3/3/2016 – If the first game of the match seemed to have both players circling each other as boxers in a ring, feeling each other out, in the second game, no punches were pulled. A fascinating Open Spanish was the name of the game, and the complications were such that both players consumed most of their time before move 20. See the game with grandmaster commentary.
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2016 Women's World Chess Championship
The Women’s World Chess Championship Match 2016 between the current World Champion Mariya Muzychuk of Ukraine and Challenger Hou Yifan of China (former World Champion 2010-2012, 2013-2015) takes place in Lviv, Ukraine, on March 1-18, 2016. The first game is scheduled to start at 3 pm local time on 2nd of March 2016. You can watch the games live in our broadcast window at the bottom of this page.
The first moves 1.e4 e5 were made by Valeriy Sushkevych, the President of the National
Paralympic Committee, and Yaroslav Hrybalskyi, the Head of Lviv Regional Department of
the Ukrainian Rehabilitation Fund for Disabled.
Opening preparation in a match is unlike any other since both players will face each other repeatedly, day in, day out. For the second time in as many games, 1.e4 was played, eventually ending in an Open Spanish. In a sense this is almost a surprise in itself, since not only have both players avoided their own pet Sicilians, but even 1.e4 can be considered a bit surprising in view of the recent Grand Prix in Tehran, when only one game started with it as noted by GM Adrian Mikhalchishin.
In spite of having clearly prepared for it, both players were soon caught so deeply in the complications, that unsurprisingly severe time trouble was the consequence. This led to mistakes and the Chinese player came out on top with strong play.
Both players came well-prepared, and Mariya Muzychuk cannot fault her opening with black
As a special treat, we bring two grandmaster analyses of the second game, each providing their own brand of insight.
Game two analyzed by GM Alejandro Ramirez
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1.e4e5Taking a page out of her opponent's book?! Mariya is not known for being an 1...e5 player either, and is much more used to playing a Sicilian.2.Nf3Nc63.Bb5a64.Ba4Nf65.0-0Nxe4The few times that Muzychuk has defended the black side of the Spanish, she always chose the open variation with 5...Nxe4.6.d4b57.Bb3d58.dxe5Be69.Be3Not the mainline, which nowadays is arguably 9.Nbd2 slightly over 9.c3, but still a move that has been seen more and more in recent years.Be710.c30-011.Nbd2Qd712.Bc2Nxd213.Qxd2Bg414.Bf4!?A fascinating strategical decision. Hou Yifan decides that she does not want to retain the integrity in her pawn structure, and allows Muzychuk to shatter it. On the flipside, the Chinese player obtains the pair of bishops and the potential of playing f4-f5.Bxf3Otherwise the bishop on g4 looks silly.15.gxf3Rad816.Rfd1The position has many dynamic factors. If Black was able to set up a pawn on f5, a knight on e6 and push c6 she would be better, without a doubt. Those maneuvers, however, take a long time, and Hou Yifan needs to make sure she is in time to react with something active.Qe616...f5?17.Bb3±17.Qe3Rd7Defending the pawn on c7, but the move looks slightly clumsy.17...f5?18.exf6Qxf619.Bxc7is not possible just yet.17...Na5!?Is a very interesting suggestion by the computer, aiming at playing Nc4 and a quick f5.18.b3c5 doesn't look good for White.18.Bg3g6?This move I have to condemn. I don't see any scenario where the move g6 is useful for Black, as the move truly does little to diminish White's ambition to push f4-f5. If Black was preventing some kind of Qd3 move, she should have waited until White committed this move to defend against the checkmate.18...f519.exf6Qxf620.a4 looks good for White. Notice that Qxf3 is impossible, and the opening of the queenside is dangerous.Qxf321.Qe6+18...Na5again, was probably better. 19.a4Nd8Muzychuk has a clear plan, but it is simply too slow19...b420.a5bxc321.bxc319...Na5!?20.axb5axb521.f4f6Otherwise f5 follow22.exf6Qxf623.Qe2!A nice geometrical motif23.f5gxf524.Be5Qe6is some computer line that is not immediately obvious to me why it works.23...c6Black has to defend b5.24.Qg4And this is the point. There is no way to defend the rook on d7 without allowing f5.Rb725.f5±Bd626.Ra6!Putting pressure on the sixth rank. White has play al l over the boardRg7!Swinging the rook into action is the best chance.27.fxg6Bc5?27...Bxg328.Qxg3hxg628...Qe6!?±and the game keeps going as Black will take on g6 next move.29.Rxd5+-cxd530.Rxf6Rxf631.Qe528.Kg2Protecting f2hxg6?28...Bxf229.Rf1+-28...Qe7was better, but Black's position is quite bad.29.Rxd5Now it is all overBxf229...cxd530.Rxf6Rxf631.Qg5costs Black material30.Bb3!Other moves won too, but this is a nice finishing blowNe631.Rd6Bc532.Qxe6+ A relatively one-sided game in which Hou Yifan showed excellent positional mastery.1–0
It was a demonstration of preparation and form by Hou Yifan
Game two analyzed by GM Adrian Mikhalchishin
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1.e4A curiosity considering this is the second game with 1.e4 when you notice that in the recently held FIDE Grand Prix in Teheran just one game out of 66 started with 1e4!e52.Nf3Nc63.Bb5a64.Ba4Nf65.0-0Nxe4 Mariya started to play the Open Spanish last year, but the question is whether this is a good choice against Hou Yifan. Mariya's seconds probably noticed the Chinese champion got nothing from the opening in her match against Humpy Koneru.6.d4b57.Bb3d58.dxe5Be69.Be3So this is what Hou Yifan's team has prepared for the match. It was tested many times succesfully by the great Paul Keres.Be7Another try is the positionally risky9...Nc510.Nc3!Nxb311.cxb3!Be712.Rc1Qd713.Ne2Rc814.Nf40-015.Bc5 and I had some positional problems, Smagin,S -Mikhalchishin,A /Moscow 198910.c30-0Very risky here is the variation attacking the e5 pawn.10...Nc511.Bc2Nd712.Re1Ndxe513.Nxe5Nxe514.Bd4Nc6better was14...Ng615.Bxg7Rg816.Qh5!Kd717.Bh6Bg518.f4Bxh619.Qxh6Kc820.f5Bd721.Nd2Rb822.Nf3with big advantage, Miranovic,R -Mikhalchishin,A ,Cetinje 1992 11.Nbd2Qd712.Bc2More usual here is12.Re1f513.exf6Nxf614.a4Bg415.h3Bh516.axb5axb517.Ne4Rad818.Ng3Bxf319.Qxf3Ne520.Qf5Nc421.Bd4with slightly better play, Smirnov,P (2624)-Krasenkow,M (2672)/Warsaw 2005/CBM 108 (29)12...Nxd213.Qxd2
13...Bg4A typical Open Spanish plan is13...Na514.Nd4c515.Qd3g616.Nxe6fxe617.Bh6Rf718.Qg3Kh819.h4Rg819...Nc620.Rad1Nc621.Rfe1Bd8White kept very tiny advantage, Giri,A )-Pruijssers,R ,Amsterdam 201514.Bf4A novelty The previously tried14.Qd3promised nothing.g615.Bh6Rfe816.Rfe1Bf517.Qd2Bxc218.Qxc2Nd819.Rad1Ne620.h4c521.h5Rad822.a4bxa423.Ra1Rb80-1 Kokarev,D (2638)-Short,N (2664)/Kolkata 2015/CBM 165 Extra (47)14...Bxf315.gxf3Rad8
Very interesting could be15...Bh416.Rfe1Rfe817.Rad1Rad816.Rfd1!Hou Yifan spent a lot of time here and found the correct set up.Weaker would be the automatic centralization16.Rad116...Qe617.Qe3Rd7Still better was17...Bh4with the idea Nc6-e7. but typical for the Open Spanish and best was17...Na518.b3c519.Bg3Nc620.Bf4f518.Bg3g6A bit too much prophylaxyStill playable was18...Na519.f4f519.a4
Also possible here was the very unusual positional idea19.f4f520.b4Kg721.Bb3increasing pressure on d5.19...Nd8?It was big mistake to allow the opening of a-file. Correct was19...b420.a5Rb820...bxc321.bxc3Nd822.f4f623.Rab1fxe524.fxe5c625.Rb6Nb726.Rxa6Bc521.f4f5with just slight advantage.22.Bd320.axb5axb521.f4f622.exf6Qxf6Swapping the queens with22...Qxe323.fxe3was no better.Bxf624.e4b425.Ba423.Qe2There was more than one way to obtain an advantage. The most obvious was23.f5gxf524.Be5Qe625.Kh1Bf626.Rg1+Kh827.Qc5Qe728.Bxf6+Qxf629.Qxb523...c624.Qg4!Rb725.f5Starting the decisive assault.Bd6
26.Ra6! Played in typical Chinese style: creating a lot of unusual tactics.More normal was26.Kh126...Rg727.fxg6Bc5?!White would have a serious advantage after27...Bxg328.Qxg3Qe729.Kf1hxg630.Re1Qb731.Raa128.Kg2The alternative was28.Kh128...hxg629.Rxd5!Bxf2Nothing really changed after29...Ne630.f330.Bb3!The decisive entrance of the Spanish Bishop into the game.Ne631.Rd6Bc532.Qxe6+1–0
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Women's World Chess Championship 2016 live broadcast
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