Women's Grand Prix in Chengdu: Koneru with strong finish

by André Schulz
7/14/2016 – The Women's Grand Prix in Chengdu had a happy end for Indian Grandmaster Humpy Koneru when she won her last two games to finish shared first with Harika Dronavalli. Both scored 7.0/11 but Harika Dronavalli won the tournament on tie-break. With 6.0/11 Anna Muzychuk, Ju Wenjun and Antoaneta Stefanova shared places three to six. But though Koneru did not win the tournament she gained 145 Grand Prix points and is now first in the overall Grand Prix standings.

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The first move of the last round

In the last two rounds Humpy Koneru played against Mariya Muzychuk and Antoaneta Stefanova. Koneru , who started the tournament as favorite, won both games and now has good chances to win the Grand Prix.

Humpy Koneru

 

Harika Dronavalli finished the tournament with two draws but this was enough to win the tournament on tie-break. The two Indians both finished with 7.0/11 and both gained 145 Grand Prix points, which allowed Koneru to take first place in the overall Grand Prix standings.

Harika Dronavalli

Ju Wenjun won 93.5 Grand Prix points and is now second in the overall Grand Prix standings. However, if she plays well in the final Grand Prix event she might catch Koneru and win the Grand Prix.

Ju Wenjun

Valentina Gunina, who did not play in Chengdu, too, still has theoretical chances to win the Grand Prix, for instance, if she wins the the final Grand Prix event and Ju Wenjun finishes fifth or worse.

After the next World title match the Grand Prix winner has the right to challenge the Women's World Champion for the title.

Organisers and officials

Results of round 10

Board Title Name ELO Res. Title Name ELO
1 GM Mariya Muzychuk 2561 0 - 1 GM Humpy Koneru 2575
2 GM Antoaneta Stefanova 2507 ½ - ½ GM Anna Muzychuk 2555
3 GM Bela Khotenashvili 2470 1 - 0 GM Pia Cramling 2471
4 GM Xue Zhao 2504 ½ - ½ GM Dronavalli Harika 2514
5 WGM Olga Girya 2443 ½ - ½ GM Wenjun Ju 2559
6 WGM Zhongyi Tan 2509 ½ - ½ IM Lela Javakhishvili 2493

Results of round 11

Board Title Name ELO Res. Title Name ELO
1 IM Lela Javakhishvili 2493 ½ - ½ GM Mariya Muzychuk 2561
2 GM Wenjun Ju 2559 ½ - ½ WGM Zhongyi Tan 2509
3 GM Dronavalli Harika 2514 ½ - ½ WGM Olga Girya 2443
4 GM Pia Cramling 2471 0 - 1 GM Xue Zhao 2504
5 GM Anna Muzychuk 2555 1 - 0 GM Bela Khotenashvili 2470
6 GM Humpy Koneru 2575 1 - 0 GM Antoaneta Stefanova 2507

All games

 

Final standings

Rg. Title Name Elo 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Pts. TB
1 GM Dronavalli Harika 2514   1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 7.0 / 11 37.50
2 GM Humpy Koneru 2575 0   0 ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1 ½ 1 ½ 7.0 / 11 36.00
3 GM Anna Muzychuk 2555 ½ 1   0 ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 6.0 / 11 33.25
4 GM Wenjun Ju 2559 ½ ½ 1   ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 6.0 / 11 32.00
5 GM Antoaneta Stefanova 2507 ½ 0 ½ ½   ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 6.0 / 11 31.75
6 GM Bela Khotenashvili 2470 ½ ½ 0 ½ ½   ½ 1 0 ½ ½ 1 5.5 / 11 29.25
7 GM Xue Zhao 2504 ½ 0 ½ 1 0 ½   ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 5.5 / 11 28.50
8 GM Mariya Muzychuk 2561 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½   ½ ½ 1 1 5.5 / 11 27.75
9 WGM Olga Girya 2443 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½   0 ½ ½ 5.0 / 11 27.25
10 IM Lela Javakhishvili 2493 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 1   ½ ½ 5.0 / 11 26.50
11 WGM Zhongyi Tan 2509 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½   ½ 4.0 / 11  
12 GM Pia Cramling 2471 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 0 0 ½ ½ ½   3.5 / 11  

 

Overall Grand Prix standings

 

Tournament page...

André Schulz started working for ChessBase in 1991 and is an editor of ChessBase News.