The Tiffany Teapot

Georg Meier – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)
5th GRENKE Chess Classic; Baden-Baden, April 8, 2018
Catalan Opening E06

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 0-0 6. 0-0 dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4 Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 Bd5 11. Qc2 Be4 12. Qd1 c5. The alternative is 12. ... h6 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Nc3 Bxf3 15. Bxf3 c6 16. Qb3 Qc7 17. Rfd1 a5 18. Rac1 Bg5 19. e3 Qe7 20. Ne4 Na6 21. Nxg5 hxg5 22. e4 Nb4 23. d5 exd5 24. exd5 cxd5 25. Bxd5 Rac8 26. Bg2 Rxc1 27. Rxc1 Rd8 28. Rd1 b6 29. h3 Rxd1+ 30. Qxd1 Qf6 31. Qd2 g6 32. b3 Kg7 33. Bb7 Qe5 34. Kg2 Qf6 35. Kg1 Qe5 36. Kg2 Qf6 37. Kg1 Qe5 ½ : ½ 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), Women’s Grand Prix 2013–2014, sixth stage, Sharjah 2014 13. dxc5 Bxc5 14. Qxd8. Three years earlier they confronted on the same field: 14. Nbd2 Bc6 15. Ne5 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Nbd7 17. Rc1 Nxe5 18. Rxc5 Ned7 19. Bxf6 Nxf6 20. Qc2 Rc8 21. Rxc8 Qxc8 22. Rc1 Qd7 23. Nf3 Rd8 24. Qb3 h6 25. Rc4 Qe7 26. e4 e5 (the beginning of all Black’s sufferings, even though in itself it may be playable) 27. Qc3 Re8 28. a5 Qe6 29. Rb4 Rc8 (Black does not want to defend passively and goes through dubious ways, ending up giving White excellent prospects for a win) 30. Qxe5 Qxe5 31. Nxe5 Rc5 32. f4 Rxa5 33. Kf3 b5 34. Rd4 g5 35. Rd6 Kg7 36. Nd3 Ra4 37. e5 Ne4 38. Rd7 gxf4 39. gxf4 Kg6 40. Ke3 f5 41. Rb7 Ra1 42. Rb6+ Kg7 43. b4 h5 44. Rb7+ Kg6 45. Rb6+ Kg7 46. h4 Ra3 47. Rb7+ Kg6 48. Kd4 Ng3 49. Rd7 Ne2+ 50. Ke3? (50. Kc5! followed by Kc5-b6 and Nd3-c5 would have been nearly winning for White) 50. ... Nc1 51. Kd2 Nxd3 52. Rxd3 Ra2+ 53. Ke3 Rb2 54. Rd6+ Kg7 55. Rxa6? (and here 55. Rf6 Rb3+ 56. Kd2 Rxb4 57. Rxf5 still gave White some winning chances) 55. ... Rb3+ 56. Ke2 Rxb4= 57. Ke3 Rb3+ 58. Ke2 Rb4 59. Ke3 ½ : ½ Meier – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), 43rd Sparkassen Chess Meeting, Dortmund 2015. 14. ... Rxd8 15. Nbd2 Bc6 16. Rfc1 Bb4!? This is perhaps a novelty tea brand, but the fragrance doesn’t change much from 16. ... Nbd7 17. Ne1 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 h6 19. Bxf6 Nxf6 20. Nd3 Bf8 21. Rc2 Nd5 22. Rac1 Nb4 23. Nxb4 Bxb4 24. Nb3 Rab8 25. Nc5 Kf8 26. Rc4 Bxc5 27. Rxc5 Ke7 28. b4 Rd7 29. b5 axb5 30. Rxb5 Ra8 31. Rcb1 Rxa4 ½ : ½ Onischuk – Karjakin, 40th Chess Olympiad, Istanbul 2012. 17. Rc4 Be7 18. Ne5 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Nbd7 20. Nd3 Rac8 21. Rac1 Nb6 22. Rxc8 Rxc8 23. Rxc8+ Nxc8 24. e4 Nd7 25. Be3 Nd6 26. f4

26. ... f5!? This is the only sign of veiled impatience at the prospect to spend another half afternoon playing on the tile board. 27. Kf3. Meier sees no sense in taking a step forward by 27. e5 as Black would reply ... Nd6-e8-c7-d5. 27. ... Kf7 28. g4 g6 29. h3 Ke8 30. Bd4 Kd8 31. Bc3 Ke8 32. Bd4 Kd8 33. Bc3 Ke8 ½ : ½. A gentleman knows when to gracefully leave the scene.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)’s branded representation of when Black knows that White has no intention to make the first move. Photo: Georgios Souleidis/GRENKE Chess Classic.

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