Starry☆Sky

Anna Olehivna Muzychuk – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2013–2014; 5th stage; Lopota, June 29, 2014
Sicilian Defence B40

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4. Although playable, this move is questionable because of the “hole” at d4. 3. ... Nc6 4. Be2 Nge7. The sharpest try is 4. ... g5!? 5. d3 g4 6. Nfd2 Ne5 7. Nb3 Nf6 8. Nc3 Rg8 9. Be3 d6 10. d4 cxd4 11. Qxd4 a6 12. 0-0-0 Nfd7 13. Kb1?! (13. f4 gxf3 14. gxf3⩲) 13. ... b6 14. f4 gxf3 15. gxf3 Bb7∞ Gavrikov – J. Polgár, 11th Rapid Tournament, Tallin 2001. 5. d4 Nxd4 6. Nxd4 cxd4 7. Qxd4 Nc6 8. Qd2 Bc5 9. 0-0 0-0 10. Nc3 d6 11. a3 a5 12. b3 e5. Black’s position is just a little easier, but nothing more. 13. Nb5 Qh4. Black fights energetically for the initiative. 14. Bf3 Be6 15. Qg5? Very ill-timed. Probably best was 15. Rb1 with reasonable play. 15. ... Qxg5 16. Bxg5 h6! 17. Bd2?! 17. Be3 seems more consistent, although after 17. ... a4 18. bxa4 Nd4! Black stands much better. 17. ... a4! 18. Bd1. Not good, but 18. b4 Bxc4 is equally bad.

18. ... Nd4! After this sacrifice of the Exchange, White’s position collapses like a castle of sand. 19. Nc7. Also after 19. b4 Nxb5 20. cxb5 Bd4 21. Rc1 Rfc8 Black’s position is imposing. 19. ... axb3! 20. Nxa8 Rxa8 21. Bc3 Bxc4 22. a4 b5! The rest requires no comment. 23. axb5 Rxa1 24. Bxa1 Nxb5 25. Re1 Bd4 26. Bxd4 exd4 27. e5 dxe5 28. Rxe5 b2 0 : 1. For if 29. Re8+ then 29. ... Kh7 30. Bc2+ d3 31. Bb1 Nc3 wins.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán). Photo: Alina l’Ami.

在黑暗中漫舞 (Dancer in the Dark)

Nana Dzagnidze – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
Women’s Grand Prix 2013–2014; 5th stage; Lopota, June 26, 2014
8/3k4/1Rpr3p/p1n1pp2/P1P4P/2N1P3/4KP2/8 w - - 0 42

The endgame, despite the material equality, is certainly favorable to Black. 42. Rb8 Rd3 43. Nd1? The wrong track. After 43. Nb1 Rb3 44. Rxb3 Nxb3 45. Nc3 Kd6 Black’s superiority is manifest but not yet decisive. 43. ... Ra3 44. Rh8 Ra2+ 45. Kf1. Also after 45. Kf3 Rd2 Black’s position is imposing. 45. ... Nd3 46. Rxh6 Rd2! Yìfán’s deployment of her pieces creates a wonderfully aesthetic impression. 47. Rh7+ Kd6 48. h5 e4 49. Nc3 Rxf2+ 50. Kg1 Rf3. Sharper seems 50. ... Rc2! and White is in Zugzwang. 51. Nd1 Rg3+ 52. Kf1 Ne5 53. Kf2 Rg5 54. h6 Ng4+ 55. Ke2 Rh5 56. Ra7 Rxh6 57. Rxa5 Rh2+ 58. Kf1 Ne5 59. Ke1. As hopeless as anything else. 59. ... Nf3+ 60. Kf1 Rh1+ 0 : 1. For if 61. Ke2 then 61. ... Re1+.

Francesca Lidia Ortenzi
Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna”

ლოპოტა (Lopota)

Bela Khotenashvili – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
Women’s Grand Prix 2013–2014; 5th stage, Lopota, June 20, 2014
Nimzo-Indian Defence E53

Notes by 郭宇 (Guō Yǔ).

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 0-0 5. Bd3 d5 6. Nf3 c5 7. 0-0 b6 8. cxd5 exd5 9. Ne5 Ba6 10. Bxa6 Nxa6 11. Qa4 Nb8 12. dxc5 bxc5 13. Rd1 Qd6 14. Nf3 Bxc3 15. bxc3 Nbd7 16. Ba3 Qe6 17. Rac1 Rfd8 18. h3 Ne4 19. c4 Nb6 20. cxd5 Rxd5 21. Qc2 Rad8 22. Rxd5 Rxd5 23. Bb2 h6 24. a4 Nd7! 侯逸凡不愿意走推进通路兵的计划，而是把马调动到王翼，伺机进攻。典型的侯逸凡风格的走法。 25. Qb3 a6 26. Qc2 Nf8 27. Ba1 Ng6 28. Qb2 f6 29. Qc2 Kh7 30. Rb1 h5 31. Rb7 Qc6 32. Rb1 Qe6 33. Rb7 Kh6 34. Rb1 Qf5 35. Rc1

35 ... Rd2! 侯逸凡等到了对手的失误。黑方弃车，拦截加引离战术，黑方获得强大攻势。 36. Nxd2 Qxf2+ 37. Kh1 Ng3+ 38. Kh2 Nh4 39. Rg1 Ne2. [39. ... Nf1+ 40. Kh1 Nf5 41. Rxf1 Ng3+ 42. Kh2 Nxf1+ 43. Kh1 Nxe3 44. Qe4 Qxd2] 这样走黑方优势更大。 40. Qd1 Nxg1 41. Qxg1 Qxd2 42. Qf1 Qxe3 43. Bb2 Qe4 44. Qf2 Kh7 45. Bc3 c4 46. a5 Nf5 47. Bd2 Qd3 48. g4 Nd4 49. Be3 Nc2 50. Bf4 c3 51. Qc5 Qe2+ 52. Kg1 Qe1+ 53. Kh2 Qe4 54. Qxh5+ Kg8 55. Kg1 Nd4 0 : 1.

Bela Khotenashvili (right) vs. 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) (left). Photo: Alina l’Ami.

咆哮山莊 (Wuthering Heights)

Bela Khotenashvili – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
Women’s Grand Prix 2013–2014; 5th stage, Lopota, June 20, 2014
Nimzo-Indian Defence E53

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 0-0 5. Bd3 d5 6. Nf3 c5 7. 0-0 b6 8. cxd5 exd5 9. Ne5 Ba6!? Most usual is 9. ... Bb7, e.g. 10. Bd2 Nc6 11. a3 Bxc3 12. Bxc3⩲ Gligorić – Ljubojević, Belgrade 1979, match game 10. 10. Bxa6. 10. Nc6!? worked out the best, if undeservedly: 10. ... Qd7?? (Black had to play 10. ... Nxc6 11. Bxa6 Qc7 with a reasonable game) 11. Nxb8 1 : 0 Chuprikov – Bocharov, 13th Master Open, Voronezh 2009. It’s also quite interesting 10. dxc5 bxc5 11. Bxa6 Nxa6 12. Nc6 Qc7 13. Nxd5 Nxd5 14. Qxd5 Rac8 15. Nxb4 cxb4 16. e4 Qc2 17. Be3⩲ 沈阳 (Shěn Yáng) – 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí), 38th Chinese Women’s Chess Championship, 兴化市 (Xīnghuà) 2014. 10. ... Nxa6 11. Qa4!? Nb8 12. dxc5 bxc5 13. Rd1 Qd6 14. Nf3 Bxc3 15. bxc3 Nbd7 16. Ba3 Qe6 17. Rac1 Rfd8 18. h3 Ne4 19. c4 Nb6 20. cxd5 Rxd5 21. Qc2 Rad8 22. Rxd5 Rxd5 23. Bb2 h6 24. a4 Nd7 25. Qb3 a6 26. Qc2 Nf8 27. Ba1 Ng6 28. Qb2 f6 29. Qc2 Kh7 30. Rb1 h5 31. Rb7 Qc6 32. Rb1 Qe6 33. Rb7 Kh6 34. Rb1 Qf5!? Quite a tricky move, but stronger and more direct was 34. ... Rf5! with the (almost imparable) threat of ... Rf5xf3; for instance: 35. Rc1 Rxf3! 36. gxf3 Ng5 37. f4 Nxh3+ 38. Kf1 Qg4 39. Qxc5 Qg1+ 40. Ke2 Qxf2+ 41. Kd3 Qf3! with powerful initiative for Black. 35. Rc1? Khotenashvili seems totally oblivious to any danger. Correct was 35. Rf1! with a roughly balanced position.

35. ... Rd2! A beautiful deflecting sacrifice! 36. Nxd2. The offer must be accepted, for if 36. Qc4 then 36. ... Nh4! and finis. 36. ... Qxf2+ 37. Kh1 Ng3+ 38. Kh2 Nh4 39. Rg1 Ne2. 39. ... Nf1+! 40. Kh1 (or 40. Nxf1 Nf3+ and mate next move) 40. ... Nf5! also wins decisive material for Black (due to the threat of ... Nf5-g3 mate). 40. Qd1 Nxg1 41. Qxg1 Qxd2 42. Qf1 Qxe3. Black has two Pawns ahead and a dominant position. 43. Bb2 Qe4 44. Qf2 Kh7 45. Bc3 c4 46. a5 Nf5 47. Bd2 Qd3 48. g4 Nd4 49. Be3 Nc2 50. Bf4 c3 51. Qc5 Qe2+ 52. Kg1 Qe1+ 53. Kh2 Qe4 54. Qxh5+ Kg8 55. Kg1 Nd4 0 : 1.

Bela Khotenashvili (right) vs. 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) (left). Photo: Alina l’Ami.

Rakija

Nafisa Muminova – Antoaneta Stefanova
Women’s Grand Prix 2013–2014; 4th stage; Khanty-Mansiysk, April 2014, 21
Spanish Game C79

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. 0-0 Nf6 6. d3 g6. A rational and playable reply, although it’s more usual 6. ... Be7 7. c3 0-0, e.g. 8. Nbd2 b5 9. Bc2 Bb7 10. Re1 Re8 11. Nf1 Bf8 12. Bg5 h6 13. Bh4 Nb8!? 14. Ne3 Nbd7 15. a4 g6 16. b4 Bg7 17. Bb3 c6 18. g4 Qc8 19. g5 Nh7 20. gxh6 Bxh6 21. Kh1 Ndf6 22. Rg1 Kf8∞ Carlsen – Bruzon, 39th Grandmaster Chess Tournament, Biel/Bienne 2006. 7. c4. Unlike the classic line 7. c3, the text, the Duras Attack, strives not only to prevent ... b7-b5, but also to blockade Black’s d5. Its drawback is the weakening of her own d4. 7. ... Bg7 8. Nc3. Another way is 8. d4 exd4 9. Nxd4 Bd7 10. Nxc6 Bxc6 11. Bxc6+ bxc6 12. Qa4 Qd7 13. c5 0-0 14. cxd6 cxd6 15. Nc3 Rfe8 16. Rd1 Qe6 17. Qxc6 ½ : ½ Cicak – Ernst, 67th Swedish Chess Championship, Gothenburg 2006. 8. ... 0-0 9. Nd5 h6 10. Be3. Possibly more to the point is the “thematic” 10. h3 Nd7 11. Be3 Nd4 with even prospects. 10. ... Ng4 11. Qc1. It was worth considering 11. Bd2 and if 11. ... f5 then 12. Qb3. 11. ... f5 12. c5 fxe4 13. dxe4

13. ... Rxf3! A disruptive Exchange sacrifice! 14. Bg5? Alina l’Ami suggests 14. gxf3 in order to meet 14. ... Qh4 by 15. h3! (on 15. fxg4?? Qxg4+ 16. Kh1 Qf3+ 17. Kg1 Bh3 wins) 15. ... Qxh3 16. fxg4 Qxg4+ 17. Kh2 Qh3+ and Black has not more than a draw by perpetual check. However, after 15. ... Nxe3! 16. fxe3 (on 16. Nxe3 Nd4 Black’s advantage is obvious) 16. ... Bxh3 Black maintains a powerful initiative. 14. ... hxg5 15. gxf3 Nd4. A genuine outpost! Black is winning. 16. Bd1 Nh6 17. cxd6 cxd6 18. Kh1 Be6 19. Nc3 Qf6. Also 19. ... g4! would be very strong. 20. Qe3 Rf8 21. Rg1 Nxf3 22. Rg3 Nh4 23. f3 Qf4 24. Qd3 Nf7 25. Be2 b5 26. b3 Rc8 27. Rag1 Rc5 28. b4 Rc4 29. Bd1 Rd4 30. Qf1 Qd2 31. Nd5 Bxd5 32. exd5 Nf5 33. R3g2 Qxb4 34. Qf2 e4 35. fxe4 Rxe4 36. Qa7 Bd4 37. Qb8+ Kg7 38. a3 Qc3 39. Rc2 Qh3 0 : 1. Even more concise would be 39. ... Re1! 40. Rg2 Bxg1 etc. In any case, after 39. ... Qh3 the deadly threat is 40. ... Ng3+ 41. Rxg3 Re1+ and mate next move. “It is nice to win the last round, at least I am going with a good feeling and next time I will do better”, said Antoaneta.

Nafisa Muminova. Photo: Nikolay Bochkarev.

Muminova vs. Stefanova. Photo: Nikolay Bochkarev.

Formidable

侯逸凡 (Hóu​ Yì​fán) – Olga Alexandrovna Girya
Women’s Grand Prix 2013–2014; 4st stage; Khanty-Mansiysk, April 19, 2014
Sicilian Defence B85

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Qc7 6. Be3 a6 7. Be2 Nf6 8. 0-0 Be7 9. f4 d6 10. Kh1 0-0 11. Qe1 Nxd4 12. Bxd4 b5 13. Qg3 Bb7 (13. ... b4 14. e5!) 14. a3 Bc6 15. Rae1 Qb7 16. Bd3 b4. On 16. ... Rad8 17. Qh3! h6 18. Re3! White holds the initiative, Hartston – B. Larsen, 3rd Gran Torneo Internacional de Ajedrez “Ciudad de Las Palmas”, Las Palmas 1974. 17. Nd1 bxa3. On 17. ... g6 18. Nf2! bxa3 19. bxa3 d5 20. e5 Ne4 21. Bxe4 dxe4 22. Ng4 Rfd8 23. Nh6+ leads to a very strong attack, Sznapik – Smejkal, International Tournament, Sandomierz 1976. Another try is 17. ... Bb5 18. axb4 Bxd3 19. cxd3 Qxb4 20. Bc3 Qb5 21. Ne3 Rfe8 22. e5 dxe5 23. fxe5 Nd5 24. Ng4 Rf8 25. Nh6+ Kh8 26. Nxf7+ Kg8 27. Qg4 Qd7 28. Nh6+ Kh8 29. Nf7+ Kg8 30. Nh6+ Kh8 31. Nf7+ ½ : ½ 侯逸凡 (Hóu​ Yì​fán) – Navara, 71st Corus Chess Tournament, Wijk aan Zee 2009. 18. bxa3 Rac8!? Possibly better than 18. ... g6 19. Nf2 Rac8 20. Qh3 Rfd8 21. Rb1 Qd7 22. Qh6 Bb5 23. Nh3 Bf8 24. Qh4 Nh5 25. g4 Be7 26. Ng5 e5? 27. gxh5 Bxg5 28. Qxg5 exd4 29. f5 Re8 30. f6 Kh8 31. hxg6 Re5 32. Qh6 1 : 0 Areshchenko – Lammers, Bremen 2010. For if 32. ... fxg6 then 33. f7 wins. 19. Nf2. Not 19. Ne3?! on account of 19. ... Bxe4 20. Bxf6 Bxf6 21. Ng4 Bxd3 22. Nxf6+ Kh8 23. Rb1 Qe7 24. Qxd3 Qxf6 25. Qxd6 Rfd8 26. Qxa6 Rxc2 with slight advantage to Black, Lautier – Movsesian, 7th Sigeman & Co. Chess Tournament, Malmö 1999. 19. ... Nh5. Nerwal: “19. ... Bb5 is certainly possible. It’s not clear how exactly Black is doing after 20. Rb1 (assessed as +/= by Ftacnik) or 20. Ng4, though. Possibly White keeps some initiative”. 20. Qg4 g6 21. Qh3! Well conceived, threatening Nf2-g4. True to her style, Miss 侯逸凡 (Hóu​ Yì​fán) attacks the King, her favorite target! For the more stereotyped 20. Qf3 g6 21. Ng4 f6 22. f5 (or 22. Qe2 Bb5 23. c4 Bc6 24. c5 Bb5 25. cxd6 Bxd6 26. e5 Bxd3 27. Qxd3 fxe5 28. fxe5 Rxf1+ 29. Rxf1 Bf8 30. Nf6+ Nxf6 31. exf6 Kf7 32. Rb1 Qc6 33. h3 Rc7 34. Be5 ½ : ½ Parligras – Movsesian, 30th SchachBundesliga, Baden-Baden 2010) 22. ... exf5 23. Nh6+ Kh8 24. Nxf5 gxf5 25. Qxh5 fxe4 26. Qg5 Rf7 27. Bc4 Rg8 28. Qe3 d5 29. Bb3 Qd7 see Shirov – Movsesian, 30th International Tournament “Bosna”, Sarajevo 2000. 21. ... Bd7. Girya is not in the mood to verify the correctness of 侯逸凡 (Hóu​ Yì​fán)’s “theory”. If 21. Qh3!? Nxf4 22. Ng4 e5 23. Rxf4!? exd4 24. Nh6+ Kg7 25. Nf5+! (Urcan) Black can reply with 25. ... gxf5 26. exf5 Bxg2+! simplifying matters. 22. Ng4 e5. 22. ... f6 23. f5 may not be too good! 23. fxe5 Bxg4. 23. ... dxe5 24. Bxe5 Bxg4 is just an inversion. 24. Qxg4 dxe5 25. Bxe5 Bxa3 26. Re3 Rc6 27. Rh3 Qc8 28. Qf3 Re6. More to the point was 28. ... Qe6 29. Ba1 f6 30. Qe2 with advantage to White.

29. Rxh5! A devastating Exchange sacrifice! 29. ... gxh5 30. Bf6 Rxf6. Forced. 31. Qxf6 Qe6 32. Qg5+ Qg6 33. Qd5 Re8. Careless. Anyway, after 33. ... Be7 34. e5 Qe6 35. Qe4 Qh6 36. h3 White has a big edge. 34. e5 Qg7. On 34. ... Qe6 35. Qe4 Qh6 36. Qa4 Bf8 37. Bc4 the same theme appears. 35. Qb3. Clearly 35. Qa2 is a dual. The rest is easy. 35. ... Bf8 36. Rxf7 Qxf7 37. Bc4 Qxc4 38. Qxc4+ Kg7 39. Qd5 Be7 40. Qd7 Kf8 41. Qf5+ Kg7 42. Qxh5 Rb8 43. g3 Rb5 44. Qg4+ Kf8 45. Qf4+ Kg7 46. e6 1 : 0.

侯逸凡 (Hóu​ Yì​fán) vs. Olga Girya. Photos: Nikolay Bochkarev, Alina l’Ami.

Walk on the Wild Side

Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk – Ekaterina Aleksandrovna Lagno
Women’s Grand Prix 2013–2014; 4th stage; Khanty-Mansiysk, April 17, 2014
French Defence C14

Alejandro Tadeo Ramírez Álvarez: “A truly wild game! It is almost impossible to make out all of the complicated variations in this dual attack game. Kosteniuk went after La[h]no’s throat, taking piece after piece with check! However the Ukrainian had her own ideas, making an unstoppable passed Pawn on a2 on move 20! The game ended in an exciting perpetual check as Kosteniuk could not checkmate in time... A wonderful struggle!”. 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e5 Nfd7 6. h4!? The so-called Alekhine-Chatard Attack. 6. ... c5 7. Bxe7 Kxe7 8. f4 Nc6. After 8. ... cxd4 9. Qxd4 Nc6 (for the alternative 9. ... Qb6 see Poliak – Abramian, Leningrad 1938) 10. Qd2 Qa5 11. Nf3 Rd8 12. Rh3 White is better, Levenfish – Menchik, Moscow 1935. 9. dxc5 Nxc5 10. Qg4 Kf8 11. 0-0-0 Qa5 12. Nf3. More energetic than 12. Kb1 d4 13. Nb5 Ne4 14. Nh3 h5 15. Qf3 Nd2+ 16. Rxd2 Qxd2 17. Bd3 Bd7 18. Ng5 Qe3 19. Qd1 Nd8 20. Re1 Qg3 21. Nxd4 Qxh4 22. Be4 Qxf4 23. Ndf3 Bc6 24. Qd6+ Kg8 ½ : ½ Eames – Summerscale, Scarborough 2001. 12. ... Rb8 13. h5 b5. Lagno plays for complications – which she certainly gets. 14. h6 g6 15. Qh4 b4. The position is exceedingly complicated, in which both ladies display wonderful fertility of resource and skill.

16. Nxd5! The fireworks begin! The trivial 16. Qf6 bxc3! 17. Qxh8+? would lose to 17. ... Ke7 18. Qf6+ Ke8 19. Qh8+ Kd7-+. 16. ... exd5. Black can’t refuse: on 16. ... Qxa2? 17. Ne7! wins. 17. Qf6 b3!! The correct rejoinder. After 17. ... Rg8? 18. Qd6+ Ke8 (or 18. ... Ne7 19. Ng5) 19. Rxd5 Black is busted. 18. Qxh8+ Ke7 19. Qf6+ Ke8 20. Rxd5 bxa2 21. Qxc6+ Ke7 22. Qf6+ Ke8 23. Qh8+ Ke7 24. Qf6+ Ke8 25. Qh8+ Ke7 ½ : ½.

Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk. Photo: Nikolay Bochkarev, Alina l’Ami.

Community property

赵雪 (Zhào Xuě) – 侯逸凡 (Hóu​ Yì​fán)
Women’s Grand Prix 2013–2014; 4th stage; Khanty-Mansiysk, April 17, 2014
English Opening A10

“侯逸凡 (Hóu​ Yì​fán) employed the same system she used against Stefanova earlier, except now 赵雪 (Zhào Xuě)’s Pawn was not on d4 just yet. This gave both players interesting possibilities, and 赵雪 (Zhào Xuě) sacrificed a Pawn for a small initiative. This was never full compensation for the Pawn, but it was enough to hold equality on most lines and eventually the game turned into a drawish endgame”, Grandmaster Alejandro Tadeo Ramírez Álvarez wrote in his ChessBase report. 1. c4 b6 2. Nc3 e6 3. e4 Bb7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. e5 Ne4 6. Nxe4 Bxe4 7. Be2 d6 8. 0-0 Nd7 9. d3 Bb7 10. Bf4 dxe5 11. Nxe5 Bd6 12. d4 Qf6 13. Bf3 c6 14. Bg3 Nxe5 15. dxe5 Bxe5 16. Qa4 0-0 17. Rad1 Bd4 18. Bxc6 Bxc6 19. Qxc6 Bxb2 20. Rd7 h6 21. Bd6 Rfe8. If nothing else, after 21. ... Rfc8 22. Qb7 Bd4 Black can still hope to keep both the position and the Pawn

22. Rxa7! Rxa7 23. Qxe8+ Kh7 24. Qb8 Ra4 25. Qxb6 Rxc4 26. Bc5 Be5 27. Be3 Qf5 28. h3 Qd3 29. Qb1 Qg6 30. Rc1 Re4 31. Qd3 h5 32. Kf1 Ra4 33. Qb3 Qe4 34. Qc2 Qxc2 35. Rxc2 Kg6 36. Ke2 Kf5 37. Kd3 g5 38. Bc5 g4 39. hxg4+ hxg4 40. g3 Ra8 41. a3 Bc7 42. Rc4 e5 43. a4 Ba5 44. Be3 f6 45. Kc2 Be1 46. Bb6 Ra6 47. Be3 Ra8 48. Kd1 Be5 49. Kc2 Be1 50. Kd1 Ba5 51. Kc2 ½ : ½.

赵雪 (Zhào Xuě) vs. 侯逸凡 (Hóu​ Yì​fán). Photos: Nikolay Bochkarev, Alina l’Ami.

Long-distance operator

Olga Alexandrovna Girya – Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk
Women’s Grand Prix 2013–2014; 4th stage; Khanty-Mansiysk, April 16, 2014
Queen’s Gambit Declined D58

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 0-0 7. e3 b6 8. Be2 dxc4 9. Bxc4 Bb7 10. 0-0 Nbd7 11. Qe2 a6 12. a4. Instead of 12. Rfd1 b5 as played a few days earlier in Ushenina – Kosteniuk, Women’s Grand Prix 2013–2014; 4th stage; Khanty-Mansiysk 2014. 12. ... c5 13. Rfd1 Qe8 14. Rac1 Bd6. Alina l’Ami: “[...] 14. ... Bd6, was also quite original and the game took an unusual course for this opening when the center was blocked. During the press conference, Alexandra Kosteniuk expressed her opinion: ‘When I went for this setup, I thought I should be doing fine; but if I cannot find the right way, Black’s position will fall apart’ like a sandcastle”. 15. d5 e5 16. Bg3 Nh5 17. Ne4 Bb8 18. Bh4 f5

19. d6+! Kh8 20. Be7! fxe4 21. Nh4. Alina l’Ami: “Giving a full piece in return for a dangerous attack”. 21. ... Nhf6 22. Be6 Bc6 23. Bf5 Rf7 24. Ng6+ Kg8 25. Qc4! Alina l’Ami: “[...] and the question is... how can Black untangle from such a cramped position? Alexandra didn’t find her way out and the mutual time trouble didn’t help either”. 25. ... Ra7 26. b3 Nd5. 26. ... b5 27. Qe6 Nh7 might have been more solid. 27. Bxd7 Rxd7 28. Rxd5 Bxd5 29. Qxd5 Bc7. This leads to a quick crash, but also after 29. ... Kh7 30. Qxe4 Kg8 31. Qa8 Kh7 32. a5! Black is in trouble. 30. Nxe5 Rxe7. Alina l’Ami: “Which of the hanging piece would you take? If you chose:” 31. Nxf7 Rxf7 32. dxc7, Alina l’Ami: “where the c-Pawn decides the day, then you would be in Olga’s victorious footsteps, who confidently went on to win what we would call: the game of the day!”. 32. ... Qc8 33. Qd8+ Rf8 34. Rd1. A very strong move, if an equally obvious one. 34. ... Kh7 35. h3. Quicker is the immediate 36. Qxf8! Qxf8 37. Rd8. 35. ... c4 36. bxc4 Qf5 37. Qxf8 Qxf8 38. Rd8 Qf6 39. c8=Q 1 : 0.

Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk. Photo: Nikolay Bochkarev, Alina l’Ami.

既視感 (Déjà vu)

赵雪 (Zhào Xuě) – Antoaneta Stefanova
Women’s Grand Prix 2013–2014; 4th stage; Khanty-Mansiysk, April 11, 2014
8/4k3/R5K1/7P/8/8/8/5r2 w - - 0 66

Notes by Grandmaster Alejandro Tadeo Ramírez Álvarez.

66. Ra7+ Kf8?? 66. ... Ke6! is a draw, as I’m sure Karsten Müller would be delighted to show in his Endgame Magic show on playchess.com. 67. Ra8+! Ke7 68. h6 Rg1+ 69. Kf5! Stefanova must have forgotten that now White’s Pawn does not need the help of the King to advance, as Black’s awkward king position does the job for her. 69. ... Rf1+ 70. Ke5 1 : 0. 70. Ke4?? Rf8=; [now, after] 70. Ke5 Re1+ 71. Kd4 Rd1+ 72. Ke3 Re1+ 73. Kd2 Rh1 74. h7 and Black cannot stop the Pawn, unless she sacrifices a whole Rook. Tragic, truly.

So far, Grandmaster Ramírez Álvarez.
Strangely enough, a very similar endgame occurred in the sixth Women’s World Chess Championship 1937, where Italian star Clarice Benini blundered half point the same way as Stefanova.:

Milda Rudolfovna Lauberte – Clarice Benini
6th Women’s World Chess Championship Tournament; Stockholm, 1937
8/6RK/3k3P/8/8/4r3/8/8 b - - 0 54

From the diagram position (after 54. h6), Clarice threw away half point with 54. ... Re8?? A typical sample of bad endgame technique! After 54. ... Ke6! Black easily draws; for example: 55. Kg8 Kf6 56. Rf7+ Kg6. Now, instead, the sad epilogue: 55. Rf7 Re1 56. Kg8 1 : 0.

機械公敵 (I, Robot)

• Alejandro Tadeo Ramírez Álvarez, Khanty 03: Good day for the Chinese, ChessBase.com, April 11, 2011

[Event "Women’s Grand Prix 2013–2014"]
[Site "Khanty-Mansiysk RUS"]
[Date "2014.04.11"]
[Round "3"]
[White "侯逸凡 (Hóu​ Yì​fán)"]
[Black "Dzagnidze, Nana"]
[ECO "B41"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Robot 9"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "3r1rk1/2qnbp1p/pp2p1p1/2p1P3/2P1BP2/1P5Q/PB4PP/R4R1K b - - 0 19"]
[PlyCount "10"]

19...b5 $2 {Too naive.}
(19...Rfe8 {was more solid, but White is still in control:} 20.Qg3 $16)
20.f5 $1 {Powerful and precise. Black cannot allow this Pawn to go to f6 so the intruder must be taken.} 20...exf5 21.Rxf5 Qb6
(21...gxf5 22.Qxf5 {leads to unstoppable mate in a few moves as h7 cannot be defended.})
(21...f6 {was by far the most tenacious.} 22.Raf1 $1 gxf5 23.Bxf5 Rf7 24.e6 $18 {is very ugly but this was as good as it got for Black.})
22.Qh6 $1 {Now White threatens Rf5-h5. In some lines the move e5-e6 also comes into play.} 22...gxf5 23.e6 Nf6
(23...f6 24.Bxf5 {and against the weakness of h7 tells.})
24.Qg5+ 
(24.Bxf6 Bxf6 25.Bxf5 {was also possible.})
1-0

侯逸凡 (Hóu​ Yì​fán) & Nana Dzagnidze analysing their game. Photo credit: Kirill Merkuriev.

斷了氣 (Breathless)

Antoaneta Stefanova – Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk
Women’s Grand Prix 2013–2014; 4th stage; Khanty-Mansiysk, April 9, 2014
Queen’s Pawn Game D00

1. d4 d5 2. Bf4 Nf6 3. Nc3. Just to take Kosteniuk “out of the book”. 3. ... c6 4. e3 Nbd7. The alternative is 4. ... Bf5 5. Nf3 e6 6. Bd3 Nbd7 7. 0-0 Be7 8. h3 0-0 9. Qe2 Re8 10. e4 dxe4 11. Nxe4 Nxe4 12. Bxe4 Bxe4 13. Qxe4 Nf6 14. Qe2 Bd6 15. Bxd6 Qxd6 ½ : ½ St. Nikolić – Martinović, 7th “Goša” International Tournament, Smederevska Palanka 1981. 5. h4!? g6 6. g4!? As usual, Stefanova’s playing style is very original! 6. ... h6 7. Bd3 Bg7 8. Qf3 Qa5 9. Nge2 Ne4 10. Bxe4 dxe4 11. Qg2 Nf6 12. g5 hxg5 13. hxg5 Rxh1+ 14. Qxh1 Nh5 15. 0-0-0 Bg4 16. Qxe4. Forcing what looks like a favorable ending. 16. ... Bxe2 17. Nxe2 Qxa2 18. Nc3 Qa1+ 19. Kd2 Qa5 20. b4 Qf5 21. Qxf5 gxf5 22. Bh2. If 22. Bc7 then 22. ... Kd7 23. Rh1 Kxc7 24. Rxh5 Rh8 with reasonable drawing chances. 22. ... 0-0-0 23. Ra1. “Had the Bulgarian chose to place her Rook on the other square available: 23. Rh1 (preventing the ... e7-e5 idea, which doesn’t work anymore due to 24. Bxe5! and the Knight on h5 feels lonely...), would have kept the pressure; line which she also mentioned during the press conference, Antoaneta expressing her regret for not chosing the h1 square”, Alina l’Ami said. 23. ... e5! “Having played the strong 23. ... e5! many thought Kosteniuk was close to equalize and bring home half a point, but in subsequent time trouble things fell Stefanova’s way”, Alina l’Ami said. 24. Rxa7 exd4 25. Ra8+ Kd7 26. Rxd8+ Kxd8 27. Ne2 dxe3+ 28. Kxe3 Bf8 29. c3 Be7 30. f4 Kd7 31. Bg1 Bd6 32. Kf3 Bc7 33. Be3 Ng7 34. Ng3 Ke6 35. Bd4 Ne8 36. c4 Bd6 37. Bc3 b5 38. c5 Be7? Losing a valuable – probably crucial – tempo! Correct seems the immediate 38. ... Bf8! for if 39. Ne2 – as in the game – 39. ... Kd5 40.Ng3 (on 40. Nd4?? Bg7 wins) then 40. ... Bg7 holds fair chances. 39. Ne2. Black is lost! 39. ... Kd5 40. Nd4 Bf8 41. Nxf5 Kc4 42. Be1 Kd3 43. Kg4 Nc7 44. Nd6 Ke2 45. Bc3 Nd5 46. Bh8 Nxb4 47. Nxf7 Bxc5 48. Nd8 Nd5 49. Nxc6 Ke3 50. f5 Ke4 51. f6 Nf4 52. f7 Ng6 53. Bc3 Kd5 54. Nd8 b4 55. Bb2 b3 56. Kf5 Ne7+ 57. Kf6 Ke4 58. f8=Q? A bad mistake! Simply 58. Ne6 wins. 58. ... Nd5+ 59. Kf7 Bxf8 60. Kxf8 Kf5 61. Nf7. Not 61. Ne6!? Kxe6 62. g6 on account of 62. ... Ne7 63. g7 Kd7 64. Bf6 Ng6+ 65. Kf7 Ne7 66. Bxe7 b2 67. g8=Q b1=Q with a theoretical draw. 61. ... Nf4? Now it’s Kosteniuk’s turn to let Stefanova out! 61. ... Kg6 leads to a draw. 62. Kg7 Nd3 63. Bf6 b2

64. Nh6+? Another bad check is 64. Nd6+? Kf4 65. Bxb2 Kxg5 with a draw. However, simply 64. Bxb2 Nxb2 (after 64. ... Nf4 I like very much the “refutation” 65. Nh6+!! Kxg5 66. Bc1!! and Black is in zugzwang) 65. g6 wins. 64. ... Kf4 65. Bxb2 Kxg5. Now it’s a theroretical draw! 66. Bf6+ Kf4 67. Kf7 Ne5+ 68. Ke6 Ng4 69. Nxg4 Kxg4 ½ : ½.

Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk. Photo: Kirill Merkuriev.

Nothing Special

赵雪 (Zhào Xuě) – Ekaterina Aleksandrovna Lagno
Women’s Grand Prix 2013–2014; fourth stage; Khanty-Mansiysk, April 9, 2014
Grünfeld Defence D94

1. Nf3 g6 2. c4 Bg7 3. Nc3 c5 4. e3 Nf6 5. d4 0-0 6. Be2 cxd4 7. Nxd4. If 7. exd4 then 7. ... d5 with approximate equality. 7. ... d5 8. 0-0. An old analysis by Ed Gufeld runs 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 Qxd5 10. 0-0 with a slight advantage for White. But I don’t know if it’s true! 8. ... dxc4 9. Bxc4 a6 10. a4 Qc7 11. Ba2. After 11. Qe2 Rd8 the game is even, Barcza – Kortschnoi, Stockholm Interzonal, 1962. Of course it’s also good for equality 11. ... e5 as in Golombek – Smyslov, Bucharest 1953. 11. ... Rd8 12. Bd2

12. ... e5. Alina l’Ami prefers 12. ... Nc6! immediately, with the idea 13. Nxc6 bxc6 followed by ... a6-a5 and ... Bc8-a6 or ... Nf6-g4 with excellent prospects. 13. Nf3 Nc6? Too late! I would have preferred 13. ... Bg4. 14. Ng5 Rf8 15. Rc1 e4? In the press conference Lagno said: “There is nothing to comment. 15. ... e4 was terrible, I missed the only idea White had in this position, 14. Ng5, and after that everything falls apart. White can win in so many different way. For me the game stopped here. Perhaps the 4 months break after the European Team Championship from Warsaw was the reason for me to simply blunder this simple Knight jump of Xuě”. 16. Ngxe4 Nxe4 17. Nxe4 Bxb2. A poisoned Pawn, but also in the computer-line 17. ... Bf5 18. Ng5 Bxb2 19. Rc5! White keeps a powerful initiative. 18. Qc2! Very brilliant! 18. ... Bg7. Of course 18. ... Bxc1 is refuted by 19. Nf6+ (or 19. Bc3) 19. ... Kg7 20. Bc3! with an overwhelming attack. 19. Ab4! Very elegant! 19. ... Rd8 20. Ng5 Bf5 21. e4 Qf4. Despair! 22. Nxf7 Rd4 23. Bd6 Bxe4 24. Qb3 Qf6. Or 24. ... Bd5 25. Qxb7 Rb8 26. Nh6+! Bxh6 27. Qxc6! wins. 25. Qxb7 Re8 26. Ng5+ Kh8 27. Nxe4 Rdxe4 28. Qxc6. Threatening Qc6xe4. 28. ... h5 29. a5 Qg5 30. Bf7 1 : 0. In the press conference Zhào said: “I was lucky, I did nothing special...”. We strongly appreciate – and recommend! – such a modesty!

赵雪 (Zhào Xuě) vs. Ekaterina Aleksandrovna Lagno. Photo: Kirill Merkuriev.

夏日春情 (The Long, Hot Summer)

侯逸凡 (Hóu​ Yì​fán) – Tatiana Anatolyevna Kosintseva
Women’s Grand Prix 2013–2014; 4st stage; Khanty-Mansiysk, April 9, 2014
English Opening A13

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 dxc4 5. Qa4+ Nbd7 6. Qxc4 a6 7. Qb3 c5 (7. ... b5?! 8. Ne5 Nc5 9. Bc6+ Bd7 10. Qf3!±; 7. ... Rb8 8. d4 b5 9. 0-0 Bb7 10. Bf4 Bd6 11. Rc1 Bxf4 12. gxf4 Nd5 13. e3 c5 14. dxc5 Rc8 15. c6 Bxc6 16. Qa3 Bb7 17. Nbd2 b4 18. Qd3 0-0= Ivanchuk – Naiditsch, 6th European Individual Chess Championship, Warsaw 2005) 8. d3 Be7 (8. ... b5? 9. Ne5+−; 8. ... Bd6 9. a4 Δ a4-a5) 9. Nc3 0-0 10. a4 Nb6 11. 0-0 Nbd5 12. Ne5 Qc7 13. Nc4 Bd7 14. Nxd5 Nxd5 15. Bxd5 exd5 16. Nb6 Rae8 17. Bf4 Qc6 18. Qxd5 Qxb6 19. Qxd7 Bf6 20. Bd6 Rd8 21. Bc7 Rxd7 22. Bxb6 Re8 23. Rfe1 Bxb2

24. Rab1?! Alina l’Ami writes: “On move 24 Kosintseva got her chance to get back in the game when 侯 (Hóu) played 24. Rab1?! instead of 24. Ra2!”. 24. ... Ba3 25. Rb3 Bb4 26. Rc1 h6. Again Alina l’Ami: “[...] 26. ... a5! (threatening ... Re8-c8-c6) and if 27. Bxc5 then 27. ... Rc7 28. Be3 Rxc1+ 29. Bxc1 Rxe2 with equality”. 27. e4 a5? (27. ... f5!) 28. Bxc5 Rc8 29. Be3 Rdc7 30. Rxc7 Rxc7 31. d4 Rc2 32. d5 Kf8 33. Rb1 Ra2 34. Rc1 Rxa4 35. e5 Ra3 36. Rc8+ Ke7 37. Rc7+ Ke8 38. Rxb7 Rd3 39. Rb8+ Kd7 40. Rb7+ Ke8 41. d6 f6 42. Rxg7 fxe5 43. Re7+ Kf8. If 43. ... Kd8 then 44. Bb6+ Kc8 45. Rc7+ Kb8 46. d7! finis; for instance: 46. ... a4 47. Kg2! a3 48. d8=Q+ Rxd8 49. Rc4! a2 50. Rxb4 Rd1 51. Bd4+ Kc8 52. Bxe5 a1=Q 53. Bxa1 Rxa1 54. Rb6 h5 55. h4+−. 44. Bxh6+ Kg8 45. Rg7+ Kh8. After 45. ... Kf8 46. d7 Black is in zugzwang. 46. Ra7 Rxd6 47. Bg7+ Kg8 48. Bxe5 Rd5 49. Bc7 Rc3 50. Kg2 Be1 51. h4 Rd2 52. Bb6 Ra2 53. h5 Bd2 54. g4 a4 55. Bd4 a3 56. g5 1 : 0.

侯逸凡 (Hóu​ Yì​fán) vs. Tatiana Anatolyevna Kosintseva. Photo: Anastasiya Karlovich.

After Words

Bolina

Sámi drum

Batchimeg Tuvshintugs – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2013–2014; 1st stage; Geneva, May 5, 2013
Queen’s Indian Defence E14

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. e3 b6 4. Bd3 Bb7 5. 0-0 d5 6. c4 Bd6 7. b3 0-0 8. Bb2 Nbd7 9. Nc3 a6 10. Rc1 Qe7 11. cxd5 exd5 12. Ne2 Ne4 13. Ng3 f5 14. Qc2 Rf7 15. Qe2 g5 16. Rc2 g4 17. Bxe4 fxe4? It is probably Black’s most serious mistake, for by then White gets the upper hand, and not to let it slip! 17. ... dxe4 was obvious and perfectly sound. 18. Ne5 Bxe5 19. dxe5 Nxe5 20. Bxe5 Qxe5 21. Qxg4+ Rg7?! Worth considering was 21. ... Kh8!? 22. b4! a5!? 23. b5 d4!? so as to fish in muddy waters and aim for counter-play. 22. Qf5 Qd6 23. Rd1 Rf8 24. Qh5 Qe6 25. b4 c6 26. Ne2 Qe7 27. Nf4 Qf6 28. Qe2 Rg5 29. h4 Re5 30. g3 Qd6 31. a3 c5? This is Black’s last error, probably due to the impatience to break the siege. 31. ... Re7 32. Rdc1 Rf6 was comparatively best, but very unpleasant. 32. bxc5 bxc5 33. Rb2 Ba8 34. Rdb1 d4 35. Rb6 Qd7 36. Qc4+ Kh8 37. Rb8 Rd8

Now 38. Qxa6 is sufficiently devastating, but Tuvshintugs does not resist the temptation of a pretty Queen sacrifice: 38. Ne6! Bd5 39. Nxd8 Re8. “Amazing upset: perhaps 侯 (Hóu) had missed that after 39. Nxd8 Bxc4 40. Ne6+ mates as the Ne6 ‘interferes’ with both the Rook’s retreat to e8 and the Bishop’s to g8!”, luzhin says. 40. Qxc5 d3 41. Qd4+ 1 : 0.

Tuvshintugs vs. 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán). Photo: Anastasiya Karlovich.

Missing by a Heartbeat

Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2013–2014; 1st stage; Geneva, May 14, 2013
Sicilian Defence B22

The two former Chess Queens played a very long game, in which Kosteniuk ran a serious risk of losing due to her controversial Pawn sacrifice. Black apparently missed more than one opportunity for victory, and after 95 moves the peace was finally agreed. 1. e4 c5 2. c3 d5 3. exd5 Qxd5 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. d4 Nc6 6. Be2 cxd4 7. cxd4 e6 8. Nc3 Qd6 9. 0-0 Be7 10. Nb5 Qd8 11. Bf4 Nd5 12. Bg3 0-0 13. Bc4 a6 14. Nc3 Bf6 15. Ne4 Be7 16. Nc3 Nf6 17. Bb3 Na5 18. Bc2 b5 19. Ne5 Bb7 20. Ne2. The opening ended, but no clear indication has been obtained as to where White is going, since “[I] was choosing strange moves”, Kosteniuk acknowledged in the press conference after the game. 20. ... Rc8 21. Rc1 Nc4 22. b3 Nb6 23. Nd3 Ba3 24. Nc5 Ba8 25. Ra1 Bxc5 26. dxc5 Rxc5 27. Qb1 Nbd5 28. Be5 h6 29. Qb2 Ng4 30. Bg3 Qd7 (30. ... f5! 31. h3 Nge3!−+) 31. Rac1 Rfc8 32. Bb1 Qb7 33. Rxc5 Rxc5 34. Qd4 Rc8 35. Qxg4 Ne3 36. Qf3 Qxf3 37. gxf3 Nxf1 38. Kxf1 Bxf3 39. Bf4 e5 40. Bd2 h5 41. Nc3 Rd8 42. Be1 Rd4 43. Bf5 b4 44. Nb1 g6 45. Bc8 a5 46. Nd2 Bc6 47. Ba6 Rd8 48. Be2 f6 49. Nc4 Ra8 50. Bd2 Kg7 51. Ke1 Be4 52. Nb6 Rd8 53. Nc4 Ra8 54. Nb6 Ra7 55. Be3 Bb1 56. Kd2 Rc7 57. Nc4 Bxa2 58. Nxa5 Rc3 59. Bc4 h4 60. Ke1 Bb1 61. Bd2 Rh3 62. Kf1 Rxh2 63. Kg1 Rh3 64. Bf1

64. ... Rc3!!−+ 65. Bxc3 bxc3 66. b4 Bc2? Going the wrong way; after 66. ... Kf7!−+ (67. Nb3 Be4) Black must win. 67. b5 Ba4 68. b6 c2 69. b7 c1=Q 70. b8=Q Qg5+ 71. Kh1 Qd2 72. Qa7+ Kh6 73. Qc5 Bc2 74. Qf8+ Kg5 75. Qc5 Be4+ 76. Kg1 Kh6 77. Qf8+ Kg5 78. Qc5 Qf4 79. Nc4 Qf3 80. Qe3+ Qxe3 81. Nxe3 f5 82. Bc4 Kf4 83. Nd5+ Bxd5 84. Bxd5 e4 85. Kg2 g5 86. Be6 Ke5 87. Bc8 Kf4 88. Be6 Ke5 89. Bc8 f4 90. f3 Kd4 91. fxe4 Kxe4 92. Bg4 Ke3 93. Bh5 Kd4 94. Bg4 Ke4 95. Kf2 Ke5 ½ : ½.

Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk (right) vs. 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) (left). Photo: Anastasiya Karlovich.

金及银 (Gold & Silver)

居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2013–2014; 1st stage; Geneva, May 13, 2013
Catalan Opening E06

1. d4 e6 2. c4 Nf6 3. g3 d5 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bg2 0-0 6. 0-0 dxc4 7. Ne5 Nc6 8. Bxc6 bxc6 9. Nxc6 Qe8 10. Nxe7+ Qxe7 11. Qc2 c5 12. Qxc4 cxd4 13. Qxd4 e5 14. Qh4 h6 15. Nc3 Bb7 16. Be3 Qe6 17. f3 Rfc8 18. Qb4 Bc6 19. Rad1

19. ... Nd5 20. Nxd5 Bxd5 21. b3 a5 22. Qd2 Rd8 23. Bf2 e4 24. Qe3 exf3 25. exf3 a4 26. Rd3 axb3 27. axb3 Rdb8 28. Rb1 Ra3 29. Qxe6 Bxe6 30. g4 Raxb3 31. Rdxb3 Rxb3 32. Rxb3 Bxb3 33. Kg2 g6 34. Be3 h5 35. gxh5 gxh5 36. Bd4 Bd5 37. Be3 Bb3 38. Bd4 Bd5 39. Be3 Bb3 40. Bd4 ½ : ½.

The result was a diplomatic draw. Photo: Anastasiya Karlovich.

罂粟 (Papaver somniferum)

Anna Olehivna Muzychuk – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2013–2014; 1st stage; Geneva, May 8, 2013
Sicilian Defence B52

Notes by Grandmaster Adrian Bohdanovych Mikhalchishin.

Very important game of 1 and 2 seeded players in the tournament. Anna told that she did not win against 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) for a long time — last victory was in Krasnoturyinsk in 2007! So, the game was very principial and Anna decided not to play main lines, but to chose side line, which promised White good results recently. Even World Champion Anand lost twice here. 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+. World Champion plays this line regularly, she played just once sharper move. 3. ... Bd7 (3. ... Nd7) 4. Bxd7+ Qxd7 5. c4 Nf6 6. Nc3 g6 7. d4 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Bg7 9. f3 0-0 10. Be3 Nc6 11. 0-0 a6. “!?” Kasparov, G. Logical plan is to try to control Black squares: 11. ... Qd8. 12. a4 e6 13. Nxc6! Very logical novelty, in the past were tested: 13. Rc1 Ne5 14. Qe2 Rfc8! 15. b3 d5! 16. cxd5 [16. f4 Neg4 17. e5 Nxe3 18. exf6 (18. Qxe3 Ng4 19. Qe2 dxc4! 20. Rfd1 cxb3 21. Nxb3 Qe7 22. Qxg4 Qa3) 18. ... Nxf1 19. fxg7 dxc4 20. Rd1 cxb3] 16. ... exd5 17. f4! Rxc3!? 18. Rxc3 Nxe4 19. Rc2 Ng4! (19. ... Nc6 20. Nxc6 bxc6 21. Qd3) 20. Rfc1 h5! (20. ... Nxe3 21. Qxe3 Re8 22. Qd3 Qd8 23. Nf3) 21. Rc7 Qd6!? with big complications, Sadvakasov – Kasparov, Astana 2001 and 13. Nde2 Qc7 14. Rb1 Nd7 15. Qd2 Nc5 16. b3 Rac8 17. Rfd1 Na5 18. Qa2 Ncxb3 19. Rxb3 Nxb3 20. Qxb3 Qxc4 21. Qxc4 Rxc4 22. Rd3! with slight advantage, Zagrebelny – Shipov, 11th Russian Team Chess Championship, Sochi 2004. 13. ... bxc6. Clearly worse would be 13. ... Qxc6 14. Rc1 Qxc4? 15. Nd5 Qa2 16. Ra1 Qxb2 17. Bd4 Nxd5 18. Bxb2 Bxb2 19. exd5. 14. a5. It is necessary to keep d6 Pawn weak: 14. c5 d5 15. e5 Ne8 16. f4 Rb8 with very serious counterplay. Muzychuk considered here 14. b4 but decided that very unpleasant is 14. ... Ng4. 14. ... Qc7. Safer it would be to go to other side 14. ... Qe7. 15. Bb6. Sharper and probably equally good was 15. Na4 d5 16. Bb6 Qf4 17. g3 Qg5 18. f4 Qh6; Anna told that she did not like to allow opponent to build strong structure: 15. Qd2 c5. 15. ... Qb8. Still it was not late to go other way: 15. ... Qe7. 16. Na4. Very unclear developments would follow after Rook transfer 16. Ra3 Nd7 17. Rb3 Nxb6 18. Qd3 Qd8 19. Rxb6 Qg5. 16. ... Nd7 17. Be3. Anna told that she must return back with her Bishop as it was threatened c6-c5 to be cutted. 17. ... c5 18. Qd2 Qc7. Black has problem with d6 Pawn and it could be solved in a little unusual way: 18. ... Rc8 19. Rfd1 Rc6. 19. Rfd1 Ne5 20. Nb6 Rad8 21. Ra3. Typical Rook transfer to increase attacking power. 21. ... Nc6. Agressive approach could lead to many weaknesses: 21. ... f5 22. Bg5 Rde8 23. exf5 (23. Qxd6? Qxd6 24. Rxd6 Nf7) 23. ... Rxf5 24. Bh4 Bf8 25. Bg3. 22. Rd3 Rfe8

23. Bg5. It was a positional trap here: 23. Rxd6 Bd4 24. Rxd8 Rxd8 25. Bxd4 Rxd4 26. Qe1 Qd6 and with Pawn down Black creates huge pressure on the open file. 23. ... Rb8. White keeps serious advantage after 23. ... f6 24. Bf4 Nd4 25. b4. 24. Rxd6 Nd4. Another way did not work either: 24. ... Bd4+ 25. Rxd4 Nxd4 26. Bf6 Qd6 27. Qh6 Qf8 28. Qxf8+ Rxf8 29. b4 Rfe8 30. Bxd4 cxd4 31. Rxd4 White would have for sacrificed Exchange total control over most important files. 25. Rd7 Qc6 26. Ra7 Rxb6. After the game 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) told that she has not seen any other way as activity does not help: 26. ... f5 27. b4 fxe4 28. bxc5 Qxc5 29. Rxg7+. 27. axb6 Qxb6 28. Rd7 Qb3 29. Kh1. It was possible sharper way of realization of material advantage: 29. Qd3 Qxb2 30. Rb1 Qa2 31. Rbb7. 29. ... Qxc4 30. Qf4 Rf8. Slightly better was 30. ... e5 31. Qc1 Qb5 32. Ra7 Rb8 33. Qa1. 31. Rb7 Qa4 32. Re1 Nc2? Bad move, but World Champion said that she has not seen anything to continue serious resistance. 33. Rc1 Nb4 34. Qd2 Nc6 35. Qd7 h6 36. Be7 Ra8 37. Bxc5 Kh7 38. Bg1 1 : 0.

Something is rotten in Geneva... Photo: Anastasiya Valeryevna Karlovich.