Chinese GM leads FIDE GP
Many-time women’s world champion Hou Yifan scored an impressive victory to take the solo lead at the start of the second FIDE Grand Prix in Moscow, Russia.
The 23-yearold Chinese GM outplayed current Russian champion and world No. 15 Ian Nepomniachtchi in the day’s only decided game which featured 18 super GMs.
Sixteen players were within one half point of the leader, including Frenchman Maxine VachierLagrave and Azeri Shakriyar Mamedyarov, co-winners of the first leg held Feb. this year in Sharjah (UAE), world No. 7 Hikaru Nakamura (USA) and world No. 9 Anish Giri (NED).
The nine-round Moscow leg is the second of a four-tournament series, leading to the selection of two qualifiers for next year’s world championship candidates tournament.
** * By winning this year’s Chinese Championship, the 17-year-old Wei Yi had to shove off a number of his elders. His sacrilegious ways are evident in the game below where he reduced to chess pulp Wang Chen, an emerging Chinese talent.
The Paulsen-Taimanov Variation popularized by the great German master Louis Paulsen, and lately in the 60s revived by the Russian world contender Mark Taimanov with successful results. The text is a very old system. The standard continuation here is 6...Qc7.
Seems a tempo-wasting move. 8...g6 and 8...Ng6 are normal developing moves.
Early in the game Black is caught in the toils. While the text aims to control e5, it cedes the f file to White’s advantage. 15. f5! ...
This advance opens up the important f file.
15... Ne5 16. fxe6 fxe6 17. Rad1 h6?!
Another dubious move which weakens Black’s light squares. 17...Bb5 seems forced to stay in the game. 18. Bd4! ...
Threatening to win material with 19. Bxe5. 18... Qc7?
The losing move, but Black’s position is already difficult. For example 18...Nf7 19. e5! Be7 20. exd6 Bg5 21. Be3 0-0 22. Bxg5 Nxg5 23. Rxf8ch Rxf8 24. Qd4 and Black has no compensation for the pawn. 19. Qf2 Bc6
There’s nothing better. Both 19...Qc6 20. Qg3 Rg8 21. Nc5 Be7 22. Nxd7 Nxd7 23. Qg6ch Kd8 24. Qxe6 and 19...Be7 20. Bxe5 Rf8
21. Qxf8ch Bxf8 22. Rxf8ch Kxf8 23. Bxd6ch are hopeless for Black. 20. Bxe5 dxe5 21. Qg3 g5 22. Qg4 Bd7 23. Qh5ch Kd8 24. Qg6! ...
Intensifying the pressure on Black’s pieces, which are now pinned and attacked two times. 24... Qc6
After 24...Bc5ch 25. Kh1 Rf8 26. Rxf8ch Bxf8 27. Rf1 Qd6 28. Qf7ch Kd8 29. Qxf8ch and wins. 25. Rf7 Bd6 26. Qf6ch Kc7 27. Qxe6 Rcd8 28. Qf6 Rhf8
Also losing is 28...Bc5ch 29. Nxc5 Qxc5ch 30. Kh1 Rhe8 31. Rdxd7ch Rxd7 32. Nd5ch Kc8 33. Qf5.
After 29...Qxd6 30. Nd5ch Kc6 31. Rxf8 Rxf8 32. Ne7ch Kc7 33. Qxf8 Qd1ch 34. Qf1, White emerges a piece up. Solution to last week’s puzzle: White to play and draw. White=Kd1, Qd4, Pe3 Black=Kb1, Qa2, Pe4, Pf5, Pf3 1. Qb4ch Qb2 1...Ka1 2. Qd4ch. 2. Qb4! Ka2 2...Qxb4 stalemate. 3. Qa4ch Qa3 4. Qc2ch Ka1 5. Qc3ch! Qxc3 Stalemate. * * *