Yu Yangyi wins Qatar Chess, Giri Second, Kramnik third; Bela best woman Chess Player

Hello chess blog friends, the strongest chess open in history has concluded with a Chinese win! That was after top seed Anish Giri won six games in a row and former World Chess Champion Vladimir Kramnik also won six games in a row.

Photo: official website

Eventually, it was Yu Yangyi who won the title by beating Kramnik in the last round. The Qatar Masters Chess Open took place 26th November (round 1) to 4th December 2014. Yu Yangyi had also beaten top seed Anish Giri. The two wins came back-to-back in the final two rounds even as fans thought the final would be decided between top seeds Giri and Kramnik. Vladimir Kramnik played his first chess open since 1993. 

The organisers did a splendid job and they are already planning for the next edition. The tournament coverage was excellent via the official website with plenty of photos, videos, all games, pgns etc. 

The best woman player at the tournament was Georgian chess player Bela Khotenashvili who began with a win over Baadur Jobava (2722). She registered a string of victories scoring 5.5 points and taking home $5,000. In second place was Ju Wenjun with 5 points. 

Final Standings
1. Yu Yangyi (CHN) - 7.5 points
2. Anish Giri (NED) - 7 points
3. Vladimir Kramnik (RUS) - 7 points
For the full standings please visit the Final standings page.

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Best Woman Prize - Bela Khotenashvili (GEO) - 5.5 points
Best Arabic Player - Salem A.R. Saleh (UAE) - 6 points


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