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Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Women's World Chess Championship 2010 - Humpy, Hou, Xue and Lufei in last four

Chess news and chess trivia blog (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2010



Hello Everyone,


What are the odds of this coincidence - Three Chinese and one Indian are in the semifinals of the Women's World Chess Championship 2010 being held in Hatay, Turkey!


In the second match of the fourth round, Humpy held Ju Wenjun to a draw and progressed to the semifinal as she had won the first match. Zhao Xue took advantage of a blunder and knocked out Almira Skripchenko though they had a draw in the first match. Hou Yifan qualified by knocking out Kateryna Lahno with a win and a draw. Harika Dronavalli and Ruan Lufei had two draws so they fought it out in a tie-break on Tuesday. Lufei won the first game and was winning the second but ended up drawing it in the tie-break games. Our report on the Round 4a matches is here. 


Round 4b
  • GM Hou, Yifan CHN 2591 GM Lahno, Kateryna UKR 2522 ½-½
  • IM Skripchenko, Almira FRA 2460 GM Zhao, Xue CHN 2474 0-1
  • WGM Ju, Wenjun CHN 2524 GM Koneru, Humpy IND 2600 ½-½
  • WGM Ruan, Lufei CHN 2480 IM Harika, Dronavalli IND 2525 ½-½
Here are some of the interesting games from Round 4b and the tie-breaks. Enjoy. You can access the official website of the tournament here. For these games, run the moves through our pgnplayer or watch in flash below.

PGN: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bb6 5. a4 a6 6. Nc3 Nf6 7. Nd5 Nxd5 8. exd5 Nd4 9. a5 Ba7 10. d6 O-O 11. O-O Nf5 12. d4 cxd6 13. Bg5 Qe8 14. Re1 Nxd4 15. Nxd4 Bxd4 16. Ra3 d5 17. Bxd5 d6 18. Qf3 Kh8 19. Bf6 Qd7 20. c3 e4 21. Bxg7+ Bxg7 22. Rxe4 Qf5 23. Qd3 Be6 24. Bxb7 Ra7 25. Bc6 Rc8 26. b5 axb5 27. Bxb5 d5 28. Rea4 Qxd3 29. Bxd3 Bxc3 30. a6 d4 31. Bf1 Kg7 32. h3 Kf6 33. g4 Ke7 34. Bb5 Kd6 35. Be2 Rb8 36. Bf3 Rb1+ 37. Kg2 Bb3 38. Be4 Rb2 39. Bxh7 Bxa4 40. Rxa4 Rd2 41. Be4 Kc5 42. Bf5 Rd1 43. Kf3 Kb5 44. Bd7+ Rxd7 45. a7 Rd8 46. a8=Q Rxa8 47. Rxa8 d3 48. Rf8 d2 49. Rxf7 Re1 50. Rd7 0-1


1. d4 d5 2. Bg5 h6 3. Bh4 c6 4. Nf3 Qb6 5. b3 Bf5 6. e3 Nd7 7. Bd3 Bxd3 8. Qxd3 e6 9. O-O Be7 10. Bxe7 Nxe7 11. c4 c5 12. Nc3 cxd4 13. exd4 dxc4 14. bxc4 O-O 15. Rab1 Qd8 16. Rfd1 b6 17. Ne4 Rc8 18. Nd6 Rc6 19. Ne4 Rc8 20. d5 exd5 21. cxd5 Nc5 22. Nxc5 Rxc5 23. d6 Nd5 24. Qxd5 Rxd5 25. Rxd5 Qd7 26. Ne5 Qe6 27. Rbd1 Rd8 28. Nc6 Rd7 29. Nxa7 Rxa7 30. d7 Rxd7 31. Rxd7 Qxa2 32. Rb7 Qb3 33. Re1 b5 34. h3 b4 35. f3 Qc2 36. Re8+ Kh7 37. Re4 b3 38. Reb4 Qc5+ 39. Kh1 Qe3 40. Kh2 Qe5+ 41. f4 Qd6 42. Re4 Qd5 43. Reb4 Qd2 44. R7b6 b2 45. Rb7 b1=Q 46. Rxb1 Qxf4+ 47. Kh1 Qe4 48. R7b2 g6 49. Rf1 Kg7 50. Rbf2 Qc4 51. Kh2 Qc7+ 52. g3 Qc4 53. h4 h5 54. Rf4 Qe6 55. R1f2 Qd7 56. Kg2 Qd5+ 57. Kf1 Qd1+ 58. Kg2 Qd5+ 59. Kf1 Qd1+ 60. Kg2 Qd5+ 1/2-1/2


PGN: 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Bd3 dxc4 8. Bxc4 b5 9. Be2 Bb7 10. O-O O-O 11. Rd1 Qc7 12. e4 e5 13. Bg5 exd4 14. Rxd4 Ne5 15. g3 Nxf3+ 16. Bxf3 Be5 17. Rd2 Rad8 18. Rad1 a6 19. Bg2 c5 20. Nd5 Bxd5 21. exd5 Qd6 22. Be3 Nd7 23. b3 Rc8 24. Bh3 Rfd8 25. Bg5 Re8 26. Re2 h6 27. Bc1 Bd4 28. Bg2 Nf6 29. b4 Rxe2 30. Qxe2 Re8 31. Qf3 Ne4 32. bxc5 Bxf2+ 33. Qxf2 Nxf2 34. cxd6 Nxd1 35. d7 Rd8 36. Bh3 Nc3 37. Bd2 b4 38. d6 g6 39. a3 a5 40. axb4 axb4 41. Bxh6 b3 42. Bg5 Rxd7 43. Bxd7 b2 44. Bf5 gxf5 45. d7 b1=Q+ 46. Kf2 Qb6+ 0-1


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posted by Chess Blog Admin @ 10:15 AM  

17 Comments:

  • At December 15, 2010 at 10:16 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

    What a crazy draw - and the Indian gets to be challenged in the semifinal itself. Quite a coincidence But guess that is it.

     

  • At December 15, 2010 at 10:22 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

    I have a theory. Look at the initials of the eight players Humpy Koneru (HK), Ju Wenjun (JW), Kateryna Lahno (KL), Hou Yifan (HY), Ruan Lufei (RL), Dronavalli Harika (DH), Almira Skripchenko (AS) and Zhao Xue (ZX). Now lets take the initials and arrange them
    HKJWKLHYRLDHASZX = H(3) K(2) J W L(2) Y R D A S Z X = A D H JKL RS WXYZ Does not that seem like a code or something? A D H JKL RS WXYZ Wow - Anyone? Are aliens involved?

     

  • At December 15, 2010 at 10:25 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Maybe it's some number thing 111324 - A,D,H, JKL, RS, WXYZ. Can anyone decode that? I think there is something to it.

     

  • At December 15, 2010 at 10:32 AM , Anonymous Sebastian Wolff, Maryland said...

    I don't know whether it's a code or not but I do know is that some people like to use the 11/13 light-dark cycle for flowers and well 24 is the day-night time cycle = so that's 111324 - Ok so what?

     

  • At December 15, 2010 at 10:34 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

    @Sebastian Wolff It's Crop Circles and Humans Need I say more...

     

  • At December 15, 2010 at 10:37 AM , Anonymous Saira Fernando, Madrid said...

    All I want to know is who is going to win this battle of 64.

     

  • At December 15, 2010 at 11:32 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

    I have a strange feeling Ruan Lufei might pull this off - it all seems to be a battle of nerves.

     

  • At December 15, 2010 at 11:35 AM , Anonymous Jason Hu, Beijing said...

    It could be Humpy. Hou knocked her out last time so she would come prepared this time. Though Xue cannot be ruled out either. I have been telling you folks to start learning Chinese for so long but none of you listen. Now look... We just might have a World Women's Champion and not understand what she's saying (or thinking).

     

  • At December 15, 2010 at 11:40 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

    @anonymous and @sebastian 11+13=24 (111324) Voila. How is that a coincidence... Who is this anonymous?

     

  • At December 15, 2010 at 11:41 AM , Anonymous Amrit Puri, Knights Chess Club, New Delhi said...

    @anonymous and @sebastian 11+13=24 (111324) Voila. How is that a coincidence... Who is this anonymous? (Oops I forgot my name so posting again)

    And @Jason you better start learning Hindi!

     

  • At December 15, 2010 at 11:44 AM , Anonymous Saira Fernando, Madrid said...

    As always it's the women's chess reports that have more comments. Ha ha. We are the best.

     

  • At December 15, 2010 at 12:02 PM , Anonymous Simeonis, Thessaloniki said...

    Lufei I think otherwise no one else would have been strong enough to beat Chess Queen.

     

  • At December 16, 2010 at 5:00 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Initials of those in the semifinals - KH, LR, ZX, HY - H(2), KL, R, XYZ = 1213

     

  • At December 16, 2010 at 5:01 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

    I predict final between Hou Yifan and Ruan Lufei with Lufei winning. for the code to be 1111.

     

  • At December 16, 2010 at 5:03 AM , Anonymous Amrit Puri, Knights Chess Club, New Delhi said...

    It can be anyone - Humpy and Zhao Xue also... too bad though Humpy and Hou have play in semifinal itself today. I predict Humpy so both men and women's world champions are from India.

     

  • At December 16, 2010 at 5:24 AM , Anonymous Anuj, India said...

    Can be any of four girl players in semi only because it all unpredictable in one game of chess in one time because many factors matter in one chess game like in one game you dont feel proper or in one game your mood is not ok or in one game you are at peace with yourself and the world or in one game you dont like the world so my friends in forum here all of you - anything can happen.

     

  • At December 16, 2010 at 7:19 AM , Anonymous Alexis Cochran, New Zealand said...

    I am finding the Championship pretty dull. Not great chess really. So many blunders and most matches being decided on tie-breaks. I would rather watch the Men's Russian Superfinal now that the London Classic is over. Did anyone see Kramnik - Carlsen in Round 6. That was chess.

     

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