GM Kosteniuk (2510) – GM-elect Hou (2557) [C07]
WCC – Nalchik, 14.09.2008
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.Ngf3 cxd4 5.exd5 Qxd5 6.Bc4 Qd6 7.Qe2 Nf6 8.Nb3 Nc6 9.Bg5 Qb4+ 10.Bd2 Qb6 11.0–0–0 Bd7 12.Bg5 h6 13.Bh4 Bc5 14.Kb1 0–0–0 15.Bg3 Nh5 16.Be5 f6 17.Nxc5 Qxc5 18.Bxd4 Nxd4 19.Rxd4 e5 20.Rd5 Qc7 21.g3 g5 22. Rhd1 Ng7 23. Nd2 Bc6 24. Rd3 = Rd3 25.Bxd3 f5 26.f3 Re8 27.Re1 h5 28.Qe3 g4 29.fxg4 e4 30.Be2 hxg4 31.Qxa7 b6 32.Qa3 Rd8 33.Qb4 Ne6 34.Nc4 b5 35.Ne3 Nd4 36.c4 +/- This is a very dangerous position for Hou. She is already in the hole down by a game. Her aggressive play may backfire in this game, especially with very little time left in a complicated position.
36…Qd6 37.Qxd6 Rxd6 38.cxb5 Nxe2? This may cost Hou the game. The correct move would be 39…Bd7
39.bxc6 A stronger move would have been Nxf5 +-
39…Nd4 +/- The clear difference in this match is experience. Kosteniuk has been through this before while Hou has not. Even though Hou played well and defeated Humpy Koneru, she made two incredible blunders. Nerve and lack of experience play a big part in her sub-standard performance now.
40.Rf1 White could have sealed the deal with 40.Rd1. Even though White is still a lot better, Black does have life to hold with Rf1.
40…Kc7 41.Nxf5 Nxf5 42.Rxf5 Kxc6 Even though this is a technically won game, it is not elementary. I invite all of you to play this out at home as White and try to beat your computer. It would be a good practice.
43.Re5 Rd4 +- 44.Kc1 Kd6 45.Re8 Kd7 The only move here for White is Rf8.
46.Rf8 Now Black must play 46…Ke6 to have a chance to hold. Black cannot allow White to have her King cross the d file.
46…Ke6 47.Rf4 Ke5 As I mentioned above, it is a technically won game for White but not so simple. This game will come down to endgame techniques.
48.Rxg4 Rd8 49.Rg5+ This is now technically a draw with 49…Kf6 but Hou is in time pressure again.
49…Kf6 She found it under pressure.
50.Rc5 and again Black has only one move which is 50…e3
50…e3 Once again, Yifan found the move in severe time pressure.
51.a4 Ke4 52.Rc4+ Kd3 White now must go for repetition with Rc3+ then Rc4+ to hold and if the Black King goes to e2 then White must play Rc6 and keeps on checking from behind.
53.Rc4+ Kd3 54.Rc3+ Ke4 55.Rc4+ Kd3 56.Rc3+ Ke4 57.Rc4+ Kd3 ½–½ Nice game by Alexandra and nice save by Yifan.
As I called out earlier in my analysis, it is not so elementary. So many on various servers were watching this game with Fritz or Rybka and calling for Yifan to resign without understanding the intricacy of this endgame. I believe the crucial mistake was 40.Rf1 which made things too complicated. 40.Rd1 would have pinned the Knight and that would have limited Black’s play.
Actually, that’s a good picture. She often looks too made up.
K seems to have this in hand: drawish.
Now the dance begins… may be we’ll see another win!!!
Hou is risking a lot… she’s getting bolder… the game is hot! 🙂
‘The clear difference in this match is experience.’
Does that mean like, for example:
The clear difference in this match is that Kosteniuk is a better chess player?
No, Ho is a better chess player, but with less experience over the board, as she is younger.
Kosteniuk has a winning endgame… Hou overdid a drawn position and now she’s lost!!!
So the beauty queen is gonna score another win!!!!!
It’s not 3x!s-clear to me that K has a win yet: certainly, it looks like she has at least a draw.
FRITZ10 stands at +1.98 on move 44 for Black. What does your chess engine say, Susan?
Hou is lost. Hou – 0 (4) 2 – Kosteniuk. I don’t think Hou could win 2 games to play tiebreaks.
I still think this could be a draw.
Maybe it’s possible for Black to draw this game, but Hou has no time for it. She’s got less than 7 minutes now, while Kosteniuk – more than 26.
She did it. Great playing under time pressure. Hou 0.5 (4) 1.5 Kosteniuk. Everything’s still possible in this final.
I think the ‘advantage’ seen for White as far back as move 44 for Black was in fact illusory.
Good endgame play by both sides: K asked the questions and H found the answers.
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