WWCC R02: Humpy on the attack, Hou Yifan holds

The FIDE Women’s World Chess Championship Match between the current World Champion Hou Yifan of China and her challenger, Koneru Humpy of India, is being staged in the Triana International Hotel from November 14 to 30. The time control is 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with an increment of 30 seconds per move starting from move one. The winner of the ten-game match is the first player to reach 5.5 points or more. The prize fund is 200,000 Euro, with 60% going to the winner. The games start at 15:00h local time, which is also Central European Time = 17:00 Moscow, 19:30 New Delhi, 22:00h Beijing and 09:00 New York. You can find the starting time for other locations here.

Game two

After being surprised in the opening, Hou Yifan decided to not take any risks and forced simplifications into a drawish endgame. However, Humpy would have none of that! She pressed hard trying to create something out of nothing, and almost achieved it. However at the end, for all the nagging pressure she was able to exert, it was impossible to take advantage of her opponent's weak king – which was her only weakness. The game ended in another hard fought draw. We bring you analysis by GM Alejandro Ramirez.

Pictorial impressions of game two

By Frederic Friedel

These are such nice girls! When I photograph them they look into the camera and smile

Arbiter Carol Jarecki with a modern chess arbiting tool: the Garrett Super Scanner

Only for the players, please! Arbiter Panagiotis Nikolopoulos guards Hou Yifans snack table

Camera lady Li Jin Yu from CCTV

Arbiter NIkolopoulos starts the clocks for round two

Yifan thought for over a minute after Humpy's 2...Nf6 in the Petroff...

... before playing 3.Ne5 and launching into a popular line 3...d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3

The stare: Humpy sizes up her opponent

It soon becomes clear that Black wants more than the usual Petroff draw

What the Arbiter sees: Panagiotis Nikolopoulos with his "surveillance monitor"

With repetition looming before move 42...

... Humpy waits for her opponent to return from a bathroom break

At the press conference after the game (with Nastja Karlovich in the middle)

... and then is interviewed by two Chinese channels

After that it is the turn of her (sole) trainer GM Ye Jiangchuan

Remaining schedule

Links Official tournament site All ChessBase reports 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 11 or any of our Fritz compatible chess programs.

Copyright ChessBase