Free day in Lopota

The fifth stage of the the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix series 2013-2014 is taking place in Lopota, Georgia from the 19th of June until the 1st of July 2014. It is a twelve-player round robin with time controls of 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, with 30 minutes plus an additional 30 seconds per move for the rest of the game. The total prize fund is 60,000, with the winner getting 10,000 Euro.

Free Day - Day One

As is traditional at the highest level of tournaments, the Grand Prix has two rest days during its eleven rounds of tournament. The players have a variety of ways to use these days; some sleep all day, some do extra preparation for their upcoming game, while many others use this day to relax and enjoy the local culture. We follow a beautiful pictorial report by Alina l'Ami, press officer in Lopota and certified globe trotter, in her adventures with the players around Georgia.

Nafisa ready for the free day to begin

In the Gremi-Kakheti region: the Gremi fortress. Built by Levan, King of Kakhetians, in the 16th century. Church of the Archangel and a royal tower. Not a bad place to start!

Georgia is known to be a cradle of Christianity and of wine

The group that went out on the first free day was quite large!

Every trip has its dangers...

The first stop was a visit to a cellar and some wine tasting

Harika inspecting how the wine is processed and preserved

Daniel Alsina seems to have fallen for the Magnus Carlsen "Raw-Star G" fashion

A professional explanation of different types of wines

International Arbiter Luxman Wijesuriya (Sri Lanka) enjoying the delicacies

Ju Wenjun and Nafisa Muminova also cheering

Wine cellars in the oldest of fashions

Afterwards the players tried their hand at cooking!
Harika is preparing a traditional sausage shaped candy called Churchkela

Success! The product has to rest to dry, though.

Anna with her creation

'

Making traditional Georgian bread. Harika and Anna gave it a try even though it was burning hot!

The players were given their finished Churchkela on round five! Everyone seems too focused to notice...

After such hard work, lunch was in order

A feast, no doubt about it

Emil Sutovsky entertaining everyone with his singing. His romantic chess style
might be linked to his hobby – Sutovsky is a profound bass-baritone singer!

Alexandra is not so impressed at Emil's guitar skills, however

Maia Lomeneishvili posing in front of...

Nekresi Monastery... built in the 4th century!

The holes in the ground are to keep wine in perfect shape

An astonishing view

Gia Gorgadze – a strong chess player, president of the Georgian Chess Federation and a wonderful host

Free Day - Day Two

With the tournament winding down and the players accumulating stress, lack of sleep and overall tiredness, it is common that the second rest day does not see such a large group of people.

The first stop was a wine museum

followed by a visit to an old Georgian Church which Nafisa is posing in front of

The full group that ventured out on the second free day

Some horseback riding - Alexandra Kosteniuk clearly being an expert

Though Anna Muzychuk had no problems either!

Alin l'Ami caught in action

The day winds down, and it is time to gaze at a beautiful sunset

Truly gorgeous scenery

Finally some billiards to wrap up the day. Elina claimed it was her first time playing, but it was hard to believe!

The tournament will resume tomorrow with round nine. The third rated player of the tournament, Anna Muzychuk, will try her luck against the leader Hou Yifan. Anna needs a win to put pressure not only on the World Champion but also on Ju Wenjun and Nana Dzagnidze who are in second place half a point ahead of Muzychuk.

Standings after eight rounds

Round eight games

Select from the dropdown menu to replay the games

Photos and information by Alina l'Ami, from the official website

Schedule and results

Links Official tournament site All Games in PGN The games are being broadcast live on the official web site and on the chess server Playchess.com. If you are not a member you can download a free Playchess client there and get immediate access. You can also use ChessBase 12 or any of our Fritz compatible chess programs.