“Cosmo Woman”

Cosmo Woman of the Year 2011: 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), 17 — who, in the chess world, is more gorgeous than her? A chess prodigy, she is the youngest female player ever to participate in the Women’s World Chess Championship (at 12), the youngest ever to gain the Grandmaster title (at 14), and the youngest ever to win the Women’s World Championship (at 16)... Too early fame, but no sense of exhaustion yet. She just said plainly: “As a professional, you have to face constant challenges!”. Caption and photo: 时尚COSMO (COSMO Fashion).

Birthday Gift

2012年2月27日，最年轻的国际象棋 “世界棋后”侯逸凡年满18周岁。年轻的 她在母亲的陪同下，以无偿献血、捐献血样加入中华骨髓库的方式纪念人生这一特殊 日子，完成了特殊的成年礼。 On February 27, 2012, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), the youngest Women’s World Chess Champion ever, donated blood and joined the Chinese Marrow Donor Program (CMDP) for her eighteen-year-old birthday. Photos courtesy of sports.163.com.

Endgame

Krishnan Sasikiran – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
10th Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival; Catalan Bay, January 28, 2012
Catalan Opening E06

Comments in quotation marks by Grandmasters Joel Benjamin, “Liquidation on the Chess Board: Mastering the Transition Into the Pawn Ending”, New in Chess, Alkmaar, 2015, p. 220, and Karsten Müller, “CBM training: Endgames from Gibraltar”, ChessBase.com, February 4, 2012.

1. d4 e6 2. c4 Nf6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 0-0 6. 0-0 dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4 b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Be4 11. Qc1 Bb7 12. a3 h6 13. Rd1 Qc8 14. b4 Nbd7 15. Nc3 Ne4 16. Qc2 Nxc3 17. Qxc3 Bd6 18. Rac1 Nb6 19. Ne1 Nc4 20. Rb1 Rd8 21. e4 e5 22. Be3 Re8 23. Nc2 Nxe3 24. Qxe3 exd4 25. Nxd4 Qg4 26. h3 Qg6 27. Nf5 Qe6 28. Nxd6 cxd6 29. Qf4 Rad8 30. Re1 Qa2 31. Ra1 Qb2 32. Qc1 Qf6 33. Qc7 Bxe4 34. Bxe4 Rxe4 35. Qxd8+ Qxd8 36. Rxe4 Qc8 37. h4 Qc3 38. Rd1 Qxa3 39. Rxd6 Kh7 40. Rdd4

“The basic plan of two Rooks against a Queen is to double-team a Pawn and to liquidate into a Pawn ending. Black has an extra Pawn so it feels like the position should be safe”. (Benjamin).
40. ... Qc1+. “Trading off White’s Queenside Pawns with 40. ... a5 41. bxa5 Qxa5 has its virtues. White would have to eliminate the b-Pawn before he could liquidate, but he might be able to achieve that. After 42. Rd1 Qc3 43. Rb1 g5 44. Reb4 Kg6 45. hxg5 hxg5 46. Rxb5 f6 47. Rd5 Qf3 48. Rd6 Kh5 49. Rbb6 f5 Black may be holding”. (Benjamin).
41. Kg2 Qc6 42. Kh2 h5.“Black is aiming for a fortress, but Black would be advised to take a more proactive approach; 42. ... g5 would make a coordinated attack on the f-Pawn difficult to arrange”. (Benjamin).
43. Re5 g6 44. Rf4 Qd7 45. Re3 Kg7 46. Ref3 Qd5? “侯 (Hóu) is hesitant to make a weakness. After 46. ... f5 my chess engines try to claim a slight edge for Black, which seems quite laughable. However, to organize an attack on the g6-Pawn or the seventh rank White will risk losing the b4-Pawn and perhaps some counterplay on his King as well”. (Benjamin)

“Two Rooks are stronger than the Queen but this depends of course a lot on the position. The Queen needs targets and the Rook stability:“. (Müller).
47. Rf6! “Sasikiran blocks the f-Pawn and forces Black to act quickly”. (Müller).
47. ... Qa2? “This way Black can not start real counterplay. The retreat 47. ... Kg8? is met by 48. Kg2 Qe4 49. Rxf7 Qxb4 50. R3f4 and Black should also be lost despite her passed Queenside Pawns, e.g. 50. ... Qc5 51. R7f6 a5 (51. ... Kg7 52. Rxa6 b4 53. Rff6 Qd5+ 54. Kh2 Qd3 55. Rfb6 Kh6 56. Ra2 Qc3 57. Rb7 Qd4+ 58. Rc2+−) 52. Rxg6+ Kh7 53. Rg5 Qc6+ 54. Kh2 a4 55. Rf7+ Kh8 56. Rxh5+ Kg8 57. Rf4 a3 58. Rg4+ Kf7 59. Rf5+ Ke7 60. Rg7+ Ke8 61. Rh5 Kf8 62. Ra7 Qf6 63. Kg1 b4 64. Rb5+−. The only way to fight on was the direct 47. ... a5! 48. bxa5 b4 when White has the choice between a Queen endgame with an extra Pawn or two Rooks against Queen: 49. R3f4 (49. Rxf7+ Qxf7 50. Rxf7+ Kxf7 51. a6 b3 52. a7 b2 53. a8=Q b1=Q with a Queen endgame which should be tenable) 49. ... b3 50. Rb6 Qxa5 51. Rxb3 Qd5 52. Rb6 f5 and White can fight on but Black has practical drawing chances”. (Müller).

48. Kg2! “Preparation for the simplification. Sasikiran wins an all important tempo for the Pawn endgame. 48. Rxf7+? violates the endgame principle do not rush: 48. ... Qxf7 49. Rxf7+ Kxf7 50. Kg2 (50. f3 Ke6 51. Kg2 Kd5 52. Kf2 Kc4 53. g4 Kxb4 54. f4=) 50. ... Ke6 51. Kf3 Kd5 52. Ke3 Kc4 53. f4 Kxb4 54. g4 Kc5 55. f5 Kd5 56. fxg6 Ke6 57. gxh5 Kf6=”. (Müller).
48. ... Kg8. “Now it’s too late for 48. ... a5 due to 49. bxa5 Qxa5 (49. ... b4 50. a6 b3 51. Rxf7+ Kh6 52. Rb7 Qxa6 53. Rff7+−) 50. Rxf7+ and White’s attack is too quick, e.g. 50. ... Kh6 (50. ... Kg8? 51. Rf8+ Kg7 52. R3f7+ Kh6 53. Rh8 mate) 51. Rb7 Qa6 52. Rff7 Qc6+ 53. Kh2 g5 54. Rh7+ Kg6 55. Rbg7+ Kf5 56. Rxg5++−”. (Müller).
49. Rxf7! Qxf7. “The Pawn endgame is lost, but 49. ... Qd5 50. R7f6+− also offers no real hope”. (Müller).
50. Rxf7 Kxf7 51. Kf3! “The King comes first to stop Black’s Queenside counterplay based on the breakthrough ... a6-a5. Afterwards White’s Kingside majority will decide the day”. (Müller).
51. ... Ke6. “After 51. ... a5 52. bxa5 b4 53. Ke4+− White’s King is in the square and Black’s King is not”. (Müller).
52. Ke4 Kd6 53. f3 Kc6

54. g4! “This advance wins the resulting races”. (Müller).
54. ... Kc7. “The breakthrough 54. ... g5 backfires due to 55. gxh5 gxh4 56. h6 h3 57. h7 h2 58. h8=Q+−. After 54. ... Kb6 55. gxh5 gxh5 56. f4 a5 57. bxa5+ Kxa5 58. f5 b4 59. f6 b3 White must deal with the b-Pawn: 60. Kd3! (60. f7? b2 61. f8=Q b1=Q+=) 60. ... Ka4 61. f7 b2 62. Kc2 Ka3 63. f8=Q++−”. (Müller).
55. gxh5 gxh5 56. f4 Kd6 57. f5 Kd7 58. Ke5 Ke7 59. f6+ 1 : 0. “侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) resigned due to 59. ... Kf7 60. Kf5 a5 61. bxa5 b4 62. Ke4!+− and White’s King stops the b-Pawn (62. a6? b3 63. a7 b2 64. a8=Q b1=Q+=)”. (Müller).

“Today I played Black against Indian Grandmaster Sasikiran. Overall the game was pretty fine for me, but alas! I missed one opportunity after another. The end eventually came in a King and Pawn ending”, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) commented afterwards. Photo courtesy of her herself.

Afternotes

Antoaneta Stefanova – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
Women’s Grand Prix 2009–2011; 5h stage; Ulaanbaatar, August 11, 2010
English Opening A14

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. 0-0 0-0 6. b3 b6 7. Bb2 c5 8. e3 Bb7 9. Nc3 Nc6 10. cxd5 Nxd5 11. Nxd5 Qxd5 12. d4 Na5 13. Nh4 (13. dxc5!⩲ A. J. Miles – Short, 85th British Chess Championship, Torquay 1998) 13. ... Qd8 14. dxc5 Bxh4 15. gxh4 Qxh4 16. Bxb7 Nxb7 17. c6 Nc5 18. Qd4 Qh6 19. Rad1 Rac8 20. b4 Na4 21. Ba1 e5 22. Qxe5 Qg6+ 23. Kh1 Qxc6+ 24. f3 f6 25. Qg3 Rf7 26. Rg1 Nc3 27. Rd2 Qc7? (27. ... Nd5 28. e4 Ne7 29. Rd6 Qc7 30. h4 Kh8)

“The Chinese super-GM who eventually won the tournament and the Grand Prix and went on to become a World Champion, was visibly nervous during the opening. She had to find a series of accurate moves over the board, spent a lot of effort and, not surprisingly, committed some serious mistakes in the middlegame, being short of time. One final blow on move 28 or 29, and Stefanova would have won the tournament”, Grandmaster Aleksander Petkov Delchev wrote in his book “The Modern Réti — An Anti-Slav Repertoire”, Sofia, Chess Stars, 2012, p. 6. 28. Qg2 (28. Qg4+−) 28. ... Nb5 29. e4 (29. Bxf6! Rxf6 30. Rc2+−) 29. ... Na3 30. Qg4 Nc4 31. Rd3 Ne5 32. Bxe5 fxe5 33. Rgd1 Rcf8 34. Rd7 Qc6 35. Rxf7 Rxf7 36. Rd8+ Rf8 37. Rxf8+ Kxf8 38. Qf5+ Qf6 39. Qc8+ Kf7 40. Kg2 Qg5+ 41. Kf1 Qh5 42. Qd7+ Kf6 43. Qd6+ Kf7 44. Qd7+ Kf6 45. Qd8+ Kf7 46. Kg2 Qg6+ 47. Kf2 Qe6 48. a3 Qe7 49. Qd5+ Qe6 50. Qa8 Qd7 51. Kg3 Qe7 52. h4 Kg6 53. Qc8 Qf6 54. Qg4+ Kf7 55. Qd7+ Kg6 56. Qg4+ Kf7 57. Kf2 Qe6 58. Qh5+ Kg8 59. Qg5 Kf7 60. Qd8 Qe7 ½ : ½.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) took first place after holding Stefanova to a draw in the final round. Photo: FIDE.

The Half Has Not Been Told

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Fabiano Caruana
27th Reykjavík Open; Reykjavík, March 13, 2012
Spanish Game C78

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 7. c3 d6 8. d4 Bb6 9. h3 0-0 10. Be3 h6 11. Nbd2 Re8 12. Re1 Bd7. The alternative is 12. ... Bb7 13. Bc2 Nb8 14. dxe5 dxe5 15. Bxb6 cxb6 16. c4 b4 17. Nf1 Nbd7 18. Qd2 Nc5 19. Qxb4 Nfxe4 20. Rad1 Qc7 21. Ne3 a5 22. Qa3 Rad8 23. Rxd8 Qxd8 24. Rd1 Qc7 ½ : ½ Svidler – Caruana, 4th Chess World Cup, Khanty-Mansiysk 2011, match game 2. 13. Qb1!? A new try, aiming for something more than 13. Bc2 Qb8 14. a3 a5 15. Bd3 Qa7 16. Bxb5 exd4 17. cxd4 Nxd4 18. Bxd7 Nxd7 19. Nxd4 Bxd4 20. Rc1 Bxe3 21. Rxe3 a4 which led to nothing special for white, Navara – Caruana, 74th Tata Steel Chess Tournament, Wijk aan Zee 2012. 13. ... Na5 14. Bc2 c5 15. d5 c4 16. b4! cxb3 17. axb3 Bxe3 18. Rxe3 Nb7 19. b4 Nh5 20. Bd3 Nf4 21. Bf1 Rf8! 22. c4 bxc4. If 22. ... f5 then 23. c5! with a bid for the initiative. 23. Bxc4 a5 24. bxa5 Nxa5 25. Qb4. 25. Bf1 f5 was not too appealing. 25. ... Nxc4. Maybe 25. ... Nxg2!? 26. Rea3 Bxh3∞ sounded too unclear for Caruana. 26. Rxa8 Qxa8 27. Nxc4 Qa1+ 28. Re1 Qa2 29. Nfd2 Rc8 30. Re3 Qc2 31. Kh2! Nd3? As a consequence of his shortage of time, Caruana makes a fatal faux pas. Correct was 31. ... Qd1! (Δ 32. ... Rxc4! 23. Nxc4? Qf1!−+) 32. Qb3 Qa1= where if 33. Nb6 then 33. ... Rc1! 34. Nxd7 Rh1+ 35. Kg3 Qg1 36. Qb8+ Kh7 37. Nf8+ with perpetual check. 32. Qb7+− Nc5 33. Qb6 Nd3 34. Nxd6. White could also wait to win the d-Pawn and first play 34. Rg3!? with an overwhelming position. 34. ... Rf8 35. N6c4. 35. N2c4 was even simpler and stronger, for if 35. ... Nxf2? then 36. Nxe5 Bxh3!? 37. Rg3 winning easily. 35. ... Nxf2 36. Qb1 Qxb1 37. Nxb1 Bb5 38. Nba3 Ba6 39. Nxe5 Re8 40. d6 Bb7 (40. ... Rxe5?? 41. d7+−)

41. Nxf7?? Strangely, after reaching the time control, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) misses her big chance! As argued by the ChessBase guys, 41. Nac4 Nxe4 42. d7 Rd8 43. Na5 Bd5 44. Rd3 Nf6 45. Rxd5 Cxd5 46. Cb7 “was one way of converting the advantage to victory”. 41. ... Kxf7 42. Rf3+ Ke6 43. Nb5 Rb8!= 44. Rxf2 Bxe4 45. Re2 Rxb5 46. Rxe4+ Kxd6 47. Kg3 Kd5 ½ : ½.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) vs. Fabiano Caruana. Photo: skak.blog.is.

The Ice Sword

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Hannes Hlífar Stefánsson
27th Reykjavík Open; Reykjavík, March 11, 2012
Vienna Game C26

1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. g3. Jacques Mieses’s speciality.
3. ... d5 4. exd5 Nxd5 5. Bg2 Nxc3 (5. ... Be6 6. Nf3!)
6. bxc3 Bd6 7. Nf3 0-0 8. 0-0 Nd7. Another continuation is 8. ... Bg4 9. h3 Bxf3 10. Qxf3 c6 11. d4 Nd7 12. Qd3 f5 13. dxe5 Nxe5 14. Qd4 Qc7 15. Bf4 Nf7 16. Bxd6 Qxd6 17. Rab1 Qxd4 18. cxd4 Nd6 19. c4 Rf7 20. c5 Ne4 21. Rfe1 Nf6 22. Re5 Rd8 23. Rxf5 Rxd4 24. Rf3 Rfd7 25. Rfb3 Rd1+ 26. Rxd1 Rxd1+ 27. Kh2 Rd7 28. g4 g5 29. Kg3 Re7 30. h4 h6 31. hxg5 hxg5 32. f4 gxf4+ 33. Kxf4 Rf7 34. Kg3 Kg7 35. Bf3 Kg6 36. Rb4 Kg5 37. a4 a5 38. Rb3 Re7 39. Rb2 Ne8 40. Rh2 Nf6 41. Rb2 Ne8 42. Rh2 Ng7 43. Rh8 Re8 44. Rh2 Re5 45. Rb2 Kf6 46. Rh2 Re7 47. Rh8 Ne6 48. Ra8 Nd4 49. Kf2 Ke5 50. Kg3 Kf6 51. Kf2 Ke5 52. Kg3 Kf6 ½ : ½ 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – So, 1st Airports Authority of India (AAI) Chess Tournament, New Delhi 2011.
9. d4 c6. Or 9. ... exd4 10. cxd4 Nb6 11. Ng5 Be7 12. h4 h6 13. Ne4 c6 14. a4 Be6 15. Nc5 Bxc5 16. dxc5 Nc4 17. Rb1 (Short – Nunn, 5th Grandmasters Association World Cup Tournament, Rotterdam 1989) 17. ... Qa5 18. Rxb7 Qxc5⩱ (Nunn).
10. Re1 exd4. If 10. ... Qc7 then 11. Qd3! c5 12. Rb1 exd4 13. cxd4 c4 14. Qd2! Nb6 15. d5 Bd7 16. Bb2 Rae8 17. Ng5!↑ Marinković – Pavasovič, Čačak 1995.
11. cxd4 Nb6 12. Qd3. If 12. Ng5 then 12. ... h6 13. Ne4 Be7= (Pavasovič).
12. ... h6 13. c4 Bb4 14. Bd2 Bxd2 15. Nxd2 Qf6 16. a4 Bf5 17. Qc3 Rad8 18. a5 Nc8 19. Nb3 b6 20. Re5 c5 21. Rae1 (21. dxc5?? Rd3−+)
21. ... cxd4 22. Nxd4 Bd7 23. c5 bxc5 24. Qxc5 g6 25. h4 h5 26. Ne2 Rfe8 27. Nf4 Rxe5 28. Rxe5 Qd6

29. Qc3. Threatening both Nf4xh5 and Re5-d5. The Exchange sacrifice 29. Rxh5!? Bf5 30. Rxf5 gxf5 31. Qxf5 was interesting, but after 31. ... Ne7 32. Qg5+ Kf8 33. h5 Ng8 Black should save the day. Probably best was 29. Qe3! (threatening again both Nf4xh5 and Re5-d5) and if 29. ... Bc6 then 30. Nd5 with advantage to White.
29. ... Ne7 30. Nd5 Be6 31. Nf6+ Kf8 32. Nh7+ Kg8 33. Nf6+ Kf8 34. Rc5 Nf5 (34. ... Qd1+ 35. Kh2 Qd2=)
35. Nh7+ Kg8 36. Nf6+ Kf8 37. Nd5 Kg8? (37. ... Ne7 38. Nxe7 Kxe7 39. Rc7+ Rd7 40. Rxd7+ Kxd7 41. Qe3±)

38. Rc6!+− Qb8? (38. ... Qf8 39. Nf6+ Kh8 40. Nxh5+ Nd4 41. Nf4+−)
39. Nf6+ Kf8

40. Rxe6! 1 : 0. Because of 40. ... fxe6 41. Nd7+ Rxd7 42. Qh8+.

She must have scared him off with her half hand. Photo: skak.blog.is.

朝圣 (Pilgrimage)

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) kneeling at Bobby Fischer’s grave in Selfoss, Iceland on March 3, 2012. Photos: skak.blog.is.

Twosome

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Guðlaug Þorsteinsdóttir
27th Reykjavík Open; Reykjavík, March 6, 2012
Sicilian Defence B43

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 e6 3. Nf3 a6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Qc7 6. Bd3 Nc6 7. Nxc6 dxc6 8. f4 e5 9. Qf3 Nf6 10. f5 Bc5 11. a4 a5 12. Qg3 Rg8 13. Qh4 Bd7 14. Bc4 Qb6 15. Bb3 0-0-0

16. Bxf7? A liberty that could cost her dear. 16. Bd2 g5! is double-edged but probably balanced as well (17. Bxg5 Bd4∞). 16. ... Rgf8 17. Bb3

17. ...Bd4? So Þorsteinsdóttir’s opportunity passes by. Instead, 17. ... Be8! just stuck the White King in the centre with crushing effect (18. Bd2? Bh5!−+). 18. Bd2 Be3? Two mistakes in a row are too many. Both 18. ... Bxc3 19. bxc3 c5∞ and 18. ... Be8∞ would have kept Black in the game. 19. 0-0-0 Bxd2+ 20. Rxd2 Qb4 21. Rf1 c5 22. Bd5 Bxa4 23. Qg3 Nxd5 24. Nxd5 Qb5 25. Rfd1 1 : 0.

Reykjavík City Councilor Óttarr Proppé makes the first move for 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), the reigning Women’s World Chess Champion, against Icelandic Women’s pluri-Champion Guðlaug Þorsteinsdóttir. Photo: skak.blog.is.

Flat World

Humpy Koneru – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
Women’s World Chess Championship match game 6; Tirana, November 21, 2011
Queen’s Gambit Declined D38

“On the evening before the sixth game 侯 (Hóu) suffered acute stomach pain and was rushed to hospital. She refused pills, declined to ask for a postponement and won that game in style”, Leonard Barden wrote in his The Guardian chess column of December 2, 2011. 1. d4 e6 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4. 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)’s specialty. “It was a normal opening, I prepared some line. I’ve got very decent position after the opening. I had two bishops. I wanted to press for a win. At the beginning I had a lot of time but then I was trying to find the best line. I was afraid that some variations would lead to draw”, then Koneru said. 5. Qa4+. In the second game Koneru preferred 5. cxd5, but after 5. ... exd5 6. Bg5 h6 7. Bh4 c5 8. e3 c4 9. Be2 g5 10. Bg3 Ne4 11. Rc1 Qa5 12. Ne5 Bxc3+ 13. bxc3 Nc6 14. 0-0 0-0 15. Bf3 Nxg3 16. fxg3 Nxe5 17. dxe5 Be6 18. Bh5 Qxa2 19. Rf6 Qb2! 20. Rxh6 Bf5! Black seized the upper hand, Koneru – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), Women’s World Chess Championship match game 2, Tirana 2011. 5. ... Nc6 6. e3 0-0 7. Bd2 dxc4 8. Bxc4 Bd6 9. Qc2. 9. 0-0 a6 10. Be2 Bd7 11. Qb3 b5 12. Qc2 e5 13. dxe5 Nxe5 14. Nxe5 Bxe5 15. f4 Bd6 16. Bf3 c6 17. Kh1 Qc7 18. Ne2 Nd5 19. Rac1 Rac8 20. Qd3 Nb4 21. Qb1 a5 22. e4 f6? (22. ... Rfd8 23. a3 Na6) 23. Rfd1 Be6 24. a3!!+− Ba2 25. Bxb4! Bxb1 26. Bxd6 Qf7 27. Rxb1 Rfe8 28. e5 h6 29. Nd4 Qd7 30. h3 fxe5 31. fxe5 c5 32. Bg4 Qb7 33. Bxc8 Rxc8 34. Nb3 Qb6 35. Nxc5 Rxc5 36. Bxc5 Qxc5 37. e6 Kf8 38. Rbc1 Qg5 39. Rc7 Kg8 40. e7 1 : 0 周健超 (Zhōu Jiànchāo) – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), 1st 海南 (Hǎinán) 儋州 (Dānzhōu) Super Grandmaster Chess Tournament, 儋州 (Dānzhōu) 2010. 9. ... a6 10. a3 e5 11. dxe5. Koneru: “This move is not a novelty, there were few games played in this variation before”. 11. ... Nxe5 12. Nxe5 Bxe5 13. f4 Bxc3 14. Bxc3 Qe7 15. 0-0! An interesting Pawn sacrifice. If, instead, 15. Bd4 Black could reply with 15. ... b6 followed by ... c7-c5. 15. ... Qxe3+ 16. Kh1. 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán): “I was spending a lot of time here as I knew White has a better position so I tried to find some plan”. 16. ... Qb6 17. f5. The initiative and the Bishop pair compensate for the Pawn. 17. ... Bd7 18. Bb4 Rfe8. Asked at the press conference if she had been considering 18. ... Ng4, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) replied: “Already at this moment in the game I had a little time. I saw this move, but decided to simply move the Rook”. 19. Rad1 Qc6 20. Qb3. Koneru also considered 20. Bxf7+ Kxf7 21. Qb3+ Be6 22. fxe6+ Rxe6 but eventually discarded it as “In this position I did not see a proper plan for White”. However, after 23. Rc1 Qb6 24. Rc5 White keeps a slight edge. 20. ... Kh8. Black gives back the Pawn for the second (seventh) rank (20. Bxf7 Re2). 21. Rc1 Qb6. Most engines gave the “tricky variation” 21. ... Re5 (Δ 22. Bxf7? Rxf5!), but White could content herself with 22. Bd3 Qd5 23. Bc4 repeating moves. 22. Bxf7 Re5 23. Bc3. Or 23. Qg3 Re2(!) with equality. 23. ... Qxb3 24. Bxb3 Re3 25. Bc4 Rae8 26. Bd4 R3e7 27. Ba2 Re2 28. Bf7 R8e7 29. Bc4 R2e4. Koneru: “After this move I had already bad position”. 30. Bc5? Koneru: “I saw the move 30. Bxf6 before, but I missed it in this position!”. After 30. ... gxf6 31. Bd5 White retains an edge. 30. ... Re8 31. Bf7 T8e5 32. Ba2? Koneru wastes time. With 32. Bb4 Bc6 33. Rc2 White safely stays within the draw zone; for instance: 33. ... Re2 34. Rxe2 Rxe2 35. Rd1 g6 36. Bc4 Rc2 37. Bc3 Kg7 38. fxg6 Rxg2 39. Bd5 Bxd5 40. Rxd5 Rxg6 41. Rd7+ Kg8 42. Rxc7 b5 with equality. 32. ... Bc6. The threat of ... Re4-e2 is in the air. 33. Rg1? White’s best was 33. Rfd1(!) in order to met 33. ... Re2 by 34. Be6!∞ with unclear play. 33. ... Re2 34. Bd4 (34. Be6?? Rxc5! 35. Rxc5 Ne4−+) 34. ... Rxf5 35. Bc4 Rd2 36. Bc3? Still a mistake, but 36. Be6 Rh5 cannot be too better. 36. ... Ne4! With a mate in mind: 37. Bxd2?? Nf2#. The “dual” is 36. ... Ng4! with the elegant pointe of 37. h3 Rf3!!−+ (38. hxg4 Rh3#). 37. Rge1? Tantamount to surrender, but also 37. h3 Nxc3 38. Rxc3 Rff2 is an easy win for Black.

37. ... Ng3+! 38. hxg3 Rh5+ 0 : 1. Because of 39. Kg1 Rxg2+ 40. Kf1 Rh1#.

Humpy Koneru (left) vs. 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) (right). Photo: Anastasiya Karlovich.

Manifesto

Bring out the future! The future              will not come of its own accord, unless we           take measures. Komsomol, get it by the gills, Pioneers, grab it by the tail! The Commune                     is not a fairy-tale princess to dream of                       in the night. Calculate,               think,                        observe, and advance,               even though in little things. Communism                     does not live only in the ground,                 in sweat factories. It also lays out in homes,                              on eating tables, in relationships,                              in family,                                       in the way of life. Who all day                           screeches with filthy and colorful rants,                                          like a badly oiled wagon, who      falls into delight                      when a balalaika sweeps, is not          ready yet                                for the future. Bursts of machine gun fire               on front lines: but war                           is not only                                        one! The attack on families                                    and the housing crisis are not a lesser threat                      to us. Who is not able to resist                        domestic pressure, and sleeps              comfortably                                    among paper roses, is not          ready yet for a strong                        future life. Just like an overcoat                              so too can time be eaten away                    by the moths                                 of byt. The unworn clothes                                    of our times shake up, Komsomol! Tirate fuori il futuro! Il futuro              non viene da solo, se noi           non ci diamo da fare. Acchiappalo per le pinne, komsomol! Acchiapalo per la coda, pioniere! La Comune                     non è una principessa da fiaba per sognarsela                       la notte. Calcola,               rifletti,                        osserva, e avanza,               anche se in cose da poco. Il comunismo                     non vive soltanto nella terra,                 nel sudore delle fabbriche. È anche nelle case,                              a tavola, nei rapporti,                   nella famiglia,                                       nel modo di vivere. Chi tutto il giorno                           stride in sozzi e coloriti improperi,                                          come un carro male oliato, chi      va in estasi                      quando geme una balalajka, non è          ancora pronto                                per il futuro. Sui fronti               scariche di mitraglia: non sta in questo,                           soltanto,                                        la guerra! L’attacco delle famiglie                                    e quello degli alloggi non è per noi                      una minaccia da meno. Chi non resiste                        alla pressione domestica, e dorme              comodamente                                    tra rose di carta, non è          ancora pronto per la possente                        vita futura. Come una pelliccia                              è anche il tempo: se lo mangia                    la tarma                                 del nostro modo di vivere. Scuotilo tu, komsomol,                                    l’abito polveroso di questi nostri giorni! Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky, 1925

美丽心灵 (A Beautiful Mind)

Here is how 众辉体育 (Starz Sports) wished Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) a very happy Christmas for 2011.

Classroom

The Saturday School

Here we are at the gates of the Associazione Culturale Linguistica Italo-Cinese in Via Fabio Filzi 186, 59100 Prato, Italy.

摺紙 (Origami)

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Antoaneta Stefanova

1st SportAccord World Mind Games; Women’s Blindfold Event; 北京 (Beijīng), December 15, 2011

Caro-Kann Defence B19

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. h4 h6 7. Nf3 Nd7 8. h5 Bh7 9. Bd3 Bxd3 10. Qxd3 e6 11. Bf4 Qa5+ 12. Bd2 Bb4 13. c3 Be7 14. c4 Qc7 15. 0-0-0 Ngf6 16. Rhe1 b5. 16. ... 0-0 17. Nf5 Bd6 18. Nxd6 Qxd6 19. Qe2 [or 19. g4 b5 20. g5 bxc4 21. Qc2 hxg5 22. Nxg5 c3 23. Bxc3 Qf4+ 24. Bd2 Qf5∞ 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – 周唯奇 (Zhōu Wéiqí), 3rd 海南 (Hǎinán) 儋州 (Dānzhōu) Grandmaster Chess Tournament, 儋州 (Dānzhōu) 2012] 19. ... b5 20. g4 bxc4 21. g5 hxg5 22. Rg1 c3∞ 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Láznička, 1st Airports Authority of India (AAI) Chess Tournament, New Delhi 2011 still remains a matter of theoretical speculation. 17. cxb5 cxb5+ 18. Kb1 Qb7 19. Nh4 Nd5? No better is 19. ... Nf8 (Demianjuk – Malakhatko, 17th Chigorin Memorial, Saint Petersburg 2009) because of 20. Nhf5! exf5 21. Rxe7+! Kxe7 22. Nxf5+ Kd7 23. d5! and White, in spite of being a Rook down, has a probably winning attack.

20. Nhf5. 20. Ngf5! might have been more accurate, freeing the g3-square for the Queen. 20. ... exf5? Famous last words! Black just should have castled Kingside. 21. Nxf5 Kd8? 21. ... 0-0 22. Qg3 Bf6 23. Bxh6 was anything but pleasant (as White keeps a very powerful initiative), but it was also Black’s best bet. Now the end comes quickly. 22. Qf3+− Re8 23. Ba5+ N7b6 24. Bxb6+ axb6 25. Re5 Nc3+ 26. Qxc3 f6 27. Rxb5 Rxa2 28. Qb3 Ra5 29. Rxa5 Qe4+ 30. Ka1 bxa5 31. Nxg7 Rf8 32. Ne6+ 1 : 0.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) uses the origami technique as a mean for concentrating on blindfold play. Photo: Visual China Group.

Twice Queen of Chess

Humpy Koneru – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
Women’s World Chess Championship match game 8; Tirana, November 24, 2011
Queen’s Gambit Declined D38

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), 17, of China successfully defended her world crown by drawing the 8th game of the best of ten world match against Humpy Koneru, 24, of India. She won three games to Koneru’s zero, with five draws, so there was no need to play the remaining two games. 1. d4 e6 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Qa4+ Nc6 6. e3 0-0 7. Qc2 dxc4 8. Bxc4 e5 9. a3. If 9. Nxe5 there might follow 9. ... Nxe5 10. dxe5 Ng4 11. Qb3 Bxc3+ 12. Qxc3 Qh4 13. g3 Qh3 14. Bf1 Qh5 15. Be2 Qh3 16. Bf1 Qh5 17. Be2 Qh3 ½ : ½ Chiburdanidze – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), Women’s Grand Prix 2009–2011, 5h stage, Ulaanbaatar 2010. 9. ... Bd6 10. d5 Ne7 11. 0-0 a6 12. b4 Bd7 13. Bb2 Ng6 14. Ng5 Qe7 15. Nge4 Nxe4 16. Nxe4 Bf5 17. Bd3 Bxe4 18. Bxe4 Qg5

19. Bxg6 hxg6 20. e4 Rac8 21. Qc3 Qh4 22. f4 f6 23. Qg3 Qxg3 24. hxg3 Rfe8 25. fxe5 Bxe5 26. Bxe5 Rxe5 27. Rfe1 Kf7 28. Rac1 Ke7 29. Rc4 ½ : ½.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) two-time World Champion. Photo: EPA/ITAR-TASS.

暢銷書 (Bestseller)

• Chess prodigy scoops record prize, The Times, February 2, 2012

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán). Photo: Quirky China News/Rex Features.

心靈遊戲 (Mind Games)

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn)

1st SportAccord World Mind Games; Women’s Rapid Tournament; 北京 (Beijīng), December 11, 2011

Sicilian Defence B93

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. f4 g6 7. Nf3! Bg7 8. e5 Nfd7!? If 8. ... Nh5 then 9. Bc4 0-0 10. Ng5 e6 11. g4 and White stands better, Kavalek – R. Byrne, 26th U.S. Chess Championship, Pasadena 1978. 9. exd6 0-0 10. Be2 Re8 11. 0-0 Qb6+ 12. Kh1 Qxd6 13. Be3 Nc6 14. Qe1 Nf6 15. Rd1 Qc7 16. Ng5 Bf5 17. Bc4 e6 18. Bb3 Na5 19. Bd4 Nxb3 20. cxb3 h6 21. Nf3 Rad8 22. Qh4 Ng4 23. h3

23. ... Bxd4 (23. ... Rxd4!? 24. Rxd4 Bf6) 24. hxg4 Bxc3 25. gxf5 Rxd1 26. Rxd1 Bg7 27. fxg6 fxg6 28. Ne5 Bxe5 29. fxe5 Kg7 30. Qf6+ Kh7 31. Rf1 Qg7 32. Qf4 Kg8 33. Qg4 h5 34. Qg5 Rf8 35. Rxf8+ Kxf8 36. Qd8+ Kf7 37. Qd7+ Kg8 38. Qc8+ Qf8 39. Qxe6+ Qf7 40. Qc8+ Kg7 41. Qc3 Qf1+ 42. Kh2 Qf4+ 43. Kg1 Qe4 44. e6+ Kh6 45. Qf6 Qe1+ 46. Kh2 h4 47. Qf4+ Kg7 48. Qd4+ Kh6 49. Qd6 Kg7 50. Qc7+ Kh6 51. e7 Kh5 52. Qd6 g5 53. Qc7 Qe3 54. b4 Qe1 55. a4 Qe3 56. b5 axb5 57. axb5 g4 58. e8=Q+ Qxe8 59. Qh7+ Kg5 60. Qg7+ Qg6 61. Qe5+ Qf5 62. Qg7+ Kf4 63. Qh6+ Qg5 64. Qf8+ Ke3 65. Qe8+ Kd2 66. Qd7+ Kc2 67. Qxb7 Qe5+ 68. Kg1 Qe3+ 69. Kh2 Qf4+ 70. Kg1 Qe3+ 71. Kh2 Qf4+ 72. Kg1 Qe3+ 73. Kh2 ½ : ½.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) (right) vs. 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) (left). Photo: Visual China Group.

God is a girl

Alexei Dmitrievich Shirov – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
10th Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival; Catalan Bay, February 1, 2012
Sicilian Defence B97

Comments in quotation marks by Grandmaster Simon Williams, ChessBase.com, February 2, 2012.

“The two played the most uncompromising of openings, the Poison Pawn Variation in the Siciian Najdorf. One might think that, after all theee years, everything is understood about this ferociously complex tactical variation. With the growth of computer chess that is far from true. Using computers has changed people’s conception of what positions are defensible. Thus players are stronger. That is one reason so many people are rated over 2700, not inflation in the numbers”.

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Qb6!? 8. Qd2 Qxb2 9. Rb1 Qa3 10. e5 h6 11. Bh4 dxe5 12. fxe5 Nd5!? 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán’s speciality. 12. ... Nfd7 13. Ne4 Qxa2 is a tabiya.
13. Nxd5 exd5 14. e6 Bxe6 15. Nxe6 fxe6 16. Be2. “One would think 16. Bd3 is more natural, so that Bd3-g6+ would tie the g7 Pawn down. Another alternative is 16. Rxb7”.
16. Bd3 Be7 17. Bg6+ Kd8 18. Bxe7+ Qxe7 19. 0-0 Nd7! is fine for Black, Motylev – Sutovsky, 39th Chess Olympiad, Khanty-Mansiysk 2010.
16. ... Be7. “16. ... b5 prevents Rb1xb7, but neglects Black’s development”.
17. Bh5+ Kd8 18. Bxe7+ Qxe7 19. 0-0 Nd7. “19. ... b5 is possible. 19. ... Nc6 probably runs afoul of 20. c4”.
20. Rxb7. If 20. Rf7 then Qc5+ 21. Kh1 Rf8 22. Rxg7 Rc8 23. h3 Rc6 24. Qxh6 Kc8 25. Bg4 Qxc2 26. Re1 Qc3 27. Rxe6 Rxe6 28. Bxe6 Rf1+ 29. Kh2 Qe5+ 30. Rg3 Qe1 31. Qh8+ Kc7 32. Qc3+ Qxc3 33. Rxc3+ Kd6 34. Bxd7 Kxd7 35. h4 Ke6 36. h5 Kf6 37. Rc7 Kg5 38. Rxb7 Kxh5 39. Rb6 d4 40. Rxa6 d3 41. Rd6 Ra1 42. Kg3 Rxa2 43. Rd5+ Kg6 44. Rxd3 Ra6 45. Rd4 Rb6 46. Kf4 Ra6 47. Kg3 Rb6 48. Rg4+ Kh6 49. Kh4 Ra6 50. Rg8 Kh7 51. Rg5 Kh6 52. g4 Rb6 53. Rc5 Kg6 54. Rg5+ Kh6 55. Rh5+ Kg6 56. Rg5+ Kh6 ½ : ½ N. A. Kosintseva – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2011–12, Rostov-on-Don 2011. 20. c4!? also comes into consideration.
20. ... Qc5+ 21. Kh1 Rb8 22. Rxb8+ Nxb8. “That Black’s King is in the centre is adequate compensation for the Pawn”.
23. Qe2. “23. Qe1 Rf8 is an alternative”.
23. ... Qb5 24. Qxb5 axb5 25. Rf7 Nc6 26. Rxg7 Rf8 27. Kg1 Nb4 28. Rb7 Nxc2. 28. ... Nxa2 is also possible, but then Black won’t have two connected passed Pawns”.
29. Rxb5 Ke7 30. a4 Ra8 31. Rb2 Ne3 32. Kf2 Nc4 33. Rb7+ Kd6 34. Bd1 e5 35. Rh7 Nb2! 36. Rxh6+ Kc5 37. Bc2 Nxa4. “It is true a Bishop is better than a Knight in the endgame. But Black’s Pawns are further advanced and she exerts greater control of the centre”.
38. h4 Nc3! 39. Bf5 (39. g4?? Ra2)
39. ... Ra2+ 40. Kf1 Ra1+ 41. Kf2 Ra2+ 42. Kf1 Nd1 43. g4 Ne3+ 44. Ke1 Kd4 45. Bc8 Ng2+ 46. Kd1 e4 47. h5 e3 48. Ba6 Nf4 49. Rb6 Nd3 50. Bxd3 Kxd3 51. Rb3+ Ke4 52. h6 d4 53. h7 Rh2. “White’s position is hopeless”. 0 : 1.

Rockin’ on the Rock

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Judit Polgár
10th Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival; Catalan Bay, January 24, 2012
Sicilian Defence B46

“China’s 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), 17, played the tournament of her life at Tradewise Gibraltar which ended on Thursday. She defeated several elite GMs, shared first prize on 8/10 with Nigel Short, won their play-off and beat the all-time No 1 woman, Judit Polgár”, Leonard Barden wrote in his The Guardian chess column of February 3, 2012. 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 Nge7 7. Bf4 Ng6 8. Nxc6 bxc6 9. Bd6 Bxd6 10. Qxd6 Qe7 11. 0-0-0 Qxd6 12. Rxd6 Ke7 13. Rhd1 Nf4 14. Bf3 Rb8. The alternative is 14. ... Nd5!? 15. exd5 (15. e5? f6!∓) 15. ... Kxd6 16. dxc6+ Kc7 17. cxd7 Bb7! 18. Bxb7 Kxb7 (de la Villa Garcia – Sión Castro, 10th Torneo Magistral de Ajedrez “Ciudad de León”, León 1997) but then after 19. Na4! White should keep the upper hand. 15. R6d2 g5!? This is an interesting novelty by Polgár. No good is 15. ... d5? because of 16. g3 Ng6 17. Bg2 followed by f2-f4 with a powerful advantage. Instead, theory gave 15. ... e5 16. Na4 Rd8 17. Nc5 a5 with approximate equality, Orsini – Kovalyov, 83rd Argentine Chess Championship, La Plata 2008, but 16. Nb1! (intending Nb1-a3-c4) is certainly a big improvement for White. 16. Na4 d5 17. g3 Ng6 18. Re1 Kf6 19. Bh5. Preventing ... h7-h5-h4. 19. ... Rb4 20. Nc3. And now, as Grandmaster Lubomir Kavalek wrote in his The Huffington Post chess column of February 2, 2012, “The temptation to play actively led Polgár to a faulty decision:” 20. ... d4? Grandmaster Alejandro Tadeo Ramírez Álvarez suggests 20. ... a5 21. a3 Rb8, though after 22. b3(!) Black is not yet so close to a draw as he thinks.

21. e5+! Nxe5 22. Ne4+ Ke7. Not 22. ... Kf5?? on account of 23. Nd6+ Kf6 24. Rxe5! winning immediately. 23. Nxg5 h6? Kavalek writes: “An unfortunate move, dropping a Pawn. But even after the better 23. ... f6 24. Ne4 Rd8 25. b3 White’s Pawn structure is healthy and her are more actively placed. Black’s Pawn on d4 could be a target, the Bishop on c8 is dormant”. 24. Nxe6! Bxe6. Kavalek: “After 24. ... Kxe6 25. f4 f6 26. b3 threatening a2-a3, Black is in trouble: 26. ... Rd8 (26. ... c5 27. fxe5 fxe5 28. Rde2+−) 27. c3 Rb5 28. cxb4 Rbd5 29. Bg4+ Kf7 30. Bxc8 Rxc8 31. dxe5 fxe5 32. Rxe5+−”. 25. Rxe5. Kavalek: “侯 (Hóu) is a Pawn up and other Black Pawns are still scattered”. 25. ... Rd8 26. f4 Rb5 27. Rde2 Kf6 28. Bf3 c5 29. a4 Rb4. 29. ... Ra5 30. b3 looks quite horrible, resulting in the Black Rook being stalemated. 30. Rxc5 Rxa4 31. b3 Rb4 32. Be4! Bg4 33. Re1 Rd6 34. Bd3 Bd7 35. Ree5 Be6 36. Kd2 Rbb6 37. Ra5 Rbc6 38. Ra4 Rb6 39. Re4 Bf5 40. Rexd4. “The time control is over and 侯 (Hóu) brings the two Pawn advantage home”. (K). 40. ... Re6 41. Bc4 Rec6 42. Ra5 Bc8 43. Bd3 Be6 44. Rd8 Bc8 45. Rad5 Be6 46. Rh5 Kg7 47. f5 1 : 0. For if 47. ... Bc8 then 48. f6+ Kxf6 49. Rxc8 Rxc8 50. Rxh6+ followed by Rh6xb6. “You can never get used to losing. Always remains a bad feeling. Sometimes even worse. With my move 20. ... d4 I became overoptimistic for no reason”. Polgár eventually tweeted.

Passing the torch. Photo: Macauley Peterson.

Milking the cow

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Humpy Koneru
Women’s World Chess Championsip match game 7; Tirana, November 23, 2011
Spanish Game C92

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 0-0 9. h3 Qd7 10. d4 Re8 11. Nbd2 Bf8 12. a3. The “Modern Chess Openings”, 13th edition, New York, McKay Chess Library, 1989, p. 56, edited by Nick de Firmian and Walter Korn, quoted 12. d5 Ne7 13. Nf1 g6 14. c4 Bg7 15. c5 Nh5 16. a4 dxc5 17. axb5 as leaving “Black with an ugly position”, R. J. Fischer – Wade, Buenos Aires 1960. 12. ... Bb7 13. d5 Ne7 14. Nf1. If 14. c4 then 14. ... c6 15. Bc2 h6 16. b4 a5!= 刘文哲 (Liú Wénzhé) – 徐俊 (Xú Jùn), 21st Chinese Chess Championship, 许昌 (Xǔchāng) 1987. 14. ... Ng6 15. N3h2!? A “thematic” novelty. After 15. Bc2 c6 16. dxc6 Bxc6 17. Bg5 Nh5 18. Nh4 Ngf4 Black’s chances seem quite reasonable, Bacrot – I. Sokolov, Hrókurinn Chess Tournament, Reykjavík 2003. 15. ... c6 16. Bg5 Be7 17. dxc6 Bxc6 18. Ng3 Nf4 19. Bxf6 Bxf6 20. Nh5 Qe7 21. Qf3 Bg5 22. Rad1 Ne6 23. Ng4 Rf8 24. Ne3 Bxe3. Of course, Black can’t leave the White Knights dominating the centre light squares. On 24. ... g6? 25. Bd5! may be annoying, to say the least. 25. Qxe3 Rad8 26. Ng3 g6 27. Rd2. White has emerged from the opening with a slight but lasting edge, which is all but good news to Koneru, who must play for a win at all costs. 27. ... h5? This impulsive move carries in itself the seeds of defeat. Black had probably nothing better than 27. ... Nc5 28. Ba2 Bd7 aiming at neutralising White’s Bishop with ... Bd7-e6. 28. Qh6 Nf4 29. Ne2 Qf6? And this is the crucial mistake, which loses a Pawn for no good compensation. After 29. ... Ne6 30. Ng3 Nf4 31. Red1 White stands clearly better. 30. Nxf4 exf4

31. Rd3! Sic et simpliciter. The f4-Pawn is doomed, due to the threat of Rf3-d3. 31. ... Rfe8 32. Rf3 Rd7 33. Rxf4 Qg7 34. Qg5 Re5 35. Qg3 Rde7 36. Rd1 g5 37. Rf5 Bxe4 38. Rxe5 Qxe5 39. Rxd6 Qxg3 40. fxg3. 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) must have been satisfied that the ending can be won because of White’s healthy Pawn up. Regardless of Black’s reply, White intends to continue with Bb3-d1, Kg1-f2, and Bd1-f3 powerfully improving her position.

40. ... Bb7. In his annotations for the ChessBase website, Grandmaster Alejandro Tadeo Ramírez Álvarez writes that “40. ... a5 was a better try: 41. Rb6?! a4 42. Ba2 Bd3 is OK for Black”, but, indeed, after 41. Bd1! Bg6 42. Kf2 Black is equally hopeless. 41. Kf2 Kg7 42. Bd1 h4 43. gxh4 gxh4 44. Rd4 Be4 45. Bf3 Bxf3 46. Kxf3 Re1 47. Rxh4. That’s all. A second Pawn has fallen, and the win is by now only a matter of technique. 47. ... Rb1 48. Rb4 Kf6 49. Ke3 Ke5 50. Re4+ Kd5 51. Rd4+ Ke5 52. Rd2 f5 53. Kd3 Kf4 54. Rf2+ Kg3 55. Rxf5 Rxb2 56. Rg5+ Kh4 57. Rg6 a5 58. Rg4+ Kh5 59. Re4. As Ramírez Álvarez points out, “59. a4 bxa4 60. Rxa4 Rxg2 61. Rxa5+ Kg6 62. Re5 is a win even without the h3-Pawn”. 59. ... Kg6 (59. ... Rxg2 60. Re5+ Kg6 61. Rxb5+−) 60. Re2 Rb3 61. Ra2 b4 62. axb4 axb4 63. Rc2 Ra3 64. Kd4 bxc3 65. Rxc3 Ra2 66. Rg3+ Kh5 67. Ke3 Ra3+ 68. Kf2 Ra2+ 69. Kg1 Ra1+ 70. Kh2 Ra2 71. Rd3 Ra5 72. Rd4 Rb5 73. h4 Rb3 74. g3 Rb1 75. Kh3 Rh1+ 76. Kg2 Ra1 77. Rd5+ Kh6 78. Kh3 Ra3 79. Re5 Ra4 80. Re3 Ra6 81. g4 Ra1 82. Re6+ Kg7 83. h5 Rh1+ 84. Kg3 Kh7 85. Kf4 Rf1+ 86. Kg5 Rf7 87. h6 Ra7 88. Kh5 Ra5+ 89. g5 Rb5 90. Re7+ Kg8 91. Kg6 Rb6+ 92. Kf5 Rb5+ 93. Kf6 Rb6+ 94. Re6 Rb8 95. g6 Kh8 96. Re5 Ra8 97. Kg5 1 : 0.

By virtue of today’s win, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) needs only one draw to retain the crown. Photo: Anastasiya Valeryevna Karlovich.

Free Time

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) spending her day off from the second-stage tournament of FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2011–12 babysitting a class of young chess fans in 深圳 (Shēnzhèn), China, September 16, 2011. Photos: 樊璐璐 (Fán Lùlù).

Domenica 18 dicembre: Festa-Torneo

Derby sestese

Festa-Torneo di scacchi classici e scacchi960

Under Ten

Giacomo (on the left) is the winner!