Women’s Candidates R7: Lei beats Vaishali

A draw in the clash of frontrunners

Tan Zhongyi has managed to keep the sole lead between the very first round and the halfway mark (after round 7) in the Women’s Candidates Tournament. On Thursday, the Chinese GM faced top seed Aleksandra Goryachkina, who remains undefeated in sole second place, a half point behind the leader. Tan had the black pieces, and the game ended in a 40-move draw.

Standing a half point behind Goryachkina are Kateryna Lagno and now Lei Tingjie. Lei lost her first-round encounter against Tan, drew all her games between round 2 and round 5 and then scored back-to-back wins over Nurgyul Salimova and Vaishali R. In her victory over Vaishali, Lei out-calculated her Indian opponent out of a double-edged Italian Opening.

No player in the women’s tournament finished the first half with a fifty-percent score. Salimova stands in fifth place with 3/7 points, while Vaishali is sharing last place with Humpy Koneru and Anna Muzychuk, each with 2½/7 points.

In the first seven rounds, Tan played four games with the black pieces, while Goryachkina, her closest chaser, played four games with the white pieces.

Results - Round 7

	Name	Rtg.	Nt.	Pts.		Pts.		Name	Rtg	Nt.
GM	Goryachkina,A GM Goryachkina,A 2553 1 GM Lagno,K 2542 ½ 2 GM Muzychuk,A 2520 1 3 GM Lei,T 2550 ½ 4 GM Vaishali,R 2475 ½ 5 GM Koneru,H 2546 ½ 6 WGM Salimova,N 2432 1 7 GM Tan,Z 2521 ½ Ø 2512 4.5/7	2553		4	½-½	4½	GM	Tan,Z GM Tan,Z 2521 1 GM Lei,T 2550 1 2 GM Vaishali,R 2475 1 3 GM Koneru,H 2546 ½ 4 GM Lagno,K 2542 ½ 5 WGM Salimova,N 2432 ½ 6 GM Muzychuk,A 2520 1 7 GM Goryachkina,A 2553 ½ Ø 2517 5/7	2521
GM	Lagno,K GM Lagno,K 2542 1 GM Goryachkina,A 2553 ½ 2 GM Koneru,H 2546 ½ 3 GM Muzychuk,A 2520 ½ 4 GM Tan,Z 2521 ½ 5 GM Lei,T 2550 ½ 6 GM Vaishali,R 2475 1 7 WGM Salimova,N 2432 ½ Ø 2514 4/7	2542		3½	½-½	2½	WGM	Salimova,N WGM Salimova,N 2432 1 GM Muzychuk,A 2520 ½ 2 GM Lei,T 2550 ½ 3 GM Vaishali,R 2475 0 4 GM Koneru,H 2546 1 5 GM Tan,Z 2521 ½ 6 GM Goryachkina,A 2553 0 7 GM Lagno,K 2542 ½ Ø 2530 3/7	2432
GM	Lei,T GM Lei,T 2550 1 GM Tan,Z 2521 0 2 WGM Salimova,N 2432 ½ 3 GM Goryachkina,A 2553 ½ 4 GM Muzychuk,A 2520 ½ 5 GM Lagno,K 2542 ½ 6 GM Koneru,H 2546 1 7 GM Vaishali,R 2475 1 Ø 2513 4/7	2550		3	1-0	2½	GM	Vaishali,R GM Vaishali,R 2475 1 GM Koneru,H 2546 ½ 2 GM Tan,Z 2521 0 3 WGM Salimova,N 2432 1 4 GM Goryachkina,A 2553 ½ 5 GM Muzychuk,A 2520 ½ 6 GM Lagno,K 2542 0 7 GM Lei,T 2550 0 Ø 2523 2.5/7	2475
GM	Muzychuk,A GM Muzychuk,A 2520 1 WGM Salimova,N 2432 ½ 2 GM Goryachkina,A 2553 0 3 GM Lagno,K 2542 ½ 4 GM Lei,T 2550 ½ 5 GM Vaishali,R 2475 ½ 6 GM Tan,Z 2521 0 7 GM Koneru,H 2546 ½ Ø 2517 2.5/7	2520		2	½-½	2	GM	Koneru,H GM Koneru,H 2546 1 GM Vaishali,R 2475 ½ 2 GM Lagno,K 2542 ½ 3 GM Tan,Z 2521 ½ 4 WGM Salimova,N 2432 0 5 GM Goryachkina,A 2553 ½ 6 GM Lei,T 2550 0 7 GM Muzychuk,A 2520 ½ Ø 2513 2.5/7	2546

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Aleksandra Goryachkina | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza

Lei 1 - 0 Vaishali

Analysis by André Schulz

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Lei Tingjie facing Vaishali Rameshbabu | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza

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More photos from round 7

Sole leader Tan Zhongyi signing autographs | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza

Anna Muzychuk sharing a laugh with well-known commentator and photographer Anastasiya Karlovich | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza

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Kateryna Lagno v. Nurgyul Salimova | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza

The playing hall in Toronto | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza

Standings after round 7

Rk.		Name	Rtg.	Nt.	Pts.	n	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	TB	Perf.
1	GM	Tan,Z GM Tan,Z 2521 1 GM Lei,T 2550 1 2 GM Vaishali,R 2475 1 3 GM Koneru,H 2546 ½ 4 GM Lagno,K 2542 ½ 5 WGM Salimova,N 2432 ½ 6 GM Muzychuk,A 2520 1 7 GM Goryachkina,A 2553 ½ Ø 2517 5/7	2521		5.0	7		½	½	1	½	½	1	1	16.00	2675
2	GM	Goryachkina,A GM Goryachkina,A 2553 1 GM Lagno,K 2542 ½ 2 GM Muzychuk,A 2520 1 3 GM Lei,T 2550 ½ 4 GM Vaishali,R 2475 ½ 5 GM Koneru,H 2546 ½ 6 WGM Salimova,N 2432 1 7 GM Tan,Z 2521 ½ Ø 2512 4.5/7	2553		4.5	7	½		½	½	1	½	1	½	14.50	2614
3	GM	Lagno,K GM Lagno,K 2542 1 GM Goryachkina,A 2553 ½ 2 GM Koneru,H 2546 ½ 3 GM Muzychuk,A 2520 ½ 4 GM Tan,Z 2521 ½ 5 GM Lei,T 2550 ½ 6 GM Vaishali,R 2475 1 7 WGM Salimova,N 2432 ½ Ø 2514 4/7	2542		4.0	7	½	½		½	½	½	½	1	13.25	2564
4	GM	Lei,T GM Lei,T 2550 1 GM Tan,Z 2521 0 2 WGM Salimova,N 2432 ½ 3 GM Goryachkina,A 2553 ½ 4 GM Muzychuk,A 2520 ½ 5 GM Lagno,K 2542 ½ 6 GM Koneru,H 2546 1 7 GM Vaishali,R 2475 1 Ø 2513 4/7	2550		4.0	7	0	½	½		½	1	½	1	12.00	2563
5	WGM	Salimova,N WGM Salimova,N 2432 1 GM Muzychuk,A 2520 ½ 2 GM Lei,T 2550 ½ 3 GM Vaishali,R 2475 0 4 GM Koneru,H 2546 1 5 GM Tan,Z 2521 ½ 6 GM Goryachkina,A 2553 0 7 GM Lagno,K 2542 ½ Ø 2530 3/7	2432		3.0	7	½	0	½	½		1	½	0	10.25	2480
6	GM	Koneru,H GM Koneru,H 2546 1 GM Vaishali,R 2475 ½ 2 GM Lagno,K 2542 ½ 3 GM Tan,Z 2521 ½ 4 WGM Salimova,N 2432 0 5 GM Goryachkina,A 2553 ½ 6 GM Lei,T 2550 0 7 GM Muzychuk,A 2520 ½ Ø 2513 2.5/7	2546		2.5	7	½	½	½	0	0		½	½	9.25	2411
7	GM	Muzychuk,A GM Muzychuk,A 2520 1 WGM Salimova,N 2432 ½ 2 GM Goryachkina,A 2553 0 3 GM Lagno,K 2542 ½ 4 GM Lei,T 2550 ½ 5 GM Vaishali,R 2475 ½ 6 GM Tan,Z 2521 0 7 GM Koneru,H 2546 ½ Ø 2517 2.5/7	2520		2.5	7	0	0	½	½	½	½		½	8.00	2415
8	GM	Vaishali,R GM Vaishali,R 2475 1 GM Koneru,H 2546 ½ 2 GM Tan,Z 2521 0 3 WGM Salimova,N 2432 1 4 GM Goryachkina,A 2553 ½ 5 GM Muzychuk,A 2520 ½ 6 GM Lagno,K 2542 0 7 GM Lei,T 2550 0 Ø 2523 2.5/7	2475		2.5	7	0	½	0	0	1	½	½		7.75	2421
TBs: Sonneborn-Berger

All games

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Links

• Official Candidates Tournaments website
• On the way to Toronto: Candidates’ performances in Wijk aan Zee
• FIDE publishes regulations for 2024 Candidates Tournaments
• Who will win the 2024 Candidates Tournament?