IT’S break time at the FIDE Open World Cup at Krasnaya Polyana in Sochi, Russia, so we’ll take a brief look at developments in the Women’s World Cup running simultaneously with the Open.
The rating favorites remain in contention at the Women’s knockout competition. The original field of 103 participants from all over the world has been reduced to 16, and no major upsets have been noted. Leading the last 16 are the former title challenger GM Aleksandra Goryachkina, the former world champions Ukrainian sister-grandmasters Mariya and Anna Muzychuk, and former world champions Antoaneta Stefanova, Alexandra Kosteniuk, and Zhonyi Tan. A surprise Round 4 qualifier is the teenage sensation from Kazakhstan, 16-year-old IM Bibisara Assaubayeva, who managed to waylay two higher-rated players in Rounds 2 and 3.
The quality of games in the Women’s Cup is also good, as witness the following games:
Goryachkina, A (2596)-
Tokhirjonova, G (2320) [D02]
Krasnaya Polyana (2.2) 2021
1.d4 Nc6 2.Nf3 d5 3.Bf4 Bf5 4.e3 Nb4 5.Na3 e6 6.Be2 Be7 7.c3 Nc6 8.Qa4 Bxa3 9.Qxa3 Nge7 10.0-0 0-0 11.b4 Ng6 12.Bg3 a6 13.Qb2 Qe7 14.a3 Rfd8 15.c4 h5 16.h3 h4 17.Bh2 dxc4 18.Bxc4 Na7 19.Rac1 Nc8 20.Rfe1 Nd6 21.Bf1 Be4 22.Nd2 Bc6 23.Nc4 f5 24.Bxd6 cxd6 25.Nb6 Rab8 26.a4 Be8 27.Rc3 d5 28.Rec1 e5 29.Rc5 Bf7 30.dxe5 Nxe5 31.a5 Qf6 32.Qd4 Qe6 33.Qxh4 g6 34.Rc7 Re8 35.b5 axb5 36.Bxb5 Red8 37.Rxb7 Kg7 38.Rxb8 Rxb8 39.Qd4 Kg8 40.f4 Nc4 41.Nxc4 Rxb5 42.Ne5 Be8 43.Rc7 Qd6 44.Qa7 Kf8 45.Rh7 Qf6 46.Rf7+ Bxf7 47.Nd7+ Kg7 48.Nxf6 Rb1+ 49.Kh2 Kxf6 50.a6 Be8 51.Qd4+ Ke7 52.Qe5+ Kd8 53.a7 1-0
Munguntuul, B (2428)-
Lagno, K (2559) [C65]
Krasnaya Polyana (3.1) 2021
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.Nbd2 0-0 6.0-0 Re8 7.Nc4 d5 8.Bxc6 bxc6 9.Ncxe5 dxe4 10.dxe4 Qxd1 11.Rxd1 Nxe4 12.Be3 Bxe3 13.fxe3 c5 14.Rd3 f6 15.Nc6 a5 16.Ra3 a4 17.b4 Bd7 18.b5 Re6 19.c4 Bxc6 20.bxc6 Rxc6 21.h3 Rb6 22.Rd1 Rb4 23.Rd7 Rxc4 24.Rxc7 Rc3 25.Rxc3 Nxc3 26.Rxc5 Nxa2 27.Rc4 a3 28.Nd4 h5 29.h4 Kh7 30.Kh2 Kg6 31.Kg3 Re8 32.Kf3 Ra8 33.Kg3 Ra7 34.Kf3 Kf7 35.Nc2 Ke6 36.Re4+ Kf7 37.Rc4 Ra5 38.Nd4 Ra6 39.Rc7+ Kg6 40.Rc4 Ra5 41.Nc2 Nc1 42.Nxa3 Nb3 43.Rc3 Rxa3 44.Kg3 Kf5 45.Kh3 Ke4 46.Kh2 f5 47.Kh3 f4 48.exf4 Kd4 49.Rg3 Kc4 50.Rxg7 Nd2+ 51.Kh2 Nf1+ 52.Kg1 Ne3 53.Rg5 Ng4 54.Kf1 Kd3 55.g3 Ra1+ 56.Kg2 Ra2 57.Kg1 Ke3 58.Rb5 Kf3 59.Rb3 Ne3 60.f5 Re2 61.f6 Kg3 62.Rb1 Rf2 63.Re1 Ng4 0-1
Muzychuk, M (2550)-
Ushenina, A (2429) [B85]
Krasnaya Polyana (3.7) 2021
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.Be3 a6 7.Be2 Nf6 8.0-0 Be7 9.f4 d6 10.Qe1 0-0 11.Kh1 Nxd4 12.Bxd4 b5 13.a3 Bb7 14.Qg3 Rad8 15.Rae1 Rd7 16.Bd3 Qd8 17.Qh3 g6 18.f5 e5 19.Be3 Nh5 20.Bh6 Re8 21.Nd5 Bxd5 22.exd5 Bf6 23.Qg4 Bg7 24.fxg6 fxg6 25.Bxg6 hxg6 26.Qxg6 Nf4 27.Rxf4 Ree7 28.Bxg7 Rxg7 29.Qe6+ Kh7 30.Rf3 Rg6 31.Rf7+ Rxf7 32.Qxf7+ Kh6 33.Re3 Qf6 34.Rh3+ Kg5 35.Rg3+ Kh6 36.Rxg6+ Qxg6 37.Qxg6+ Kxg6 38.Kg1 Kf5 39.h4 Ke4 40.h5 Kf5 41.g4+ Kg5 42.Kf2 Kf6 43.h6 Kg6 44.g5 Kh7 45.Ke3 Kg6 46.Ke4 Kh7 47.b3 a5 48.c4 b4 49.axb4 1-0
Guichard, P (2413)-
Muzychuk, A (2527) [D10]
Krasnaya Polyana (3.1) 2021
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.b3 Bb4 6.Bb2 Ne4 7.Qc2 Qa5 8.Nge2 Be7 9.a3 Nxc3 10.Nxc3 Nd7 11.b4 Qc7 12.cxd5 cxd5 13.Bd3 Nf6 14.Rc1 Qd8 15.e4 dxe4 16.Nxe4 Bd7 17.0-0 Rc8 18.Qe2 Bc6 19.d5 Bxd5 20.Bb5+ Kf8 21.Nxf6 Bxf6 22.Rxc8 Qxc8 23.Rc1 Qd8 24.Bxf6 gxf6 25.Qe3 a6 26.Bf1 h5 27.h4 Kg7 28.Be2 Qd6 29.Rc3 Qe5 30.Qd2 Rh6 31.Bf3 Bxf3 32.Rxf3 Rg6 33.g3 Rg4 34.Rd3 Re4 35.Kh2 Re2 36.Qf4 Qxf4 37.gxf4 Rxf2+ 38.Kg3 Rf1 39.Rd7 Ra1 40.Rxb7 Rxa3+ 41.Kg2 Kg6 42.b5 a5 43.b6 Rb3 44.Ra7 Kf5 45.Rxa5+ 0-1
Cramling, P (2459)-
Kosteniuk, A (2472) [D38]
Krasnaya Polyana (3.1) 2021
1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.Nc3 Bb4 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bxf6 Qxf6 7.Qa4+ Nc6 8.e3 0-0 9.Rc1 Rd8 10.Be2 dxc4 11.Bxc4 e5 12.dxe5 Qg6 13.0-0 Bh3 14.Ne1 Nxe5 15.Be2 c5 16.Qc2 Qxc2 17.Rxc2 Bf5 18.e4 Be6 19.Nf3 Nc6 20.a3 Ba5 21.Nd1 Nd4 22.Nxd4 cxd4 23.Bd3 Bb3 24.Rc5 b6 25.Rc6 Rac8 26.Rxc8 Rxc8 27.f3 Bd2 28.Kf2 Bc1 29.Ke2 a6 30.Rf2 b5 31.f4 Re8 32.Rf3 Bd5 33.Kf2 Bxe4 34.Bxe4 Rxe4 35.g3 f5 36.h4 Kf7 37.a4 bxa4 38.Ra3 a5 39.Rxa4 Bd2 40.Kf3 Bb4 41.g4 Re1 42.Ra1 fxg4+ 43.Kxg4 d3 44.h5 d2 45.Kf5 Be7 0-1
Assaubayeva, B (2389)-
Abdumalik, Z (2505) [D43]
Krasnaya Polyana (2.1) 2021
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 c6 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bxf6 Qxf6 7.e3 Nd7 8.Rc1 g6 9.Bd3 dxc4 10.Bxc4 Bg7 11.0-0 0-0 12.e4 Qe7 13.Qe2 b5 14.Bd3 Bb7 15.e5 c5 16.Be4 Bxe4 17.Qxe4 Rab8 18.d5 exd5 19.Nxd5 Qe6 20.Rfe1 c4 21.b4 f5 22.Qd4 Nb6 23.Nf4 Qc6 24.Rcd1 c3 25.Qe3 g5 26.Nh5 c2 27.Rd6 Qc4 28.Rg6 Rb7 29.e6 Kh7 30.e7 Kg6 31.exf8Q Bxf8 32.Ne5 Kh5 33.Nc4 Re7 34.Ne5 1-0
*******
PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE,
MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Nec3!, and Black’s futile options are: 1…Rxe3 2.Qe4#; 1…Qxe3 2.Qd7#; 1…bxc3 2.Nb4#; 1…Bxc3 2.Nc1#; 1…Bxe3 2.Qd1#./PN
