THE FINAL leg of the 2019-2020 FIDE Women’s Grand Prix, delayed and extended because of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, finally took place on May 22 at the British overseas territory of Gibraltar with 12 of the world’s top women masters competed for two slots to the Women’s Candidates Tournament later this year.
The 12 participants are GMs Kateryna Lagno, Mariya Muzychuk, Anna Muzychuk, Nana Dzagnidze, Antoaneta Stefanova, and Valentina Gunina; and WGMs Dinara Saduakassova, Alina Kashlinskaya, Zhansaya Abdumalik, Elisabeth Paehtz, Gunay Mammadzada, and Irina Bulmaga. The Gibraltar leg is a single round-robin Category 10 (average Elo: 2487) event.
After ten rounds of play, WGM Zhansaya Abdumalik of Kazakhstan won the competition with eight points and a 1½-point lead over her closest pursuer with one round to go. GM Mariya Muzychuk is in solo second with 6½.
Standings after Round 10: 1. Abdumalik, 8; 2. M.Muzychuk, 6½; 3-4. Mammadzada, Lagno, 6; 5-6. Paehtz, Dzagnidze, 5½; 7. A.Muzychuk, 5; 8. Stefanova, 4½; 9-10. Kashlinskaya, Gunina, 4; 11. Saduakassova, 3; 12. Bulmaga, 2.
Dzagnidze, N (2524)-Abdumalik, Z (2472) [D02]
Caleta (7.2) 2021
1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bf4 c5 4.e3 Nc6 5.Nbd2 cxd4 6.exd4 Bf5 7.c3 e6 8.Qb3 Qc8 9.Be2 Be7 10.0-0 0-0 11.Rac1 h6 12.c4 dxc4 13.Nxc4 Qd7 14.Rfd1 Rfc8 15.Nfe5 Qd8 16.Qxb7 Nxd4 17.Kf1 Be4 18.Qa6 Bc5 19.Be3 Nd5 20.Bh5 Nxe3+ 21.Nxe3 Qg5 22.Bxf7+ Kh7 23.Rxd4 Qxe5 24.Rxe4 Qxe4 25.Bxe6 Rf8 26.Rxc5 Qxe3 27.Rc2 Rae8 28.Re2 Rxe6 0-1
Mammadzada, G (2443)-Muzychuk, M (2544) [B33]
Caleta (4.5) 2021
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Bg5 a6 8.Na3 b5 9.Nd5 Be7 10.Bxf6 Bxf6 11.c3 Rb8 12.Nc2 Bg5 13.a4 bxa4 14.Ncb4 Nxb4 15.cxb4 0-0 16.h4 Bh6 17.Rxa4 a5 18.b5 Bd7 19.Nc3 d5 20.exd5 f5 21.Be2 Kh8 22.g3 Qb6 23.0-0 f4 24.Kg2 Rf7 25.b4 axb4 26.Ra6 Qd4 27.Qxd4 exd4 28.Na2 f3+ 0-1
Abdumalik, Z (2472)-Kashlinskaya, A (2494) [C55]
Caleta (8.5) 2021
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d3 Be7 5.Nc3 0-0 6.a3 d6 7.h3 Re8 8.0-0 h6 9.b4 Bf8 10.Re1 Be6 11.Nd5 Nb8 12.Nc3 Nc6 13.Bxe6 Rxe6 14.Nd5 Ne7 15.c4 Ng6 16.Bb2 c6 17.Nxf6+ Qxf6 18.d4 Nh4 19.Nh2 exd4 20.g3 Ng6 21.Bxd4 Qe7 22.f3 Re8 23.Bf2 Qd7 24.Qd4 f5 25.exf5 Rxe1+ 26.Rxe1 Rxe1+ 27.Bxe1 Qxf5 28.Kg2 Ne5 29.Bf2 Qe6 30.Qxa7 Qxc4 31.Qxb7 Qe2 32.Qb6 c5 33.bxc5 Nc4 34.Qb3 d5 35.Kg1 Kh7 36.a4 d4 37.c6 Bd6 38.f4 Ne3 39.Qb1+ Kh8 40.Qe1 Qc2 41.Bxe3 dxe3 42.Nf1 Qxc6 43.Nxe3 Bc5 44.Qc3 Bxe3+ 45.Qxe3 Qxa4 46.g4 Qc2 47.Qf2 Qe4 48.Kh2 Qd3 49.Kg2 Qd5+ 50.Kg3 Qe4 51.Qd2 Kh7 52.h4 Kh8 53.Qf2 Qd3+ 54.Qf3 Qd4 55.g5 hxg5 56.hxg5 Qg1+ 57.Kh3 Qb1 58.f5 Qb8 59.g6 Kg8 60.Qd5+ Kh8 61.f6 Qc8+ 62.Kh4 1-0
Kashlinskaya, A (2494)-Muzychuk, M (2544) [D43]
Caleta (9.2) 2021
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4 dxc4 7.e4 g5 8.Bg3 b5 9.Be2 b4 10.Na4 Nxe4 11.Be5 Nf6 12.h4 g4 13.Nd2 Nbd7 14.Bh2 Nd5 15.Nxc4 Qxh4 16.0-0 Be7 17.Nd6+ Bxd6 18.Bxd6 f5 19.Qc2 Bb7 20.Rfe1 Kf7 21.Bc4 Rac8 22.Nc5 Nxc5 23.dxc5 Rhe8 24.a3 a6 25.axb4 Qf6 26.Bxa6 Bxa6 27.Rxa6 Kg6 28.Qd2 Qf7 29.b5 cxb5 30.Bf8 Qf6 31.Bd6 Qf7 32.Rea1 Red8 33.Qe2 b4 34.Ra7 Rd7 35.Ra8 Rcd8 36.R1a6 Nc7 37.Rxd8 1-0
Mammadzada, G (2443)-Lagno, K (2546) [C78]
Caleta (8.3) 2021
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 b5 6.Bb3 Bc5 7.c3 d6 8.d4 Bb6 9.a4 Rb8 10.a5 Ba7 11.Be3 Bg4 12.Nbd2 exd4 13.cxd4 0-0 14.h3 Bh5 15.Qc2 Nb4 16.Qc3 c5 17.dxc5 dxc5 18.Bg5 h6 19.Bh4 Bxf3 20.Nxf3 Qd3 21.Bxf6 gxf6 22.Qxf6 c4 23.Ne5 Qxe4 24.Rfe1 Qh7 25.Qe7 f6 26.Nxc4 Bxf2+ 27.Kxf2 bxc4 28.Bxc4+ Kh8 29.Qxh7+ Kxh7 30.b3 Kg6 31.Re6 h5 32.Rd1 Rfe8 33.Rxe8 Rxe8 34.Rd6 Re5 35.Rb6 Na2 36.Rxa6 h4 37.Kf3 Nc3 38.b4 Kg5 39.Re6 Rf5+ 40.Ke3 Rf4 41.Rc6 Nd1+ 42.Kd3 Nb2+ 43.Kc3 1-0
Lagno, K (2546)-Bulmaga, I (2440) [B67]
Caleta (9.4) 2021
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Nf3 d6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Nf6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qd2 a6 8.0-0-0 Bd7 9.f3 Be7 10.h4 h6 11.Be3 h5 12.Nxc6 Bxc6 13.Bd3 b5 14.Kb1 Qc7 15.Bg5 Rb8 16.Ne2 e5 17.Ng3 Bd7 18.Be2 Rc8 19.c3 Be6 20.Nf5 Bxf5 21.exf5 d5 22.Bxf6 gxf6 23.Qxd5 Kf8 24.Qe4 Rb8 25.g4 b4 26.c4 Rg8 27.Rd5 Bc5 28.Rhd1 Bd4 29.g5 Kg7 30.f4 Rge8 31.Qg2 Kh8 32.Qf3 Qb6 33.Qxh5+ Kg8 34.Rd7 Rf8 35.g6 1-0
*******
PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE,
MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Qc8!, and Black’s futile options are: 1…Be4/f3/g2/h1, Qb5/d4/xe3/d6 2.N(x)b5#; 1…Ba4/d7/e8, Qd5/b4/xa3/xb6 2.N(x)d5#; 1…Nd7/f7/g6/g4/f3 2.Rxd3#; 1…Nac4, Qc4 2.Nd1#./PN
