4/20/2023 – In Astana, in parallel to the World Championship match, a team of the best Kazakh women players played a blitz and rapid match against a team from "The World". "The World" team won both events, the rapid and the blitz match. "The World" team was led by former Women's World Champion Hou Yifan, who is still the world's number on the women's ranking list. In an interview she revealed her thoughts about the development of women's chess. | Photos: FIDE/Anna Shtourman
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As part of the programme for the World Championship match between Ian Nepomniachtchi and Ding Liren, a women's exhibition match was held in Astana between a Kazakh and a world team. Each team consisted of eight players, including four junior players of different ages.
The Kazakh team featured the country's best players, including Bibisara Assaubayeva, Zhansaya Abdumalik and Dinara Saduakassova. The world team was led by Hou Yifan, who has largely retired from professional chess, and Harika Dronavalli.
"The World"
The team from Kazakhstan
The women played eight games of rapid chess and eight games of blitz. The rapid games were played with a time control of 15+10, the blitz games had a time control of 3+2.
The World Team proved to be the better team and won the first day of play 18.5:13.5. On the second day of rapid chess, the Kazakh women were able to reach a 16-16 tie, but could not make up the deficit from day 1 and the World Team won the rapid match 34.5-29.5. However, with a score of 7.0/8 Kazakh U16 player Alua Nurmanova was the best individual player in the rapid match.
The World Team also proved to be better in the blitz match, winning 38.5:25.5. The best blitz players were Nurgyul Salimova of Bulgaria and Afruza Khamdamova of Uzbekistan, who both scored 6.5 points from the eight rounds. Afruza Khamdamova also remained the only undefeated player among the 16 participants in the Blitz tournament.
Somewhat disappointing was the result of the two Kazakh national players Zhanzaya Abdumalik (2.5/8) and Dinara Saduakassova (1.5/8) in the blitz tournament.
👑The four-time women’s world champion and top-rated women's player Hou Yifan was the star of the women's match World vs Kazakhstan. “The point of this event isn’t in the result but in what it means for the promotion of chess in Kazakhstan and women’s chess in general”, she says. pic.twitter.com/Ecjoaqen54
— FIDE Commission for Women's Chess (@FideWomen) April 20, 2023
Live video of day 3 of the match
Final result
Kazakhstan 55:73 The World
Rapid
Kazakhstan 29.5:34.5 The World
Blitz
Kazachstan 25.5:38.5 The World
The prize money was an impressive 50,000 USD. The winning team received 30,000 USD, with 20,000 USD going equally to the top players and 10,000 USD to the youth players. The second-placed team still received 20,000 USD.
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The Nimzo-Indian has stood the test of time for over a century: Still a top choice for elite players today, from Magnus Carlsen to Praggnanandhaa, it remains one of Black's most reliable ways to fight for real chances against 1.d4 2.c4 3.Nc3.
1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Bb4!? is an opening idea well worth considering. Black immediately threatens to double the pawns on c3 in the style of the Trompowski or Sicilian Grand Prix attack.
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