The Silent Hours

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Matthias Blübaum
5th GRENKE Chess Classic; Baden-Baden, April 7, 2018
English Opening A13

1. c4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 3. e3 Nf6 4. b3 Be7 5. Bb2 0-0 6. Nc3 c5 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. Qc2 Nb4!? A sideline that has the merit of avoiding prepared variations. 9. Qb1 b6 10. a3 Nd5 11. Nxd5 exd5 12. d4 Nc6 13. Bb5!? This may be a novelty, which, however, doesn’t change the assessment of its previous reference: 13. Bd3 h6 14. 0-0 Bg4 ½ : ½ Tazelaar – Krimbacher, 41st World Correspondence Chess Championship, 2017. 13. ... Bd7 14. 0-0 Nxd4 15. Nxd4 cxd4 16. Bxd7 Qxd7 17. Bxd4 Rfc8. Black’s control of the c-file compensates for the potential weakness of the isolated Pawn on d5 and gives White no way to mount an attack along the a1-h8 diagonal. 18. Rd1. 18. Qb2 g6 doesn’t seem to make significant differences. 18. ... Rc6 19. Qb2 Qf5. The threat of ... Rc6-c2 nullifies White’s attack on the g7-Pawn. Therefore, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) hastens to exchange Queens, forcing an ending in which she never runs any risks of losing. 20. Qe2 Rc2 21. Qf3 Qxf3 22. gxf3 Bh4 23. e4 dxe4 24. fxe4 Bg5 25. a4 Bd2 26. Rab1 Rac8 27. Rb2 Rxb2 28. Bxb2 Rc2 29. Bd4 f6 30. Kg2 Kf7 31. Kf3 Ke6 32. h3 h5 33. Ke2 Bf4+ 34. Kf3 Bd2 35. Ke2 Bf4+ 36. Kf3 g5 37. Rd3 Bd2 38. Ke2 Bf4+ 39. Kf3 Be5 40. Be3 Rb2

41. a5 bxa5 42. Bxa7 f5 43. exf5+ Kxf5 44. Kg2 g4 45. hxg4+ hxg4 46. Rd5 Rxb3 ½ : ½. For after 47. Bd4 Ke4 it’s a draw by exhaustion.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)’s sartorial representation of when White feels in the mood to renounce the advantage of having the first move. Photo: Georgios Souleidis/GRENKE Chess Classic.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) (left) vs. Matthias Blübaum (right). Photo: Georgios Souleidis/GRENKE Chess Classic.