Winning starts with what you know
The new version 18 offers completely new possibilities for chess training and analysis: playing style analysis, search for strategic themes, access to 6 billion Lichess games, player preparation by matching Lichess games, download Chess.com games with built-in API, built-in cloud engine and much more.
Women's World Championship
|
|
India's Koneru Humpy, the highest-ranking participant in this event, played two draws against Marie Sebag of France, only to throw away both rapid games – in the second she actually managed to lose a double-rook endgame where she was two pawns up.
Out – top seed GM Koneru Humpy, Elo 2537
Marie Sebag of France
The reigning women's world champion Antoaneta Stefanova and Polish IM Iweta Radziewicz won a game each. Then Stefanova lost the first rapid game and after that... well see for yourself:
Radziewicz,I (2421) - Stefanova,A (2499) [A21]
FIDE WCh Women KO Ekaterinburg RUS (2.4), 14.03.2006
Position after 44.Be4-f3
Here Stefanova did not go for the obvious pin 44...Bb7 to get winning play after 45.Rxc4 Bxf3, but instead drifted with 44...Bxh3 45.Rc7 Bf5 46.Bc6 Rb8? (46...Rc8 was required) 47.Bd4 Nc2 48.Bd5+ Kf8 49.Bc5+ Ke8 50.Rxa7 Rc8?? (allowing mate) 51.Bf7+ Kd8 52.Be7# 1-0.
Still reigning world champion Antoaneta Stefanova
... vanquished by Polish IM Iweta Radziewicz
In her first game against Peng Zhaoquin second seed Pia Kramling played well to reach a winning position, which she duly went on to lose:
Cramling,P (2515) - Peng Zhaoqin (2407) [D40]
FIDE WCh Women KO Ekaterinburg RUS (2.1), 13.03.2006
Position after 66...Re5-b5
The game should have continued something like this: 67.a6 Rxb3 68.a7 Rb1+ 69.Kg2 Ra1 70.Rf7+ Kg4 71.Nb6 Ra2+ 72.Kf1 Ra1+ 73.Kf2 Ra2+ (or 73...Ne4+ 74.Ke3 Nd6 75.Rf4+ Kg3 76.Ra4) 74.Ke3 with excellent winning prospects. Instead Pia Cramling tried to defend her b-pawn with 67.Rf7+ Kg3 68.Nd2 Nd5 69.a6 Ra5 and relinquished her final winning chances with 70.Rf3+? Kg4 71.Rd3 Nf4 72.Rd6 Kg3 73.Ne4+ Kf3 74.Nd2+ Kg3 75.Ne4+ Kf3 76.Nc3 Ra1+ 77.Nd1 g5 and then going on to lose with 78.Ke1? g4 79.Rd7 g3 80.a7 g2 81.Rg7 Rxa7 82.Rg8 Ra2 0-1.
Sweden's GM Pia Cramling, number three in the world
... eliminated by the world's number 47, Peng Zhaoqin
Number four in the world: Alexandra Kosteniuk
And look what happenen to Alexandra Kosteniuk. No, wait a minute, she won both her games, again. After a brief moment of danger in her very first game in this tournament Alexandra has completely dominated her opponents, winning all four of her games so far. People tend to forget that aside from her glamour ads and movie roles she is, after all, the world's number four player, including Judit Polgar.
Going through well: veteran GM Maia Chiburdanidze
WGM Xu Yuhua of China, Elo 2502
Former women's world champion Maia Chiburdanidze went through, as did China's Xu Yuhua, the other 2500+ player in this event. We would do well to watch the Chinese player Hou Yifan, who has scored 3½/4 so far. Hou is just twelve years old. And finally, for some abstract reason, we see Peng going all the way to the finals.
An extraordinary talent: 12-year-old Hou Yifan
All of these remarkable photos by courtesy of Pufichek
of www.kosteniuk.com
| Name | Rtng | G1 | G2 | R1 | R2 | B1 | B2 | SD | Total |
|
|
|||||||||
| Stefanova, Antoaneta (BUL) | 2499 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
| Radziewicz, Iweta (POL) | 2421 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |||
|
|
|||||||||
| Sebag, Marie (FRA) | 2415 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 3 | |||
| Koneru, Humpy (IND) | 2537 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
| Cramling, Pia (SWE) | 2515 | 0 | ½ | 0,5 | |||||
| Peng, Zhaoqin (NED) | 2407 | 1 | ½ | 1,5 | |||||
| Danielian, Elina (ARM) | 2423 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Kosteniuk, Alexandra (RUS) | 2514 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||
| Chiburdanidze, Maia (GEO) | 2511 | 1 | ½ | 1,5 | |||||
| Arakhamia-Grant, Ketevan (GEO) | 2426 | 0 | ½ | 0,5 | |||||
| Ushenina, Anna (UKR) | 2398 | ½ | 0 | 0,5 | |||||
| Xu, Yuhua (CHN) | 2502 | ½ | 1 | 1,5 | |||||
|
|
|||||||||
| Zapata, Karen (PER) | 2218 | 0 | ½ | 0,5 | |||||
| Matveeva, Svetlana (RUS) | 2428 | 1 | ½ | 1,5 | |||||
| Khurtsidze, Nino (GEO) | 2430 | ½ | 1 | 1,5 | |||||
| Arribas, Maritza (CUB) | 2261 | ½ | 0 | 0,5 | |||||
| Hou, Yifan (CHN) | 2269 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||
| Zhukova, Natalia (UKR) | 2432 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Javakhishvili, Lela (GEO) | 2444 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
| Vijayalakshmi, Subbaraman (IND) | 2479 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |||
| Kosintseva, Tatiana (RUS) | 2479 | 1 | ½ | 1,5 | |||||
| Krush, Irina (USA) | 2447 | 0 | ½ | 0,5 | |||||
| Dzagnidze, Nana (GEO) | 2452 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1,5 | |||
| Ju, Wenjun (CHN) | 2290 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 2,5 | |||
| Cmilyte, Viktorija (LTU) | 2475 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
| Ruan, Lufei (CHN) | 2361 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Kovalevskaya, Ekaterina (RUS) | 2458 | 1 | ½ | 1,5 | |||||
| Kursova, Maria (RUS) | 2319 | 0 | ½ | 0,5 | |||||
| Qin, Kanying (CHN) | 2469 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 2,5 | |||
| Houska, Jovanka (ENG) | 2355 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1,5 | |||
| Lujan, Carolina (ARG) | 2346 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
| Galliamova, Alisa (RUS) | 2467 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |||
| Opening Ceremony/Players' meeting | 10 March | |
| Round 1: | 2 days play + tiebreaks | 11-12 March |
| Round 2: | 2 days play + tiebreaks | 13-14 March |
| Round 3: | 2 days play + tiebreaks | 15-16 March |
| Free Day | 1 day free | 17 March |
| Round 4: | 2 days play + tiebreaks | 18-19 March |
| Round 5: | 2 days play + tiebreaks | 20-21 March |
| Free Day | 1 day free | 22 March |
| Round 6: | 4 days play | 23-26 March |
| Tie-breaks/Closing Ceremony: | 27 March | |
