Batumi: Gunina wins with one round to go

by Johannes Fischer
5/2/2016 – For a long time the players in the Women's Grand Prix in Batumi all snatched points from each other and the lead changed all the time. Until Valentina Gunina took countermeasures: She simply won all her games! After defeating Zhao Xue in round ten Gunina now has 7.0/10, one-and-half points more than her closest rival, and thus wins the tournament with one round to go.

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Things went really well for Valentina Gunina in round ten - all her rivals dropped points. Nana Dzagnidze played with Black against Alexandra Kosteniuk and after a passive opening soon got into real trouble from which she never recovered.

Alexandra Kosteniuk caught up with Nana Dzagnidze but cannot catch up to Gunina

Nino Batsiashvili needed a win against Almira Skripchenko to keep chances to catch up to Gunina. But she drew against Almira Skripchenko.

Before round ten Anna Muzychuk also had theoretical chances to win the tournament and against Olga Girya she tried hard to keep these chances intact and tried for a long time to win a rook endgame with a pawn up. But after 120 moves she had to agree to a draw and is now 1.5 points behind Gunina.

Anna Muzychuk

Olga Girya.

 Gunina had to play with White against her close rival Zhao Xue in round ten and by winning this crucial game the Russian also won the tournament.

A handshake before the decisive game: Valentina Gunina vs. Zhao Xue

 

Games of rounds 1 to 10

 

Standings after ten rounds

Schedule and results

Round 1 on 2016/04/20 at 15:00
Sd Title Name Rtg
Res.
 Title Name Rtg Sd
1 IM Javakhishvili Lela 2489
1-0
 GM Kosteniuk Alexandra 2557 12
2 GM Khotenashvili Bela 2493
½-½
 GM Dzagnidze Nana 2535 11
3 GM Muzychyk Anna 2555
½-½
 GM Muzychuk Mariya 2561 10
4 IM Skripchenko Almira 2453
½-½
 GM Danielian Elina 2445 9
5 GM Gunina Valentina 2497
0-1
 WGM Girya Olga 2442 8
6 GM Zhao Xue 2504
½-½
 IM Batsiashvili Nino 2476 7
Round 2 on 2016/04/21 at 15:00
12 GM Kosteniuk Alexandra 2557
½-½
 IM Batsiashvili Nino 2476 7
8 WGM Girya Olga 2442
1-0
 GM Zhao Xue 2504 6
9 GM Danielian Elina 2445
0-1
 GM Gunina Valentina 2497 5
10 GM Muzychuk Mariya 2561
0-1
 IM Skripchenko Almira 2453 4
11 GM Dzagnidze Nana 2535
½-½
 GM Muzychyk Anna 2555 3
1 IM Javakhishvili Lela 2489
1-0
 GM Khotenashvili Bela 2493 2
Round 3 on 2016/04/22 at 15:00
2 GM Khotenashvili Bela 2493
½-½
 GM Kosteniuk Alexandra 2557 12
3 GM Muzychyk Anna 2555
1-0
 IM Javakhishvili Lela 2489 1
4 IM Skripchenko Almira 2453
½-½
 GM Dzagnidze Nana 2535 11
5 GM Gunina Valentina 2497
1-0
 GM Muzychuk Mariya 2561 10
6 GM Zhao Xue 2504
½-½
 GM Danielian Elina 2445 9
7 IM Batsiashvili Nino 2476
1-0
 WGM Girya Olga 2442 8
Round 4 on 2016/04/23 at 15:00
12 GM Kosteniuk Alexandra 2557
1-0
 WGM Girya Olga 2442 8
9 GM Danielian Elina 2445
1-0
 IM Batsiashvili Nino 2476 7
10 GM Muzychuk Mariya 2561
½-½
 GM Zhao Xue 2504 6
11 GM Dzagnidze Nana 2535
1-0
 GM Gunina Valentina 2497 5
1 IM Javakhishvili Lela 2489
½-½
 IM Skripchenko Almira 2453 4
2 GM Khotenashvili Bela 2493
½-½
 GM Muzychyk Anna 2555 3
Round 5 on 2016/04/25 at 15:00
3 GM Muzychyk Anna 2555
½-½
 GM Kosteniuk Alexandra 2557 12
4 IM Skripchenko Almira 2453
1-0
 GM Khotenashvili Bela 2493 2
5 GM Gunina Valentina 2497
1-0
 IM Javakhishvili Lela 2489 1
6 GM Zhao Xue 2504
1-0
 GM Dzagnidze Nana 2535 11
7 IM Batsiashvili Nino 2476
½-½
 GM Muzychuk Mariya 2561 10
8 WGM Girya Olga 2442
1-0
 GM Danielian Elina 2445 9
Round 6 on 2016/04/26 at 15:00
12 GM Kosteniuk Alexandra 2557
1-0
 GM Danielian Elina 2445 9
10 GM Muzychuk Mariya 2561
1-0
 WGM Girya Olga 2442 8
11 GM Dzagnidze Nana 2535
1-0
 IM Batsiashvili Nino 2476 7
1 IM Javakhishvili Lela 2489
0-1
 GM Zhao Xue 2504 6
2 GM Khotenashvili Bela 2493
½-½
 GM Gunina Valentina 2497 5
3 GM Muzychyk Anna 2555
1-0
 IM Skripchenko Almira 2453 4
Round 7 on 2016/04/27 at 15:00
4 IM Skripchenko Almira 2453
½-½
 GM Kosteniuk Alexandra 2557 12
5 GM Gunina Valentina 2497
1-0
 GM Muzychyk Anna 2555 3
6 GM Zhao Xue 2504
1-0
 GM Khotenashvili Bela 2493 2
7 IM Batsiashvili Nino 2476
1-0
 IM Javakhishvili Lela 2489 1
8 WGM Girya Olga 2442
0-1
 GM Dzagnidze Nana 2535 11
9 GM Danielian Elina 2445
1-0
 GM Muzychuk Mariya 2561 10
Round 8 on 2016/04/28 at 15:00
12 GM Kosteniuk Alexandra 2557
½-½
 GM Muzychuk Mariya 2561 10
11 GM Dzagnidze Nana 2535
½-½
 GM Danielian Elina 2445 9
1 IM Javakhishvili Lela 2489
½-½
 WGM Girya Olga 2442 8
2 GM Khotenashvili Bela 2493
½-½
 IM Batsiashvili Nino 2476 7
3 GM Muzychyk Anna 2555
1-0
 GM Zhao Xue 2504 6
4 IM Skripchenko Almira 2453
½-½
 GM Gunina Valentina 2497 5
Round 9 on 2016/04/30 at 15:00
5 GM Gunina Valentina 2497
1-0
 GM Kosteniuk Alexandra 2557 12
6 GM Zhao Xue 2504
1-0
 IM Skripchenko Almira 2453 4
7 IM Batsiashvili Nino 2476
1-0
 GM Muzychyk Anna 2555 3
8 WGM Girya Olga 2442
½-½
 GM Khotenashvili Bela 2493 2
9 GM Danielian Elina 2445
0-1
 IM Javakhishvili Lela 2489 1
10 GM Muzychuk Mariya 2561
1-0
 GM Dzagnidze Nana 2535 11
Round 10 on 2016/05/01 at 15:00
12 GM Kosteniuk Alexandra 2557
1-0
 GM Dzagnidze Nana 2535 11
1 IM Javakhishvili Lela 2489
½-½
 GM Muzychuk Mariya 2561 10
2 GM Khotenashvili Bela 2493
½-½
 GM Danielian Elina 2445 9
3 GM Muzychyk Anna 2555
½-½
 WGM Girya Olga 2442 8
4 IM Skripchenko Almira 2453
½-½
 IM Batsiashvili Nino 2476 7
5 GM Gunina Valentina 2497
1-0
 GM Zhao Xue 2504 6
Round 11 on 2016/05/02 at 11:00
6 GM Zhao Xue 2504
-
 GM Kosteniuk Alexandra 2557 12
7 IM Batsiashvili Nino 2476
-
 GM Gunina Valentina 2497 5
8 WGM Girya Olga 2442
-
 IM Skripchenko Almira 2453 4
9 GM Danielian Elina 2445
-
 GM Muzychyk Anna 2555 3
10 GM Muzychuk Mariya 2561
-
 GM Khotenashvili Bela 2493 2
11 GM Dzagnidze Nana 2535
-
 IM Javakhishvili Lela 2489 1

Pictures: Anastasiya Karlovich (FIDE)

Links

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Johannes Fischer was born in 1963 in Hamburg and studied English and German literature in Frankfurt. He now lives as a writer and translator in Nürnberg. He is a FIDE-Master and regularly writes for KARL, a German chess magazine focusing on the links between culture and chess. On his own blog he regularly publishes notes on "Film, Literature and Chess".