Cairns Cup: Khotenashvili wins again, Humpy withdraws

by Carlos Alberto Colodro
6/8/2023 – Before round 5 of the Cairns Cup began, the organizers announced that Humpy Koneru had to withdraw due to medical issues. Humpy’s games in the first four rounds will not be counted in the tournament standings, though they will be rated by FIDE. In the fifth round, Bella Khotenashvili scored a third consecutive victory, as she defeated Nana Dzagnidze after the latter failed to make the most of a deadly kingside attack. | Photo: Crystal Fuller
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Humpy withdraws due to health reasons

Only nine players will get to finish the third edition of the Cairns Cup. Before the start of round 5, the organizers announced that Humpy Koneru had withdrawn from the competition due to medical issues (not covid-related, they noted). Since the event’s half-point had not been reached, the results of Humpy’s previous games will be nullified in the standings. The games, however, will be FIDE rated.

The two players who were the most inconvenienced by this development were Alexandra Kosteniuk and Nana Dzagnidze, who had both defeated Humpy in rounds 1 and 4, respectively. In rounds 2 and 3, Irina Krush and Harika Dronavalli had drawn the Indian so, although they will not see their place in the standings affected, they will also not get the extra rest day that the remaining participants will get in the coming rounds.

Three out of the four games played on Wednesday finished drawn, as sole leader Anna Zatonskih split a point with Harika.

The one decisive game of the round was an exciting affair. The all-Georgian clash between Dzagnidze and Bella Khotenashvili saw the former generating a deadly attack but failing to find the killer shot at a critical juncture. After surviving the onslaught, Khotenashvili emerged with a superior position, which she converted into what was her third straight win in St Louis.

Zatonskih is still leading the standings, and will face Gunay Mammadzada with black in Friday’s sixth round. Thursday is a rest day.

Anna Zatonskih

Still in the lead — Anna Zatonskih | Photo: Crystal Fuller

Nana Dzagnidze, Bella Khotenashvili

The two Georgian representatives in Saint Louis | Photo: Crystal Fuller

Results - Round 5

NameRtg.Nt.Pts.Pts.NameRtgNt.
Zatonskih,A
2327
3
½-½
2
Dronavalli,H
2501
Dzagnidze,N
2513
2½
0-1
2
Khotenashvili,B
2478
Krush,I
2436
2½
½-½
2
Paehtz,E
2479
Abdumalik,Z
2497
½
½-½
2½
Kosteniuk,A
2535

Standings - Round 5

Cairns Cup 2023

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MoveNResultEloPlayers
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1.e4 4 e5 14 2.Nf3 6 Nc6 9 3.Bc4 6 Nf6 19 4.d3 16 d5 36 5.exd5 6 Nxd5 8 6.0-0 8 Be7 35 7.Re1 12 f6 55 C24: Bishop's Opening: 2...Nf6. 8.d4 43 Nb6 59 9.Bb3 2:16 Nxd4 1:25 White has an edge. 10.Nxd4 5 Qxd4 16 11.Qxd4 5 exd4 8 12.Bf4 17 Bf5 1:10 13.Bxc7 1:24 Strongly threatening Bd6. Kd7 23 Against Bd6 14.Nd2 1:05       14.Bxb6 simplifies axb6 15.Nd2 Bc5 16.Ne4 14...Bc5 1:54 15.Bxb6 5:15 axb6 2:10
16.Ne4N 10:23 Predecessor: 16.Rad1 Rhe8 17.Rxe8 Kxe8 18.Nf3 Bg4 19.Kf1 Bxf3 20.gxf3 Rd8 21.Re1+ ½-½ Demchenko,A (2654)-Erigaisi,A (2681) Chess.com Rapid Wk17 Swiss 2022 (2) 16...Rhe8 23:26 17.Ng3 3:56 Bg6 2:32 18.h4 15:05 Re5 22:51
19.h5! 7:29 Hoping for Rxe5. Be8 15
20.h6! 3:30 gxh6 4:22 21.Ne4 36 Bg6 4:47 22.Nxf6+ 3:12 Kd6 2 23.Rad1 23:52       Black is under pressure. h5 10:59 24.g3 8:25 Rd8 1:12 25.Kg2 1:00 Rf5 4:30 26.Ne4+ 2:23 Kc7 8:03 27.f4 45 Be7 5:05
Repels Ng5 27...Bb4 is more appropriate. 28.c3!± 5:05 dxc3 2:00 29.Nxc3 2 Don't play 29.bxc3?! Ra5= 29...Rxd1 40 30.Rxd1 7 Nd5+ would be deadly. Bc5? 1:57 30...Rc5± is a better chance. 31.Nd5+ Kd7 32.Nxb6+       Discovered Attack (Double check) Ke8 31.Nb5+ 1:23 Kc6 1 32.Na7+ 4:07 Kc7 3 33.Nb5+ 4 Kc6 3
34.Ba4 44 Rf8 1:02 35.Nd4+ 1:30       Discovered Attack (Double check) Kd5 9 35...Kd6 36.f5 Bxd4 37.fxg6 37.Rxd4+ Kc5= 37...Ke5 36.Bb3++- 41 Ke4 8 37.Ne6 48 Rc8? 1:19 37...Rh8 38.Bc2+ Ke3 38.Bc2+ 28 Ke3 8 39.f5 9 Be7 2:16 40.Rd3+ 13 Ke2 14 41.Nd4+ 30:09 Weighted Error Value: White=0.14 (very precise) /Black=0.39 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Kosteniuk,A2535Koneru,H25671–02023C24Cairns Cup 20231.1
Dronavalli,H2501Paehtz,E24791–02023E73Cairns Cup 20231.2
Mammadzada,G2449Khotenashvili,B24781–02023B38Cairns Cup 20231.3
Zatonskih,A2327Dzagnidze,N2513½–½2023D36Cairns Cup 20231.4
Abdumalik,Z2497Krush,I24360–12023B69Cairns Cup 20231.5
Paehtz,E2479Mammadzada,G24491–02023B96Cairns Cup 20232.1
Khotenashvili,B2478Zatonskih,A23270–12023A07Cairns Cup 20232.2
Koneru,H2567Krush,I2436½–½2023D20Cairns Cup 20232.3
Kosteniuk,A2535Dronavalli,H25011–02023B45Cairns Cup 20232.4
Dzagnidze,N2513Abdumalik,Z24971–02023A13Cairns Cup 20232.5
Abdumalik,Z2497Khotenashvili,B24780–12023C55Cairns Cup 20233.1
Krush,I2436Dzagnidze,N25131–02023D31Cairns Cup 20233.2
Zatonskih,A2327Paehtz,E2479½–½2023E36Cairns Cup 20233.3
Mammadzada,G2449Kosteniuk,A2535½–½2023C89Cairns Cup 20233.4
Dronavalli,H2501Koneru,H2567½–½2023C47Cairns Cup 20233.5
Koneru,H2567Dzagnidze,N25130–12023D37Cairns Cup 20234.1
Dronavalli,H2501Mammadzada,G2449½–½2023D19Cairns Cup 20234.2
Khotenashvili,B2478Krush,I24361–02023D02Cairns Cup 20234.3
Paehtz,E2479Abdumalik,Z2497½–½2023D85Cairns Cup 20234.4
Kosteniuk,A2535Zatonskih,A23270–12023C02Cairns Cup 20234.5
Krush,I2436Paehtz,E2479½–½2023D31Cairns Cup 20235.1
Abdumalik,Z2497Kosteniuk,A2535½–½2023C47Cairns Cup 20235.2
Dzagnidze,N2513Khotenashvili,B24780–12023A30Cairns Cup 20235.3
Zatonskih,A2327Dronavalli,H2501½–½2023D61Cairns Cup 20235.4
Dronavalli,H2501Abdumalik,Z2497½–½2023D41Cairns Cup 20236.1
Mammadzada,G2449Zatonskih,A23270–12023E05Cairns Cup 20236.2
Kosteniuk,A2535Krush,I24361–02023B08Cairns Cup 20236.3
Paehtz,E2479Dzagnidze,N25131–02023B77Cairns Cup 20236.4
Dzagnidze,N2513Kosteniuk,A25351–02023A50Cairns Cup 20237.1
Krush,I2436Dronavalli,H25011–02023D36Cairns Cup 20237.2
Khotenashvili,B2478Paehtz,E24791–02023D30Cairns Cup 20237.3
Abdumalik,Z2497Mammadzada,G2449½–½2023B94Cairns Cup 20237.4
Zatonskih,A2327Abdumalik,Z24971–02023E32Cairns Cup 20238.1
Dronavalli,H2501Dzagnidze,N2513½–½2023E04Cairns Cup 20238.2
Mammadzada,G2449Krush,I2436½–½2023B89Cairns Cup 20238.3
Kosteniuk,A2535Khotenashvili,B24781–02023C83Cairns Cup 20238.4
Khotenashvili,B2478Dronavalli,H2501½–½2023E11Cairns Cup 20239.1
Dzagnidze,N2513Mammadzada,G24491–02023A07Cairns Cup 20239.2
Paehtz,E2479Kosteniuk,A25350–12023C88Cairns Cup 20239.3
Krush,I2436Zatonskih,A2327½–½2023D33Cairns Cup 20239.4

In a total of 6 chapters, we look at the following aspects: the right decision based on tactical factors, decisions in exchanges and moves, complex and psychological decisions in longer games and in defence.

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Carlos Colodro is a Hispanic Philologist from Bolivia. He works as a freelance translator and writer since 2012. A lot of his work is done in chess-related texts, as the game is one of his biggest interests, along with literature and music.
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