Women’s Candidates R9: Tan beats Vaishali to regain the sole lead

by Carlos Alberto Colodro
4/15/2024 – After Lei Tingjie inflicted Tan Zhongyi’s first defeat on Saturday, Tan regained the sole lead by beating Vaishali Rameshbabu in Sunday’s round 9. Tan stands a half point ahead of Lei and Aleksandra Goryachkina, who are set to face each other on Monday. | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza
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Tan’s immediate comeback

Right after Tan Zhongyi lost her long-standing sole lead by losing with the white pieces against Lei Tingjie, the 32-year-old, a former women’s world champion, immediately regained her spot as sole leader. Tan got the better of an out-of-form Vaishali Rameshbabu, who has now lost four games in a row.

Lei and Aleksandra Goryachkina, who entered the round as co-leaders, both drew their games, against Nurgyul Salimova and Anna Muzychuk, respectively. Out of a Berlin Defence, Goryachkina got small winning chances with black, but failed to find a strong, backward knight jump on move 33.

Muzychuk v. Goryachkina

33...Nd8 leaves White struggling to find ways to continue — e.g. 34.Rc8 Kf7 or 34.a4 Ne6 both allow Black to make progress with her extra piece.

Goryachkina played 33...Ra8 instead, and after 34.Rxc6, there is no way to defend both the pawn on c5 and the one on g6. The game continued until move 45, when the contenders agreed to split the point.

Results - Round 9

Anna Muzychuk, Aleksandra Goryachkina

Anna Muzychuk v. Aleksandra Goryachkina | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza

Vaishali 0 - 1 Tan

Analysis by André Schulz

Vaishali, Rameshbabu24750–1Tan, Zhongyi2521
FIDE Womens Candidates 2024
Toronto14.04.2024[Schulz,A]
1.e4 c5 2.c3 e6 3.d4 d5 4.exd5 exd5 A similar structure is created in the French Tarrasch. Also very playable is 4...Qxd5 5.Nf3 a6 More common is 5...Nc6 6.Bb5 Bd6 7.dxc5 Bxc5 8.0-0 etc. 6.Bd3 c4 7.Bc2 Bd6 8.0-0 Ne7 9.b3 cxb3 10.axb3 0-0
The position offers both sides equal chances. 11.Ng5 White is active on the kingside before the final development. 11.Re1 Nbc6 12.Nbd2 Bf5 13.Nf1 Bxc2 14.Qxc2 Rc8 15.Qd3 Qd7 16.Ne3 f6 17.h3 Rfe8 18.Ra2 Bb8 19.Rae2 Na5 20.c4 dxc4 21.Nxc4 Nxc4 22.bxc4± 1-0 Engel,L (2551)-Plischki,S (2371) DSOL 01 Liga Final 1st Playchess.com INT rapid 2020 (1.1) 11...g6 12.Qf3 Qc7 13.h4 Nbc6 14.Ba3 Kg7 15.Re1 h5
16.c4? Placing the pawn on c4. Perhaps White thought that taking it away was too dangerous because of the weakness of the b2-g7 diagonal. f6 16...Nxd4 is less clear. 17.Qd1 17.Bb2 Be5 17...Be5 18.Bxe7 Qxe7 19.Ra5 Nxc2 20.Qxc2 b5 20...Bh2+ 21.Kf1 21.cxb5 Qb4 22.Qd2 Qxd2 23.Nxd2 Bc3 24.Ra2 a5 17.Bxd6 Qxd6 18.c5? Better was 18.Nh3 Bxh3 18...Nxd4 19.Qf4 19.Qxh3 Nxd4 20.Qc3 Nec6 21.cxd5 Qxd5 White is a pawn down, but the game is not yet decided. 18...Qc7 19.Nh3 Nxd4 20.Qe3 This doesn't work either. 20.Qd3 Nxc2 21.Qxc2 Bxh3 22.gxh3-+ 20...Nxc2 21.Qxe7+ Rf7 0–1

Vaishali Rameshbabu

Vaishali Rameshbabu | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza

Standings after round 9

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1.e4 8 c5 18 2.Nf3 22 Nc6 13 3.Bb5 1:19 d6 25 4.0-0 2:02 Bd7 1:23 5.Re1 1:04 Nf6 23 6.c3 3:17 a6 35 7.Bf1 1:43 e5 37 8.Na3 13:14 8.h3 8...Be7= 4:30 9.Nc2 1:27       0-0 3:05 10.h3 4:32 The position is equal. Re8 2:53 11.d3 6:08 h6 10:09 12.Ne3 1:44 Bf8 57 13.Nh2 3:23 Be6 7:53 14.Qf3 2:30 Ne7 15:48 15.Nhg4 3:49 Nxg4 3:25 16.hxg4 51 g6 24 16...Qd7 17.Nf5 14:00 Kh7 8:01 18.Ng3 5:12 Bg7 2:19 19.g5 5:24 Better is 19.Nf5= 19...h5 2:11 20.Be2 1:50 Rf8 3:46 21.Bd1 1:33 Qd7 6:44 22.Bb3 2:34 Bxb3 57 23.axb3 2 Qe6 16 24.Qd1 2:15 Rad8 5:37 25.Be3 30 Nc6 16 26.Nf1 1:34 f5 6:51 27.gxf6 1:14 Qxf6 8 28.Qd2 3:43 Qe6 18 29.Bg5 3:44 Bf6 2:05 30.Bxf6 1:22 Rxf6 4 31.Ne3 27 Rdf8 3:19 32.Re2 4:26 R6f7 4 Of course not 32...Qxb3?! 33.Nd5 a5 34.Ra3± 34.Nxf6+ Rxf6 35.Qg5 Kg7 33.Nd5 1:40 Qg4 42 34.Ne3 34 Qe6 4 35.Nd5 22 Qg4 5 36.Ne3 21 Qe6 4 Weighted Error Value: White=0.11 (very precise) /Black=0.12 (very precise) . Mistake: White=1 Black=2 Inaccurate: White=4 Black=3 OK: White=12 Black=16 Black should try 36...Qh4 ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Goryachkina,A2553Lagno,K2542½–½2024B51FIDE Womens Candidates 20241.1
Muzychuk,A2520Salimova,N2432½–½2024C43FIDE Womens Candidates 20241.2
Lei,T2550Tan,Z25210–12024D35FIDE Womens Candidates 20241.3
Vaishali,R2475Koneru,H2546½–½2024C54FIDE Womens Candidates 20241.4
Tan,Z2521Vaishali,R24751–02024B13FIDE Womens Candidates 20242.1
Lagno,K2542Koneru,H2546½–½2024C88FIDE Womens Candidates 20242.2
Salimova,N2432Lei,T2550½–½2024D27FIDE Womens Candidates 20242.3
Goryachkina,A2553Muzychuk,A25201–02024D14FIDE Womens Candidates 20242.4
Koneru,H2546Tan,Z2521½–½2024D02FIDE Womens Candidates 20243.1
Muzychuk,A2520Lagno,K2542½–½2024C88FIDE Womens Candidates 20243.2
Lei,T2550Goryachkina,A2553½–½2024C51FIDE Womens Candidates 20243.3
Vaishali,R2475Salimova,N24321–02024C42FIDE Womens Candidates 20243.4
Goryachkina,A2553Vaishali,R2475½–½2024D33FIDE Womens Candidates 20244.1
Lagno,K2542Tan,Z2521½–½2024B92FIDE Womens Candidates 20244.2
Salimova,N2432Koneru,H25461–02024E06FIDE Womens Candidates 20244.3
Muzychuk,A2520Lei,T2550½–½2024C01FIDE Womens Candidates 20244.4
Tan,Z2521Salimova,N2432½–½2024B12FIDE Womens Candidates 20245.1
Lei,T2550Lagno,K2542½–½2024C55FIDE Womens Candidates 20245.2
Vaishali,R2475Muzychuk,A2520½–½2024C54FIDE Womens Candidates 20245.3
Koneru,H2546Goryachkina,A2553½–½2024D27FIDE Womens Candidates 20245.4
Salimova,N2432Goryachkina,A25530–12024E05FIDE Womens Candidates 20246.1
Tan,Z2521Muzychuk,A25201–02024D05FIDE Womens Candidates 20246.2
Koneru,H2546Lei,T25500–12024E97FIDE Womens Candidates 20246.3
Vaishali,R2475Lagno,K25420–12024C89FIDE Womens Candidates 20246.4
Goryachkina,A2553Tan,Z2521½–½2024D30FIDE Womens Candidates 20247.1
Lagno,K2542Salimova,N2432½–½2024C60FIDE Womens Candidates 20247.2
Muzychuk,A2520Koneru,H2546½–½2024C70FIDE Womens Candidates 20247.3
Lei,T2550Vaishali,R24751–02024C54FIDE Womens Candidates 20247.4
Tan,Z2521Lei,T25500–12024D02FIDE Womens Candidates 20248.1
Koneru,H2546Vaishali,R24751–02024D97FIDE Womens Candidates 20248.2
Lagno,K2542Goryachkina,A2553½–½2024C78FIDE Womens Candidates 20248.3
Salimova,N2432Muzychuk,A2520½–½2024E01FIDE Womens Candidates 20248.4
Lei,T2550Salimova,N2432½–½2024C41FIDE Womens Candidates 20249.1
Koneru,H2546Lagno,K2542½–½2024D38FIDE Womens Candidates 20249.2
Vaishali,R2475Tan,Z25210–12024B22FIDE Womens Candidates 20249.3
Muzychuk,A2520Goryachkina,A2553½–½2024C67FIDE Womens Candidates 20249.4
Tan,Z2521Koneru,H2546½–½2024C45FIDE Womens Candidates 202410.1
Lagno,K2542Muzychuk,A2520½–½2024C83FIDE Womens Candidates 202410.2
Goryachkina,A2553Lei,T25500–12024D14FIDE Womens Candidates 202410.3
Salimova,N2432Vaishali,R24750–12024D90FIDE Womens Candidates 202410.4
Lei,T2550Muzychuk,A2520½–½2024C54FIDE Womens Candidates 202411.1
Tan,Z2521Lagno,K25421–02024E06FIDE Womens Candidates 202411.2
Koneru,H2546Salimova,N24321–02024D12FIDE Womens Candidates 202411.3
Vaishali,R2475Goryachkina,A25531–02024B22FIDE Womens Candidates 202411.4
Salimova,N2432Tan,Z2521½–½2024A11FIDE Womens Candidates 202412.1
Lagno,K2542Lei,T2550½–½2024C02FIDE Womens Candidates 202412.2
Muzychuk,A2520Vaishali,R24750–12024C84FIDE Womens Candidates 202412.3
Goryachkina,A2553Koneru,H2546½–½2024E05FIDE Womens Candidates 202412.4
Vaishali,R2475Lei,T25501–02024B51FIDE Womens Candidates 202413.1
Salimova,N2432Lagno,K2542½–½2024E05FIDE Womens Candidates 202413.2
Tan,Z2521Goryachkina,A2553½–½2024D50FIDE Womens Candidates 202413.3
Koneru,H2546Muzychuk,A2520½–½2024D30FIDE Womens Candidates 202413.4
Muzychuk,A2520Tan,Z2521½–½2024B28FIDE Womens Candidates 202414.1
Lagno,K2542Vaishali,R24750–12024C78FIDE Womens Candidates 202414.2
Lei,T2550Koneru,H25460–12024E24FIDE Womens Candidates 202414.3
Goryachkina,A2553Salimova,N2432½–½2024C41FIDE Womens Candidates 202414.4

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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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