Momentaneamente altrove

Tempio di Confucio, Shànghăi
Foto: Isadora Duncan

Chess in Tónglĭ

Foto: Isadora Duncan

Chess in Bĕijīng

Foto: Isadora Duncan

Chess in Bĕijīng

Foto: Isadora Duncan

Through the Eye of a Needle

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Antoaneta Stefanova
Women’s Grand Prix 2009–2011; 4th stage; Jermuk, June 27, 2010
Caro-Kann Defence B12

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. f3!? g6!? 4. Nc3 Bg7 5. Be3 Qb6 6. Rb1 e5 7. Nge2 Ne7 8. Bf2!? This is a novelty, but nothing special with respect to 8. Qd2(!) exd4 9. Nxd4 which gives White an enduring edge, Lastin – Maslak, 62nd Russian Chess Championship (Higher League), Ulan-Ude 2009. 8. ... Qa5 (8. ... Qc7!?) 9. dxe5 Bxe5 10. Bh4? Dissatisfied with the opening’s outcome, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) goes for adventures, soon getting into trouble. 10. Bd4(!) was probably her best way to keep the balance. 10. ... dxe4 11. b4 Qc7 12. Nxe4 0-0 13. Bf6 Nd5 14. Bxe5 Qxe5 15. Qd4 Qxd4 (15. ... Nd7!?) 16. Nxd4 Rd8 17. Kf2 b5 18. Ne2 a5 19. bxa5 Bf5 20. Rd1 Nd7 21. N2g3 Bxe4 22. fxe4 Nc3 23. Rd3 b4? (23. ... Na4∓)

24. a3! What a turnabout! 24. ... c5. If 24. ... Rxa5 then 25. axb4 Ra3 26. Ke3 with a very pleasant Pawn up ending. 25. axb4 cxb4 26. Be2. White strangely decides to return her extra Pawn for reasons that are not intuitive. If nothing else, after 26. a6! Ra7! 27. Rd4± Black would have been compelled to suffer long. 26. ... Rxa5 27. Bg4 Ra7 28. Rd4 Kf8 (28. ... Rc7! 32. Ne2 Nxe2 33. Bxe2 Ra8=) 29. Ne2! Ke7? This can be definitely regarded as Black’s losing move. Correct was 29. ... Nxe2 30. Kxe2 Rc7 31. Rhd1 Rxc2+ 32. Ke3 f5! 33. Bh3 Rc7 34. exf5 g5 35. Rxb4 Re8+ 36. Kf2 h5 with a draw in sight. 30. Nxc3 bxc3 31. Rhd1. White simply threatens a general liquidation on d7 forcing a won King and Pawn ending. With her answer, Black only delays such an outcome. 31. ... f5. Also after 31. ... Nf6!? 32. Rxd8 Nxg4+ 33. Ke2 Nxh2 34. Rc8 White should win. 32. exf5 Rf8 33. Re1+ Kd8 34. Re3 gxf5 35. Be2 Rc7 36. Bb5 Rf7 37. Red3 Kc8 38. Bxd7+ Rcxd7 39. Rxd7 Rxd7 40. Rxd7 Kxd7. Here they are, after all! 41. Ke3 1 : 0.

A Tunnel Too Far

李超 (Lǐ Chāo) – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)

1st 海南 (Hǎinán) 儋州 (Dānzhōu) Super Grandmaster Chess Tournament; 儋州 (Dānzhōu), June 12, 2010

Sicilian Defence B82

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. f4 Nc6 7. Be3 Be7 8. Qf3 e5. Very surprisingly, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) goes down a theoretical cul-de-sac. 9. Nxc6 bxc6 10. f5 Rb8 11. 0-0-0 Qa5 12. Bc4 d5 13. exd5 Ba3. 13. ... Rxb2 14. Kxb2 (14. d6! Rb4! 15. Bb3! may be even stronger) 14. ... Qa3+ 15. Kb1 Qxc3 16. Bb3 cxd5 17. Bg5 is also quite unappealing for Black, Balashov – U. Andersson, 5th International West Germany Championship, Munich 1979. 14. bxa3 Qxc3 15. Bxa7! Qb2+ 16. Kd2 cxd5. Not 16. ... Rb7 on account of 17. Rb1! trapping Her Majesty. 17. Bxb8 Qxb8 18. Bxd5. White is winning easily. 18. ... 0-0 19. Kc1 Bd7!? Here is 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)’s uninfluential novelty. The première went with 19. ... Ba6 20. Rhe1 Qc7 21. Bb3 h6 22. Kb2 e4 23. Qg3 Qa5 24. Rd6 Kh7 25. Qc3 Qb5 26. a4 Qb7 27. Qc6 1 : 0 Timman – Liberzon, 22nd Chess Olympiad, Haifa 1976. 20. Rhe1 Qc7 21. Bb3 e4 22. Rxe4! White gives back the Exchange for coming out with three Pawns to the good. 22. ... Nxe4 23. Qxe4 Bc6 24. Qc4 Qb6 25. g4 h6 26. Rd6 Qe3+ 27. Kb2 Bf3 28. Qd4 Qg5

29. Rg6! 1 : 0.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) has ultimately lost the battle of the sexes held at the 新天地花园酒店 (Xīntiāndì Garden Hotel) in 儋州 (Dānzhōu), China. Photo: 樊璐璐 (Fán Lùlù).

Last Supper

• Kantathi Suphamongkhon, Burkle Fellow Dr. Kantathi Suphamongkhon: On An Icelandic Dinner with Bobby Fischer, The Nation, January 27, 2008

Burkle Fellow Dr. Kantathi Suphamongkhon: On An Icelandic Dinner with Bobby Fischer

Dr. Kantathi Suphamongkhon, The Nation, January 27, 2008

It was January 2, 2007 in Reykjavík, Iceland and I was visiting my Icelandic friend Mr. Thorsteinn Thorgeirsson.
There had been a change in government in Thailand and I was no longer Foreign Minister but I was then the President of Thailand’s Chess Association. Thorsteinn said to me that Bobby Fischer was in town and he would try to invite him to dinner. I agreed, even though it was well known that Bobby Fischer did not like to socialize.
Bobby Fischer accepted the invitation and arrived with his partner Miyoko Watai. He said that he came because he had goggled my name and found interesting information. He wanted to meet me.
He expressed his well known views on the United States and the Jewish community. He then impressed me with his knowledge about Thailand and the political situation there. He said that throughout the years, he would spend much time everyday listening to the BBC World Service.
On chess, he said that it was no longer a strategy game. Instead of coming up with original moves, players would only use strategies memorized from books. That was the reason he introduced what he called “Fischer Random”, which required pieces to be placed on the board randomly at the beginning of the game, so players cannot revert to old strategies from memory.
After returning to Thailand, Bobby Fischer began to email me. He had kind words for me, saying that “it was truly a great pleasure and honor” to meet me. He also said, “I’m glad to see that there are still some people in the heart of things who are full of good will!”.
He asked me about the “red rain phenomenon that fell over Kerala, India in 2001”, saying that I should check it out via Google. In his later email, he expressed concerned about news reports that Israel may have been planning a “Nuclear strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities”. He mentioned that one of the reasons why he was “so unpopular” to certain people was because he had “a long memory”.
In one of the last emails to me, he discussed the closing of the new airport in Thailand. He then asked me whether I had a Siamese cat. He said that Siamese cats were very different from western cats and that he remembered them from an old Walt Disney movie. He concluded that Siamese cats were “very aristocratic!”.
That was the side of Bobby Fischer that I got to know. It was a human side showing a man with deep interest in world affairs and with a sense of humor.

(Dr. Kantathi Suphamongkhon is the 39th Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand. He is presently the University of California Regents’ Professor at UCLA. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Burkle Center for International Relations in Los Angeles).

A Shining Star

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – 王晓晖 (Wáng Xiǎohuī)
6th “雅戈尔杯” “Youngor Cup” Chinese Chess League; 宁波 (Níngbō), April 17, 2010
Modern Defence B96

1. e4 d6 2. d4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. Be3 c6 5. Qd2 Nd7 6. Nf3 Qa5 7. Bd3 Ngf6 8. Bh6 0-0 9. 0-0-0. 9. h4 Bxh6 10. Qxh6 Ng4 11. Qg5 Qxg5 12. hxg5 f6 13. gxf6 Ndxf6 14. Nd2 e5 15. Ne2 exd4 16. Nxd4 d5 17. exd5 Re8+ 18. Kf1 Nxd5 ½ : ½ 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Svidler, 3rd NH Chess Tournament “Rising Stars vs. Experience”, Amsterdam 2009. 9. ... e5 10. Bxg7 Kxg7

11. g4!? A straightforward Pawn sacrifice for the initiative. 11. ... Nxg4 12. Rhg1 Ndf6 13. h3 exd4 (13. ... Nh6 14. Rg5⩲↑) 14. Nxd4 Qb4? Here is evidently the cause of all Black’s trouble. The correct 14. ... Nh6 15. f3!? leaves White with enough compensation for the Pawn, but probably no more than that. 15. hxg4 Qxd4 16. f3 h6 17. Ne2 Qc5 18. g5 Nh7. This loses quickly, but 18. ... hxg5 19. Rxg5 followed by the doubling of the Rooks on the g-file would not hold out much longer. 19. gxh6+ Kh8 20. Nf4 g5 21. Nh5 Qe5 22. f4! gxf4 23. Qg2 Rd8

24. Qg7+! Qxg7 25. hxg7+ Kg8 26. e5! f5 27. exf6 Be6 28. f7+! Bxf7 29. Bxh7+ Kxh7 30. Nf6+ Kh6 31. Rd2! Bg6 32. Rdg2 Kxg7 33. Rxg6+ Kf7 34. Ne4 Ke7 35. Re1 d5 36. Nd6+ Kd7 37. Nxb7 Rg8 38. Nc5+ Kc7 39. Ne6+ 1 : 0.

Tea with the Queen

12th Women’s World Chess Champion Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk chats with Woman Grandmaster Jennifer Shahade — Chess Life, December 2008, pp. 26-27.

Allonsanfàn

Elisabeth Pähtz – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
5th North Urals Cup; Krasnoturinsk, July 25, 2007
French Defence C13

Notes by International Master Ilya Beniaminovich Odesskiy, ruchess.ru, July 28, 2007.

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e5 Nfd7 6. h4 Nc6 7. Rh3 h6 8. Bxe7 Qxe7 9. Qd2 Nb6 10. Rg3 Rg8 11. Nf3 a6 12. Nd1 Qf8 13. a4 a5 14. Nc3 Bd7 15. Nb5 0-0-0 16. b3 f6 17. 0-0-0 fxe5 18. dxe5 Kb8 19. Kb1 Nb4 20. Rg4 Be8 21. Bd3 Qe7 22. Bg6 Bxg6 23. Rxg6

Black is to move, and I do not pretend to point out which move is the strongest. It’s just my opinion.
It seems to me that in searching for a move it is worth relying on the “worst-piece principle”. This principle is described in the writings of Mark Izrailovich Dvoretsky. In short, when you don’t know what to do, improve your worst piece. Such is the theory of “small deeds”.
In this position, the Knight on b6 is highly eligible to be Black’s worst piece. Hence, 23. ... Nd7 suggests itself, and then, according to circumstances, either ... Nd7-c5-e4 heading (after ... c7-c6) to the c3-square or ... Rg8-f8 threatening — whether jokingly or seriously, who knows — an Exchage sacrifice: ... Rf8xf3 and then ... Nd7xe5. Black’s compensation promises to be chic, although White, of course, will not clap her hands over her ears either.
Within this logic, Black could also play 23. ... Qf7 — in case she deemed the Queen to be her worst piece — but after 24. h5 Qf5 [RR 24. ... d4!] 25. Nfd4! Qxe5 26. g4! Rge8 27. f4 Qe4 28. Re1 Her Majesty is in captivity. And so let her stay at e7 for now. In short, my vote is for 23. ... Nd7. But the Chinese girl chose:
23. ... c5? Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian would not pat her on the head for that. Surrender the d6-square with a Knight on b5? This is not good. But perhaps 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) thought, without going into strategic subtleties, to solve her position in one fell swoop. That is, to sacrifice a Knight on a4 or c4 and get a breakthrough somewhere. Maybe...
By the way, the Knight could have been sacrificed at once: 23. ... Nc4 24. bxc4 dxc4. But the idea doesn’t work on account of 25. Rxg7!.
24. Qf4 Nd7. It turns out that 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)’s wishes are quite simple. The girl really want nothing more than to win the Exchange. Oh, how bad it is! She will win the Exchange, but will irrevocably ruin her position.
25. Qg4 Nf8 26. Rxh6 Qf7 27. Rh5 g6 28. Rg5 Nh7

29. Nd6! Qg7. Better 29. ... Rxd6 30. exd6 Nxg5 31. hxg5 [RR 31. Qxg5!], although the position is already rotten to the core. 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) decided to indulge her whim to the very end.
30. Qxe6 Nxg5 31. Nxg5 Qc7. While commentating online, I regarded this move as a mistake and suggested 31. ... d4 instead. But now I see a simple refutation: 32. Ngf7 Rdf8 33. Qe7 and there is no economic way to hold b7.
23. ... c5 is when all the horror began. But this movie is not played back.
32. c3 Nc6 33. Qxd5. It’s inconvenient to say it, but one usually resigns in such positions. Instead, the game went on. Pähtz was not entirely accurate and delayed the coup de grâce.
33. ... Ne7 34. Qc4 Qc6 35. Ne6 Rd7 36. Nxc5 Rc7 37. Ne6 Qxc4 38. Nxc4 Rc6 39. Rd6 Re8 40. Nxa5 Rxc3 41. Kb2 Rcc8 42. Rb6 Nd5 43. Rxb7+ Ka8 44. Rb5 Nc3 45. Rc5 Nd1+ 46. Kc2 Rxc5+ 47. Nxc5 Rxe5 48. Kxd1 Rxc5 49. Nc4. After massive simplification, the position in the diagram was reached:

A ‘deader’ position is not going to happen. Yet Black defended it for more than 30 moves! Then, however, she just had to give it up.
49. ... Kb7 50. Ke2 Kc6 51. f4 Kd5 52. Kf3 Rc7 53. Kg4 Rb7 54. Ne5 Rxb3 55. Nxg6 Ke6 56. Ne5 Ra3 57. h5 Kf6 58. Nd7+ Kg7 59. Nb6 Kh6 60. Kh4 Rb3 61. a5 Rb5 62. g4 Rxa5 63. g5+ Kh7 64. Kg4 Ra1 65. Nd5 Rh1 66. Nf6+ Kh8 67. Nd7 [RR 67. Kf5 Rf1 68. g6 Kg7 69. Ng4+−]
67. ... Rd1 68. Ne5 Kh7 69. Kf5 Ra1 70. Nf7 Ra5+ 71. Ke6 Kg7 72. h6+ Kg6 73. Ne5+ Kh7 74. f5 Ra6+ 75. Ke7 Ra5 76. Kd6 Ra6+ 77. Nc6 Ra8 78. Ne7 Ra1 79. Ke6 Re1+ 80. Kf7 Rg1 81. g6+ Kxh6 82. f6 Rg2 83. g7 1 : 0.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Mac Hack VI – Ben Landey
Boston Amateur; Boston, April 22, 1967
Sicilian Defence B20

Notes by Robert James Fischer, Boys’ Life, August 1968, p. 14.

I’ve never played a computer. Eventually, though, I think a computer can become champion. After all, it can’t be as hard as getting a man on the moon. But I hope it doesn’t happen during my lifetime! Incidentally, here’s an example of a computer game. Black’s game was a disgrace to the human race. The computer (White) was called Mac Hack VI, and it took on Landey, the man.

1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. Qxd4 Leads to loss of time. Try to avoid early Queen moves. 3. Nf3 was better.
3. ... Nc6 4. Qd3 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Nf3 d6 7. Bf4 e5? Anti-positional, weakens square on d5.
8. Bg3? 8. Bg5! pinning Knight and indirectly gaining control of d5 was logical.
8. ... a6 9. 0-0-0 b5 10. a4

10. ... Bh6+? Bad because it removes the d Pawns protection — the machine takes advantage of it. Simply 10. ... bxa4! and Black’s still OK.
11. Kb1 b4 12. Qxd6! Bd7 13. Bh4! Bg7 14. Nd5 Nxe4 15. Nc7+ Qxc7 16. Qxc7 Nc5 17. Qd6 Bf8 18. Qd5 Rc8 19. Nxe5 Be6

20. Qxc6+!! Rxc6 (RR 20. ... Bd7 21. Qxc8+ Bxc8 22. Rd8#)
21. Rd8# 1 : 0. A very powerful finish by the machine.

Bobby Fischer annotates

Commenta Bobby Fischer:

W. Steinitz – S. Dubois
8ª del match; Londra, 1862
Gambetto Evans C51

1. e4 e5 2. Cf3 Cc6 3. Ac4 Ac5 4. b4!? Ab6 5. b5 Aa5 6. Cxe5 Ch6 7. d4 d6 8. Axh6 dxe5 9. Axg7 Dg5 10. Axh8 Dxg2(?)
Ecco il “miglioramento” del Nero su 10. ... Cxc4, come giocato nella quarta partita.
11. Tf1! Cxc4 12. De2! Ag4!?
Il punto del Nero. Se adesso 13. Dxc4? Dxe4+ 14. Rd2 0-0-0 e il Nero ha un attacco vincente.
13. f3(!)
Le Donne spariscono e il Bianco entra in un finale con la Qualità e un Pedone in più. Considerando che l’unica mossa nuova del Nero in questa partita è stata 10. ... Dxg2, la partita è durata effettivamente solo due mosse!
13. ... Dxe2+
Su 13. ... Ah3? 14. Dxg2 Axg2 15. Tg1 Axd4 16. Txg2 ecc.
14. Rxe2 Ah3 15. Td1 0-0-0(?)
Meglio 15. ... Axd4 16. c3 Ac5.
16. Axe5 Tg8 17. Ag3 f5 18. Cd2!
Il Bianco restituisce un Pedone per consolidare la posizione.
18. ... Ca3 19. c3 Cxb5 20. Tac1 fxe4 21. Cxe4 Te8 22. Rf2 a6 23. a4 Ca7 24. Te1 Tf8 25. Cg5 Af5 26. Te7 Cc6 27. Tf7 Txf7 28. Cxf7 Ce7 29. Te1 Cd5 30. Te5 Ag6 31. Cd6+(!) cxd6 32. Txd5 Ac2 33. Txd6 Ad8 34. Th6 Ag6 35. h4! Ae7 36. h5 Ac2
Se 36. ... Af8 37. hxg6 Axh6 38. gxh7 Ag7 39. Ae5 il Pedone ‘h’ promuove.
37. d5 Ad3 38. d6 Ad8

39. d7+(!)
Una piacevolissima chiusa per un finale ben giocato.
39. ... Rxd7 40. Td6+ il Nero abbandona. (Da Chess Life, 1964, p. 295).

Clarice Benini reloaded

Alessandra Innocenti & Lorenzo Barsi

Clarice Benini
Omaggio alla Campionessa di Scacchi

versione 0.1 (PDF)

Andor Lilienthal † (1918–2010)

After Vasily Vasilyevich Smyslov and Florencio Campomanes, Andor Liliental, the oldest living Grandmaster, died in Budapest, Hungary on May 8, 2010. When Robert James Fischer noticed him in the audience at his 1992 rematch against Boris Vasilievich Spassky, Bobby greeted him with the remark “Pawn e5 takes f6!”.

Andor Lilienthal – José Raúl Capablanca
15th International Chess Congress; Hastings, January 1, 1935
2r1k2r/2pn1pp1/1p3n1p/p3PP2/4q2B/P1P5/2Q1N1PP/R4RK1 w k - 0 20

20. exf6!! Qxc2 21. fxg7 Rg8 22. Nd4 Qe4 23. Rae1 Nc5 24. Rxe4+ Nxe4 25. Re1 Rxg7 26. Rxe4+ Kd7 1 : 0.

Day Tripper

Che Ray Charles (Albany, 23 settembre 1930 – Beverly Hills, 10 giugno 2004), detto anche – e non a caso – il Genio del Soul, fosse appassionato di scacchi è storia nota. Eccolo all’opera in una parita sans façon contro il Grande Maestro Larry Evans:

R. Charles – L. Evans
Reno, 8 marzo 2002
Quattro Cavalli C47

1. e4 e5 2. Cc3 Cc6 3. Cf3 Cf6 4. d4 exd4 5. Cxd4 Ac5 6. Cxc6 bxc6 7. De2 0-0 8. Ae3 Axe3 9. Dxe3 Te8 10. f3 d5 11. Dd3 a5 12. 0-0-0 Aa6 13. Dd2 Axf1 14. Thxf1 dxe4 15. Dxd8 Taxd8 16. Txd8 Txd8 17. Td1 Txd1+ 18. Rxd1 exf3 19. gxf3 Rf8 20. Rc1 Re7 21. Rd2 Re6 22. Re3 Cd5+ 23. Rd4 Cxc3 24. Rxc3 Rd5 25. Il Bianco abbandona. Per aneddoti, analisi e commenti rimandiamo il lettore all’articolo di Morgan Daniels, “Ray ’n Chess”, ChessBase News, 18.06.2004.

Ray Charles in bus

Fischerandom Kaos

On Sunday, April 25, 2010, International Master Vangjel Buli performed in a chess960 (Fischerandom chess) simultaneous exhibition against ten opponents (eight of whom were very young and two... just a little less young) at Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna” in Florence, Italy, as a highlight of the 2nd anniversary of “Fischerandom Kaos”.
The event exceeded all our expectations with a great success of audience and participation, despite the “national-popular” concomitance of a... football match, to which almost all the classes of the neighbouring elementary and middle schools had been “invited” to attend it! The set initial array was the starting position number 70:

♘♘♗♖♔♗♕♖

Don’t be fooled by the vague resemblance to the so-called classical position (#518): the differences are substantial! In the standard position, in fact, there is no first move that — by force and right now — loses material for White, while at Fischerandom chess everything is possible from the very start! If in his prime Bobby Fischer recommended to “refute” the starting array of classical chess with 1. e4! — “Best by test” — who would believe that at Fischerandom 1. e4 may instead be “worst by rest”? The “theory” of position #70 already says it:

Rafael Artemovich Vaganian – Levon Grigori Aronian

2nd FiNet Chess960 Open; time control: 20 minutes plus 5 seconds per move; Mainz, August, 2003

nnbrkbqr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/NNBRKBQR w HDhd - 0 1

Position #70

1. e4? f5! OMG! Now Black gains a Pawn by force, since after 3. exf5?? Qxa2 White would lose none other than a Knight! Hence Vaganian resigned himself to 2. Nc3 fxe4, after which Aronian somehow managed to capitalise on his extra Pawn. Buli graciously allowed two young simultaneists to take advantage of the “Knight motif”, only to show them that a piece itself is not guarantee of victry after all: within a few moves, the Queen of both youngsters got first marginalised and then trapped on a1! Two parents also took part in the “heterodox” challenge, and your scribe is especially happy that all participants (and all of them spontaneously) opted for the “Fischer mode”. Eight victories and two draws... of encouragement (Emilio and Daniele the lucky ones) was the score of Buli, who, as always, enchanted the audience with his competence, modesty and generosity. Per aspera sic itur ad astra...
For a pictorial report of the day take a look at the Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna” website.

诙谐曲 (Scherzo)

诸宸 (Zhū Chén) – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2009–2011; 3rd stage; Nalchik, April 29, 2010
Nimzo-Indian Defence E32

1. d4 e6 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 0-0 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Qxc3 Qe8!? An invention by Grandmaster Raymond Keene. 7. b4 d6 8. Bb2 b6. 8. ... Nbd7 9. e3 a5 10. Bd3 Nb6 11. Qc2 Qa4 also gave Black a very comfortable equality in Arlandi – Tatai, 49th Italian Chess Championship, Chianciano Terme 1989. 9. Qf3 d5 10. Rc1 c6 11. e3 a5 12. bxa5 bxa5 13. Qd1 Ba6 14. Nf3 Nbd7 15. Bd3 Nb6 16. Nd2 Rb8 17. Bc3 Qe7 18. Ra1 Nxc4 19. Nxc4 dxc4 20. Be2 Nd5 21. Bxa5 Rb3 22. 0-0 Rxa3 23. Qc2 Ra8

24. e4?? A dramatic blunder that loses at once. 24. Qb2 was called for with a view to regaining the Pawn. 24. ... Nf4 25. Bf3 Rxf3! The Rook is obviously taboo because of ... Qe7-g5+ followed by mate. 26. Bd2 0 : 1.

A symbolic handover: from Qatar to China. Photo: Ilya Akhobekov, Eldar Mukhametov.

25 Aprile: Fischerandom Kaos

Down to Earth

Gawain Christopher B. Jones – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
800th Anniversary Summit Chess Match UK–China; Liverpool, September 5, 2007
French Defence C03

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Be7 4. Ngf3 Nf6 5. e5 Nfd7 6. Bd3 c5 7. c3 b6 8. Qe2 a5 9. 0-0 Ba6 10. c4 Nc6 11. cxd5 Bxd3 12. Qxd3 Nb4. If 12. ... exd5 then 13. Re1 0–0 14. Qf5 cxd4 15. Nb3 Nc5 16. Nbxd4⩲ Jones – Grigoryan, 46th World Junior Chess Championship, Yerevan 2007 — “[...] White is slightly better although I overpressed and went on to lose”, Jones wrote on New Zealand Chess Magazine, Volume 36, No. 1, January 2009, p. 9. 13. Qe4 exd5 14. Qg4 0-0 15. Rd1 Kh8 16. Nf1 Nc2 17. Rb1 Nxd4 18. Nxd4 cxd4 19. Qxd4 Bc5 20. Qxd5 Nxe5 21. Be3 Qxd5 22. Rxd5 Bxe3 23. Nxe3

23. ... f6 (23. ... Rfe8!? 24. Rd6 b5 25. Rc1⩲) 24. f4. “[...] and I was left in a very favourable ending due to more active pieces and the weakness of Black’s Queenside Pawns”, Jones writes (ibidem). 24. ... Ng6 25. g3 Rab8 26. Rc1 Kg8 27. Rc7 Rfc8 28. Rdd7 Rxc7 29. Rxc7 Rd8 30. Rb7 Rd3 31. Nc4 Rd4 32. b3

32. ... Rd1+ 33. Kg2 Rc1 34. a4 Rc2+ 35. Kg1 Rc1+ 36. Kf2 Rc2+ 37. Kf3 Rc3+ 38. Ke4 Rxb3 39. Rxb6 Rc3 40. Kd4 Rc1 41. Nxa5 Rc2 42. Nc4 Rxh2 43. Rb2 Rh1 44. Ra2 Ne7 45. a5 Nc6+ 46. Kc5 Nxa5 47. Rxa5 h5 48. Ne3 h4 49. gxh4 Rxh4 50. Nd5 Kf7 51. Kd6 Rh1 52. Ra7+ Kg6 53. Ne7+ Kh5 54. f5 Re1 55. Ra2 Re5 56. Rh2+ Kg5 57. Rh7 1 : 0.

L’Immortale Armonia

È morto a Mosca, quasi novantenne, Vasilij Vasilijevich Smyslov (Mosca, 24 marzo 1921 – ivi, 27 marzo 2010). Campione del Mondo di scacchi classici dal 1957 al 1958, nell’era di Mikhail Botvinnik, Smyslov, nella sua lunga carriera, ha vinto di tutto e di più. Le sue partite erano autentici arazzi d’armonia e, come ha detto Boris Spasskij: “Vasilij è stato uno dei grandi geni scacchistici del XX secolo. Per me ci sono stati quattro titani degli scacchi nell’Unione Sovietica del dopoguerra: Botvinnik, Smyslov, Keres e Bronstein”.
Eccolo all’opera in terza età contro Susan Polgar:

V. Smyslov (2540) – Zsu. Polgar (2565)

Praga, 1995
Siciliana B31

1. e4 c5 2. Cf3 Cc6 3. Ab5. L’anziano Smyslov evita le varianti più teorizzate e contundenti (3. d4) e si affida... ai cinque sensi. 3. ... g6 4. 0-0 Ag7 5. c3 Cf6 6. Te1 0-0 7. h3 Db6 8. Ca3 d5 9. e5 Ce8 10. d3. Strategia felpata e tattica in guanti di velluto! L’alternativa è 10. d4 cxd4 11. cxd4 Cc7 12. Axc6 Dxc6 13. Db3 Ce6 14. Ae3 f6 15. Tac1 Dd7 16. Cc2 b6 17. Cb4 Ab7 18. Cd3 g5 19. Ad2 h6 20. exf6 exf6 21. a4 con preferenza per il Bianco, Ponomariov – van Wely, Plovdiv 2004. 10. ... Cc7 11. Aa4 Ce6 12. Cc2 d4 13. cxd4. E non 13. Axc6 per 13. ... dxc3! 14. Ad5 cxb2 15. Axb2 Dxb2 con simbolico vantaggio per il Nero (Smyslov). 13. ... Ccxd4 14. Ccxd4 cxd4 15. Ab3 h6 16. a4! a5. Previene a4-a5. 17. Ac4 Cd8 18. b3 Ae6 19. Aa3. Il Bianco esplica una potente iniziativa. 19. ... Cc6 20. Axe6 fxe6 21. Tc1 Tad8? Ignara del pericolo. Smyslov ha poi propugnato 21. ... Tac8, sebbene dopo 22. Te4 e Tc1-c4 (RobboLito) il Pd4 debba prima o poi cadere. 22. Txc6! Una petite combinaison nello spirito di Capablanca! 22. ...bxc6 23. Axe7 Tb8 24. Axf8 Axf8 25. Te4. Il vantaggio del Bianco è manifesto. 25. ... Ac5. Dopodiché il Bianco irrompe nel cuore della posizione avversaria. Ma come rimproverare Susanna per non aver avuto il coraggio di sondare la tecnica di Smyslov nel finale conseguente a 25. ... Dxb3 26. Dxb3 Txb3 27. Cxd4 Txd3 28. Cxc6 Ac5 29. Tf4 g5 30. Tf6? 26. Dc1! Rg7. Se 26. ... g5? allora 27. Cxg5! hxg5 28. Dxg5+ Rf7 29. Th4 +-. 27. Dc4 Rf7 28. Tf4+ Re7 29. Tf6 il Nero abbandona.

Helsinki, 1952: Vasilij Smyslov
Foto: ChessBase.com

Paul Felix Schmidt

Contemporaneo di Paul Keres e Klaus Junge, anche Paul Felix Schmidt (Narva, Estonia, 20 agosto 1916 – Allentown, Stati Uniti, 11 agosto 1984), sarebbe stato sicuramente un degno aspirante al titolo di Campione del Mondo di scacchi se la II Guerra Mondiale non l’avesse sballottato per ogni dove come un birillo. La FIDE lo insignì del titolo di Maestro Internazionale nel 1950... lui che era stato già Campione d’Estonia (1936) e di Germania (1941) nella stessa vita! Numerose sono le sue splendide partite:

P. F. Schmidt – P. R. Schmidt
Heidelberg, 1946
r1b2r2/3pNpkp/3pn1p1/2pN3P/2PnP3/q3QP2/4BKP1/1R5R w

1. Dh6+!! Rxh6 2. hxg6+ Rg5 3. Th5+!! Rxh5 4. f4+ Cxe2 5. Cf6+ Rh6 (5. ... Rh4 6. Cf5 matto) 6. Th1+ Rg7 7. Ce8+!! Txe8 8. Txh7+ Rf6(f8) 9. Txf7 matto!

Impressionante anche la seguente partita “estone” di Schmidt, che traiamo dalla preziosa rubrica di Savieli Grigorievic Tartakower su Der Groenne Amsterdammer (10 aprile 1936, p. 8):

P. F. Schmidt – J. Türn
Reval, 1936
Inglese A12

1. c4 c6 2. Cf3 d5 3. b3 Ag4 4. g3 Dc8. Il Nero mira all’immediato sfianchettamento. Una strategia più consona è probabilmente 4. ... dxc4 5. bxc4 Cf6 6. Ag2 g6 7. Ab2 Ag7 (Tartakower). 5. Ag2 Ah3 6. 0-0 Axg2 7. Rxg2 Cd7. Tartakower preferisce 7. ... dxc4 o 7. ... e6 onde non consentire l’apertura della colonna ‘c’. 8. cxd5 cxd5 9. Ab2 Cgf6 10. Cc3 Dd8 11. Tc1 Tc8? Catastrofica. Era di prammatica 11. ... a6(!), e dopo, per esempio, 12. d3 il Bianco non confida che su un burocratico vantaggio. 12. Cb5! a6. Se 12. ... Txc1 allora 13. Dxc1 Db8 14. Cc7+ Rd8 15. Cg5 Dxc7 16. Cxf7+ Rc8 17. Dxc7+ Rxc7 18. Tc1+ Rb8 19. Cxh8 +- (analisi di Tartakower). 13. Txc8 Dxc8 14. Dc1! Elegante difesa indiretta del Cavallo: 14. ... Dxc1 15. Txc1 axb5?? è infatti annichilita da 16. Tc8 matto! 14. ... Db8 15. Cc7+ Rd8 16. Ce5. Oppure 16. Cg5! (Tartakower). 16. ... Cxe5 17. Axe5 Rd7. Se 17. ... Dc8 allora 18. Dc5 e6 (né 18. ... Cd7 19. Dxd5 né 18. ... Rd7 19. Tc1 giustificano illusioni) 19. Da5! +- (Lucci). 19. Cxd5!! Elegante corollario! 19. ... Dxe5. Oppure 18. ... De8 19. Dc4 o 18. ... Da7 19. Da7+ Re6 20. f4. 19.Cb6+ Re6 20. Dc8+ il Nero abbandona.

Off Beat

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Anna Olehivna Muzychuk
FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2011–12; 1st stage; Rostov-on-Don, August 5, 2011
Spanish Game C89

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 0-0 8. c3 d5 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. Nxe5 Nxe5 11. Rxe5 c6 12. d4 Bd6 13. Re1 Qh4 14. g3 Qh3 15. Qe2 Bg4 16. Qf1 Qh5 17. Nd2 Rae8. 17. ... Nf4!? 18. gxf4 Bxf4 was at the time supposed to be a drawing line, but Muzychuk confessed afterwards that she couldn’t calculate all consequences — and maybe she was right as after 19. h4! (19. Qg2 Bh3 20. Qxc6 Bxh2+! 21. Kh1 Bg3! 22. Kg1 Bh2+=) 19. ... Qxh4 20. Qg2 Bh3 21. Nf3! Qh5 22. Bxf4 Bxg2 23. Kxg2 White remains with a Knight and two Bishops against Queen and Pawn — actually a gratifying compensation. 18. f3 Bh3 19. Qf2 f5. Possibly better is 18. ... Rxe1+ 20. Qxe1 Nf6 21. Qf2 Re8 22. Nf1 Qg6 23. Bd2 h5 24. Re1 Rxe1 25. Bxe1 Qb1 26. a4 Kf8 27. axb5 axb5 28. Ne3 c5 29. Nd1 c4 30. Bc2 Qa1 31. b3 cxb3 32. Bxb3 Be6 33. Bxe6 Qxd1 34. Bf5 Nd5 35. Bc2 Qa1 36. Qd2 b4 37. c4 b3 38. Bxb3 Bb4 39. Qd1 Qxd1 40. Bxd1 Bxe1 41. cxd5 Ke7 42. Kf1 Bc3 43. h4 Bxd4 44. f4 g6 45. Ba4 Kd6 46. Ke2 Kxd5 47. Bb3+ Ke4 48. Bxf7 ½ : ½ Motylev – Vajda, 52nd Romanian Team Chess Championship, Predeal 2007. 20. Rxe8 Rxe8 21. Nf1. If 21. c4 then 21. ... Nf4!? 22. c5+!? Kf8 23. cxd6? (23. gxf4! Qg6+ 24. Qg3 Re1+ 25. Kf2 Qe8 26. Ne4 Rf1+ 27. Ke2 fxe4 28. Qxh3! exf3+ 29. Kd3 Qe2+ 30. Kc3 Qe1+ 31. Bd2 b4+! 32. Kc4 Qe2+ 33. Kxb4 Qxd2+ 34. Ka3 Bxc5+ 35. dxc5 Qa5+ 36. Ba4 Qxc5+ 37. b4 Qc3+ 38. Bb3 Rxa1 39. Qc8+ Ke7 40. Qc7+ Ke8=) 23. ... Re2−+ Kapengut – Malaniuk, 14th “Alexey Pavlovich Sokolsky Menorial”, Minsk 1985. 21. ... f4. This temporary sacrifice of the second Pawn may be questionable. 22. Bxf4 Bxf4 23. gxf4 Qg6+. 23. ... Bxf1 24. Rxf1 Kf8 thereby forcing the exchange on d5 might have been Black’s best chance. 24. Ng3 h5 25. Re1 (⌓ 25. Bc2 Qh6 26. Re1±)

25. ... h4. “Maybe, I should not have exchanged Rooks, instead of 25. ... h4 I should have simply played 25. ... Rf8 and saved the Rook for the attack”, Muzychuk then said, promptly echoed by 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), but actually 26. Qc2! Bf5 27. Qg2 leaves White with two extra Pawns and Black with no attack. 26. Rxe8+ Qxe8 27. Qe2. 27. Ne4 Qg6+ 28. Kh1 Kf8 29. Bxd5 cxd5 30. Qg1 (30. Nd2? Qc2−+) 30. ... Qxg1+ 31. Kxg1 dxe4 32. fxe4 Ke7 is as materially unbalanced as it is dynamically balanced. 27. ... Qf7 28. Nf1 Qg6+ 29. Kf2 Kf8 (29. ... Qg2+ 30. Ke1 Qg1 31. Qf2 Qh1 32. c4)

30. Bxd5 cxd5? This is the losing move! Correct was 30. .. Bxf1! followed by ... c6xd5 with some drawing chances in spite of her two Pawns minus. 31. Ne3!+− Qd6 (31. ... Be6 32. f5 Bxf5 33. Nxd5+−) 32. Ng2 Bxg2 33. Kxg2 Qxf4 34. Qe5 Qd2+ 35. Kh3 Qxb2 36. Qd6+ Ke8 37. Qxa6 Ke7 38. Qb7+ Kd6 39. Qb6+ Kd7 40. Qb7+ Kd6 41. Qxg7 Qxa2 42. Qe5+ Kc6 43. Qe8+ Kb6 44. Qb8+ Kc6 45. Qc8+ Kd6 46. Qc5+ Ke6 47. Qxb5 1 : 0.

Milking the cow for more than a Pawn. Photo: Anastasiya Valeryevna Karlovich.

Exegi monumentum aere perennius

Mostar (Bosnia-Herzegovina), 1961. Bobby Fischer in posa per lo scultore Florijan Mićković.
Foto: Wikimedia Commons

The Witch in the Wood

Irina Borisivna Krush – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)

2nd “鄞州杯” (“Yínzhōu Cup”) Women’s World Team Chess Championship; 宁波 (Níngbō), September 8, 2009

Nimzo-Indian Defence E35

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 d5 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bg5 c5 7. dxc5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Bg3 Ne4 10. e3 Qa5 11. Nge2 Bf5 12. Bxb8. Another continuation is 12. Be5 0-0 13. Nd4 Nxc3 14. Nxf5 Ne4+ 15. Kd1 Nc6 16. Bd4 Nxd4 17. Nxd4 Rac8 18. c6 Bc5 19. cxb7 Rc7 20. Nb3 Qb6 21. Rc1 Bd6 22. Qe2 Qxb7 23. f3 Nf6 24. Qb5 Rxc1+ 25. Kxc1 Qe7 26. Qd3 Re8 27. Nd4 Qxe3+ 28. Qxe3 Rxe3 29. Bb5 Bf8 30. Kd2 Re7 31. Rc1 Ne8 32. Rc8 Nd6 33. Rb8 Kg7 34. b3 Rc7 35. Bc6 Be7 36. Bxd5 Rc5 37. Be4 Bf6 38. Ne2 Be5 39. Ra8 Ra5 40. a4 Bxh2 41. Bd3 Be5 42. Ke3 h5 43. Bb1 h4 44. f4 Bf6 45. fxg5 Rxg5 46. Kf2 a5 47. Rb8 Rd5 48. b4 Nc4 49. bxa5 Rxa5 50. Rb4 Nb2 51. Bc2 Rc5 52. Be4 Nd1+ 53. Kf3 Nc3 54. Nxc3 Rxc3+ 55. Kf2 Ra3 56. Rc4 Ra2+ 57. Kf3 Ra3+ 58. Kf2 ½ : ½ 沈阳 (Shěn Yáng) – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2009–2011, 1st stage, Istanbul 2009.
12. ... Rxb8 13. Nd4 Bd7 14. Bd3 Bxc3+ 15. bxc3 Qxc3+ 16. Qxc3 Nxc3 17. Rc1 (17. Kd2 Na4 18. Rac1 Rc8 19. Nb3 Ke7 20. Rc2 Rc7 21. Rhc1 Rhc8 22. f3 h5 23. f4 g4 24. Ke2 ½ : ½ Smirnov – Landa, 12th Russian Team Chess Championship Premiere League, Sochi 2005)
17. ... Nxa2 18. Rb1 Ke7 19. Kd2 a5 20. Ra1 Nb4 21. Rxa5 Nc6 22. Ra2TN (22. Ra3 Rhc8 23. Rb1 Nd8 24. Rc3 Ra8 25. Rb6 Ra5 26. Rxh6 Rcxc5 27. Rxc5 Rxc5 28. Rh5 Kf6 29. h4 gxh4 30. Nb3 Rc7 31. Rxd5 Be6 32. Rxd8 Bxb3 33. Rh8 Kg5 34. f4+ Kg4 35. Rg8+ Kh5 36. Be2+ Kh6 37. Rh8+ Kg7 38. Rxh4 Rc2+ 39. Kd3 Ra2 40. Bf3 b5 41. Rg4+ Kf8 42. Kc3 Bc4 43. e4 f6 44. Rh4 Kg7 45. Rh1 Be2 46. Kb3 Bc4+ 47. Kb4 Be2 48. Rc1 Ra4+ 49. Kb3 Bc4+ 50. Kc3 Bf7 51. Rb1 Rc4+ 52. Kd3 b4 53. Rb2 Rc3+ 54. Kd2 Rc4 55. Rc2 Rd4+ 56. Ke3 Rd7 57. Rb2 b3 58. e5 fxe5 59. fxe5 Ra7 60. Kd4 Rd7+ 61. Ke3 Ra7 62. Kd4 Rd7+ 63. Kc3 Rc7+ 64. Kb4 Re7 65. Re2 b2 66. Rxb2 Rxe5 67. Kc3 Re7 68. Kd4 Bg8 69. Rb5 Bf7 70. Rb6 Bg8 71. Be4 Bh7 72. Bf3 Bg8 73. Rd6 Be6 74. Bc6 Bg8 75. Bd7 Re2 ½ : ½ Alonso Rosell – López Martínez, 78th Catalan Chess Championship, Lleida 2009)
22. ... Rhc8 23. Rb1 Nd8 24. Ra5 Ne6 25. Nxe6 fxe6 26. f4 Rc7 27. g3 Rbc8 28. Ra7 Rb8 29. Bb5 Bc8 30. Rc1 Bd7 31. Bxd7 Kxd7 (31. ... Rxd7 32. Rb1 Rc7 33. Rb5 Kf6 34. Kd4 b6=)
32. Kd3 gxf4 33. exf4

33. ... Rc6? Perhaps Black could have played earlier, but doubtless she should have done it now. 33. ... Ke7! 34. Kd4 Kf6 offered best chances for a draw.
34. Kd4 Ra6? Also after 34. ... Ke7 35. Rb1 Kf6 36. Rbxb7 Rxb7 37. Rxb7 Ra6 38. Rh7 the ending can hardly be saved, but it was Black’s best bet.
35. Ra1 Rxa7 36. Rxa7 Kc6

37. Ra2! Re8 38. Rb2 h5 39. Rb6+ Kc7 40. Ke5 Rd8 41. Kd4 Re8 42. Rd6 Re7 43. Ke5 Re8 44. Kf6 b5 45. Kf7 Rd8 46. Ke7 Rb8 47. Kxe6 b4 48. Rxd5 Kc6 49. Rd2 b3 50. Rb2 Kxc5 51. f5 Kd4 52. f6 Kc3 53. Rb1 Kc2 54. Rf1 Rb6+ 55. Ke7 Rb7+ 56. Kf8 b2 57. f7 b1=Q 58. Rxb1 Rxb1 59. Kg8 1 : 0.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) got tricked in a very drawish endgame. Photo: Sina Corporation.

Siberian Odyssey

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Nadezhda Anatolyevna Kosintseva

Women’s World Chess Championship Knockout Tournament; match game 1; Yekaterinburg, March 11, 2006

Sicilian Defence B42

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Bd3 Bc5 6. Nb3 Ba7 7. 0-0 Ne7 8. c4 d6 9. Nc3 Nbc6 10. Qe2 e5 11. Be3 0-0 12. Rfd1. 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) improves on what she played a year earlier: 12. Nd5 a5 13. a4 Bxe3 14. fxe3 Nxd5 15. exd5 Nb4 (Black stands better already) 16. Bf5 Qb6 17. Nc1 Bxf5 18. Rxf5 Rac8 19. b3 e4 20. Qd2 Na6 21. Ra3 Nc5 22. Ne2 Qb4 23. Qxb4 axb4 24. Ra2 Nxb3 25. Rb2 Na5 26. Rxb4 Rxc4 27. Rb6 Rxa4 28. Rxd6 Nc4 29. Rd7 Nxe3 30. Rg5 h6 31. Rg3 Ra1+ 32. Kf2 Nd1+ 33. Ke1 e3 0 : 1 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Arencibia Rodríguez, 6th World Team Chess Championship, Beersheba 2005. 12. ... Be6 13. Rac1 Ng6 14. Bxa7 Rxa7 15. Qe3 Qb8 16. Qb6 Rd8 17. Bf1 Nf8 18. Nd5 Nd7 19. Qc7 a5. Very interesting was 19. ... Ra8 with fair chances of holding the balance. 20. Qxb8 Ncxb8. 20. ... Ndxb8 21. Nc3⩲ might have been a better choice. 21. Nc7 a4 22. Na1 Nc5 23. f3 Kf8 24. Nc2 Ke7 25. Rd2 Nc6 26. Nb5 Ra6 27. Rcd1 Na5 28. Ne3 Rc6 29. Nc3

29. ... Na6? This loses a Pawn, which proved enough to carry White through until victory. Good or bad, 29. ... g6 was Kosinsteva’s best chance. 30. Nxa4 Nxc4 31. Bxc4! Bxc4 32. Nf5+ Kf8 33. b3 Be6 34. Nxd6. Alea iacta est. 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) handles the endgame with an impeccable technique: 34. ... Rb8 35. Nb5 Nc5 36. Nac3 Rb6 37. Rd8+ Rxd8 38. Rxd8+ Ke7 39. Rg8 g6 40. Nc7 Rd6 41. N3d5+ Bxd5 42. Nxd5+ Kd7 43. Rg7 Ke6 44. Rxh7 Rd8 45. g4 Nd3 46. h4 Rc8 47. h5 Rc1+ 48. Kg2 Rc2+ 49. Kg3 g5 50. Rh6+ Kd7 51. Rf6 Nf2 52. Rxf7+ Kd6 53. Ne3 Nh1+ 54. Kh3 Nf2+ 55. Kg2 Rxa2 56. Kf1 Nd3 57. h6 Nf4 58. h7 Ra1+ 59. Kf2 Ra2+ 60. Kg1 Nh3+ 61. Kf1 Ra1+ 62. Kg2 Nf4+ 63. Rxf4 1 : 0.