14. Qxe4 f5 15. Qe3 c5 16. Rad1 Rae8 17. Rfe1 Nf6 18. Ne5 Ne4 19. Bf1 Rd8 20. Nd3 Qc7 21. f4 g5 22. dxc5 bxc5 23. Ne5 Qg7 24. Ba1 gxf4 25. Qxf4 Bc7 26. h4 (what a disaster!) 26. ... Rd4 27. Rxd4 cxd4 28. Bxd4 Rd8 29. Ba1 Ng3 30. c5 Rd1 31. Qc4 Rxe1 32. Qxe6+ Kf8 33. Nd7+ Qxd7 34. Qxe1 Nxf1 35. Qxf1 Qd5 36. Kh1 Qe4 37. Bf6 Kf7 0 : 1 Pr. Nikolić – Dreev, World Rapid Chess Championship, Berlin 2015. 11. ... dxe4 12. Nxe4 Nxe4 13. Qxe4 Nf6 14. Qh4 c5 15. Bb2 Ne4 16. Qh5 cxd4 17. Bxd4 f5 18. Rad1 Qc7 19. Bb2 Bc5 20. Bd3 Qe7 21. Bd4 Bxd4 22. Nxd4 Rad8 23. Bxe4 Bxe4 24. Qe2 e5 25. Nb5 Bc6 26. Rxd8 Rxd8 27. Rd1 Bxb5 28. Rxd8+ Qxd8 29. cxb5. The Queen ending appears to be absolutely drawish, but, since Queen endings are among the most difficult to win (as well as to lose!), we may think that, given her deeper experience, 沈阳 (Shěn Yáng) will better know what to do. 29. ... h6 30. h4 Qd6 31. Qc2 f4 32. Kf1 Kf7 33. h5 Ke7 34. Ke2 Qd4 35. Qc7+ Kf6 36. Qc6+ Ke7 37. Qc2 Qd6 38. Qc4 Qd7 39. Ke1 Qd4 40. Qc2 Qa1+ 41. Ke2 Qd4 42. Qc7+ Kf6 43. Qc6+ Ke7 44. Kf3 Qd1+ 45. Ke4 Qe2+ 46. Kd5

46. ... Qd2+? A grave mistake that very precisely prepares for defeat. Correct was 46. ... Qd1+ 47. Kxe5 Qxh5+ 48. Kxf4 Qf7+ regaigning the Pawn with a draw very likely. 47. Kxe5 Qxf2 48. Kf5. Stockfish gives 48. Qe6+ Kf8 49. Kd6 which, indeed, might well be stronger. 48. ... Qe3 49. Qc7+ Ke8 50. Qe5+ Kf7 51. Qd5+ Ke7 52. Kg6 Qg3+ 53. Kh7 Qg4. 53. ... Kf6 might have been more stubborn (at least from a practical viewpoint) as after 54. Qd8+ Kf5 55. Qf8+ Ke4 56. Qxg7 Ke3 57. Qxh6 Qxg2 58. Qxb6 Ke2 59. Qc6 f3 60. b6 (Stockfish) it seems just a bit less easy for White to win. 54. Qb7+ Kf8 55. Qb8+ Kf7 56. Qc7+ Kf8 57. Qxb6 Qxh5 58. Qd8+ Kf7 59. Qd7+ Kf6 60. Qxg7+ Kf5 61. b6 Qe8 62. b7 h5 63. Kh6 Qe6+ 64. Kxh5 Qe8+ 65. Kh6 Qe6+ 66. Kh7 Qe8 67. g4+ fxg3 68. Qxg3 Qe7+ 69. Qg7 Qe8 70. Qc7 Qg6+ 71. Kh8 Qe8+ 72. Kg7 Qg6+ 73. Kf8 Qh6+ 74. Qg7 Qd6+ 75. Qe7 Qb6 76. Ke8 1 : 0.

沈阳 (Shěn Yáng)
Photo: qipai.org.cn

袁烨 (Yuán Yè)
Photo: qipai.org.cn

Theory After Theory

袁烨 (Yuán Yè) – 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí)
6th Chinese Women’s Masters Chess Tournament; 无锡 (Wúxī), May 27, 2017
Nimzo-Indian Defence E32

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 0-0 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Qxc3 b6 7. Bg5 Ba6 8. e3 d6 9. Bd3 Nbd7 10. Ne2 c5 11. b4 cxd4 12. exd4 Rc8 13. Qb3 e5 14. b5. Another try was 14. Rc1 h6 15. Bh4 e4 16. Bb1 d5 17. b5 Bb7 18. 0-0 dxc4 19. Rxc4 Bd5 20. Rxc8 Qxc8 21. Qb2 Bb7 22. Ng3 Qe8 23. Nf5 Qe6 24. Ne3 Rc8 25. Ba2 Nd5 26. Rc1 Rxc1+ 27. Qxc1 Nf8 28. Qc4 Nf4 29. Bg3 g5 30. h4 Qxc4 31. Bxc4 N8g6 32. Nf5 gxh4 33. Ne7+ Nxe7 34. Bxf4 Bd5 35. Be2 Nf5 36. Bb8 Nxd4 37. Bf1 h3 38. gxh3 Nf3+ 39. Kg2 Nd2 40. Be2 e3+ 41. Kg1 Bc4 42. Bxc4 Nxc4 ½ : ½ Gershon – H. Stefansson, Elbow Beach Club GM-A, Paget Parish 2001. 14. ... Bb7 15. 0-0 h6 16. Bh4 e4 17. Bb1 Qc7 18. Ba2. If 18. Rc1 there might follow 18. ... d5 19. Bg3 dxc4 20. Qa4 Qd8 21. Qxa7 Bd5 22. Nc3 Re8 23. Re1 Nf8 24. Qa4 Ba8 25. Qd1 Ng6 26. a4 Qe7 27. Qd2 Qb4 28. Bc2 e3 29. Rxe3 Nd5 30. Ra3 Qa5 31. Rf3 Nb4 ½ : ½ Baburin – Kunte, 3rd Mind Sports Olympiad (MSO), London 1999. 18. ... d5 19. Qa4 Qb8 20. Bg3 Qa8 21. Nf4!? Finally, 袁烨 (Yuán Yè) takes her own path, which, however, doesn’t seem any better than 21. Nc3 Rfe8 22. Rfe1 dxc4 23. Bxc4 Nd5 24. Rac1 Nxc3 25. Rxc3 Nf6 26. Rec1 Nd5 27. R3c2 Rcd8 28. Qb3 Rd7 29. Be5 Qd8 30. Qg3 Qg5 31. Bxd5 Bxd5 ½ : ½ Baburin – Rozentalis, Politiken Cup, 18th Copenhagen 1996. 21. ... dxc4 22. Bxc4 Nd5 23. Nxd5 Bxd5 24. Be2 Be6. Both players played in a strange way, but probably not badly. 25. Rac1 Qd5 26. Qxa7!? Alea iacta est. On the other hand, 26. Rc6 would have been equally answered by 26. ... Qa2. 26. ... Qa2 27. Rxc8? Stockfish doesn’t miss the sharp 27. d5! which would ensure White a not-so-metaphorical initiative and, what’s more important, an almost sure escape to salvation. 27. ... Rxc8 28. Bd1 Qd2

29. Bd6?? 袁烨 (Yuán Yè)’s blunder is so inexplicable that I dare not guess anything. White ought to play 29. h3 Qxd4 30. Bf4 eventually followed by Bf4-e3, trying to hold on. 29. ... e3! Now Black goes for mate. 30. fxe3. Otherwise follows ... e3-e2. 30. ... Bd5 31. Bf3 Bxf3 32. gxf3. Or 32. Rxf3 Rc1+ and mate in two moves. 32. ... Rc2 33. Qa8+ Nf8 0 : 1.

谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí)
Photo: qipai.org.cn

袁烨 (Yuán Yè)
Photo: qipai.org.cn