Munich GP: Kosteniuk beats Tan, extends her lead

by Carlos Alberto Colodro
2/6/2023 – A fourth consecutive win at the Munich Grand Prix left Alexandra Kosteniuk 1½ points ahead of her closest chasers in the standings. On Sunday, the runaway leader defeated Tan Zhongyi with white after finding herself in some trouble during the opening phase of the game. Sharing second place on 2½/4 are Nana Dzagnidze, Mariya Muzychuk and Humpy Koneru. The latter two scored full points in round 4. | Photo: FIDE / David Llada

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“Usually it doesn’t work so well”

A level-headed Alexandra Kosteniuk was very critical of her play so far at the Munich Grand Prix after scoring a fourth consecutive win on Sunday. Talking to press officer Michael Rahal, she noted that she was fortunate to get three whites in the first four games, and confessed that “even though the result is great, I have to consolidate”. Kosteniuk expanded, referring to her round-4 victory over Tan Zhongyi:

Of course the result is very nice, but I wasn’t happy at all. I know how this creativity usually backfires because when I started to play with white in such a creative way from move 4 on, usually it doesn’t work so well. [...] She found a way to equalize when I decided to go for something that I didn’t analyse at all.

In the last round before the rest day, Kosteniuk will play black against Harika Dronavalli, who comes from drawing her first four games in Munich.

A 3-player chasing pack stands a whole 1½ points behind the runaway leader, all with three draws and a single win to their names. Besides Nana Dzagnidze, who won her first game in the event, round-4 winners Mariya Muzychuk and Humpy Koneru comprise this group. On Sunday, Muzychuk defeated Zhu Jiner, while Humpy got the better of Mariya’s sister, Anna.

Harika Dronavalli, Elisabeth Paehtz

Harika Dronavalli held Elisabeth Paehtz to a draw with the black pieces — later on, they shared what seems to be a fun conversation | Photo: David Llada

Creative from the word go

 

Alexandra Kosteniuk, Tan Zhongyi

Alexandra Kosteniuk facing Tan Zhongyi | Photo: David Llada

Humpy goes for imbalances, wins

 

Humpy Koneru, Anna Muzychuk

Jolly Kunjappu, a performance artist and philosopher, played the first move in Humpy Koneru vs Anna Muzychuk | Photo: David Llada

Mariya’s maiden win in Munich

 

Mariya Muzychuk

Mariya Muzychuk | Photo: David Llada

Results - Round 4

 

Standings - Round 4

 

All games

 
 

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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.