Women's World Blitz – Gunina wins with a 2804 performance

Valentina Gunina wins Women’s World Blitz Championship

Women’s World Rapid Championship 2012 was held in Batumi, Georgia from 31 of May till 3rd of June 2012. The event was organized and conducted by the ACP and the Georgian Chess Federation and approved by FIDE. The total prize fund for the rapid championship is US $59,000. The organizers also provided the special conditions for the players with the Elo of 2500+ and nominees from all national federations. As a result 50 players from 18 chess federations took part in the tournament including five former world champions, the current European champion and such many strong GMs. The Blitz World Championship was a 15-round Swiss played at a rate of 4 min + 2 second.

The winners: GMs Alexandra Kosteniuk (fouth), Natalia Zhukova (second), Anna
Muzychuk (third), IM Valentina Gunina (first), GM Antoaneta Stefanova (fifth)

The reigning European champion in classical chess and blitz, Valentina Gunina, started the first day with a perfect 8.0/8 score. On the second day she seemed to be slowing down, drawing her first four games and narrowing her lead from two to one point. But then this amazing new star on the women's chess firmament went on to win her final three games and ended 2½ points ahead of her nearest rivals (Natalia Zhukova and Anna Muzychuk). Her performance was a stirling 2804, which means that we could only expect the final result against the opposition she faced from a player rated that high. Her current FIDE rating is 274 points lower than that.

Second was GM Natalia Zhukova, Ukraine, fourth Alexandra Kosteniuk, Russia. In
the background is the Chief arbiter, former women's world champion Nana Alexandria.

The winner, Valentina Gunina, with GM Antoaneta Stefanova, who finised fifth

GM Robert Fontaine and his video producer Gérard Demuydt have castled from the World Championship in Moscow to the Women's Rapid and Blitz in Batumi. They are producing video reports and interviews after each round for the French chess magazine Europe Echecs. We are grateful to receive these reports and that they include interviews with players and personalities.

Final standings (after fifteen rounds)

• Full cross table with pairings and results here

Antoaneta Stefanova gets her first prize for winning the Rapid Chess section

Unbeatable: IM Valentina Gunina did not suffer a single loss in fifteen rounds

At the closing ceremony at the end of a successful tournament

The musicians, Georgian style, to which there was...

... the obligatory dance recital in national costumes...

... and a chess-themed Black vs White performance

The man behind it all: ACP President and GM Emil Sutovsky from Israel

Links Official tournament site + ACP web site All games in zipped PGN The games are being broadcast live on the official web site and on the chess server Playchess.com. If you are not a member you can download a free Playchess client there and get immediate access. You can also use ChessBase 11 or any of our Fritz compatible chess programs.

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