Georgia triumph at the World Women’s Team Championship

by Carlos Alberto Colodro
9/12/2023 – The final of the World Women’s Team Championship saw Georgia beating the young Kazakhstani squad by two sets to zero, with Lela Javakhishvili scoring back-to-back wins for the eventual champions. In the match for third place, France got the better of the United States. | Photo: Michal Walusza

ChessBase 18 - Mega package ChessBase 18 - Mega package

Winning starts with what you know
The new version 18 offers completely new possibilities for chess training and analysis: playing style analysis, search for strategic themes, access to 6 billion Lichess games, player preparation by matching Lichess games, download Chess.com games with built-in API, built-in cloud engine and much more.

More...

Georgia 2 – 0 Kazakhstan

Sets: 2½-1½, 3½-½

Keeping up with a tradition of strong results in women’s tournaments, the Georgian team grabbed gold medals at the World Women’s Team Championship in Bydgoszcz. Despite the absence of the country’s highest-rated woman player, Nana Dzagnidze, a well-honed team composed of experienced competitors obtained yet another memorable victory.

Bella Khotenashvili, Meri Arabidze, Nino Batsiashvili, Lela Javakhishvili and Salome Melia have been playing together for a while now. Three of them were part of the squad that won bronze at the 2010 Chess Olympiad, while four of them (in different configurations) reached the podium at the 2018 and 2022 Olympiads.

What is even more impressive is that Georgia won the World Women’s Team Championship with the exact same lineup back in 2015. The tournament took place in Chengdu and included 8 out of the 10 teams that participated in this year’s event — Armenia and Russia participated instead of France and Germany.

World Women’s Team Championship

Once again victorious! | Photo: Michal Walusza

The experienced team defeated an impressively young Kazakhstani squad. After winning the first set by a 2½-1½ score, Georgia ended the tournament in style, making the most of their opponents’ must-win situation to collect 3½ points in the final encounter.

Lela Javakhishvili, who remained undefeated throughout the knockout stage of the event, twice beat Amina Kairbekova on Monday. In the first set, she saw her 17-year-old opponent failing to find a tactical recourse in a sharp endgame.

Javakhishvili vs. Kairbekova

37...Rxg3 is a nice way to create counterplay against White’s passer on the queenside, as White cannot grab the rook with 38.hxg3 due to h3-h2-h1.

Instead, Kairbekova’s 37...Rb1 allowed Javakhishvili to cement her advantage with 38.Bxe5 Bxe5 39.Nf7+ Kg7 40.Nxe5, and the a-pawn decided the game in White’s favour.

World Women’s Team Championship

The runners-up from Kazakhstan! | Photo: Michal Walusza

New ...
Open...
Share...
Layout...
Flip Board
Settings
MoveNResultEloPlayers
Replay and check the LiveBook here
1.d4 13 d5 24 2.c4 7 e6 6 3.Nc3 11 Nf6 6 4.Nf3 18 Nbd7 8 5.cxd5 8 exd5 7 6.Bf4 7 Bb4 2:21 7.Qc2 19 c5 1:15 8.a3 4:06 Bxc3+ 18 9.bxc3 14 0-0 1:41 10.e3 1:03 Qa5 2:57 11.Nd2 3:35 Re8 3:01 12.Bd3 2:11 b6 3:11 13.0-0 12:25 Ba6 36 14.a4 3:56 cxd4 13:25 15.exd4 15 Ne4 6:32 16.Rfc1 7:46 Bxd3 35 17.Qxd3 7 Rac8 6:22 18.Nxe4 46 Rxe4 15 19.Bd6 27 Rc4 1:20 20.Bb4 20 Qa6 6 21.Re1 8 Nf6 1:12 22.a5 1:51 bxa5 45 23.Rxe4 37 dxe4 1:23 24.Qf1 1:47 a4 12 25.h3 1:51 h5 2:06 26.Rxa4 55 Qxa4 7 27.Qxc4 Qd1+ 45 28.Kh2 20 Qd2 13 29.Qc8+ 20 Kh7 5 30.Qf5+ 7 Kg8 6 31.Ba5 1:07 e3 21 32.fxe3 13 Qxe3 7 33.Qc8+ 55 Kh7 7 34.Qf5+ 10 Kg8 6 35.Qc8+ 43 Kh7 7 36.Qf5+ 25 Kg8 13 ½–½
  • Start an analysis engine:
  • Try maximizing the board:
  • Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
  • Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
  • Drag the split bars between window panes.
  • Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
  • Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
  • Create an account to access the games cloud.
WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Assaubayeva,B2469Khotenashvili,B2480½–½2023FIDE-WWTC-KO 20233.1
Arabidze,M2440Kamalidenova,M2351½–½2023FIDE-WWTC-KO 20233.1
Nurmanova,A2347Batsiashvili,N2478½–½2023FIDE-WWTC-KO 20233.1
Javakhishvili,L2446Kairbekova,A22121–02023FIDE-WWTC-KO 20233.1
Khotenashvili,B2480Assaubayeva,B24691–02023FIDE-WWTC-KO 20233.2
Kamalidenova,M2351Arabidze,M24400–12023FIDE-WWTC-KO 20233.2
Batsiashvili,N2478Nurmanova,A2347½–½2023FIDE-WWTC-KO 20233.2
Kairbekova,A2212Javakhishvili,L24460–12023FIDE-WWTC-KO 20233.2

France 1½ – ½ United States

Sets: 2-2, 3-1

In terms of rating average, the French team was only the fourth seed in Pool B, and the ninth seed overall, with only one player rated above 2300 in the lineup: six-time national champion Sophie Milliet. After tying for third place in the pool stage, the Frenchwomen knocked out the strong Polish team in quarterfinals and then lost to Kazakhstan in a closely contested semifinal.

Not disheartened by their loss on Sunday, they went on to beat the United States in the match for third place. Great team spirit was demonstrated by the French team throughout... Or should we use a different phrase? Yosha Iglesias, the ninth highest-rated woman player in France, shared on X:

“Viens dans mes bras, ma chérie” can be roughly translated as, “Come into my arms, my dear” — a beautiful phrase to describe a beautiful moment, indeed

The match was not without ups and downs for the French, though. In the first encounter between Alice Lee and Deimante Daulyte-Cornette, the American star blundered with 22.Rc3

Lee vs. Daulyte-Cornette

Daulyte-Cornette found the strong 22...Nxf2, as 23.Kxf2 would fail to 23...Ne4+, grabbing the rook. However, what turned to be a rollercoaster encounter saw the French IM first giving up her advantage and then misplaying the rook and knight versus rook and bishop endgame.

Lee ended up winning the game to tie the score in the first set.

Despite this setback, the French team played the second set brilliantly, keeping things under control on the top two boards and grabbing victories on boards 3 and 4, as Sophie Milliet and Natacha Benmesbah collected the wins that allowed their team to secure a spot on the podium!

World Women’s Team Championship

The French squad — Mitra Hejazipour, Anastasia Savina, Sophie Milliet, captain Silvia Collas (neé Alexieva), Deimante Daulyte-Cornette and Natacha Benmesbah | Photo: Michal Walusza

World Women’s Team Championship

Team USA — captain Melikset Khachiyan, Annie Wang, Anna Zatonskih, Alice Lee, Atousa Pourkashiyan and Tatev Abrahamyan | Photo: Michal Walusza

New ...
Open...
Share...
Layout...
Flip Board
Settings
MoveNResultEloPlayers
1.e41,165,57054%2421---
1.d4946,47455%2434---
1.Nf3281,31256%2441---
1.c4181,93756%2442---
1.g319,68856%2427---
1.b314,23654%2427---
1.f45,88648%2377---
1.Nc33,79651%2384---
1.b41,75348%2380---
1.a31,19754%2403---
1.e31,06848%2408---
1.d394850%2378---
1.g466246%2361---
1.h444653%2374---
1.c342651%2425---
1.h327956%2416---
1.a410860%2468---
1.f39147%2431---
1.Nh38966%2508---
1.Na34262%2482---
1.d4 20 Nf6 12 2.c4 0 e6 7 3.Nf3 6 b6 9 4.g3 7 Bb4+ 12 5.Bd2 8 Bxd2+ 11 6.Qxd2 9 Ba6 13 7.b3 27 0-0 31 8.Bg2 20 d5 11 9.0-0 1:28 c5 34 10.cxd5 5:23 exd5 11 11.Qb2 7:01 Nc6 2:49 12.Rd1 14 Ne4 1:56 13.dxc5 4:13 bxc5 16 14.Nbd2 21 Nf6 13:04 15.Nf1 2:45 Qe7 3:10 16.e3 13 Rfd8 1:42 17.Rac1 1:43 Rac8 27 18.Qa3 2:40 Nb4 50 19.Qa5 42 Qc7 8:03 20.Qxc7 21 Rxc7 6 21.a3 26 Nd3 48 22.Rc3 10 Nxf2 36 23.Re1 2:15 N2e4 49 24.Rcc1 46 c4 7:44 25.Nd4 7:00 c3 1:16 26.b4 21 Bc4 45 27.Red1 3:51 h5 21 28.b5 1:58 Rb8 1:07 29.a4 28 a6 13 30.Nc6 1:58 Rb6 24 31.Nb4 1:49 axb5 29 32.a5 11 Rd6 23 33.g4 43 Be2 1:59 34.Rd4 1:12 Rc4 1:32 35.a6 30 Rxb4 17 36.Rxb4 38 Rxa6 7 37.g5 8 Bxf1 22 38.Kxf1 1:06 Nd2+ 17 39.Ke1 24 Nfe4 7 40.Rxb5 13 Ra2 21 41.Rxd5 14 g6 13 42.Rd8+ 30 Kg7 43.Rd3 16 Nb3 21 44.Bxe4 10 Nxc1 8 45.Rxc3 6 Ra1 39 46.Kd2 9 Na2 8 47.Ra3 9 Rf1 9 48.Ke2 9 Ra1 8 49.Kf2 13 Kf8 33 50.Bd5 20 Nc3 8 51.Rxa1 9 Nxd5 7 52.Ra5 13 Nc7 9 53.Kf3 13 Ne6 6 54.h4 11 Kg7 10 55.Ke4 10 Nf8 8 56.Ke5 8 Ne6 9 57.Rb5 21 Nf8 22 58.Rb7 27 Ne6 11 59.Kd6 8 Kf8 47 60.Rb8+ 7 Kg7 6 61.Re8 7 Nf8 11 62.Re7 29 Kg8 15 63.e4 35 Kg7 9 64.e5 16 Kg8 6 65.Ra7 18 Ne6 15 66.Ke7 11 Nf4 16 67.Ke8 11 Ng2 51 68.Rxf7 7 Nxh4 7 69.e6 12 Ng2 18 70.e7 11 h4 6 71.Kd7 19 1–0
  • Start an analysis engine:
  • Try maximizing the board:
  • Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
  • Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
  • Drag the split bars between window panes.
  • Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
  • Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
  • Create an account to access the games cloud.
WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Lee,A2388Daulyte-Cornette,D23601–02023FIDE-WWTC-KO 20233.1
Savina,A2339Abrahamyan,T22621–02023FIDE-WWTC-KO 20233.1
Wang,A2356Milliet,S23910–12023FIDE-WWTC-KO 20233.1
Hejazipour,M2323Pourkashiyan,A22880–12023FIDE-WWTC-KO 20233.1
Daulyte-Cornette,D2360Lee,A2388½–½2023FIDE-WWTC-KO 20233.2
Zatonskih,A2364Savina,A2339½–½2023FIDE-WWTC-KO 20233.2
Milliet,S2391Wang,A23561–02023FIDE-WWTC-KO 20233.2
Pourkashiyan,A2288Benmesbah,N22670–12023FIDE-WWTC-KO 20233.2

Knockout bracket

World Women's Team Chess Championship

Links

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.
We use cookies and comparable technologies to provide certain functions, to improve the user experience and to offer interest-oriented content. Depending on their intended use, analysis cookies and marketing cookies may be used in addition to technically required cookies. Here you can make detailed settings or revoke your consent (if necessary partially) with effect for the future. Further information can be found in our data protection declaration.