Reply #7: N. Kosintseva - Hou Yifan, Round 2, Ekaterinburg

[Jack Rabbit]

Mig Greengard calls 13-year-old Hou Yifan "everybody's favorite player."



Hou Yifan
Photo: ChessBase.de (Germany)

Nadezhda Kosintseva (Russia) vs. Hou Yifan (China)
Women's World Team Championship, Round 2
Ekaterinburg, May 2007

Symmetrical English Game: Chistiansen Defense

1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nd4

• As far as can be determined, the text move was first played in an international tournament by grandmaster Ljubomir Ljubojevic in the World Cup, Bussels, 1988. Later that same year, American grandmaster Larry Christiansen played the move twice, once in the German Bundesliga and again in Cologne, becoming the first master to adopt the move more than once. The following year at the Cannes Open in February, American grandmaster Joel Benjamin and Vishy Anand of India, then 19 years old, became the first masters to win a game with Black from the position; Anand's victory came against former world champion Mikhail Tal.

4. e3 Nxf3+ 5. Qxf3 g6 6. Be2!?

• This game is going to be anti-theoretical.
• 6. b3 Bg7 7. Bb2 d6 8. g3 Rb8 9. Bg2 Nh6 10. Qd1 0-0 11. 0-0 Bd7 12. a4 Bc6 13. d4 Bxg2 14. Kxg2 Rc8 15. Qd3 cxd4 16. exd4 Nf5 17. d5 Qb6 with equality (Tal-Anand, Cannes 1989).

6. -- Bg7

• This is one of several moves that maintains the balance. 6. -- d6 transposes into the text.

7. 0-0 d6 8. Rd1 Nh6

• This is an unusual place to develop the Knight. It's headed for f5.

9. d4 cxd4 10. exd4 Nf5 11. Qe4

• Black's position is solid enough that the White Queen doesn't radiate with as power in the center as it otherwise might.
• If 11. Be3 0-0 12. Rd3 then:
• 12. -- Nxe3 13. Qxe3 Bf5 14. Rdd1 e5 15. d5 b6 16. b4 a6 is cloudy.
• 12. -- Be6 13. Rd2 Qc7 14. Nb5 Qa5 15. a3 Rfc8 16. d5 Bd7 is unclear.

11. -- 0-0 12. Bf1 Bd7 13. Be3

• White smartly overportects the headpawn.
• 13. Qxb7?! Bxd4 14. Qf3 Rb8 15. b3 Qb6 16. Bb2 Bc6 Black has the edge in space and the initiative.

13. -- Rb8

• Black intends to advance the b-pawn.

14. Rac1 Re8 15. d5 Nxe3 16. Qxe3 a6 17. b4 a5!?

• Black tries to stir up the pot with the second best move.
• 17. -- b5 18. c5 dxc5 19. bxc5 Qa5 20. Rd2 Qa3 21. Rdc2 Rbc8 is unclear.

Black: Hou Yifan
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White: Nadezhda Kosintseva
Position after 17. -- a6a5

18. a3?!

• Should White play 18. b5, Black's alternate plan is to pressure the weak c-pawn.
• If 18. b5 then:
• 18. -- Rc8 19. Bd3
• 19. -- b6 20. Na4 Rb8 21. Nc3 Qc7 22. Be2 Qc5 23. Na4 Qxe3 24. fxe3
• 24, -- Rec8 25. g4 Bf6 26. h3 h5 27. Kf2 White holds.
• 24. -- h5 25. Rd2 Rec8 26. Rcd1 Bg4 27. Rc1 Bxe2 28. Rxe2 g5 is level.
• 19. -- e6 20. Qf3 Qc7 21. dxe6 fxe6 22. Ne4 Rf8 23. Qh3 e5 24. Qe3 Rfd8 is equal.
• 18. -- b6 19. Be2 Qc7 20. Ne4 Rbc8 21. Re1 h6 22. Rcd1 Ra8 23. Qf3 is equal.

18. -- axb4

• White opens up the a-file for her heavy pieces.
• 18. -- Rc8 19. c5 dxc5 20. bxc5 Bxc3 21. Qxc3 Ba4 22. Rd4 b5 23. Rb1 the attack on b5 gives White the initiative.

19. axb4 Ra8 20. Ne4?!

• The Knight is nicely centralized, but there is nothing for it to do on e4.
• Better is 20. Ra1 Rxa1 21. Rxa1 e6 22. dxe6 Bxe6 23. Re1 Bd7 24. Qd2 Rxe1 25. Qxe1 with equality.

Black: Hou Yifan
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White: Nadezhda Kosintseva
Position after 20. Nc3e4

20. -- Ra4!

• White must now scramble to protect her queenside pawns. For the next few moves, she will be walking on eggshells.

21. Qb3

• The text move is virtually forced.
• If 21. Rb1 Bf5 22. Bd3 Qc7 then:
• 23. c5 Rea8 24. Re1 dxc5 25. bxc5 Bxe4 26. d6 exd6 27. Bxe4 Re8 Black is poised to win more material.
• 23. Rb3 Rea8 24. c5 Qd8 25. cxd6 exd6 26. Nc3 Bxc3 27. Rxc3 Bxd3 28. Qxd3 Rxb4 Black has greater mobility.

21. -- Qb6 22. b5 Qa5 23. Qe3 Ra3

• 23. -- b6 24. Be2 h6 25. Bf3 Qa7 26. Re1 Qc7 27. Nd2 Bf5 28. Bd1 is also good for Black.

24. Rd3 Ra2 25. Nc3

• If 25. Rd2 Ra3 26. Bd3 Rc8 then:
• 27. Rdd1 Ra8 28. c5 Bxb5 29. cxd6 exd6 30. Nxd6 Bxd3 31. Rxd3 Rxd3 32. Qxd3 Qb4 gives Black the initiative and better mobility.
• 27. Rdc2 Bf5 28. Re2 Qa7 29. Qxa7 Rxa7 30. f3 Ra3 31. Rd1 Kf8 32. g4 Bd7 is equal.

25. -- Ra1 26. Rxa1 Qxa1 27. Ne2?

• This move allows White to strengthen her initiative.
• Black has a healthy advantage in mobility after 27. Ne4 Ra8 28. Qg5 Qe5 29. Qh4 Bf5 30. Re3 Bxe4 31. Rxe4 Bf6 32. Rxe5 Bxh4.

Black: Hou Yifan
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White: Nadezhda Kosintseva
Position after 27. Nc3e2

27. -- Qa4!!

• White begins by threatening a pawn, but each time White defends one hanging target, she creates another.

28. Qf4 Be5 29. Qh4 Bf6 30. Nc3

• If 30. Qf4 Rc8 31. b6 Rxc4 then:
• After 32. Qe3 Qa5 33. Ng3 Rb4 34. Ne4 Rxe4 35. Qxe4 Bf5 36. Qc4 Bxd3 37. Bxd3 Qxb6 Black has two extra pawns.
• After 32. Qd2 Bf5 33. Rf3 Rc2 34. Qe3 Qa1 35. Ng3 Rc3 36. Qd2 Rxf3 37. gxf3 Bh3 Black has an extra pawn and a tactical initiative.

30. -- Qc2 31. Qg3 Bf5 32. Re3 Bd4 33. Ne2

• White has nothing better than to give up the exchange.
• If 33. c5 Bxe3 34. Qxe3 Ra8 then:
• After 35. c6 bxc6 36. dxc6 Ra3 37. b6 Rxc3 38. Qxe7 Qb1 Black is up by a Rook.
• After 35. cxd6 exd6 36. Qe1 Rc8 37. Ne2 Re8 38. b6 Bd3 White is crushed.

33. -- Bxe3 34. Qxe3 Qxc4 35. Nc3 Qc5 36. Qxc5

• After 36. Qf3 White wins a piece: 36. -- Ra8 37. Nd1 Ra1 38. g3 Qc1 39. Ne3 Bd3.

36. -- dxc5 37. f3 Ra8 38. g4 Ra3 39. gxf5 Rxc3 40. fxg6 hxg6 41. Kf2 Kg7 42. 0-1

• Black's material advantage is more telling with every move.
• Ms. Kosintseva resigns.