Valentina Gunina takes lead in Grand Prix

by André Schulz
5/3/2016 – Valentina Gunina won the Women's Grand Prix tournament in Batumi and now is first in the overall Grand Prix 2015-2016 standings. Gunina has the same number of points as Nana Dzagnidze but has played one tournament less. Women's World Champion Hou Yifan withdrew from the Grand Prix because she is dissatisfied with the current World Championship format.

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Things were quiet during the last round of the Women's Grand Prix in Batumi

With a strong finish and a streak of wins Valentina Gunina won the Women's Grand Prix in Batumi with one round to go. Maybe that was one reason why most of the games of the eleventh and last round ended with a draw. The only decisive game was the encounter between Alexandra Kosteniuk and Zhao Xue. Kosteniuk won to finish second in the tournament and gain additional Grand Prix points.

 

Tournament winner Valentina Gunina

Alexandra Kosteniuk won silver

Results of the 11. and last round

Round 11 on 2016/05/02 at 11:00
6 GM Zhao Xue 2504
0-1
 GM Kosteniuk Alexandra 2557 12
7 IM Batsiashvili Nino 2476
½-½
 GM Gunina Valentina 2497 5
8 WGM Girya Olga 2442
½-½
 IM Skripchenko Almira 2453 4
9 GM Danielian Elina 2445
½-½
 GM Muzychyk Anna 2555 3
10 GM Muzychuk Mariya 2561
½-½
 GM Khotenashvili Bela 2493 2
11 GM Dzagnidze Nana 2535
½-½
 IM Javakhishvili Lela 2489 1

All Games

 

Final standings

After three of the five Grand Prix tournaments in the 2015/2016 series are over, Valentina Gunina, who won 160 points in Batumi, caught up to Nana Dzagnidze. Alexandra Kosteniuk pulled ahead of Humpy Koneru. Women's World Champion Hou Yifan, who convincingly won the first Grand Prix, withdrew from the series.

Standings of the Grand Prix series 2015/2016

Source: Wikipedia

Impressions from Batumi

Eteri Kublashvili found time between the rounds to catch impressions from Batumi. The weather was rainy but the place remained beautiful.

Rain in Batumi

Magnificent buildings...

... with colorful roofs

Georgian churches

The slightly faded grandeur of the "Gründerzeit"

Fashionable hotels

Reminiscences to ancient times

The boats are waiting to get to water

The harbor

Pictures: Eteri Kublashvili

Schedule and results

Round 1 on 2016/04/20 at 15:00
Sd Title Name Rtg
Res.
 Title Name Rtg Sd
1 IM Javakhishvili Lela 2489
1-0
 GM Kosteniuk Alexandra 2557 12
2 GM Khotenashvili Bela 2493
½-½
 GM Dzagnidze Nana 2535 11
3 GM Muzychyk Anna 2555
½-½
 GM Muzychuk Mariya 2561 10
4 IM Skripchenko Almira 2453
½-½
 GM Danielian Elina 2445 9
5 GM Gunina Valentina 2497
0-1
 WGM Girya Olga 2442 8
6 GM Zhao Xue 2504
½-½
 IM Batsiashvili Nino 2476 7
Round 2 on 2016/04/21 at 15:00
12 GM Kosteniuk Alexandra 2557
½-½
 IM Batsiashvili Nino 2476 7
8 WGM Girya Olga 2442
1-0
 GM Zhao Xue 2504 6
9 GM Danielian Elina 2445
0-1
 GM Gunina Valentina 2497 5
10 GM Muzychuk Mariya 2561
0-1
 IM Skripchenko Almira 2453 4
11 GM Dzagnidze Nana 2535
½-½
 GM Muzychyk Anna 2555 3
1 IM Javakhishvili Lela 2489
1-0
 GM Khotenashvili Bela 2493 2
Round 3 on 2016/04/22 at 15:00
2 GM Khotenashvili Bela 2493
½-½
 GM Kosteniuk Alexandra 2557 12
3 GM Muzychyk Anna 2555
1-0
 IM Javakhishvili Lela 2489 1
4 IM Skripchenko Almira 2453
½-½
 GM Dzagnidze Nana 2535 11
5 GM Gunina Valentina 2497
1-0
 GM Muzychuk Mariya 2561 10
6 GM Zhao Xue 2504
½-½
 GM Danielian Elina 2445 9
7 IM Batsiashvili Nino 2476
1-0
 WGM Girya Olga 2442 8
Round 4 on 2016/04/23 at 15:00
12 GM Kosteniuk Alexandra 2557
1-0
 WGM Girya Olga 2442 8
9 GM Danielian Elina 2445
1-0
 IM Batsiashvili Nino 2476 7
10 GM Muzychuk Mariya 2561
½-½
 GM Zhao Xue 2504 6
11 GM Dzagnidze Nana 2535
1-0
 GM Gunina Valentina 2497 5
1 IM Javakhishvili Lela 2489
½-½
 IM Skripchenko Almira 2453 4
2 GM Khotenashvili Bela 2493
½-½
 GM Muzychyk Anna 2555 3
Round 5 on 2016/04/25 at 15:00
3 GM Muzychyk Anna 2555
½-½
 GM Kosteniuk Alexandra 2557 12
4 IM Skripchenko Almira 2453
1-0
 GM Khotenashvili Bela 2493 2
5 GM Gunina Valentina 2497
1-0
 IM Javakhishvili Lela 2489 1
6 GM Zhao Xue 2504
1-0
 GM Dzagnidze Nana 2535 11
7 IM Batsiashvili Nino 2476
½-½
 GM Muzychuk Mariya 2561 10
8 WGM Girya Olga 2442
1-0
 GM Danielian Elina 2445 9
Round 6 on 2016/04/26 at 15:00
12 GM Kosteniuk Alexandra 2557
1-0
 GM Danielian Elina 2445 9
10 GM Muzychuk Mariya 2561
1-0
 WGM Girya Olga 2442 8
11 GM Dzagnidze Nana 2535
1-0
 IM Batsiashvili Nino 2476 7
1 IM Javakhishvili Lela 2489
0-1
 GM Zhao Xue 2504 6
2 GM Khotenashvili Bela 2493
½-½
 GM Gunina Valentina 2497 5
3 GM Muzychyk Anna 2555
1-0
 IM Skripchenko Almira 2453 4
Round 7 on 2016/04/27 at 15:00
4 IM Skripchenko Almira 2453
½-½
 GM Kosteniuk Alexandra 2557 12
5 GM Gunina Valentina 2497
1-0
 GM Muzychyk Anna 2555 3
6 GM Zhao Xue 2504
1-0
 GM Khotenashvili Bela 2493 2
7 IM Batsiashvili Nino 2476
1-0
 IM Javakhishvili Lela 2489 1
8 WGM Girya Olga 2442
0-1
 GM Dzagnidze Nana 2535 11
9 GM Danielian Elina 2445
1-0
 GM Muzychuk Mariya 2561 10
Round 8 on 2016/04/28 at 15:00
12 GM Kosteniuk Alexandra 2557
½-½
 GM Muzychuk Mariya 2561 10
11 GM Dzagnidze Nana 2535
½-½
 GM Danielian Elina 2445 9
1 IM Javakhishvili Lela 2489
½-½
 WGM Girya Olga 2442 8
2 GM Khotenashvili Bela 2493
½-½
 IM Batsiashvili Nino 2476 7
3 GM Muzychyk Anna 2555
1-0
 GM Zhao Xue 2504 6
4 IM Skripchenko Almira 2453
½-½
 GM Gunina Valentina 2497 5
Round 9 on 2016/04/30 at 15:00
5 GM Gunina Valentina 2497
1-0
 GM Kosteniuk Alexandra 2557 12
6 GM Zhao Xue 2504
1-0
 IM Skripchenko Almira 2453 4
7 IM Batsiashvili Nino 2476
1-0
 GM Muzychyk Anna 2555 3
8 WGM Girya Olga 2442
½-½
 GM Khotenashvili Bela 2493 2
9 GM Danielian Elina 2445
0-1
 IM Javakhishvili Lela 2489 1
10 GM Muzychuk Mariya 2561
1-0
 GM Dzagnidze Nana 2535 11
Round 10 on 2016/05/01 at 15:00
12 GM Kosteniuk Alexandra 2557
1-0
 GM Dzagnidze Nana 2535 11
1 IM Javakhishvili Lela 2489
½-½
 GM Muzychuk Mariya 2561 10
2 GM Khotenashvili Bela 2493
½-½
 GM Danielian Elina 2445 9
3 GM Muzychyk Anna 2555
½-½
 WGM Girya Olga 2442 8
4 IM Skripchenko Almira 2453
½-½
 IM Batsiashvili Nino 2476 7
5 GM Gunina Valentina 2497
1-0
 GM Zhao Xue 2504 6
Round 11 on 2016/05/02 at 11:00
6 GM Zhao Xue 2504
0-1
 GM Kosteniuk Alexandra 2557 12
7 IM Batsiashvili Nino 2476
½-½
 GM Gunina Valentina 2497 5
8 WGM Girya Olga 2442
½-½
 IM Skripchenko Almira 2453 4
9 GM Danielian Elina 2445
½-½
 GM Muzychyk Anna 2555 3
10 GM Muzychuk Mariya 2561
½-½
 GM Khotenashvili Bela 2493 2
11 GM Dzagnidze Nana 2535
½-½
 IM Javakhishvili Lela 2489 1

 

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ff2017 ff2017 5/5/2016 08:10
@danilo botoy The Women's World Championship title, unlike the men's, has an expiration date. Hou Yifan will lose the title when the next women's world champion is crowned on the winner of the World Championship Knockout tournament. To qualify for the match against the winner of the knockout championship, you need to win the Grand prix.
thirteen thirteen 5/5/2016 10:25
Yes, like so many others on here, I think that Hou Yifan deserves more than one sentence to explain her absence. Her withdrawal and indeed her opinion, as World Champion should be counting for something.
danilo botoy danilo botoy 5/4/2016 02:15
why hou,yifan need to win grand prix? so that if she win it, she fight for herself? she's the current world champ, she should exclude the tournament because she's the defending champion. please explain
thlai80 thlai80 5/4/2016 07:17
Finally, Hou Yifan did the right thing by excusing herself from the joke of Women's GP. Judit had already seen through this many years ago, just follow her path to the top.
ff2017 ff2017 5/4/2016 04:17
Now that Hou Yifan has withdrawn, it seems to me Ju Wenjun is by far the clear favorite to win the overall Grand Prix!
1