Round eight once again produced three decisive games. Only the all-Indian encounter between Divya Deshmukh and Humpy Koneru and the game between 2017 World Championship runner-up Anna Muzychuk and 2008 world champion Alexandra Kosteniuk ended in draws. Both games remained balanced throughout. After starting with 0/4, Kosteniuk has now drawn four games in a row, while Muzychuk has drawn every game so far.
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Anna Muzychuk is on fifty percent with eight draws in eight rounds! | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Round 8 results
With five wins and three draws, Tan Zhongyi already looks like the likely winner of this year's Cairns Cup after eight rounds. However, she can still be caught by the impressive Alice Lee. After a somewhat fortunate win over Divya Deshmukh in round seven, Tan convincingly defeated Bibisara Assaubayeva, who, like Lee, had been trailing her by one point. In the King's Indian Defence, the chaser was unable to generate lasting counterplay with the black pieces. Tan conducted the attack with great precision.
Bibisara Assaubayeva (right) was unable to stop Tan Zhongyi | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Alice Lee continues to have an excellent tournament. Although she was unable to convert a position in which she had been clearly better for a long time against Anna Muzychuk in round seven, she convincingly defeated Vaishali Rameshbabu with black in round eight. It was the 16-year-old's fourth win of the tournament against an opponent with the GM title.
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Alice Lee has been one of the standout players at the Cairns Cup | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Vaishali handled the Italian Opening better than her rival and obtained the more favourable position. However, her inaccurate moves on 19 and 20, as well as several other suboptimal decisions, allowed Lee to seize the initiative. After Lee played 29...Nxe4, though, the position was equal. Two moves later, Vaishali made a decisive mistake.
Lee quickly and convincingly converted the position after 31.Kg1. She exchanged queens and played patiently and accurately with her extra pawn.
With this victory, Lee is not only the only chaser who can still catch Tan, but she can also secure her first grandmaster norm with a draw as white against defending champion Carissa Yip. How much she will play for a draw or keep an eye on her theoretical chances of winning the tournament remains to be seen in the final round. Perhaps the current example of Vincent Keymer against Javokhir Sindarov in the parallel Sinquefield Cup can serve as a reminder that playing for a draw might turn out to be the wrong plan.
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Will Carissa Yip - pictured here during her game against Stavroula Tsolakidou - spoil compatriot Alice Lee's GM norm chances in round nine? | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Carissa Yip has also had a very strong tournament. She lost her opening game against Tan but has remained unbeaten since. In round eight, she handed Stavroula Tsolakidou her second consecutive defeat. The Greek IM had been unbeaten through round six, but has now lost some ground on the leaders.
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