Hou Yifan has tough loss, good win in women’s chess ‘summit’

Sometimes, all you remember is the one that got away.

Former women’s world champion GM Hou Yifan of China was the clear winner of the recent Belt and Road World Chess Summit, an online tournament replacing the traditional December event in Danzhou, China.

It was not all smooth sailing for the top-rated Hou, who dropped two games to go with her six victories during the 10-player rapid event. Her most exciting game was one of those losses, to veteran Georgia GM Nana Dzagnidze in a cut-and-thrust Sicilian Scheveningen.

Black’s provocative — and probably premature — 13…h4?! sparks a fierce fight for the initiative after 15. Nb3! Rc8 (Nxc2? 16. Bb6 Qc6 17. Bf3 Nb4 18. Na5 Qc8 19. e5!, dominating the position) 16. Bb6 Qb8 17. e5!? Nfd5 (taking the proffered pawn again is dangerous, in lines such as 17…dxe5 18. fxe5 Qxe5 19. Bd4 Qf5 20. Qg1 Qxc2 21. Bxf6 Bxf6 22. Rxf6 Qxb3? 23. Rxd7!! Kxd7 24. Rxf7+ Ke8 [cute is 24…Kc6 25. Bb5+!! axb5 26. axb5+ Kd6 27. Qd4+ Qd5 28. Ne4 mate] 26. Rxb7 Rf8 26. Qd4, and White is winning) 18. Nxd5?! (Bd4 keeps the pressure on Black’s pieces) Nxd5 19. Ba7 Qc7 20. c4 Bxa4 21. cxd5 Bxb3, when Hou could have upped the ante considerably with the wild 22. f5!?, when 22…Bxd1? loses to 23. fxg6 0-0 24. gxf7+ Kh8 25. Bd4, with a mating net.

By 27. dxe7 h3? (this works out, but stronger was the fortifying 27…Rh6!) 28. Rxd1, White has two great bishops for the exchange and a pawn, but gets fatally casual with her king: 28…hxg2+ 29. Kxg2?? (a pity — 29. Kg1! Rh6 30. Bd4 Rc6 31. Qxf4 leaves White with excellent prospects) Qg4+! 30. Qg3 (playing for cheapos; on 30. Kh1 Qxd1+ 31. Qf1 Qd2!, there’s no answer to the threat of 32…Rc1) fxg3 31. Bb5+ axb5 32. Rd8+ Kxe7! (Rxd8?? 33. exd8=Q mate), and White will soon be mated; Hou resigned.

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GM Anton Korobov last month claimed his fourth Ukrainian national title, an impressive feat in one of the world’s great chess powers.

Korobov scored a key point against a top rival when he fought back from a difficult position in a Four Knights English to defeat GM Yuriy Kuzubov. Black’s careless 8. Be3 Bg4?! lets Kuzubov seize a strong initiative with the alert 9. Nxe5! Nxe5 (Bxe2 10. Qxe2 dxe5 [Bxe3 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. Qxe3 is good for White] 11. Bxc5) 10. d4 Bxe2 11. Qxe2 Bb4 12. dxe5 Bxc3 13. bxc3 dxe5 14. Rab1 Qc8 15. Rb5, and despite his weak c-pawns, White is calling the shots.

Korobov sacrifices to ease the pressure but is looking at a difficult ending when White’s impatience gives him new hope: 29. Qe2 g6 30. f5!? (better was the preparatory 30. Kh2 Ng7 31. Rf3 h5 32. e6! fxe6 [Nxe6 33. f5 Ng7 34. fxg6 is hard to meet] 33. Bd4, preserving White’s advantage) fxg5 31. Rxf5 Qxa4 33. Qf2 (the f-file pressure looks decisive, but Black has a counter) Qa1+ 33. Kh2 Rd1!, and suddenly both kings are under siege.

After 35. Kg3 Qxc3 (Qe1? 36. Rf6 Ng5 37. Qxe1 Rxe1 38. Kf2 Rb1 39. Rxh6 is fine for White) 36. Re7, a draw is in sight. But White seems unable to adjust to the shift in fortunes and throws away the full point on 36…Qxe5+ 37. Kh4 Qe4+ 38. g4 Ng5! (see diagram) 39. Bxg5?? (of course not 39. Rxe4?? Rxh3 mate, but White can bail out with 39. Qf7+! Nxf7 40. Rxe4 Ng5 41. Bxg5 hxg5+ 42. Kxg5 Rxh3 43. Rc4, with a drawn rook ending in sight) hxg5+ 40. Kg3 Qxe7, and White resigned on the spot.

Hou-Dzagnidze, Belt and Road Online Women’s World Chess Summit, December 2020

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Be3 a6 7. Be2 Nf6 8. O-O d6 9. f4 Be7 10. Kh1 Bd7 11. Qe1 h5 12. a4 g6 13. Rd1 h4 14. Qf2 Nb4 15. Nb3 Rc8 16. Bb6 Qb8 17. e5 Nfd5 18. Nxd5 Nxd5 19. Ba7 Qc7 20. c4 Bxa4 21. cxd5 Bxb3 22. Bb6 Qd7 23. dxe6 Qxe6 24. f5 gxf5 25. Bd3 f4 26. exd6 Bxd1 27. dxe7 h3 28. Rxd1 hxg2+ 29. Kxg2 Qg4+ 30. Qg3 fxg3 31. Bb5+ axb5 32. Rd8+ Kxe7 White resigns.

Kuzubov-Korobov, 89th Ukrainian Championship, Kremenchug, Ukraine, November 2020

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. e4 Bb4 5. d3 a5 6. Be2 d6 7. O-O Bc5 8. Be3 Bg4 9. Nxe5 Nxe5 10. d4 Bxe2 11. Qxe2 Bb4 12. dxe5 Bxc3 13. bxc3 dxe5 14. Rab1 Qc8 15. Rb5 O-O 16. Rxe5 Re8 17. Rxe8+ Qxe8 18. f3 Rd8 19. Rb1 b6 20. c5 bxc5 21. Bxc5 Nd5 22. Qc4 Nf4 23. Be3 Ne6 24. a4 h6 25. f4 Qe7 26. h3 Qh4 27. Rf1 Qe7 28. e5 Qh4 29. Qe2 g6 30. f5 gxf5 31. Rxf5 Qxa4 32. Qf2 Qa1+ 33. Kh2 Rd1 34. Rxf7 Rh1+ 35. Kg3 Qxc3 36. Re7 Qxe5+ 37. Kh4 Qe4+ 38. g4 Ng5 39. Bxg5 hxg5+ 40. Kg3 Qxe7 White resigns.

• David R. Sands can be reached at 202/636-3178 or by email dsands@washingtontimes.com.