<corr Winter>Nanjing: Opening ceremony, Women's Grand Prix

by ChessBase
9/29/2009 – The Second Nanjing Pearl Spring Chess Tournament started off with a traditionally colourful pageant, with Chinese mimes, dancers, singers and acrobats – a visual feast. On Monday, in addition to the Men's Tournament the Nanjing Fide Women Grand Prix got under way, a category eight tournament with an Elo average of 2447. Here's a giant pictorial report with analysis of all games.

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Second Nanjing Pearl Spring Chess Tournament

This event, organized by the Municipal People’s Government of Nanjing, is taking place from 27th September to 9th October 2009 in Nanjing, China. Time controls are 90 minutes for 40 moves and 60 minutes for the rest of the game, with no increment. The tournament is a six-player double round robin and has a total prize fund of 250,000 Euros, with the winner taking 80,000 Euros.

The Opening Ceremony


The stage is ready for the Opening of the Second Nanjing Pearl Spring Chess Tournament


The colorful pomp and pagentry of a Chinese opening festival


Xylophones, sting instruments, pantomime animals, all have a part to play


Singers and lotus dancers appear in clouds of mist...


... and look their most appealing when the fog dissipates


Blue lights and silk signal an ocean theme


Somewhat baffling: grass dress and flower garlands in China, not Hawaii


More familiar: Chinese fans as expressive elements


These costumes we know from Chinese opera


An oriental Queen of the Night?


Younger performers on the stage at the chess openings festival


The men show their acrobatic skills


Artistic acrobatics has been a Chinese trademark for centuries


A triple tower with chess pawns in the sidelines

The Nanjing Fide Women Grand Prix

The Second Fide Women Grand Prix series 2009-2010 is also taking place in Nanjing, from 27th September to 9th October 2009. It includes 12 top women players and has a total prize fund is 50,000 Euros.

# Player Title Nat. Rating
1 Zhao Xue GM CHN 2542
2 Nana Dzagnidze IM GEO 2535
3 Marie Sebag GM FRA 2519
4 Zhu Chen GM QAT 2488
5 Xu Yuhua GM CHN 2485
6 Lilit Mkrtchian IM ARM 2469
7 Shen Yang WGM CHN 2453
8 Ju Wenjun   CHN 2443
9 Batkhuyag Munguntuul WGM MGL 2418
10 Baira Kovanova WGM RUS 2408
11 Martha Fierro Baquero IM ECU 2386
12 Betul Cemre Yildiz WIM TUR 2224


FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov poses with the twelve participants of the Women's Grand Prix


Nana Dzagnidze and Jun Wenjun wait for the start of their round one game (White won)


Round one of the women's tournament under way


Shen Yang vs Marie Sebag in round one (White won)


An internal Chinese battle (draw in 48 moves)

Results and standings after round one

Here are the games with comments by Geoffrey Borg, Chief Executive Officer of Global Chess

After all the colorful pictures from the opening ceremony our grandmasterly on-site photographer Ye Rongguang has seen it right and proper to portrait the paticipants of the Women's Grand Prix, dressed in their colorful silk tops – in sepia. Rongguang has promised to send us colored pictures in the future, so we can admire the bright attire the ladies are wearing.


Marie Sebag of France, Zhu Chen of Qatar and Lilit Mkrtchian of Armenia


GM Marie Sebag of France


IM Lilit Mkrtchian of Armenia


Former Women's World Champion GM Zhu Chen, Qatar


GM Xu Yuhua, China


WGM Shen Yang, China


Ju Wenjun (without FIDE title), China

Links

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 the free PGN reader ChessBase Light, which gives you immediate access. You can also use the program to read, replay and analyse PGN games. New and enhanced: CB Light 2009!


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