2/13/2017 – 20 of 63 ladies lost their respective matches and had to leave the cycle. 11 matches went into the tie-break with hair-raising pressure. For many, it was the question of survival in the competition. In Tehran, many of the players who lost their first games managed to bounce back and square the match, some did not. Check out GM Elshan Moradiabadi's illustrated report and analysis.
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The first stage of Women's World Championship is over. 20 of 63 ladies lost their respective matches and have to leave the cycle. 11 matches went into the tie-break with hair-raising pressure. Usually, the most interesting games of the second round of each stage's mini-matches are those in which a player that has lost the first game tries to win the second to stay in the competition. The first round of the first stage saw a number of surprises, in which, higher-rated players succumbed to their lower-rated opponents.
In Tehran, many of the players who lost their first games managed to bounce back and square the match, some did not. One of these higher rated players who did not manage to stay longer in Tehran was GM Natalia Zhukova, who went down at the hand of Georgian IM Nino Khurtsidze. The Ukrainian did not manage to level the match and was forced to leave the tournament. Dzagnidze managed to win with black. Bodnaruk managed to do a great come back after a heart-breaking blunder and beat one of the local superstars, Mitra Hejazipour to force a tie-break. On the other hand, the good news for the hosts was the return of Sara Khademalsharieh. After losing the first round one-sidedly to Sopiko Guramishvili, Sara managed to handle her nerves and win with white to level the match. Here are some of the breath-taking moments of the second day of round one.
GM Natalia Zhukova came to Tehran with a lot of hopes, having GM Anton Korobov as her coach. However, she had to leave sooner than expected!
Round one hero before the tie-breaks! IM Nino Khurtsidze from Georgia
Half-Windsor or full-Windsor? Ahh, come on! We are talking about scarves now!
Mona Khaled- Nana Dzagnidze
The dreadful battle between dark horse Mona Khaled and experienced but out of shape Nana Dzagnidze was extended for another day.
Nana Dzagnidze suffered the worst setback among the top rated players, losing with white against Mona Khaled of Egypt in the first game. She came back with a lot of energy and managed to seize the initiative early on in the game but similar to game one she started to run out of steam and made several passive moves, as a result of which, her previous over-extending pawn pushes turned into permanent weaknesses. Mona came back with a strong attack along h-file and a fantastic knight, nicely placed on f5. She even managed to win a piece but in the time scramble complication she lost most of her advantage and when accuracy was needed, she succumbed to the nerve-wrecking pressure.
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1.e4
1,184,215
54%
2421
---
1.d4
958,932
55%
2434
---
1.Nf3
286,327
56%
2441
---
1.c4
184,722
56%
2443
---
1.g3
19,884
56%
2427
---
1.b3
14,598
54%
2428
---
1.f4
5,953
48%
2377
---
1.Nc3
3,906
50%
2384
---
1.b4
1,790
48%
2378
---
1.a3
1,250
54%
2406
---
1.e3
1,081
49%
2409
---
1.d3
969
50%
2378
---
1.g4
670
46%
2361
---
1.h4
466
54%
2382
---
1.c3
439
51%
2425
---
1.h3
289
56%
2420
---
1.a4
118
60%
2461
---
1.f3
100
47%
2427
---
1.Nh3
92
67%
2511
---
1.Na3
47
62%
2476
---
Please, wait...
I really would like to see Mona Khaled's mood tomorrow. After winning the first game with black, she got a completely winning position in this game and was about to deliver a 2-0 win against none other than Georgian no.1 GM Nana Dzagnidze. But things went very wrong for the Egyptian toward the end and "out of form" Dzagnidze used her immense experience to level the match. This is for sure the most dramatic game of the round.1.d4Nf62.Nf3b63.Bf4The solid London System. A good choice aginst a much higher rated player when you know a draw is more than enough!Bb74.e3Nh5This is a good move. e3 maybe considered a bit inaccurate.5.Bg5h66.Bh4g57.Nfd2Nf67...Nf4 is an interesting move!8.Bg3h5?!but this is too much!9.h39.h4g410.c4gives a close to clear advantage to white.9...d610.c4Nbd711.Nc3e612.Nf3h413.Bh2Rg8Dzagnidze is playing overly uncompromising. I guess she has to since she needs to win with black pieces to stay in the tournament!14.d5A good practical decisiong415.Nxh415.hxg4Nxg416.Bg1Be717.Nd4followed by f3 and e4 looks very promising for white.15...gxh316.g3What an agony for the bishop on h2.b5!Strong sense of dynamic. Black breaks white's wall by addressing the weakness of d5 pawn. The game become so dynamic and critical all of a sudden.17.Bxh3bxc418.Bg2Rb819.b3exd5?!19...Ng420.0-0Ba621.dxe6fxe6followed by Qg5 and Be7 gives black close to winning advantage.20.Nxd5Bg720...Nxd521.Bxd5cxb322.axb3Qg523.Bxb7Rxb7would have given black the upper hand thanks to 'almost' like a pawn bishop on h2.21.Rc1Nxd522.Bxd5Bxd523.Qxd5cxb324.axb3Be525.Nf5Rh8?This is a serious mistake!26.f4Bf627.g4the knight on f5 is such a beast!Kf8?Had Mona won this game, Dzagnidze wouldn't have forgiven herself for this blunder28.g5Bg729.Bg1?Hasty29.Kf2was simpler.29...Rxh130.Qxh1Nc5??game over?31.Qh7Bb232.Nh6??not yet.32.Rc2Ba133.Rh2Ke833...Bc3+34.Kf1Rxb335.Qh8+Bxh836.Rxh8#34.Qg8+Kd735.Qxf7+Kc636.e4with winning attack32...Qe833.Rc2Rxb334.Kf1Qe6?loses a piece.35.Rxb2Qc4+36.Re2Ne4Ok, this is not as easy as the previous one. Bf2 and then Be1 would have covered white's king and had sealed the deal but....37.Qh8+Ke738.Nf5+38.Ng8+Kd739.Nf6+was still winning.38...Kd739.Nd4White needs to bring stronger artillery ( the queen ) to defense herself.Ng3+39...Rb1+40.Kg2c5is better but it is easy to say this one with engines on. Isn't it? 40.Kf2Nxe241.Nxe2?This move is not wrong but I give this a question mark due to practical matters. Nxb3 would have simplified matter and had given Mona the path key to the next stage.a5Position is even but white needs to be accurate.42.Qg7Kc8!good positional play. King is safe now and the a-pawn is unstoppable. I would like to ask our dear readers to pay attention to miserable bishop on g1!43.Qg8+Kb744.g6Qe4!Dzagnidze has enough time on her clock so she sees that she is faster than white at this moment.45.Kg345.gxf7Qxe3+46.Kf1Qf3+47.Ke1Rb1+48.Kd2Rb2+49.Kc1Rxe250.f8QQf1#45...Qxg6+The endgame is just winning now!46.Qxg6fxg647.Nd4a448.Bf2c549.Nc2Rc350.Na1Rc151.e4Rxa152.f5gxf553.exf5Kc60–1
Hero of the day: Ayelen Martinez was up to the task for mission impossible!
If Mona Khaled had a difficult task of drawing with white against Nana Dzagnidze, Argentine Ayelen Martinez had the impossible task of winning against the much higher rated opponent Zhao Xue from China with black pieces. Nevertheless, after a tupsy -turvy game, it was Zhao Xue who crumbled under pressure.
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38...Rh538...Bc139.Re2?39.Bxc5Ng440.Bg1Ra241.Rd8+Bf842.Bf3Re543.Re8would have maintained equality and possibly a simple draw for Zhao Xue. Instead she destroyed her position in two moves.39...c440.Bc2Nf341.Rf1Nxg142.Kxg1Bg7Black has two pawns more and great winning chances. Ayelen Martinez gradually converted her advantage with some extra help from Zhao Xue.43.Rf4c544.Rxc4Bd4+45.Kg2Ra146.Be4Kg747.Rcc2Rh648.Bd3Bg149.h3Bd450.Bc4Rf651.Re4h552.Rh4Rf553.Re4Rg554.Re7Rg1+55.Kf3R5xg3+56.Kf4Rxh357.Bxf7Rf1+0–1
Mitra was Caissa's choice of day one. However, by picking Dzagnidze as I showed earlier, it seemed that Caissa forgot about Mitra entirely. In a tough game, Hejazipour cave in as Bodnaruk's pieces' activity became too much to handle.
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Mitra was Caissa's choice of day one.However, by picking Dzagnidze, it seemed that Caissa forgot about Mitra entirely. In a tough game, Hejazipour cave in as Bodnaruk's pieces activity became too much to handle.1.e4e52.Nf3Nf63.d4Nxe44.dxe5d55.Nbd2Nc56.c3Be77.Nb3Ne68.Qc2c59.Be3b610.Rd1Bb711.Bc4Like Dzagnidze, Bodnaruk is all in!Nc712.Bd3h613.0-0Nd714.Bf5Ba6?I do not understand the idea of this move. It looks like an inviting move for white's rook to land on e1 comfortably.15.Rfe1Nf8!? The only practical solution16.e6!white opens the game up indeed.Nfxe617.Ne517.Bxe6Nxe618.Nxc5Bxc519.Qa4+Qd720.Qxa60-021.Ne5 gives white some clear long-term edge.17...Bf6?17...0-0looks just fine.18.Bf418.Nxc5bxc519.Bxe6Nxe619...fxe620.Qg6+and mate follows soon20.Qa4+Kf821.Nd7+Kg822.Nxf6+Qxf623.Qxa6Rd824.Qxa7d425.cxd4cxd426.Bc1Kh7Gives white good winning chances.18...Bxe519.Bxe50-020.Nd2Bb721.Ne4Ne822.Ng3So far, Mitra has managed to handle the game but lack of an active plan has caused her a lot of psychological pressure. She tries to solve her problems immediately instead of gradually and she gets herself into a losing position.Qg522...Nf6 was needed one way or another.23.Qa4Qe724.Bb1Nd6final blunder24...g6
was needed.25.Qg4now all of white's pieces are aiming at black king and f4-f5 plan looks overwhelming. White is completely winning.Ne426.Bxe4dxe427.Bd6Qf627...Qg5was Mitra's best practical chance although it is losing anyways.28.Bxf8Rxf829.Nxe4Qe730.Rd7!Nice finish by Bodnaruk!1–0
Sopiko Guramishvili: Make a draw? Not me. I leave that to Anish!
It seems that Elisabeth did not like the comment I made yesterday and changed the way she wears her scarf. Apparently, this works better for her than the Amish style since she comfortably won against a highly-experienced WGM Atousa Pourkashiyan.
However, Ekaterina Kovalevskaya stuck to her choice but she did not end up forwarding to the second round.
Deysi Corie might have come the longest way to Tehran but her efforts were short-lived since she has to leave Tehran after losing to Kashilinskaya.
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Elshan MoradiabadiElshan Moradiabadi is a GM born and raised in Tehran, Iran. He moved to the US in 2012. Ever since, he has been active in US college chess scenes and in US chess. is a veteran instructor and teaches chess to every level, with students ranging from beginners to IM. He can be contacted for projects or teaching.
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