With the current women’s world champion, Hou Yifan, abandoning the world championship cycle as a matter of principle over the format, women’s chess needs a new champion. The heir apparent seems to be 26-year-old Ju Wenjun. She is only the third woman in history to get a FIDE rating over 2600 and has had some great results of late. She is currently playing in the Women’s World Championship tournament.
Today’s game was played at the recently concluded Tradewise Gibraltar event, where the best Chinese women faced each other in the eighth round. Not happy with a draw, Hou Yifan pressed too hard and fell victim to a clever mating attack.
2017 Tradewise Gibraltar Masters, Gibraltar, England
Hou Yifan (2651) – Ju Wenjun (2583)
1.e4 e6 The French Defense is unusual for Ju, having only played it six times or so in her career 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Be3 The Steinitz. Boleslavsky Variation Be7 8.Qd2 0–0 9.dxc5 Nxc5 10.0–0–0 a6 11.Qf2 b6 11...Nd7 is another choice. 12.Nd4 Qc7 12…Bb7!? 13.g3 13.g4!? seems more logical to me. 13...Bb7 14.Bg2 Na5 c4 is a nice square for the knight. 15.f5!? This pawn sacrifice is the only computer choice here. If White continues somewhat normally, Black gets a nice initiative on the queenside: 15.Kb1 Nc4 16.Bc1 b5 17.Rhe1 b4 18.Nce2 Ne4 19.Bxe4 dxe4 20.g4 Rad8 21.Ng3 Bh4 15...Qxe5 16.Bf4 Qf6 17.h4 17.g4 is very interesting when after 17...e5 18.g5 Qd6 19.f6 Bxf6 20.Nf5 Qe6 21.Bh3 the complications may prove better for White: 21…Bd8 22.Nh6+ Kh8 23.Bxe6 fxe6 24.g6! Rxf4 25.Nf7+ Kg8 26.Qe2 hxg6 27.Nxd8 Rxd8 28.Qxe5 and White must be winning 17...e5 18.Bg5 trapping the Black queen was the threat. 18.Nxd5?! Dubious as Hou Yifan misevaluates the resulting position. 18.Bg5 was necessary when after 19.Bxe7 Qxe7 20.f6 Qxf6 21.Qxf6 gxf6 22.Nf5 d4 23.Bxb7 Ncxb7 24.Ne4 Kh8 25.Nxf6 White has enough activity for the pawn but not more. 18...Bxd5 19.Bg5 Qd6 20.Bxe7 Qxe7 21.Bxd5 exd4 22.Bxa8 Rxa8 23.Rhe1 Qc7 24.b4?! Winning material but boy does it weaken her kingside. The computer thinks it’s insane. It only considers, as do I, 24.Rxd4 when after 24…Rc8 25.Kb1 Nc6 26.Rdd1 Ne5 27.Qe2 f6 28.g4 Nb7 29.c3 a5 30.g5 Kh8 its equal, more or less. 24...Nc6?! 24…Nc4 gives Black the advantage: 24...Nc4 25.bxc5 bxc5 26.Qe2 Ne3 27.Qf3 Re8 25.bxc5 bxc5 26.Qf4 Qb6 27.Qd6 h5 28.Re5? Trying too hard to win, White starts to lose the thread. With her king so exposed, she needed 28.Qd7 to exchange rooks and put some pressure on Black’s king: 28.Qd7 Nb4 29.Re8+ Kh7 (29…Rxe8 30.Qxe8+ Kh7 31.Qxf7 wins) 30.Rxa8 Nxa2+ 31.Kd2 Qb4+ 32.Ke2 Qc4+ 33.Kf3 Qc3+ 34.Rd3 Qxc2 and White’s exposed King should save the day for Black. 28...c4 29.Rde1 c3! Trouble. White needs steady nerves here if she is going to survive, especially if the time is an issue. 30.Re8+ Rxe8 31.Rxe8+ Kh7 32.Qd5?? 32.f6! holds with the threat of 33.Rh8+ Black’s forced to seek safety in a perpetual check: 32...Qb2+ 33.Kd1 Qb1+ 34.Ke2 Qxc2+ 35.Kf3 Qf5+ 36.Ke2 Qg4+ 37.Kf2 Qf5+ 32...d3!! Winning with threats of Qg1+, Qb2+ and d2+ 33.Qxd3 33.cxd3 Qb2+ 34.Kd1 Qd2#; 33.Qxf7 Qg1+ 34.Re1 Qxe1# 33...Nb4 34.Qe4 34.Qf1 Qd4 35.Re2 Nxa2+ 36.Kb1 Qb4+ 37.Kxa2 Qb2# 34...Qg1+ 35.Qe1 Qg2 36.Qe4 36.Re2 Qd5 37.Rd2 cxd2+ 38.Qxd2 Nxa2+ 39.Kd1 Qf3+ 40.Ke1 Qxg3+; 36.Qe2 Qh1+ 37.Qe1 Qb7! 38.Re3 Nxa2+ 39.Kd1 Qb1+ 40.Ke2 Qxc2+ 41.Kf3 Qxf5+ 42.Kg2 c2 all of which win for Black 36...Qd2+ with 37…Qd1 mate to follow; 0–1
Chris Chase can be reached at BostonGlobeChessNotes@gmail.com.
