KAZAKH WGM Zhansaya Abdumalik formally wrapped up the championship of the final leg of the 2019-2020 FIDE Women’s Grand Prix in Gibraltar with a quick grandmasters draw against GM Anna Muzychuk and a whopping 1½ points spread against runner-up GM Mariya Muzychuk of Ukraine.
The 2019-2020 FIDE Women’s Grand Prix was much-delayed by the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.
The end of the 2019-2020 Grand Prix, which finished June 2 in Gibraltar, also signaled the qualification of GMs Aleksandra Goryachkina of Russia, Humpy Koneru of India, and Kateryna Lagno to FIDE Women’s Candidates. Goryachkina qualified by virtue of being the losing challenger in 2020 and topping the 2019-2020 FIDE Women’s Grand Prix final overall standings. Koneru and Lagno qualified by coming in 2nd-3rd places in the final overall standings. Only five candidate slots remain – three at the 2021 Women’s World Cup 2021, one at the 2021 Women’s Grand Swiss Tournament, and one for the highest Elo-rated woman player.
The final standings: 1. Abdumalik, 8½; 2. M.Muzychuk, 7; 3-4. Mammadzada, Lagno, 6½; 5-6. Paehtz, Dzagnidze, 6; 7. A.Muzychuk, 5½; 8. Kashlinskaya, 5; 9-10. Stefanova, Gunina, 4½; 11. Saduakassova, 4; 12. Bulmaga, 2.
Muzychuk, A (2535)-Saduakassova, D (2500) [C80]
Caleta (7.6) 2021
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Nxe4 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.dxe5 Be6 9.Nbd2 Nc5 10.c3 Be7 11.Bc2 d4 12.Nb3 d3 13.Bb1 Nxb3 14.axb3 Bf5 15.Re1 0-0 16.Bf4 Qd7 17.b4 Rfd8 18.h3 a5 19.g4 Bg6 20.bxa5 Rxa5 21.Ba2 Rf8 22.e6 Qd8 23.exf7+ Kh8 24.Bd2 Rxa2 25.Rxa2 Bxf7 26.Ra6 Bd5 27.Ne5 Bc5 28.Rxc6 Bxf2+ 29.Kh2 Qh4 30.Nf7+ Kg8 0-1
Dzagnidze, N (2524)-Stefanova, A (2470) [D45]
Caleta (9.1) 2021
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.e3 Nbd7 6.Qc2 Bd6 7.b3 0-0 8.Bb2 Re8 9.Bd3 e5 10.dxe5 Nxe5 11.Nxe5 Bxe5 12.0-0-0 Qa5 13.Kb1 dxc4 14.Bxc4 b5 15.Bd3 b4 16.Na4 Bxb2 17.Kxb2 Ba6 18.Bxa6 Qxa6 19.Rd4 Qb5 20.Rhd1 a5 21.h3 Rac8 22.Kb1 Qg5 23.g3 Qe5 24.Nb6 Rb8 25.Nc4 Qe6 26.Nd6 Rf8 27.Qxc6 Qxh3 28.g4 Qh2 29.g5 Ne8 30.Nf5 Qe5 31.Qc2 f6 32.Rd7 Rf7 33.Nh6+ gxh6 34.Rxf7 Kxf7 35.Qxh7+ Ng7 36.g6+ Ke6 37.Qxg7 Qf5+ 38.Ka1 Qe5+ 39.Rd4 Rd8 40.Qf7+ Kf5 41.g7 Rxd4 42.Qh5+ 1-0
Muzychuk, M (2544)-Gunina, V (2421) [D17]
Caleta (10.5) 2021
1.c4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 dxc4 5.a4 Bf5 6.Ne5 Nbd7 7.Nxc4 Nb6 8.Ne5 a5 9.f3 Nfd7 10.Nxd7 Bxd7 11.e4 e6 12.Be3 Bb4 13.Be2 0-0 14.0-0 Qe7 15.Na2 c5 16.Nxb4 cxb4 17.d5 Nc8 18.d6 Qf6 19.f4 e5 20.Qd5 Bc6 21.fxe5 Qg6 22.Qd4 Bxe4 23.Bf3 Bxf3 24.Rxf3 Na7 25.Qh4 Nc6 26.Rg3 Qe6 27.Bh6 g6 28.Bxf8 Rxf8 29.Re1 Nxe5 30.Qe7 Re8 31.Qxe6 Rxe6 32.Rge3 f6 33.Rd1 Re8 34.Re2 Rd8 35.Rc2 Nc6 36.d7 Kf7 37.Rc5 Ke7 38.Rb5 Rb8 39.d8Q+ Nxd8 40.Rxa5 Nc6 41.Rad5 h5 42.Re1+ Ne5 43.Rb5 Kf7 44.Rd1 g5 45.Rxb4 Kg6 46.a5 Ra8 47.Ra1 Ra7 48.Rb5 h4 49.h3 Nc4 50.b4 Nd6 51.Rd5 Ne4 52.b5 b6 53.a6 Nc3 54.Rd6 Nxb5 55.Rxb6 Nc7 56.Ra5 Nxa6 57.Raxa6 Rf7 58.Kf2 Rf8 59.Kf3 Kf5 60.Rb5+ Kg6 61.Kg4 1-0
Kashlinskaya, A (2494)-Stefanova, A (2470) [D52]
Caleta (11.1) 2021
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5 Nbd7 6.e3 Qa5 7.Nd2 Bb4 8.Qc2 dxc4 9.Bxf6 Nxf6 10.Nxc4 Qc7 11.a3 Be7 12.Rc1 0-0 13.Be2 Bd7 14.b4 Rfd8 15.0-0 Be8 16.Bf3 Nd5 17.Ne4 Rac8 18.Qb3 b6 19.Ne5 Qb7 20.Rc2 f6 21.Nd3 Bf7 22.Qb2 Qa6 23.Be2 Qb7 24.Rfc1 Rc7 25.Bf3 Rdc8 26.Nc3 Bf8 27.h4 Bg6 28.e4 Ne7 29.Nf4 Bf7 30.Bg4 f5 31.Bf3 Qb8 32.Nd3 fxe4 33.Nxe4 Nf5 34.Ne5 Nxh4 35.Bg4 h6 36.Nxf7 Kxf7 37.Qb3 Re7 38.Rxc6 Rxc6 39.Rxc6 Kg8 40.g3 Ng6 41.Bxe6+ Kh8 42.Bf5 Nf4 43.Rc8 Ne2+ 44.Kf1 Qxc8 45.Bxc8 Rxe4 46.Qf7 Bd6 47.Be6 1-0
Saduakassova, D (2500)-Bulmaga, I (2440) [E62]
Caleta (11.5) 2021
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.c4 Bg7 4.g3 d6 5.Bg2 0-0 6.Nc3 c6 7.0-0 Bf5 8.Ng5 e5 9.d5 a5 10.h3 cxd5 11.cxd5 Na6 12.Be3 Nc5 13.Rc1 b6 14.Nf3 Bd7 15.Nd2 Rb8 16.a3 b5 17.b4 axb4 18.axb4 Na4 19.Nxa4 bxa4 20.Nc4 Qe7 21.Qd2 Nh5 22.Na5 f5 23.Nc6 Qe8 24.Bg5 Rf7 25.Nxb8 Qxb8 26.Qc2 h6 27.Bd2 e4 28.Bc3 e3 29.Bxg7 Rxg7 30.Kh2 exf2 31.Rxf2 Qxb4 32.e4 Qd4 33.Qd2 Qe5 34.Qc3 Qe7 35.Re1 Qg5 36.e5 dxe5 37.Qxe5 Kh7 38.d6 a3 39.Re3 f4 40.Qxg5 hxg5 41.gxf4 gxf4 42.Rxa3 g5 43.Ra7 Nf6 44.Rc2 Kg6 45.Bc6 Kf5 46.Re2 Bxc6 47.Rxg7 f3 48.Rc2 Bd7 49.Rxd7 Nxd7 50.Kg3 Ke6 51.Rd2 Ne5 52.Rd1 Kd7 53.Rd5 Nf7 54.Kxf3 Ke6 55.Rd1 Nxd6 56.Kg4 Nf7 57.Rf1 Ke7 58.Kh5 Nd8 59.Kxg5 Ne6+ 60.Kg6 Nf8+ 61.Kg7 Ne6+ 62.Kg8 1-0
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PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE,
MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Re1!, and Black’s futile options are: 1…Kxe1 2.Qd2#; 1…Bg2 2.Qh4#; 1…Be2/d3/c4/b5/a6/h3 2.Qg1#./PN
