Chess

The Chinese wunderkind Hou Yifan, 14, won the Isbank Ataturk Women Masters in Istanbul last Thursday. She finished with seven points in nine games, a point clear of Sweden's Pia Cramling. On the way to her victory, Hou defeated the U.S. women's champion, Irina Krush, mostly a positional player who found herself drowning in the intricacies of the sharp Sveshnikov Sicilian.

Hou-Krush

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Bg5 a6 8.Na3 (The origin of what is called today the Sveshnikov variation can be traced to the game Tarrasch-Janowski, Vienna 1898, where after 8.Bxf6 gxf6 9.Na3, black solved his problems with 9...f5 10.Qh5 b5.) 8...b5 9.Bxf6 (The popular choice 9.Nd5 Be7 10.Bxf6 Bxf6 11.c3 leaves white with better control of the center.) 9...gxf6 10.Nd5 f5 11.Bd3 Be6 12.c4 (Supporting the knight on d5 and threatening 13.exf5.) 12...fxe4 (The experts recommend 13....Qa5+, forcing 14.Kf1 and making the coordination of the white forces more difficult.) 13.Bxe4 Rc8? (Krush allows her opponent to castle. It was still time for 13...Qa5+.)

14.0-0! (The white king is safe and Hou can concentrate on the attack. The previously played 14.cxb5 Nd4 15.bxa6 is greedy and black can strike with 15...f5!, for example 16.Bf3 Qa5+ 17.Nc3 Rxc3! winning.) 14...Bg7 15.f4!? (A sheer boldness, dismissing the more cautious 15.Qh5.) 15...Nd4 16.Qh5 b4?! (A pawn sacrifice that does not quite work, but after 16...bxc4 17.f5 Bxd5 18.Bxd5 Qf6 19.Nxc4 white has a small advantage.) 17.Nxb4 Qb6 18.Nd5! (Allowing plenty of discovered checks, but none of them is any good.) 18...Qxb2 (After 18...Bxd5 19.Bxd5 0-0 20.Rf2 exf4 21.Re1 white is better.)

19.f5! (A decisive strike!) 19...Bxd5 (After 19...Bd7 20.Qg5! Bf8 21.Rab1! Qxa3 22.Rb7 Rxc4 23.Nf6+ Kd8 24.Rxd7+ Kc8 25.Bb7+ Kb8 26.Nd5 white wins.) 20.Bxd5 0-0 (After 20...Rf8 21.f6 Bxf6 22.Qh3 Rc7 23.Rab1 Qc3 24.Rxf6 white is a piece up.) 21.f6 Bxf6 22.Be4! (Targeting the black king.) 22...Rfd8 23.Qxh7+ Kf8 24.Qh6+ (After 24...Bg7 25.Rxf7+! black is doomed: 25...Kxf7 26.Bd5+ Ke8 [on 26...Kf8 27.Rf1+ wins] 27.Qh5+ Kd7 28.Qf7 mate.) Black resigned.

Birthday Magic

Last Tuesday, on his 39th birthday, the brilliant Ukrainian grandmaster Vassily Ivanchuk performed one of the most astonishing queen sacrifices in history against his countryman Sergey Karjakin at the Melody Amber tournament, underway in Nice, France.

Ivanchuk -- Karjakin

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bc4 e6 7.Bb3 b5 8.Bg5 Be7 9.Qf3 Qc7 10.e5 Bb7 11.exd6 Bxd6 12.Qe3 Bc5 13.0-0-0 Nc 6 (A known position from the Fischer variation of the Najdorf Sicilian, where white usually continued 14.Bxf6. Shortly before his arrival in Nice Ivanchuk discovered . . .) 14.Qxe6+!! fxe6 15.Nxe6 (White has only two pawns for the queen but his pieces and two open central files can make the black king uncomfortable.) 15...Qe5 16.Nxg7+ Kf8 17.Ne6+ Kf7 18.Rhe1 Qxe1? (18...Bxf2! is better.) 19.Nxc5+ Kg6 20.Rxe1 Kxg5 21.Nxb7 Ivanchuk had three pawns for the exchange and won in 49 moves. Amazing!

Solution to today's problem by F. Janet (White: Kb7,Qa4,Rb2,Ba3,Bf5,P:e2; Black: Kc1,Qh6,Ne1,P:c6,Bg7): 1.Bf8! Bxb2 2.Bxh6 mate; 1...Kxb2 2.Qa3 mate; 1...Bxf8 2.Qa1 mate.