Jermuk GP: Dzagnidze wins by a point and a half

The FIDE Women Grand Prix, a series of elite tournaments organised by FIDE and Global Chess, is being held in various countries around the world. There are six tournaments spread over two years, with three tournaments every year. The winner of each gets € 6,500 out of a prize fund of € 40,000. The overall winner of the series receives an additional € 15,000 at the end of the series. The Jermuk Grand Prix was one of the strongest women tournaments of all times.

Round eleven (final)

One of the two hometown heroines, Danielian, scored an impressive victory playing black against Kosintseva in a Caro-Kann, where she demonstrated solid home preparation. The game was marred by a terrible blunder by the Russian GM, who after the penultimate round had a theoretical chance of catching the leader.

Kosintseva,T (2534) - Danielian,E (2473) [B12]
4th FIDE GP w Jermuk ARM (11), 05.07.2010
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nf3 e6 5.Be2 c5 6.Be3 cxd4 7.Nxd4 Ne7 8.Nd2 Nbc6 9.N2f3 Bg4 10.0-0 Bxf3 11.Nxf3 Ng6 12.c4 dxc4 13.Bxc4 Qc7 14.Bb5 Be7 15.Rc1 0-0 16.Bxc6 bxc6 17.Qd4 Rfd8 18.Qc3 Rac8 19.Rfd1 Qb8 20.g3 c5 21.h4 Qb7 22.Rxd8+ Rxd8 23.Nd2 Qd5 24.Nc4

In this position Danielian had a forced repetition: 24...Bxh4 25.gxh4 Nxh4 26.Kf1 Qh1+ 27.Ke2 Qf3+ 28.Kf1 Qh1+. But instead the Armenian IM (and WGM) was striving for a win: 24...h5. Giving her opponent a chance to miss some tactics. 25.Rc2?? Qd1+ 26.Kh2 Rd3 0-1.

In the above game both players were ready for a good battle. They assayed a popular system of the Sicilian Defence, and a tense struggle ensued. Black succeeded in equalizing out of the opening, and making use of some uncertain play by White in the middlegame, garnered an advantage. Cramling followed through nicely to earn herself the full point in this last round.

Fierro Baquero,M (2363) - Cramling,P (2536) [B51]
4th FIDE GP w Jermuk ARM (11), 05.07.2010
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Nd7 4.d4 cxd4 5.Qxd4 a6 6.Bxd7+ Bxd7 7.Nc3 Rc8 8.Bg5 h6 9.Bh4 e5 10.Qd3 g5 11.Bg3 Qc7 12.0-0-0 Nf6 13.Kb1 Be7 14.h4 g4 15.Nd2 b5 16.a3 Rb8 17.h5 b4 18.axb4 Rxb4 19.Bh4 Be6 20.Nb3 Nd7 21.Qxa6 Bxh4 22.Rxh4 Ke7 23.Nb5 Qb6 24.Qxb6 Nxb6 25.Nxd6 Na4 26.Nf5+ Kf6 27.f3 gxf3

White is under tremendous pressure and needs to defend with 28.Rh2. Instead the Ecuadorian IM (and WGM) goes for 28.Ne3? giving her Swedish opponent GM Pia Cramling a chance she would not let pass: 28...fxg2 29.Nxg2 Bxb3 30.cxb3 Rxb3 31.Rf1+ Ke6 32.Rf2 Rhb8 33.Rg4 Nxb2 34.Kc2 Nc4 35.Re2 Ra3 36.Kc1 Ra1+ 37.Kc2 Rb2+ 38.Kc3 Rc1+ 0-1.

Final standings

Statistics As is normal in women's tournaments the numer of drawn games is low – extraordinarily low in this case. Of the 66 games played: 37% (24 games) ended in draws White won 26 games = 39% Black won 24 games = 24%

First by a point and a half and a 2747 performance: Georgian GM Nana Dzagnidze

The Chinese and an Armenian: Hou Yifan, Shen Yang, Xu Yuhua and Lilit Mkrtchian

Russian GM Tatiana Kosintseva and WGM Baira Kovanova

The players listen to a musical presentation at the closing ceremony

... and a dance number with black and white human pieces

Here they share unbridled mirth at a closing ceremony presentation

Lilit Mkrtchian, Tatiana Kosintseva and Nana Dzagnidze, with the latter's prize check

Martha Lorena with photographer Arman Karakhanyan, who provided all the lovely
pictures (courtesy of FIDE) in our Jermuk reports.

Links Official tournament site All games in PGN Game commentary (PDF): R1, R2a, R2b, R3a, R3b, R4, R5, R6, R7, R8, R9, R10, R11. The games are being broadcast live on the official web site and on the chess server Playchess.com. If you are not a member you can download the free PGN reader ChessBase Light, which gives you immediate access. You can also use the program to read, replay and analyse PGN games. New and enhanced: CB Light 2009!