Norway Chess Women: Ju beats Vaishali, climbs to shared first place

by Carlos Alberto Colodro
6/3/2024 – Ju Wenjun inflicted a first loss on R Vaishali at the Norway Chess Women tournament to shake things up in the standings table. The women’s world champion is now sharing the lead with Anna Muzychuk, who beat Lei Tingjie with black in Armageddon to grab 1½ points in the event’s sixth round. Pia Cramling also drew with black in the rapid tiebreaker to prevail in her match against Humpy Koneru. | Photo: Stev Bonhage / Norway Chess
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102 moves

Indian GM R Vaishali grabbed the lead at the inaugural Norway Chess Women tournament after beating Humpy Koneru in the second round. The 22-year-old remained atop the standings until Sunday’s sixth round, when she suffered a first classical loss in her game with white against Ju Wenjun — the women’s world champion needed 102 moves to secure the win. Ju came from drawing her first five classical games and then prevailing in every single Armageddon decider.

After taking down the former sole leader, Ju climbed to shared first place, as she has collected the same number of points as Ukrainian GM Anna Muzychuk. Muzychuk, who came from collecting back-to-back classical wins in rounds 4 and 5, twice held Lei Tingjie to a draw with the black pieces to collect 1½ points on Sunday. In round 7, co-leaders Muzychuk and Ju will face each other (Muzychuk will play white).

The remaining round-6 encounter saw Pia Cramling prevailing in the rapid tiebreaker against Humpy. Cramling, the fifth woman to ever earn the GM title, had missed clear winning chances in previous encounters — particularly in round 3 against Ju — but finally managed her first mini-match victory in the sixth round.

Humpy Koneru, Pia Cramling

Humpy Koneru playing white against Pia Cramling | Photo: Stev Bonhage

Vaishali 0 - 1 Ju

Endgame analysis by GM Karsten Müller

Vaishali Rameshbabu, Ju Wenjun

Vaishali Rameshbabu v. Ju Wenjun | Photo: Stev Bonhage

Standings after round 6

Rk Name FED Rtg Pts
1 Ju Wenjun CHN 2559 10.5
Anna Muzychuk UKR 2505 10.5
3 R Vaishali IND 2489 10
4 Lei Tingjie CHN 2548 7
5 Humpy Koneru IND 2545 5
6 Pia Cramling SWE 2449 4.5

All games - Classical

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1.d4 3 Nf6 18 2.c4 7 g6 6 3.Nc3 7 d5 16 4.cxd5 15 Nxd5 3 5.e4 7 Nxc3 6 6.bxc3 5 Bg7 4 7.Nf3 17 c5 7 8.Bb5+ 36 Nc6 18 9.0-0 9 0-0 16 10.Bxc6 20 bxc6 3 11.Qc2 19 Qa5 38 12.a4 20 Rd8 1:50 13.Ba3 5:45 cxd4 1:27 14.cxd4 17 Bg4 38 15.Ne5 31 Bxe5 37 16.dxe5 3 Qxe5 1:10 17.f3 2:52 Bc8 19:36 18.Rfd1 8:37 Be6 6:55 19.Rac1 16:36 c5 16:10 20.Bxc5 12:00 Rxd1+ 8:34 21.Qxd1 3 Rc8 3:07 22.Bxe7 9:28 Rxc1 34 23.Qxc1 3 f5 7:38 24.exf5 8:45 Bxf5 18 25.Bc5 42 a6 4:42 26.h4 7:06 h5 6:22 27.Bf2 2:47 Qd5 5:15 28.Qf4 55 Kf7 2:01 29.Kh2 5:04 Ke6 2:35 30.Bg3 4 Qc6 1:29 31.a5 1:40 Kd5 3:02 32.Qb4 6:36 Qb5 2:09 33.Qd6+ 57 Kc4 3 34.Be1 14 Kb3 1:58 35.Qd1+ 1:26 Bc2 27 36.Qd6 2:53 Bf5 23 37.Qd2 1:57 Qe5+ 4:31 38.Bg3 9 Qc3 1:05 39.Qd1+ 1:25 Qc2 2:57 40.Qd8 2:18 Qd3 1:04 41.Qb6+ 2:01:41 Kc2 2:01:45 42.Be5 1:39 Qc4 1:21 43.Qb2+ 15 Kd1 20 44.Bg3 1:54 Qc2 58 45.Qa1+ 27 Qb1 0 46.Qa4+ 10 Qc2 3 47.Qb4 40 Qd2 18 48.Qc5 1:08 Qd3 1:33 49.Bf4 3 Ke2 1:05 50.Kg3 1:24 Kd1 26 51.Qc1+ 2:02 Ke2 0 52.Qg1 0 Bd7 41 53.Kh2 1:13 Bf5 6 54.Qc1 43 Bd7 0 55.Bg3 19 Qd2 0 56.Qc5 36 Qd3 5 57.Bf4 35 Bf5 4 58.Kg3 0 Kd1 1 59.Bg5 17 Ke2 0 60.Qc1 12 Qd6+ 0 61.Bf4 0 Qd3 0 62.Qg1 15 Bd7 0 63.Qf2+ 0 Kd1 0 64.Qb2 2 Bf5 0 65.Qc1+ 7 Ke2 0 66.Qc5 0 Kd1 0 67.Be3 0 Ke2 0 68.Kf4 0 Kf1 0 69.Qc1+ 0 Ke2 0 70.Qb2+ 0 Qc2 0 71.Qxc2+ 0 Bxc2 0 72.g4 0 hxg4 0 73.fxg4 0 Kd3 0 74.Bb6 0 Kc4 0 75.Ke5 0 Kb5 0 76.Kf6 0 Kc6 0 77.Kg7 0 Bd1 0 78.Kxg6 0 Bxg4 0 79.h5 0 Bxh5+ 0 80.Kxh5 0 Kb7 0 ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Ju,W2560Vaishali,R2490½–½2024D85Norway Chess Women 20241.1
Muzychuk,A2505Lei,T2548½–½2024C07Norway Chess Women 20241.2
Cramling,P2449Koneru,H2545½–½2024E40Norway Chess Women 20241.3
Vaishali,R2490Koneru,H25451–02024C50Norway Chess Women 20242.1
Lei,T2548Cramling,P2449½–½2024B33Norway Chess Women 20242.2
Ju,W2560Muzychuk,A2505½–½2024C28Norway Chess Women 20242.3
Muzychuk,A2505Vaishali,R2490½–½2024C78Norway Chess Women 20243.1
Cramling,P2449Ju,W2560½–½2024D55Norway Chess Women 20243.2
Koneru,H2545Lei,T2548½–½2024D32Norway Chess Women 20243.3
Cramling,P2449Vaishali,R24900–12024D85Norway Chess Women 20244.1
Koneru,H2545Muzychuk,A25050–12024D31Norway Chess Women 20244.2
Lei,T2548Ju,W2560½–½2024D35Norway Chess Women 20244.3
Vaishali,R2490Lei,T2548½–½2024C48Norway Chess Women 20245.1
Ju,W2560Koneru,H2545½–½2024D27Norway Chess Women 20245.2
Muzychuk,A2505Cramling,P24491–02024B30Norway Chess Women 20245.3
Vaishali,R2490Ju,W25600–12024B22Norway Chess Women 20246.1
Lei,T2548Muzychuk,A2505½–½2024A33Norway Chess Women 20246.2
Koneru,H2545Cramling,P2449½–½2024E29Norway Chess Women 20246.3
Koneru,H2545Vaishali,R24901–02024D79Norway Chess Women 20247.1
Cramling,P2449Lei,T2548½–½2024D13Norway Chess Women 20247.2
Muzychuk,A2505Ju,W2560½–½2024C67Norway Chess Women 20247.3
Vaishali,R2490Muzychuk,A2505½–½2024D00Norway Chess Women 20248.1
Ju,W2560Cramling,P24491–02024E46Norway Chess Women 20248.2
Lei,T2548Koneru,H25451–02024D20Norway Chess Women 20248.3
Lei,T2548Vaishali,R24901–02024A34Norway Chess Women 20249.1
Koneru,H2545Ju,W2560½–½2024D38Norway Chess Women 20249.2
Cramling,P2449Muzychuk,A2505½–½2024D32Norway Chess Women 20249.3
Vaishali,R2490Cramling,P2449½–½2024B22Norway Chess Women 202410.1
Muzychuk,A2505Koneru,H2545½–½2024C70Norway Chess Women 202410.2
Ju,W2560Lei,T25481–02024D14Norway Chess Women 202410.3

All games - Armageddon

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1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Bf4 Bg7 5.Nb5 Na6 6.e3 D00: 1 d4 d5: Unusual lines. 0-0 6...0-0 is better than 6...c6. 7.h3 Ne4 8.Be2 c6 9.Nc3 Qa5 10.0-0 Nxc3 11.bxc3 Qxc3 12.Rb1 Qa5 13.c4 dxc4 14.Bxc4 b5 15.Bb3N Predecessor: 15.Bd3 Rd8 16.Qc2 Bd7 17.Rfc1 Rac8 18.Ne5 Bxe5 19.Bxe5 c5 20.Qb2 c4 21.Be4 0-1 Espinosa,P (2091)-Ippolito,D (2356) Charlotte Carolinas op 2022 (3) 15...Bb7 16.Rc1 Rac8 17.Ng5 e6 17...Qb6= 18.Ne4 18.Bd6± 18...Rcd8 18...Ba8= keeps the balance. 19.Bg5± f6 20.Bf4 Kh8 21.Nd6 Qc7
22.Nxb7! And not 22.Bxe6 Rxd6 23.d5 Rfd8 24.Bxd6 Rxd6 24...Qxd6 25.dxc6 Bxc6 26.Rxc6= 22...Qxb7 23.Bxe6 c5 24.Qb3 24.a4± aiming for axb5. b4 25.Qe2 cxd4 26.exd4 24...cxd4 24...Qb6! should be considered. 25.exd4± Rxd4 26.Be3 Rd6 27.Rfd1 Rxd1+ 28.Rxd1 Nb8 28...Nc7 29.Bd5± Qd7 29...Qa6 30.Bf3 f5 30.Bf3 Qc7 31.Qxb5 f5 32.Rc1 Qf7 33.Bd5 Qf6? 33...Qd7 is a better defense. 34.a4 a6 34.Bxa7+- Qe5 34...Qa6 35.Qxa6 35.Bxb8? loses. Qxb5 36.Bd6 Qxd5-+ 35...Nxa6 35.a4 Rd8 36.Bc4 Qf4 37.Be3 Qe4 38.Bf1 f4 39.Bb6 Rg8 40.a5 f3 41.g3 Bd4 42.Qc4 Bxf2+ 43.Bxf2 43.Kxf2 Qxc4 44.Bxc4 1–0
  • Start an analysis engine:
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  • Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Ju,W2560Vaishali,R24901–02024D00Norway Chess Women Armageddon 20241.1
Muzychuk,A2505Lei,T25480–12024C07Norway Chess Women Armageddon 20241.2
Cramling,P2449Koneru,H2545½–½2024D63Norway Chess Women Armageddon 20241.3
Ju,W2560Muzychuk,A25051–02024C28Norway Chess Women Armageddon 20242.1
Lei,T2548Cramling,P24491–02024B32Norway Chess Women Armageddon 20242.1
Koneru,H2545Lei,T25481–02024D03Norway Chess Women Armageddon 20243.1
Muzychuk,A2505Vaishali,R2490½–½2024C68Norway Chess Women Armageddon 20243.1
Cramling,P2449Ju,W2560½–½2024D55Norway Chess Women Armageddon 20243.1
Lei,T2548Ju,W25600–12024D00Norway Chess Women Armageddon 20244.1
Ju,W2560Koneru,H25451–02024D23Norway Chess Women Armageddon 20245.1
Vaishali,R2490Lei,T25481–02024C48Norway Chess Women Armageddon 20245.1
Lei,T2548Muzychuk,A25050–12024A33Norway Chess Women Armageddon 20246.1
Koneru,H2545Cramling,P2449½–½2024E12Norway Chess Women Armageddon 20246.1
Muzychuk,A2505Ju,W25601–02024C50Norway Chess Women Armageddon 20247.1
Cramling,P2449Lei,T25480–12024D18Norway Chess Women Armageddon 20247.1
Vaishali,R2490Muzychuk,A25051–02024C48Norway Chess Women Armageddon 20248.1
Koneru,H2545Ju,W25600–12024A06Norway Chess Women Armageddon 20249.1
Cramling,P2449Muzychuk,A25050–12024D02Norway Chess Women Armageddon 20249.1
Muzychuk,A2505Koneru,H25451–02024C70Norway Chess Women Armageddon 202410.1
Vaishali,R2490Cramling,P2449½–½2024D02Norway Chess Women Armageddon 202410.1

The Jobava London System is a minor form of the London System. White tries to play Lf4 quickly followed by Nc3.

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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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