İş Bankası - Women Grand Prix Series in Istanbul
Pictorial report by Özgür Akman
The first event of the FIDE 2009/2010 Grand Prix cycle is being held in Istanbul:
It is called the Is Bank Atatürk FIDE Women Masters, and is actually the
second edition of a women’s super tournament in Turkey. It is taking placed
from the 6th to 20th of March in Istanbul, at Cybele Art Gallery in Is Bank
Tower.
Kosteniuk in Istanbul
Women’s world champion Alexandra Kosteniuk came to the Turkey for the
first time in her life. She was not in Istanbul in order to play in the event,
but to attend the FIDE Presidential Board meeting which was held on 5-8 March
at Grand Cevahir Hotel in Istanbul, where the players stay this year. Alexandra
Kosteniuk received a warm welcome upon her arrival to Istanbul Atatürk
Airport and was one of the centers of attention.

Waiting for the World Champion: young Turkish fans at the airport

There she is, Alexandra Kosteniuk, and is greeted with flowers

Posing with the youngsters – this is Alexandra's first visit in Turkey
Opening Ceremony
The opening ceremony of the Is Bank Atatürk FIDE Women Grand Prix was
held on March 6 at the 41st floor of the Is Bank Tower, which was the playing
hall in last year’s Atatürk
International Women Masters. However, this year it is the Cybele Art Gallery
Hall which is at the entrance floor of the Is Bank Towers.

The drawing of lots: Hou Yifan picks the white bishop and with it the start
number four

Maia Chiburdanidze picks a pawn and gets the start number nine
The surprise honorary guest of the opening ceremony was Ahmet Çalik,
owner of the Çalik Conglomerate and Turkuvaz Media Group, the second
largest media group in Turkey. It owns the popular newspaper Sabah and the ATV
channel. Among Çalik’s opponents is none other than the well-known
media mogul Rupert Murdoch.

FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov with media mogul Ahmet Çalik and
TCF President Ali Nihat Yazici

The Presidents and the players pose together for a press shot
Round 1
Although the draw offers by players are forbidden, there is no real need to
apply this rule for women, since they are always eager to fight. There were
some crucial games in the first round, including the one between Hou Yifan and
Maia Chiburdanidze – a 15-year-old Chinese prodigy against the living
legend of women’s chess, who has been on top of all women’s rankings
since her early teenage years. Hou Yifan had difficult moments against her experienced
opponent, but in the end was able to hold.

The great Maia Chiburdanidze with her trademark hat

The youngest player with her trademark hair clips: Hou Yifan
Humpy Koneru, the top seed, won an important game with the black pieces against
Pia Cramling in a compicated Ragozin.
Indian GM Humpy before the start of her first game in Istanbul
Martha Fierro started with a win against Zeinab Mamedyarova, the eldest member
of the Mamedyarova clan, but not without difficulties, since Mamedyarova had
the better chances for some time. Zhao Xue won a quick game, exploiting the
knight moves of her opponent Shen Yang in the opening, which seemed to be losing
too much time, as both players explained in the press conference after the game.

A nice first-round victory for late-comer Martha Fierro

Zeinab Mamedyarova, the sister of world-class GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov
Elina Danielian sacrificed an exchange against Marie Sebag for consolidation
of the queenside pawns, which paid off after the trade of the queens.

Sheer determination: IM Elina Danielian from Armenia
Last but not least: in the game between Betül Cemre Yildiz and Antoaneta
Stefanova, the Turkish girl played very accurately in a complicated opening
and got the upper hand. She was an exchange up close to winning at some point.
But inaccurate play and time trouble led to Yildiz actually losing the game.
Stefanova emphasized it was a difficult first round encounter and that Betül
had improved a lot since their first game in Calvia in 2004.

Türkish WIM Betül Cemre Yildiz came close to defeating former
Women's World Champion Antoaneta Stefanova
Round 2
The second round had some quiet draws, including the ones between Shen Yang
and Marie Sebag and between Maia Chiburdanidze and Zhao Xue. Hou Yifan beat
Zeinab Mamedyarova, but the latter could almost be winning at some point, as
both players agreed in the press conference.

Sister and brother analysing: Zeinab Mamedyarova and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov
Stefanova made an interesting sacrifice, opening the whole kingside of her
opponent Martha Fierro. But after the time trouble, during which the Bulgarian
grandmaster could not find the correct moves, Fierro had a strong counterplay.

Veteran Pia Cramling, who bounced back in round two and beat Yildiz

Not doing so well: former women's world champion Antoaneta Stefanova
The thriller of the round was the harsh punishment inflicted by Pia Cramling
when Betül Yildiz mishandles the opening. Humpy Koneru scored her second
victory in succession, this time against Elina Danielian in the English Opening.
Round 3
Humpy Koneru lost her sole lead after drawing against the host country's Betül
Cemre Yildiz. The Indian star had a four vs three pawns on one side, with a
rooks and one knight on the board. But Betül held on and a rook + knight
vs.rook position appeared on the board. The Turkish girl defended with her sole
rook, and although she missed some stalemate opportunities, in the end her six-hour
long resistence was paid off with a draw.

Hou Yifan vs ex-world champion Antoaneta Stefanova. The Chinese girl won
in 78 moves
Hou Yifan scored her second win in a row in a queen endgame against ex-world
champion Antoaneta Stefanova. Zhao Xue refuted a Zeinab Mamedyarov sacrifice
and also joined Humpy and her younger compatriot to share the lead with 2.5
points.

Chinese GM Zhao Xue
Martha Fierro, the late entry, upset the experienced Pia Cramling who does
not seem to be showing her usual level, one that chess fans have been witnessing
for decades.

Top female French player Marie Sebag
Maia Chiburdanidze and Marie Sebag drew their game, as did Elina Danielian
and Shen Yang, who both missed good opportunities to win against each other.
Current standings
Schedule
Thursday |
March 05: 18:00h |
Arrival |
Friday |
March 06: 14:00 |
Opening |
Saturday |
March 07: 15:00h |
Round 1 |
Sunday |
March 08: 15:00h |
Round 2 |
Monday |
March 09: 15:00h |
Round 3 |
Tuesday |
March 10: 15:00h |
Round 4 |
Wednesday |
March 11 |
Rest day |
Thursday |
March 12: 15:00h |
Round 5 |
Friday |
March 13: 15:00h |
Round 6 |
Saturday |
March 14: 15:00h |
Round 7 |
Sunday |
March 15: 15:00h |
Round 8 |
Monday |
March 16 |
Rest day |
Tuesday |
March 17: 15:00h |
Round 9 |
Wednesday |
March 18: 15:00h |
Round 10 |
Thursday |
March 19: 15:00h |
Round 11 |
Friday |
March 20 |
Departure |
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