tag: lopota - Page 1

Lopota GP: a fond farewell

7/3/2014 – The aftermath of a large tournament brings the necessary formalities such as the prize giving, and speeches, yet the Lopota Women's Grand Prix was a cozy affair held in a perfect mix of officialdom, and good cheer. Set in a beautiful backdrop with good wine, toasting, food, and more toasting, Alina L'Ami shares this final pictorial. One picture does require help from our readers.

Lopota 09: Close race for second

6/30/2014 – The tournament is interesting again as Ju Wenjun leads the charge by half a point over Danielian and Dzagnidze, the former beat Humpy thanks to a time-trouble blunder and the latter fell to Stefanova in a complex game. Meanwhile, World Champion Hou Yifan keeps racking up rating points as she demolished Muzychuk in less than 30 moves. Her performance: 2875.

Free day in Lopota

6/29/2014 – Traditionally in top-level tournaments one or even two days are given for the players to rest. How to use these rest days has been a question in grandmasters' minds for time immemorial. With two rest days in the Lopota Grand Prix the players had time to explore some of the local culture and enjoy some breathtaking sights. Follow Alina l'Ami's beautiful pictorial report.

Lopota 08: Missed Opportunities

6/28/2014 – Only one person took a full point today, Stefanova, but that number could easily have been four or five as players certainly missed her chances today. Muzychuk was both winning and lost against Zhao Xue while Kosteniuk miraculously salvaged a perpetual check from a position where she was just down a piece. Harika, most importantly, spoiled a winning position against Hou Yifan.

Lopota 07: Sun setting in Georgia

6/27/2014 – Hou Yifan continues to dominate the Lopota Grand Prix. She beat Nana Dzagnidze, who remains tied for second with Ju Wenjun, and it seems that is impossible to stop her. With a nearly 3000 performance rating and a point and a half lead over the field the tournament it is starting to become a race for second place. Four more games remain; how can she be stopped?

Lopota 06: Chasing the World Champion

6/25/2014 – Nana Dzagnidze keeps crushing her opponents and sits at a magnificent 5.0/6, a score that would normally be enough to comfortably lead the event. But Hou Yifan won yet again, in excellent fashion against Ju Wenjun. Tomorrow's game will be for all the marbles as the Georgian player clashes with an on form World Champion.

Lopota Rd4: Hou Yifan retakes lead

6/23/2014 – Going into the rest day, Hou Yifan will sleep easy as she takes the sole lead with 3.5/4 after an important win. Right behind, and nipping at her ankles in pursuit, are Ju Wenjun, Harika Dronavalli, and Nana Dzagnidze, all with 3.0/4. Perhaps the price of this success is at the bottom of the crosstable, with three on half a point. Still the tournament is far from over. Round four report.

Women's Grand Prix in Lopota begins

6/19/2014 – Lopota, Georgia is the host of the fifth Women's Grand Prix in the 2013-2014 series. The games have begun with an incredibly strong field. World Champion Hou Yifan and Koneru Humpy lead the pack of players trying to win the tournament and accumulate Grand Prix points. Yesterday was the opening ceremony and today we already had action packed games and missed chances.
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