Grand Prix Chengdu: Humpy Koneru takes lead

by André Schulz
7/5/2016 – After round four of the Women's Grand Prix in Chengdu, China, which takes place from 1st to 15th July, the Indian Grandmaster Humpy Koneru leads with 3.5/4. In round four she played against Tan Zhongyi from China and won her third game in a row. The other decisive game of the round was Ju Wenjun's victory against Pia Cramling. The four other games of the round all ended in a draw.
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Humpy Koneru convincingly outplayed Tan Zhongyi

Tan Zhongyi

 
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1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 A rather new approach. Black starts with the Queen's Gambit Declined to reach Nimzo-Indian structures. 4.e3 Nf6 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 c6 More popular is 6...0-0 e.g. 7.cxd5 exd5 8.Bd3 b6 9.Ne2 Ba6 10.Bxa6 Nxa6 11.0-0 c5 12.f3 Nc7 13.Ng3 Re8 14.Ra2 Nb5 15.Qd3 Nd6 16.Re2 Qd7 17.e4 Qb5 18.Qxb5 Nxb5 19.Bb2 Nd6 20.e5 Nc4 21.exf6 Rxe2 22.Nxe2 Nxb2 23.dxc5 bxc5 24.Nf4 d4 25.cxd4 cxd4 26.Rb1 Nc4 27.Rb4 Nxa3 28.Rxd4 Nb5 29.Rb4 Nc7 30.Rc4 Ne8 31.fxg7 Kxg7 32.Nd5 1/2-1/2 (32) Jones, G (2625)-Wojtaszek,R (2727) Gibraltar 2016 7.a4!? The main moves are 7.Bd3 or 7.Nf3 7...0-0 8.Ba3 8.Nf3 b6 9.cxd5 exd5 10.Bd3 Ba6 11.0-0 c5 12.Ne5 Re8 13.a5 Bxd3 14.Nxd3 Nc6 15.axb6 axb6 16.Rxa8 Qxa8 17.dxc5 bxc5 18.Nxc5 Ne5 19.Nd3 Nc4 20.Nf4 h6 21.Qd4 Re4 22.Qc5 Re5 23.f3 Qa2 24.Qd4 Qa4 25.h4 Qb5 26.g4 Nd7 27.Nd3 Re6 28.Kg2 Ndb6 29.Nf4 Re5 30.Nh5 Qb1 31.e4 dxe4 32.f4 Rxh5 33.gxh5 Qc2+ 34.Kh1 Qe2 35.Rg1 Qf3+ 36.Rg2 g6 37.hxg6 Qf1+ 38.Kh2 Qxc1 39.Qf6 1-0 (39) Caruana,F (2805)-Hou,Y (2676) Dortmund 2015 8...Re8 9.cxd5 9.Nf3 b6 10.Bd3 Ba6 11.Nd2 Nbd7 12.0-0 c5 13.Qb3 Qc7 14.h3 Rac8 15.Rac1 Qb7 16.Rfd1 e5 17.Bf1 cxd4 18.cxd4 exd4 19.exd4 dxc4 20.Nxc4 Qd5 21.Qb4 Qa8 22.Qb1 Rcd8 23.Qf5 Nf8 24.d5 Ng6 25.d6 Bc8 26.Qc2 Bd7 27.Bb2 Ne4 28.Ne3 Nc5 29.Nd5 Bxa4 30.Qc3 Re5 31.Ne7+ 1-0 (31) Bocharov,D (2595)-Karavade,E (2395) Moscow 2016 9...cxd5 Also possible is 9...exd5 10.Nf3 Bf5= 10.Nf3 Nc6 11.Bd3 e5 12.dxe5 Nxe5 13.Nxe5 Rxe5 Black now has an isolated pawn on d5 whereas White has a weak pawn on c3. But the position opened and this suits the white bishops. 14.0-0 Qc7 15.c4 Using a tactical trick to open the position further. Rh5 This seems to be a natural and active continuation but in the further course of the game the rook is misplaced here. But definitely not 15...dxc4 16.Bd6! and White wins. Qxd6? 17.Bxh7+ 16.f4 dxc4 17.Bxc4 Qb6 17...Qxc4?? is not possible because Black's back rank is too weak. 18.Qd2 Ne4 19.Qd4 Qxd4 20.exd4 Bd7 21.Rfe1 White now is clearly better. After the exchange of queens Black has no serious threats and the black pieces lack coordination. Re8 22.d5! Reminding Black that passed pawns can be strong. Rh6 After 22...Bxa4 White plays 23.Bb4 and if now b5 24.Ba2 it is not easy to see how Black can stop the advance of the d-pawn. 23.a5 Rf6 The rook desperately tries to find a good square. 24.g3 h5 25.Bd3 Nd6 26.Rxe8+ Bxe8 27.Rc1 Bb5 28.Bb1 Threatening 29.Bxd6 Rxd6 30.Rc8+. Bd7 29.Rc7 Bg4 Or 29...Be8 30.Bc2 a6 30...Kf8 31.Rxb7 31.Bxd6 Rxd6 32.Rc8 Kf8 33.Ba4+- 30.h4 Bf5 31.Bxd6 Bxb1 32.Bb4 Rf5 33.d6 Rd5 34.d7 34.d7 Kh7 35.Be7+- 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Koneru,H2575Tan,Z24951–02016E40Chengdu WGP 20164.4

With this win Humpy Koneru took the sole lead because Harika Dronavalli drew against Mariya Muzychuk. Should Humpy Koneru continue the way she started and win the tournament she would jump from fourth to first place in the overall standings of the Grand Prix.

Mariya Muzychuk (left) and Harika Dronavalli (right)
clarify some questions before the game.

Olga Girya

Ju Wenjun

Pia Cramling Pia Cramling played an aggressive game against Ju Wenjun
but her decision to sacrifice a piece against two pawns was
a bit too optimistic and in the end caused her to lose.

 

Round four results

Br. Titel Name Land ELO Erg. Titel Name Land ELO
1 GM Bela Khotenashvili
 
 2470 ½ - ½ GM Xue Zhao
 
 2504
2 GM Pia Cramling
 
 2471 0 - 1 GM Wenjun Ju
 
 2559
3 GM Anna Muzychuk
 
 2555 ½ - ½ IM Lela Javakhishvili
 
 2493
4 GM Humpy Koneru
 
 2575 1 - 0 WGM Zhongyi Tan
 
 2509
5 GM Antoaneta Stefanova
 
 2507 ½ - ½ WGM Olga Girya
 
 2443
6 GM Mariya Muzychuk
 
 2561 ½ - ½ GM Dronavalli Harika
 
 2514

Games - Rounds 1 to 4

 
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1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e3 Bg4 4.h3 Bh5 5.g4 Bg6 6.Ne5 Nfd7 7.Nxg6 hxg6 8.c4 c6 9.Qb3 Qc7 10.Nc3 e6 11.e4 e5 12.exd5 exd4 13.Ne2 Na6 14.Bf4 Qa5+ 15.Kd1 Nac5 16.Qf3 cxd5 17.Nxd4 0-0-0 18.Kc2 Nb6 19.Bd2 Qa4+ 20.b3 Qd7 21.cxd5 Qxd5 22.Qxd5 Nxd5 23.Bg2 Be7 24.Rad1 a6 25.Ba5 Nc7 26.b4 Nd7 27.Rhe1 Bf6 28.b5 Nc5 29.Bxc7 Kxc7 30.Nb3 Nxb3 31.Kxb3 axb5 32.f4 Bh4 33.Rxd8 Rxd8 34.Re5 Rd2 35.Bf1 Rf2 36.Bxb5 Rf3+ 37.Kb4 Rxf4+ 38.Bc4 Rf3 39.Bd5 Rf4+ 40.Re4 Rf2 41.Kb5 Bg5 42.a4 b6 43.Rd4 Be7 44.Rd3 Rc2 45.Bc4 f5 46.Re3 Bf6 47.Re6 Rb2+ 48.Ka6 f4 49.Bd5 Rd2 50.Bb7 Rd3 51.Rc6+ Kd7 52.Rxb6 f3 53.Bc6+ Kc7 54.Bb5 Rd1 55.g5 Bxg5 56.Rb7+ Kc8 57.Rxg7 Rd6+ 58.Ka7 Be3+ 59.Ka8 Rf6 60.Re7 Bb6 61.Ba6+ Kd8 62.Re1 Ba5 63.Rd1+ Kc7 64.Bf1 Bb4 65.Rc1+ Kb6 66.Rc8 Rf7 67.Rb8+ Ka5 68.Rb7 Rf8+ 69.Rb8 Rf6 70.Kb7 Kxa4 71.Rc8 Kb3 72.Rc6 Rxc6 73.Kxc6 Kc3 74.Kd5 Kd2 75.Ke4 Ke1 76.Kxf3 Kxf1 77.h4 Bd2 78.Kg4 Bh6 79.Kf3 Ke1 80.Ke4 Bf8 81.Kf4 Be7 82.Kg4 Ke2 83.h5 gxh5+ 84.Kxh5 ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Stefanova,A2512Muzychuk,M2545½–½2016D04Chengdu WGP 20161.1
Khotenashvili,B2454Koneru,H2575½–½2016E06Chengdu WGP 20161.2
Zhao,X2510Muzychuk,A2545½–½2016D30Chengdu WGP 20161.3
Girya,O2444Cramling,P2463½–½2016D21Chengdu WGP 20161.4
Tan,Z2495Harika,D25260–12016D43Chengdu WGP 20161.5
Javakhishvili,L2487Ju,W2578½–½2016D37Chengdu WGP 20161.6
Muzychuk,M2545Ju,W2578½–½2016C42Chengdu WGP 20162.1
Harika,D2526Javakhishvili,L24871–02016B46Chengdu WGP 20162.2
Cramling,P2463Tan,Z2495½–½2016D38Chengdu WGP 20162.3
Muzychuk,A2545Girya,O2444½–½2016B12Chengdu WGP 20162.4
Koneru,H2575Zhao,X25101–02016D38Chengdu WGP 20162.5
Stefanova,A2512Khotenashvili,B2454½–½2016D05Chengdu WGP 20162.6
Khotenashvili,B2454Muzychuk,M25451–02016B37Chengdu WGP 20163.1
Zhao,X2510Stefanova,A25120–12016D15Chengdu WGP 20163.2
Girya,O2444Koneru,H25750–12016E32Chengdu WGP 20163.3
Tan,Z2495Muzychuk,A2545½–½2016A87Chengdu WGP 20163.4
Javakhishvili,L2487Cramling,P2463½–½2016D30Chengdu WGP 20163.5
Ju,W2578Harika,D2526½–½2016D45Chengdu WGP 20163.6
Khotenashvili,B2454Zhao,X2510½–½2016E00Chengdu WGP 20164.1
Cramling,P2463Ju,W25780–12016A30Chengdu WGP 20164.2
Muzychuk,A2545Javakhishvili,L2487½–½2016B36Chengdu WGP 20164.3
Koneru,H2575Tan,Z24951–02016D31Chengdu WGP 20164.4
Stefanova,A2512Girya,O2444½–½2016A11Chengdu WGP 20164.5
Muzychuk,M2545Harika,D2526½–½2016B33Chengdu WGP 20164.6

 

Standings after four rounds

 

Grand Prix standings before the tournament

Tournament page...

André Schulz started working for ChessBase in 1991 and is an editor of ChessBase News.

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