11/20/2018 – Kateryna Lagno took the lead over World Champion Ju Wenjun in the Women's World Championship final with a win in the second match game today. The score stands at 1½:½ in favour of the Russian, with two games to play. Before Tuesday, Ju had won all five of her matches without losing a single game. | Photos: Official site
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Two games remain
The Women's World Championship 2018 will probably be the last time the title is decided in the form of a knockout tournament. After FIDE spent several years alternating between KO and match play, the new FIDE leadership now wants to adjust the format to be more in line with the absolute World Championship and, to that end, FIDE recently published new rules for a Candidates Tournament to be held in 2019 (PDF).
Of the 64 women who travelled to Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, to fight for the title of Women's World Champion, there are now just two remaining — Kateryna Lagno and defending champion Ju Wenjun. Ju won the title in May 2018 after winning a match over her compatriot Tan Zhongyi. If she loses the ongoing final, she would earn the dubious distinction of being the world champion with the shortest tenure in the history of the title.
The difference in Elo rating between the two players is small, so it is hard to call Ju (2570) a favourite against Lagno (2564) — especially now that Lagno has the lead in their short four-game match.
Ju Wenjun has a tough task ahead
Monday's opening game of the match ended with a draw. But already Lagno missed a golden opportunity in the middlegame:
Ju vs Lagno, Game 1
Position after 23.Kg2
Lagno played 23...Qd5 inviting a queen exchange into an equal endgame. But Black could go on the attack with 23...Rg8+ 24.Kh3 Qc2! when White is one misstep away from serious trouble.
Later the advantage shifted in Ju's direction, in the rooks and minor pieces ending but not enough to garner her serious winning chances.
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1.d4Nf62.c4g63.Nc3Bg74.g3c65.e4d56.cxd5cxd57.e5Ne48.Nge2Nc69.Bg2Bg410.f3Nxc311.Nxc3A novelty in a rare line. 11.bxc3 weakens the white pawn position, but supports the white centre. After this exchange we arrive at an interesting position with mutual chances.Be612.f4Qb613.Bxd5Rd814.Bxe6fxe6An unusual position: the black bishop is almost locked out of the game, but White's king is exposed and d4 is weak.15.Be3Qxb216.Ne2Bh6With the threat of 17...Nxe5.17.Bf2g5Black wants to free the bishop, but now her king is also exposed.18.Rb1Qa3
Black probably didn't want to get involved with18...Qxa219.Nc3Qc420.Qh5+Kd7but after21.Ne2gxf422.Qxh6f3the position looks balanced.19.Qb3Qa5+20.Kf1gxf421.gxf4Rf822.Qf3?!This position is fantastically complicated and White opts for the "safe" way, covering the f4 pawn.More energetic was22.Qxe6Bxf423.Rxb7but the white king does not look to happy afterQa4Even so, White keeps a small edge, according to engines, with24.Kg222...Qxa223.Kg2Qd5?!Now Black falls back on safety and swaps queens.More aggressive and better was23...Rg8+E.g.24.Kh3Qc225.Qh5+Rg626.Rhg1Qd3+27.Kh4Kd728.Rxb7+Kc829.Rb2In this unusual position, engines give Black only a small advantage, but the exposed white king and Black's passed a-pawn are very concrete trumps.24.Qxd5Rxd525.Rxb7Bxf426.Rc7Nd827.Rxa7Rd728.Ra8Rb729.Rha1Bh630.R1a2Kf731.Rc2Kg632.Ra3Kg733.Rg3+Kf734.Rf3+Ke835.Rh3And again White plays it safe.After35.Rxf8+Kxf836.Ng3Rb337.Ne4Ke838.Rc8
Ju had one final chance, e.g.Kd739.Ra8Rb540.Nc5+Kc741.Ra7+Kc642.Kf3and White is nearly winning35...Rg8+36.Rg3½–½
Although the distribution of material with a rook and two minor pieces against a rook and two minor pieces is a very common one in practical play, there is very little literature on the subject apart from that dealing with questions relating to the bishop pair.
The start of Game 2
On Tuesday, Lagno managed to squeeze an advantage out of an endgame with rook and opposite-coloured bishops, and as the players approached move 40, Ju began to drift into trouble. Soon, Lagno seized upon the right idea to press her edge:
Lagno vs Ju, Game 2
Position after 45...Rd7
46.a6! fixing the a7-weakness and creating an anchor on b7 for White's rook. The a-pawn will soon drop off after which Black is lost.
Ju Wenjun has two more games to try to strike back.
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