Stefanova wins Women's World Rapid in Batumi
6/3/2012 – The top-ranked players were all battling for the medals, but it was the luckiest (by her own admission) who took Gold in the end. Antoneta Stefanova could hardly complain – two of her highest-ranked opponents blundered winning positions to mate in two or mate in one. The Blitz Championship starts on Monday. From the final rounds of the Rapid we are treated to Europe Echecs video reports.
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The Women's World Rapid and Blitz Championship 2012 is taking place from May 30 to June 6 in Batumi, Georgia. The event is organized and conducted by the ACP and the Georgian Chess Federation, and is approved by FIDE. Format: eleven round rapid Swiss at 25 min + 10 seconds, 11 rounds; 15 round blitz at 4 min + 2 seconds. FIDE rules without the unpopular zero tolerance rule – the game is lost by the player who arrives at the chessboard after her flag has fallen.
Final standings (after eleven rounds)
| Rk. | Title | Name | FED |
Rtg |
Pts. |
TB1 |
TB2 |
Perf |
| 1 | GM | Stefanova Antoaneta | BUL |
2518 |
8.5 |
61.5 |
74.5 |
2700 |
| 2 | GM | Kosteniuk Alexandra | RUS |
2457 |
8.0 |
61.5 |
74.5 |
2672 |
| 3 | GM | Koneru Humpy | IND |
2589 |
8.0 |
60.5 |
74.5 |
2630 |
| 4 | GM | Lahno Kateryna | UKR |
2546 |
8.0 |
57.5 |
70.5 |
2639 |
| 5 | GM | Muzychuk Anna | SLO |
2598 |
7.5 |
59.5 |
70.5 |
2554 |
| 6 | GM | Harika Dronavalli | IND |
2508 |
7.5 |
53.0 |
64.0 |
2563 |
| 7 | GM | Dzagnidze Nana | GEO |
2547 |
7.0 |
53.0 |
65.5 |
2562 |
| 8 | GM | Cramling Pia | SWE |
2478 |
6.5 |
57.5 |
68.0 |
2545 |
| 9 | GM | Zhao Xue | CHN |
2549 |
6.5 |
56.0 |
69.5 |
2535 |
| 10 | WGM | Guo Qi | CHN |
2360 |
6.5 |
56.0 |
69.0 |
2562 |
| 11 | IM | Paehtz Elisabeth | GER |
2491 |
6.5 |
54.5 |
64.5 |
2491 |
| 12 | WGM | Tan Zhongyi | CHN |
2430 |
6.5 |
54.0 |
65.5 |
2528 |
| 13 | IM | Javakhishvili Lela | GEO |
2449 |
6.5 |
52.0 |
63.5 |
2514 |
| 14 | GM | Zhukova Natalia | UKR |
2442 |
6.5 |
52.0 |
63.0 |
2527 |
| 15 | GM | Zhu Chen | QAT |
2491 |
6.5 |
52.0 |
63.0 |
2485 |
| 16 | GM | Kosintseva Tatiana | RUS |
2532 |
6.5 |
48.0 |
57.0 |
2424 |
| 17 | WGM | Huang Qian | CHN |
2417 |
6.0 |
62.5 |
75.5 |
2542 |
| 18 | IM | Khurtsidze Nino | GEO |
2456 |
6.0 |
58.5 |
71.5 |
2530 |
| 19 | Wang Jue | CHN |
2364 |
6.0 |
55.5 |
67.0 |
2540 |
|
| 20 | IM | Gunina Valentina | RUS |
2530 |
6.0 |
54.5 |
67.5 |
2481 |
| 21 | IM | Mkrtchian Lilit | ARM |
2449 |
6.0 |
51.0 |
63.0 |
2460 |
| 22 | IM | Ushenina Anna | UKR |
2454 |
5.5 |
52.0 |
63.5 |
2445 |
| 23 | GM | Arakhamia-Grant Ketevan | SCO |
2426 |
5.5 |
51.0 |
63.0 |
2459 |
| 24 | WGM | Batsiashvili Nino | GEO |
2436 |
5.5 |
50.0 |
62.5 |
2442 |
| 25 | IM | Melia Salome | GEO |
2410 |
5.5 |
46.0 |
58.0 |
2443 |
| 26 | WGM | Pogonina Natalija | RUS |
2447 |
5.5 |
46.0 |
55.0 |
2370 |
| 27 | GM | Danielian Elina | ARM |
2484 |
5.5 |
45.0 |
55.0 |
2370 |
| 28 | IM | Khukhashvili Sopiko | GEO |
2414 |
5.5 |
43.0 |
52.5 |
2390 |
| 29 | IM | Gvetadze Sofio | GEO |
2338 |
5.0 |
53.0 |
66.5 |
2426 |
| 30 | IM | Muzychuk Mariya | UKR |
2456 |
5.0 |
51.0 |
61.0 |
2407 |
| 31 | GM | Chiburdanidze Maia | GEO |
2500 |
5.0 |
49.5 |
60.5 |
2386 |
| 32 | WGM | Cori T Deysi | PER |
2386 |
5.0 |
47.5 |
58.0 |
2365 |
| 33 | WGM | Ding Yixin | CHN |
2353 |
5.0 |
45.0 |
55.0 |
2381 |
| 34 | IM | Purtseladze Maka | GEO |
2348 |
5.0 |
44.0 |
54.0 |
2380 |
| 35 | IM | Krush Irina | USA |
2457 |
5.0 |
43.0 |
51.0 |
2340 |
| 36 | IM | Lomineishvili Maia | GEO |
2366 |
5.0 |
41.5 |
51.0 |
2362 |
| 37 | IM | Kovalevskaya Ekaterina | RUS |
2417 |
4.5 |
48.5 |
60.0 |
2396 |
| 38 | GM | Socko Monika | POL |
2484 |
4.5 |
48.0 |
58.5 |
2347 |
| 39 | WGM | Mammadova Gulnar | AZE |
2345 |
4.5 |
47.5 |
59.0 |
2381 |
| 40 | IM | Matnadze Ana | ESP |
2446 |
4.5 |
44.0 |
53.0 |
2304 |
| 41 | WIM | Mikadze Miranda | GEO |
2323 |
4.5 |
41.5 |
49.0 |
2315 |
| 42 | WIM | Arabidze Meri | GEO |
2351 |
4.5 |
41.0 |
50.0 |
2330 |
| 43 | WGM | Charkhalashvili Inga | GEO |
2334 |
4.5 |
41.0 |
49.5 |
2323 |
| 44 | WIM | Janjghava Natia | GEO |
2306 |
4.0 |
42.0 |
51.5 |
2261 |
| 45 | IM | Klinova Masha | ISR |
2318 |
3.5 |
46.0 |
54.5 |
2246 |
| 46 | IM | Khotenashvili Bela | GEO |
2500 |
3.5 |
44.5 |
53.0 |
2258 |
| 47 | IM | Gurieli Nino | GEO |
2329 |
3.5 |
40.5 |
49.0 |
2218 |
| 48 | WIM | Umudova Nargiz | AZE |
2231 |
3.0 |
39.5 |
48.0 |
2188 |
| 49 | WIM | Bezgodova Svetlana | RUS |
2120 |
2.5 |
44.5 |
54.0 |
2192 |
| 50 | GM | Gaprindashvili Nona | GEO |
2356 |
2.0 |
39.0 |
48.0 |
2105 |
GM
Robert Fontaine and his video producer Gérard Demuydt have castled from
the World Championship in Moscow to the Women's Rapid and Blitz in Batumi. They
are producing video reports and interviews after each round for the French chess
magazine Europe Echecs. We are grateful
to receive these reports and that they include interviews with players and personalities.
Interview with legendary trainer Mark Dvoretsky
Interviews with Qian Huang and Melia Salome
Stefanova Women's World Rapid Champion
In this video Anotaneta Stefanova says: "It was a very difficult tournament. The result may look easy, but okay, I was quite lucky, first against Zhao Xue – I had a very bad position and she blundered...
... and then against Katya Lahno, when I was the most lost in my life, and she blundered mate in one..."
"I cannot complain about my luck in this tournament – obviously everything was working for me..."
The video ends with scenes from a dolphin show
Remaining schedule
| 4 June | Blitz (rounds 1-8) 15:00, 15:30, 16:00, etc... |
| 5 June | Blitz (rounds 9-15), 15:00, 15:30, 16:00, etc... Closing Ceremony. |
| 6 June | Departure |
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LinksThe 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 a free Playchess client there and get immediate access. You can also use ChessBase 11 or any of our Fritz compatible chess programs. |
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