
Tournament conditions
The Women's World Chess Championship takes place from March 17 – April 7 in Sochi, Russia. The knock-out tournament is attended by 64 players, including the former World Champions Alexandra Kosteniuk (Russia), Anna Ushenina (Ukraine), and Antoaneta Stefanova (Bulgaria), the three-time Russian champion Valentina Gunina, the World Vice-Champion Humpy Koneru (India), as well as other leading grandmasters. Unfortunately, the reigning champion Hou Yifan was unable to come for personal reasons, but as the winner of the FIDE Grand Prix she will still be able to challenge the new champion to a match.
The first five rounds consist of mini-matches of two games played at 90 minutes for 40 moves followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game and a 30-second increment per move. The final match will consist of four games.
In the event of a tie, the winner will be determined by a series of tiebreak games: two rapid games of 25 minutes plus 10 seconds per move. If the score remains equal, the players then proceed to two more games played at 10 minutes plus 10 seconds per move. If the score continues tied a final mini-match will be played of two blitz games of 5 minutes plus 3 seconds per move. Finally, an Armageddon game will be played to decide the winner in which White has five minutes and Black has four minutes, with a three-second increment per move after move 61. Black will be declared the victor if the game is drawn.
Round four - tiebreaks
The biggest surprise of the day, in a day full of surprises, was Humpy Koneru's elimination by Maria Muzychuk. The Indian, who had started with a sterling six wins in six games, before reaching the fourth round, stumbled against Muzychuk in their classical games match, forced to fight her opponent off in the tiebreak. In both games the top-seed managed to outplay her opponent quite handily, but a losing blunder in game one of their rapids, cost her a chance at the title.

A grinning Maria Muzychuk after winning her foremost trial by fire embodied by Humpy Koneru
Maria Muzychuck's older sister Anna, was less fortunate against the veteran Pia Cramling, and after a tense struggle in which both won their game with black, the Swedish player prevailed in the following bout of 10-minute games.

Anna Muzychuk covers her face in disappointment, as she comes to terms with her elimination
Anyone who thought Natalia Pogonina's choice of the Benko Gambit in the previous day was a fluke, a one-off, was disabused of this notion when the Russian unleashed it once more at the first chance she got. Since Zhao Xue had nothing to show for it, and did not seem to have anything special in store, Pogonina achieved a very comfortable position early on, making better use of her preparation this time.
Zhao Xue vs Natalia Pogonina
Replay and check the LiveBook here |
Please, wait...
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 4.cxb5 a6 5.bxa6 g6 6.Nc3 Bg7 7.g3 0-0 8.Bg2 d6 9.Nf3 Nxa6 10.0-0 Qb6 11.Nd2 Nc7 12.Nc4 Qb4 13.Ne3 Ba6 14.Rb1 Nb5 15.Bd2 Nd4 16.Re1 Rfb8 17.b3 Nd7 18.Qc1 Qb7 19.Nc4 Ne5 20.Nxe5 Bxe5 21.e3 Nb5 22.Nd1 Bg7 23.a4 Nc7 24.Bc3 Bxc3 25.Nxc3 Bd3 26.Rb2 Qb4 27.Rd1 Ba6 28.Rdd2 Ra7 29.Na2 Qa3 30.Qc2 Rab7 31.Nc1 Qb4 32.Ra2 Qa5 33.Qd1 Rb4 34.h4 h5 35.Kh2 Ne8! 36.e4 Nf6 37.f3 37...c4! 38.bxc4 Bxc4 39.Ra1 Rb2 39...Nd7! 40.Rxb2 Rxb2 41.Qd4 Rc2! 42.Qe3 Qb4 43.Nd3 Bxd3 44.Qxd3 Rxg2+ 45.Kxg2 Qb2+ 46.Kh3 Qxa1 47.Kg2 Qxa4 48.Qc3 Qa2+ 49.Kh3 Qf2 0–1 - Start an analysis engine:
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Zhao,X | 2527 | Pogonina,N | 2456 | 0–1 | 2015 | A58 | WCh Women 2015 | 4.2 |
Please, wait...
In their second game, after a brawl in the middlegame, Pogonina was once more ahead, but was content to force a draw and secure her spot in the next round.

Natalia Pogonina is through to the semifinals after bludgeoning Zhao Xue with the Benko Gambit
Report by Albert Silver and Eteri Kublashvili
Photos by Eteri Kublashvili, Anastasia Karlovich, and Vladimir Barsky
Round 4 pairings / results
Player |
Fed |
Rtg |
G1 |
G2 |
G3 |
G4 |
G5 |
G6 |
G7 |
G8 |
G9 |
Pts |
Muzychuk, Mariya |
UKR |
2526 |
1 |
0
|
½ |
1
|
|
|
|
|
|
2.5 |
Koneru, Humpy |
IND |
2581 |
0 |
1
|
½ |
0
|
|
|
|
|
|
1.5 |
Player |
Fed |
Rtg |
G1 |
G2
|
G3 |
G4 |
G5 |
G6 |
G7 |
G8 |
G9 |
Pts |
Pogonina, Natalia |
RUS |
2456 |
0 |
1
|
1
|
½ |
|
|
|
|
|
2.5 |
Zhao, Xue |
CHN |
2527 |
1 |
0
|
0
|
½ |
|
|
|
|
|
1.5 |
Player |
Fed |
Rtg |
G1 |
G2
|
G3 |
G4 |
G5 |
G6 |
G7 |
G8 |
G9 |
Pts |
Cramling, Pia |
SWE |
2495 |
½ |
½
|
1
|
0 |
1 |
½
|
|
|
|
3.5 |
Muzychuk, Anna |
UKR |
2552 |
½ |
½
|
0
|
1 |
0 |
½
|
|
|
|
2.5 |
Player |
Fed |
Rtg |
G1 |
G2
|
G3 |
G4 |
G5 |
G6 |
G7 |
G8 |
G9 |
Pts |
Arabidze, Meri |
GEO |
2374 |
½ |
0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.5 |
Harika, Dronavalli |
IND |
2492 |
½ |
1
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1.5 |
Schedule
Round 1 - 64 players |
March 17 |
Game 1 |
3:00 p.m. local time |
March 18 |
Game 2 |
3:00 p.m. local time |
March 19 |
Tie breaks |
3:00 p.m. local time |
Round 2 - 32 players |
March 20 |
Game 1 |
3:00 p.m. local time |
March 21 |
Game 2 |
3:00 p.m. local time |
March 22 |
Tie breaks |
3:00 p.m. local time |
Round 3 - 16 players |
March 23 |
Game 1 |
3:00 p.m. local time |
March 24 |
Game 2 |
3:00 p.m. local time |
March 25 |
Tie breaks |
3:00 p.m. local time |
Round 4 - 8 players |
March 26 |
Game 1 |
3:00 p.m. local time |
March 27 |
Game 2 |
3:00 p.m. local time |
March 28 |
Tie breaks |
3:00 p.m. local time |
Round 5 - 4 players |
March 29 |
Game 1 |
3:00 p.m. local time |
March 30 |
Game 2 |
3:00 p.m. local time |
March 31 |
Tie breaks |
3:00 p.m. local time |
Rest day - April, 1 |
Round 6 - 2 players |
April 2 |
Game 1 |
3:00 p.m. local time |
April 3 |
Game 2 |
3:00 p.m. local time |
April 4 |
Game 3 |
3:00 p.m. local time |
April 5 |
Game 4 |
3:00 p.m. local time |
April 6 |
Tie breaks |
3:00 p.m. local time |
April 7 |
Closing Ceremony* |
|
*Closing Ceremony can be shifted to
April 6 in the absence of tie breaks |