Cairns Cup: Tan extends lead as Anna Muzychuk beats Kosteniuk

Anna Muzychuk and Alice Lee score

Top seed Tan Zhongyi is the clear favourite to win the fourth edition of the Cairns Cup, as she now has a 1-point lead over five players with only one round to go in Saint Louis. Tan has scored 3 wins and 5 draws, and only needs a half point in her final-round game against Alexandra Kosteniuk (Tan will have the white pieces) to claim tournament victory.

Kosteniuk, who stood in sole second place before Friday’s round, was defeated by Anna Muzychuk after losing the thread in the early middlegame. Kosteniuk is now one of five players tied for second place with 4½ points — she is joined by Anna and Mariya Muzychuk, Nana Dzagnidze and Harika Dronavalli.

It should be noted that Kosteniuk has only agreed to one draw so far in the event, so she is likely to engage in a double-edged battle in her final-round encounter against Tan.

Standing a half point behind the chasing pack is 14-year-old Alice Lee, who defeated Anna Zatonskih in round 8 to return to a fifty-percent score. In the game, Lee showed good technique to convert her extra pawn in a queen endgame.

Results - Round 8

Master Class Vol.16 - Judit Polgar

In this video course, experts (Pelletier, Marin, Müller and Reeh) examine the games of Judit Polgar. Let them show you which openings Polgar chose to play, where her strength in middlegames were, or how she outplayed her opponents in the endgame.

Alice Lee | Photo: Lennart Ootes

Sole leader Tan Zhongyi | Photo: Lennart Ootes

Kosteniuk 0 - 1 A. Muzychuk

Analysis by Klaus Besenthal

Kosteniuk, Alexandra2501

0–1

Muzychuk, Anna2505

Cairns Cup 2024 Saint Louis21.06.2024[Besenthal,Klaus-Guenther]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d3 Be7 5.0-0 0-0 6.Nc3 d6 7.a4 Na5 8.Ba2 Nc6

Kosteniuk could have accepted the "draw offer" with 9.Bc4, but she obviously didn't want to. However, this could also have been interpreted as rudeness towards the Saint Louis Chess Club, as the regulations for this tournament explicitly state: "No player may offer nor accept a draw." In the case of an early threefold repetition, the draw should first have been confirmed by the arbiter. 9.Bd2 Nb4 10.Bb1 One would have expected 10.Bb3 as it was played in a game between Praggnanandhaa and Harikrishna. 10...c5 11.h3 Re8 12.Ne2 Nc6 The fifth move by this knight - but in this situation it's not a problem. 13.Ng3 h6 14.Re1 Be6 15.c3 a6 16.Bc1 Rc8 17.Bc2 Bf8 18.Bb3

The bishop finally is placed on this square. 18...d5 This move certainly speaks for itself: Black is the first to open the centre. 19.exd5 Bxd5 20.Ne4 Bxb3 21.Nxf6+ Qxf6 22.Qxb3 Na5 23.Qc2 Rcd8

Black has the initiative. 24.Bd2 Qf5 The d3-pawn is the target, but the e5-pawn is also under threat. 25.Re4? Better was 25.c4! Nc6 26.Re3 But of course this alternative was anything but nice. 25...c4! Muzychuk seizes the opportunity: for a brief moment White's position was unstable. 26.Rae1 After 26.dxc4 there is Nb3!-+ 26...cxd3 27.Qd1 There is no doubt about who is better now. f6 28.b4 Nc6 29.b5 axb5 30.axb5 Ne7 31.Qb3+ Kh7 32.Qf7 Qg6 33.Qc4 Nf5 34.Nh4 Nxh4 35.Rg4 Rc8 36.Qa4 Ra8 37.Qd1 Qf5 38.Rxh4 Bc5 39.Rf1 Ra2

Everything works wonderfully for Black. 40.Ra4 Rc2 41.g4 Qd7 42.Re4 Qxb5 43.Kh1 Ra8 44.Be3 Bxe3 45.Rxe3 Rxc3 46.Kh2 Qd5 47.h4 e4 48.Rfe1 Rc2 49.Kg3 Qd6+ 0–1

Making the right decisions in chess - Fundamentals

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.

Anna Muzychuk | Photo: Lennart Ootes

Standings after round 8

All games

Links

• Official site
• Anna Zatonskih wins Cairns Cup with one round to spare (2023)
• Humpy Koneru wins second edition of the Cairns Cup (2020)
• Valentina Gunina wins inaugural Cairns Cup (2019)