大希腊

Leonid Kritz – Yelena Dembo
35th Greek Team Championship; Ermioni, July 7, 2006
Sicilian Defence B51

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 d6 4. 0-0 Bd7 5. c3 Nf6 6. Re1 a6 7. Ba4 b5 8. Bb3. More to the point is 8. Bc2, e.g. 8. ... Bg4 9. d3 e6 10. Nbd2 Be7 11. h3 Bh5 12. Nf1 d5 13. Ng3 Bg6 14. Nh4 0-0 15. exd5 Qxd5 16. Nxg6 hxg6 17. Qe2 Rfd8 18. Be3 Qd7 19. Ne4 Nxe4 20. dxe4 Qc7 21. f4 Rac8 22. Qf2 b4 23. f5 bxc3 24. bxc3 Qe5∞ Dembo – Brkic, Solin 2007. 8. ... Bg4. The vintage alternative is 8. ... e5 9. d3 Be7 10. Nbd2 0-0 11. Nf1 Ne8 12. Ne3 Nc7 13. d4 exd4! 14. cxd4 (Keller – Walther, Zürich 1959) 14. ... Bf6! with equality. 9. d4 cxd4. For the intermediate 9. ... g6 10.a4 cxd4 see Zlatic – Rogozenko, Timisoara 2005. 10. cxd4 Bxf3 11. gxf3 e5 12. d5. Strategically bad. On her website Yelena suggests 12. Be3! Be7 13. Nc3 0-0 14. f4±. 12. ... Nd4 13. a4 b4 14. Bc4. Also here I would have preferred 14. Be3 to which Black would probably have replied by 14. ... Nd7. 14. ... Nh5 15. Be3 Qh4! 16. Nd2. After 16. Bxd4? exd4 17. Qxd4? Be7 (Δ ... Be7-f6) Black’s position is overwhelming. 16. ... Be7 17. Nb3. The best chance was probably 17. Kh1, as then suggested by Yelena. 17. ... Nxb3 18. Qxb3 0-0 19. Qxb4 f5! Black’s initiative is most powerful. 20. exf5. More resilient is 20. Bf1, although after 20. ... a5!? Black retains all her initiative. 20. ... Rxf5 21. Qb7 Raf8 22. Bf1 Bg5 23. Bg2

23. ... Bf4! 24. h3. On 24. Bxf4 Nxf4 25. Re4 Rh5 wins. 24. ... Rg5 25. Qd7 Bxe3 26. fxe3. Else 26. Rxe3 Nf4 and wins. 26. ... Rxg2+! 0 : 1. For if 27. Kxg2 then 27. ... Qg3+ 28. Kh1 Qxf3+ 29. Kh2 Qf2+ 30. Kh1 Ng3 mate.

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Yelena Dembo

斑胸草雀 (Zebra Finch)

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Yelena Dembo
3rd World Women’s Team Chess Championship; Mardin, December 24, 2011
Sicilian Defence B51

Notes by Grandmaster Evgeny Vitalievich Miroshnichenko.

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Nc6. I still consider 3. ... Bd7 to be the most solid. 4. 0-0 Bd7 5. Re1 Nf6 6. c3 a6 7. Bxc6 Bxc6 8. d4 cxd4. La 8. ... Bxe4 with complicated game is played a bit more often. One of the recent games went 9. Bg5 Bg6!? 10. d5 Qd7 11. Nbd2 0-0-0 12. Nc4 Kb8 13. b4 Ne4 14. bxc5 Nxg5 15. Nxg5 Qb5 16. Qd4 Rc8 17. c6 e5 18. Qg4 Rc7 19. Ne3 Be7 20. h4 Rf8 21. c4 ½ : ½ Ghaem Maghami – Motylev, 29th SchachBundesliga, Katernberg 2010. 9. cxd4 Bxe4 10. Nc3. 10. Bg5!? d5 [10. ... Bxf3 11. Qxf3 Qa5 12. Nc3 Qxg5 13. Qxb7 Rd8 14. Qc6+ Rd7 (14. ... Nd7?? 15. Ne4 Qh4 16. Nxd6#) 15. d5 e6 16. dxe6 fxe6 17. Rxe6+ Be7 18. Rae1 0-0 19. h4 Qxh4 20. g3 Qh3 21. Rxe7 Ng4 22. Qd5+ Kh8 23. Qh1 Qxh1+ 24. Kxh1 Nxf2+ 25. Kg2 Rxe7 26. Rxe7 h6 27. Rd7 Ng4 28. Rxd6 Ne3+ 29. Kh3 Rf1 30. Rd2 g5 31. Kh2 Ng4+ ½ : ½ Borisenko – Shabanov, Yaroslavl 1995] 11. Nc3 e6 12. Nxe4 dxe4 13. Rxe4 Be7 14. Bxf6 gxf6 (14. ... Bxf6 15. d5 0-0 16. dxe6 fxe6) 15. d5 Qxd5 16. Qxd5 exd5 17. Rd4 Rd8 18. Rad1 Kd7 19. Rxd5+ Kc6 20. R5d4 Kb6 21. Kf1 Rxd4 22. Rxd4 Rc8 23. Rd7 Rc7 24. Rxc7 ½ : ½ Amonatov – Timofeev, 60th Russian Chess Championship (Higher League), Krasnoyarsk 2007. 10. ... Bxf3 11. Qxf3 e6 12. Qxb7 Qc8 13. Qf3 Be7 14. d5 e5 15. Bg5 Qd7. 15. ... 0-0 looks more flexible. White didn’t got anything special after 16. Ne4 Nxd5 17. Nxd6 Qe6 18. Bxe7 Nxe7 19. Ne4 Rac8= A. O. Muzychuk – Sebag, 6th North Urals Cup, Krasnoturinsk 2008. 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. Ne4 Be7 18. Rac1 0-0

19. Rc6! White’s chances are better. 19. ... f5 20. Nd2 e4 21. Qe2 Qa7?! Not the best idea, which nevertheless could work just fine in the game. 21. ... Rfc8 22. Rec1 Bg5 23. R1c2 Bxd2 24. Qxd2±. 22. Nc4 Qd4 23. Qd2? After 23. Rd1! Qf6 24. b4! Black’s position is nearly lost – it’s hard to suggest any counterplay for her. 23. ... Qf6? 23. ... Qxd2! 24. Nxd2 Rfc8 25. Rec1 Rxc6 26. Rxc6 (26. dxc6 Rc8 and Black has at least even chances) 26. ... Rb8 27. Nc4 Rb5 and I’m not sure white is better here. 24. Qc3 Qf7. Now it’s too late to change Queens – 24. ... Qxc3 25. bxc3 Rac8 26. Nb6 TìRcd8 (26. ... Rxc6? 27. dxc6 Bd8 28. Nd5 is completely hopeless) 27. f3 with clear advantage for White. 25. Rc7! Rad8 26. Na5 Qe8 27. Nc6 Rd7 28. Rxd7 Qxd7 29. Qa3 Bf6. 29. ... Qb7!? objectively being not better than the game, after 30. Nxe7+ Qxe7 31. Qxa6 Qe5 32. Qb5 f4 would offer some counterplay against White’s King. 30. Qxa6! Bxb2 31. a4?! I would prefer 31. Rb1, not giving the Bishop a chance to go to c5. 31. ... Bc3?! This one is just a waste of time! Black should have tried 31. ... Ba3 32. Rb1 f4 33. Qb7 Qe8! 34. Qe7 Qxe7 35. Nxe7+ Kf7 36. Nc6 Bc5 with some chances to survive. 32. Rb1 Qf7 33. Qc4! Bf6 34. a5. There is no chance to stop this Pawn! 34. ... Qg6 35. a6 f4 36. a7 f3 37. g3 e3 38. Rb8 Bd8. 38. ... e2 39. Rxf8+ Kxf8 40. a8=Q+ Kf7 41. Ne5+! Bxe5 (41. ... dxe5 42. d6#) 42. Qc7+ Kf6 43. Qad8+ Kf5 44. Qc2+ Kg4 45. Qh4#. 39. a8=Q e2 40. Qa1 1 : 0. Powerful play from the World Champion!

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) (right) with her coach 余少腾 (Yú Shǎoténg). Photo: Turkish Chess Federation.