Batumi: Gunina wins with one round to go

by Johannes Fischer

I like it! | 3 Comments

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)

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Topics: Batumi, Women's Grand Prix

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Johannes Fischer Johannes 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".

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Rules for reader comments

malfa 5/3/2016 09:17

Of course the article was written after round 10 and before round 11, the last one, when Gunina already was 1,5 points up her closest rivals.

tigerprowl2 5/3/2016 08:04

I don't understand the title, "wins with one round to go". There is no round to go, it is already finished. 5/2 was the last round.

hserusk 5/2/2016 03:06

Marvellous!

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Batumi: Gunina wins with one round to go

Games of rounds 1 to 10

Standings after ten rounds

Schedule and results

Links

See also

Dvorkovich curries favour with the players

See also

Olympic highlights: a brilliancy in round 4

Video

The Elephant Gambit

Discuss

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