Danielian loses to Humpy, stays in the lead

The FIDE Women Grand Prix is a series of elite tournaments organised by FIDE and Global Chess, with six legs over two years in various countries around the world, with three tournaments every year. The winner of each tournament gets 6,500 Euros out of a prize fund of 40,000 Euros, and the overall winner of the series will win a further 15,000 Euros at the end of the series. The sixth event of the cycle is currently being held from the 21st of February to 5th of March. It is taking place in the Sharq Village and Spa in Doha, Qatar. Games start: Rounds 1-10 at 3:00 PM local time, round 11 at 12 AM local time, the rest day is February 27th (after round 6).

Results of round eight

Time pressure blunders on move 38

The critical game of the round was Humpy vs Danielian, the Armenian GM having conceded just one draw in this tournament so far. Her Indian opponent played a solid line against her Slav and applied pressure until Danielian cracked just before the first time control.

Koneru,Humpy (2607) - Danielian,Elina (2454) [D30]
6th Women GP Doha QAT (8), 02.03.2011
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.e3 Nf6 4.Nf3 e6 5.Nbd2 c5 6.b3 Nc6 7.Bb2 a6 8.a3 dxc4 9.bxc4 Be7 10.Bd3 0-0 11.0-0 b6 12.Qe2 Bb7 13.Rfd1 cxd4 14.exd4 Re8 15.Nf1 Bf8 16.Ne3 Na5 17.Ne5 g6 18.Rab1 Bg7 19.Bc3 Nc6 20.f4 Nh5 21.Qf2 Qc7 22.Be2 Nf6 23.Bf3 Nxe5 24.fxe5 Ne4 25.Bxe4 Bxe4 26.Rbc1 h5 27.Bb4 Bh6 28.Rc3 Qd8 29.Nf1 b5 30.Ng3 Bf5 31.cxb5 axb5 32.d5 h4 33.Nxf5 exf5 34.Qd4 Bg7 35.Re3 Rc8 36.d6 Rc4 37.Qa7 Qg5 38.Re2

It's been a tough struggle so far, which is now suddenly decided by a blunder of the tournament's leader just before the time control: 38.Bxe5?? 39.Rxe5 (39.d7 Rd8 40.Rxe5 was more compelling) 39...Rxe5 40.d7 Rd5. 40...Rc1 would have offered defensive chances, but the last move before the time control can often be a player's undoing. 41.Qa8+ Kh7 42.Qxd5 1-0.

A first and potentially critical loss in this event for Armenian GM Elina Danielian

Fierro Baquero,Martha L (2353) - Munguntuul,Batkhuyag (2410) [A20]
6th Women GP Doha QAT (8), 02.03.2011
1.c4 e5 2.g3 f5 3.Nf3 d6 4.d4 e4 5.Nfd2 Nf6 6.Bg2 c6 7.0-0 Be7 8.d5 0-0 9.Nc3 Nbd7 10.f3 cxd5 11.Nxd5 Nxd5 12.cxd5 Ne5 13.fxe4 Qb6+ 14.Kh1 Ng4 15.Nc4 Qc5 16.Qc2 b5 17.Ne3 Qxc2 18.Nxc2 fxe4 19.Rxf8+ Bxf8 20.h3 Nf6 21.Bg5 Bb7 22.Bxf6 gxf6 23.Bxe4 f5 24.Bxf5 Bxd5+ 25.e4 Bf7 26.Nd4 Bg7 27.Rd1 b4 28.b3 a5 29.Bd7 Ra7 30.Bb5 Rb7 31.Bf1 Be5 32.Nf5 Be6 33.Nd4 Bf7 34.Nf5 Be6 35.Rc1 Bxf5 36.exf5 Bxg3 37.Bc4+ Kf8 38.f6

The IM from Ecuador has a nice attacking position, with the open lines and the advanced and well-supported f-pawn. Now, under this tension, comes a time trouble error by her Mongolian opponent: 38...Be5?? 39.Bd5 Rb8. The mate-in-one threat after 40.Rg1 would have ended the game on the spot, but Martha Fierro had to find a move before the time control: 40.Rc7 (still wins, but takes much longer) 40...Bxf6 41.Rf7+ Ke8 42.Rxf6 Rc8 43.Re6+ Kd7 44.Rh6 Rc2 45.Rxh7+ Kd8 46.Ra7 Rxa2 47.Bc6 Rd2 48.Ba4 d5 49.Rxa5 Ke7 50.Kg1 Ke6 51.Kf1 Kd6 52.Rb5 Rh2 53.Rxb4 Rxh3 54.Rg4 Rh2 55.Rg2 Rh3 56.Ke2 Kc5 57.Kd2 Rf3 58.Kc2 Rh3 59.Rg5 Rh4 60.Kc3 Rf4 61.Bd7 Re4 62.Bc8 Re3+ 63.Kb2 Re7 64.Bg4 Re3 65.Bh5 Kb4 66.Rg4+ Kc5 67.Bf7 Re5 68.Ra4 Rf5 69.Bg8 Rf8 70.Bh7 Rf3 71.Bc2 Kb5 72.Rh4 Kc5 73.Ka3 Rc3 74.Bg6 Rg3 75.Bh5 Re3 76.Rf4 Re5 77.Bf3 Kb5 78.Rd4 Kc5

79.Rxd5+! Martha knows her K+P vs K ending. 79... Rxd5 80.Bxd5 Kxd5. Beginners should play through this to make sure they have masterd the opposition thing perfectly. There are only minor pitfalls. 81.Ka4 Kc5 82.Ka5 Kc6 83.b4 Kb7 84.Kb5 Ka7 85.Kc6 Ka6 86.b5+ Ka7 87.Kc7 Ka8 88.Kb6 Kb8 89.Ka6 Kc7 1-0.

Mongolian IM Batkhuyag Munguntuul blundered in time trouble

Results of round nine

Mkrtchian,Lilit (2475) - Zhu,Chen (2495) [E90]
6th Women GP Doha QAT (9), 03.03.2011
1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 g6 3.Nf3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.d4 0-0 6.h3 e5 7.d5 Nh5 8.Nh2 Qe8 9.Be2 Nf4 10.Bf3 f5 11.0-0 a5 12.Be3 Na6 13.a3 Bd7 14.b3 b6 15.Rb1 Nc5 16.Qc2 Qf7 17.Bxc5 bxc5 18.Kh1 Rfb8 19.Rb2 Ra6 20.Rfb1 Rab6 21.Nf1 Qf6 22.Ng3 Bf8 23.Na2 fxe4 24.Bxe4 Qd8 25.b4 axb4 26.axb4 cxb4 27.Nxb4 Qc8 28.Nc6 Rxb2 29.Rxb2 Rxb2 30.Qxb2 Qa8 31.Kh2 h5 32.Nf1 Kh7 33.Ne3 h4 34.Qb1 Be8 35.Ng4 Nh5 36.Qd1 Kg7 37.Qf3 Qc8 38.Qc3 Kh7 39.Qe3 Nf4 40.g3 hxg3+ 41.fxg3

The former women's world champion, who has been under severe pressure in time trouble, blows it after the she has made the time control: 41...Nh5?? 42.Qg5 Kg7 43.Nd8 Qa8 44.Ne6+ Kg8 45.Bxg6 Qa2+ 46.Kg1 Qa1+ 47.Kg2 Qa2+ 48.Nf2. The white king is safe, the execution can proceed. 48...Bxg6 49.Qxg6+ Ng7 50.Ng5 1-0.

Sebag,Marie (2489) - Dzagnidze,Nana (2550) [C60]
6th Women GP Doha QAT (9), 03.03.2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g6 4.c3 Bg7 5.d4 exd4 6.cxd4 a6 7.Bc4 b5 8.Bb3 Nge7 9.Nc3 0-0 10.Nd5 h6 11.Bf4 d6 12.Qd2 Kh7 13.h4 Bg4 14.Ng5+ Kg8 15.Nxf7 Rxf7 16.Bxh6 Nxd4 17.Bxg7 Nxb3 18.Qh6 Rxg7 19.Nf6+

19...Kf8? Dzagnidze, who has applied a lot of pressure on Marie Sebag, should have challenged her with 19...Kf7! with good winning chance. Now however, her king gets driven to e5-d5-c6 and the Georgian loses painfully to her French opponent. 20.axb3 Be6 21.h5 Kf7 22.Nh7 Qh8 23.Ng5+ Kf6 24.e5+ Kxe5 25.Nf3+ Kd5 26.Qe3 Nf5 27.0-0-0+ Kc6 28.Qxe6 Qh6+ 29.Kb1 Qf4 30.Qd5+ 1-0.

Humpy Koneru played a game she should have and could have won her game against former women's world champion Xu Yuhua. But in a fortress-like position, two pawns up, the Indian GM could not make progress and had to concede the draw after 106 moves.

Xu,Yuhua (2484) - Koneru,Humpy (2607) [B42]
6th Women GP Doha QAT (9), 03.03.2011
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Bd3 Bc5 6.Nb3 Be7 7.Be3 Nc6 8.N1d2 Nf6 9.f4 d6 10.a3 e5 11.f5 d5 12.Qf3 d4 13.Bf2 h5 14.h3 h4 15.0-0-0 Bd7 16.Bc4 b5 17.Bd5 Rc8 18.Kb1 b4 19.a4 Na5 20.Nxa5 Qxa5 21.Bb3 Bxa4 22.Nc4 Qb5 23.Nb6 Qxb6 24.Bxa4+ Kf8 25.Rhe1 Rh6 26.Bb3 Qc6 27.g4 Nd7 28.Re2 a5 29.g5 Bxg5 30.Rg1 Bf6 31.Be1 Nb6 32.Bd2 Rh7 33.Reg2 Nc4 34.Qd3 Nxd2+ 35.Rxd2 a4 36.Bd5 Qb6 37.Bc4 Rc5 38.Rdg2 Ke7 39.b3 a3 40.Ka2 Rh8 41.Qe2 Rhc8 42.Bd3 R8c6 43.Rd1 Rc3 44.Rd2 Qc7 45.Qf2 Kd8 46.Qe2 Kc8 47.Qf2 Kb8 48.Qe2 Ka7 49.Qd1 g6 50.fxg6 fxg6 51.Qg4 Be7 52.Rgf2 Kb6 53.Rde2 Qd8 54.Rf7 Ka5 55.Rg2 Qc7 56.Qe2 Qd6 57.Rg7 g5 58.Rf7 Qe6 59.Rf5 Kb6 60.Rgf2 Ka7 61.Rg2 Rc7 62.Rgf2 R3c5 63.Rg2 Qh6 64.Qg4 Qc6 65.Qe2 Qe8 66.Qg4 Qc8 67.Qd1 Kb6 68.Qd2 Ka7 69.Qd1 R7c6 70.Qe2 Qc7 71.Qd1 Qd6 72.Qe2 Rc8 73.Qd1 R5c7 74.Qe2 Qc5 75.Bc4 Rd8 76.Qd3 Qd6 77.Qe2 Rdc8 78.Bd3 Qe6 79.Qd1 Rg8 80.Qg4 Qd6 81.Rff2 Qc5 82.Bc4 Rd8 83.Qe2 Qc6 84.Rf5 Qc5 85.Rff2 Kb8 86.Rf5 Rd6 87.Qd3 Rdc6 88.Qe2 Bd8 89.Qg4 Qd6 90.Bd3 Rg7 91.Rgf2 Be7 92.Rg2 Rc8 93.Rgf2 Qc7 94.Bc4 Rd8 95.Rg2 Rg6 96.Qe2 Rf8 97.Qg4 Rxf5 98.Qxf5 Rc6 99.Qf7 Bd8 100.Qg8 Ka7 101.Rf2 Rf6 102.Rxf6 Bxf6 103.Qe6 Bd8 104.Qa6+ Kb8 105.Qb5+ Ka7 106.Qa6+ ½-½.

After this game Elina Danielian, who beat Martha Fierro of Ecuador, held a one-point lead over Marie Sebag, who beat Nana Dzagnidze and appears to be on a winning streak. For Humpy this means that her hopes for a quaification ticket for the next women's world championship are sinking, especially with the unfortunate draw against Xu Yuhua.

Standings after nine rounds

The columns on the right of this ChessBase 11 generated table indicate the score, the tiebreak points, the performance and the number of points the player is gaining on the FIDE rating list.

One of the twin "Zig Zag" towers of Doha

The same view in the night

They are the tallest leaning (zig-zag) towers in the world, with 34 residential floors

All photos by Maria Bolshakova and Anastasiya Karlovich

Links Official tournament site All games in PGN All games are being broadcast on the official site and on Playchess. To read, replay and analyse the PGN games we adivse you to download the free PGN reader ChessBase Light. This program also gives you immediate access to the chess server Playchess.com.