Women's World Chess match Game 1: Anna Ushenina loses to Hou Yifan after Time Struggle

Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hello everyone, 

The first game of the Women's World Chess Championship between Anna Ushenina and Hou Yifan has been won by Black in China. Ushenina, playing White, managed to get a good position with white pieces in the first game, but her time management got her into serious trouble. 

The position was about equal when the reigning Women’s World Chess Champion lost track and let her opponent get in with a dangerous attack on the Kingside. The first game of the Match has finished after 41 moves. You can replay the full game with Chess King. But, before that, can you try and checkmate in three with Black from this position?

Anna Ushenina has just played 40.BxRd3. 
How did Hou Yifan win? Replay the game with Chess King.

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's

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Sensational Chess Results in Khanty-Mansiysk: All Top Stars Hou, Kosteniuk, Koneru, Gunina, Lahno, Muzychuk Knocked out from World Championship 2012

Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012

Hello everyone,

Polish Grandmaster Monika Socko has knocked out Women's World Chess Champion Hou Yifan of China in the second round in Khanty Mansiysk. The Polish grandmaster told journalists about her victory against the World Champion: It certainly wasn’t easy. I expected a different line of the Sicilian, but Hou Yifan decided to play 6.Bb5, after which we both were out of book. The last moves I remembered were 5…Nc6 and 6…Nd7. I think 8.b3 is already a bit passive. Maybe she started to play for a draw, which is not always a good idea. My plan was very simple, and soon I had a bishop pair in an open position as well as a strong d-pawn.

Q: Hou Yifan usually plays quite actively. Did you feel her hesitation during this game? Maybe she started to play for a draw indeed, and such attitude was the main reason of her defeat?

– I was also surprised to see her playing like this. Maybe she simply did not expect the Sicilian and prepared for the French. I wasn’t sure about my opening choice until the very end, but fortunately made the right decision. This is my first victory against the World Champion in a classical game. Before that I could only beat her in rapid chess, and in classical chess I made two draws and lost a few times.

Players proceeding to Round 3 include: Monika Socko, Antoaneta Stefanova, Marie Sebag, Valentina Gunina, Nino Khurtsidze, Lela Javakashvili, Tatiana Kosintseva, Nadezhda Kosintseva, Natalia Pogonina, Anna Ushenina, Huang Qian, Irina Krush, Ju Wenjun and  Natalia Zhukova. It's just one of the most shocking World Chess Championship result to have all the top stars eliminated from Hou Yifan, Alexandra Kosteniuk, Anna Muzychuk,  Kateryna Lahno, Humpy Koneru and Valentina Gunina. 

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Aronian Advises Lilit, Danielian: Stay Cool During Women's World Chess Championship!

Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012

Hi everyone,

Chess is big time in Armenia what with the Armenians winning the gold at the Istanbul Chess Olympiad recently. Now, here comes chess advice for the Armenia women's chess team from World No. 2. The Armenia Press has reported that Aronian advises: The attitude of the Armenian women chess players to each game in the Women's World Chess Championship must be cool. 

Aronian said: "Usually we get ready for such championships with all due seriousness. Each game in the tournament resembles to the final match. I would suggest our girls to be cool during the games."

Elina Danielian and Lilit Mkrtchian will represent Armenia in the Women's World Chess Championship, which will be held in Khanty-Mansiysk city of the Russian Federation from November 10 to December 2. 64 chess players from 33 different countries will participate in the championship. The Championship has a total prize fund of USD 450,000.

The world chess champions, the leaders of the FIDE ranking, the candidates from the chess federations and the winners of the continental and regional tournaments will struggle for the champion's title.

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
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Also see her personal blog at
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Humpy prepares to take on Hou for World Chess Title 2011

Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2011

Hi everyone,

It is clear that we would have a new world women's chess champion this year whose name begins with 'H'. Yes, it would either be Hou Yifan or Humpy Koneru. We would like to tell our readers that in Southern India the name is derived from the parents' name so, in fact, Koneru is Humpy's father's name as in Koneru Ashok which she has adopted as a patronymic. 

In an interesting interview to Indian newspaper Times of India, Humpy says:

"This is the first time I will be playing a match and I fancy my chances if I prepare well. I have to be careful in my choice because I have seen other women GMs in the World championships coming with trainers who had been working with their rivals before."

Of course, she does not detail her prep plans and rightfully so. Meanwhile, Leonard Barden, writing in The Guardian, says, "The world championship for men is beset by controversy, yet top women are enjoying a financial bonanza. Though female players have competed for meagre rewards in the past, each of the six recently finished Grand Prix tournaments had €40,000 (£34,447) prize money."


Also, earlier this year, Hou Yifan had told the China Daily that she wanted to focus on becoming the No. 1 rated women's chess player and was training with focus on that rather than against any particular player.
Very interesting. All in all, 2011 is going to be a landmark year what with the parallel men's candidates chess matches and a prospective challenger for the men's world chess champion also coming forth.

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
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Also see her personal blog at
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Preparations on for Women's World Chess Championship

Chess News and Chess Trivia Blog (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2010

Hello Everyone,

The year 2010 will conclude with great women's chess action in December. Hope you have already marked your calendar for the Women's World Chess Championship to be held in Hatay, Turkey 2-25 December 2010.

Fide has also released the initial list of qualifiers. Here they are:

QUALIFIERS for the WORLD WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP 2010

a) From World Women’s Championship 2008:

01. Kosteniuk, Alexandra (RUS)

02. Hou, Yifan (CHN)

03. Koneru, Humpy (IND)

04. Cramling, Pia (SWE)

b) World Girl Junior Champions 2008-2009:

05. Harika, Dronavalli (IND) 2008

06. Soumya, Swaminathan (IND) 2009

c) Rating List 7/2008 & 1/2009:

07. Polgar, Judit (HUN) 2702,00

08. Stefanova, Antoaneta (BUL) 2553,50

09. Sebag, Marie (FRA) 2529,00

10. Muzychuk, Anna (SLO) 2522,00

11. Zhao, Xue (CHN) 2515,00

d) 28 players from European Women’s Championships 2008 & 2009

12. Lahno Kateryna (UKR) 2008

13. Cmilyte Viktorija (LTU) 2008

14. Ushenina Anna (UKR) 2008

15. Zhukova Natalia (UKR) 2008

16. Mkrtchian Lilit (ARM) 2008

17. Skripchenko Almira (FRA) 2008

18. Dembo Elena (GRE) 2008

19. Pogonina Natalija (RUS) 2008

20. Dzagnidze Nana (GEO) 2008

21. Danielian Elina (ARM) 2008

22. Lomineishvili Maia (GEO) 2008

23. Demina Julia (RUS) 2008

24. Socko Monika (POL) 2008

25. Houska Jovanka (ENG) 2008

26. Kosintseva Tatiana (RUS) 2009

27. Shadrina Tatiana (RUS) 2009

28. Kovalevskaya Ekaterina (RUS) 2009

29. Rajlich Iweta (POL) 2009

30. Ovod Evgenija (RUS) 2009

31. Hoang Thanh Trang (HUN) 2009

32. Romanko Marina (RUS) 2009

33. Kovanova Baira (RUS) 2009

34. Turova Irina (RUS) 2009

35. Paehtz Elisabeth (GER) 2009

36. Zawadzka Jolanta (POL) 2009

37. Khukhashvili Sopiko (GEO) 2009

38. Muzychuk Mariya (UKR) 2009

39. Vasilevich Irina (RUS) 2009

e) 3 players from Africa

40. Greeff, Melissa (RSA) 2009

41. Mezioud, Amina (ALG) 2009

42. Mona, Khaled (EGY) 2009

To this list will be added 8 players from Americas, 12 players from Asia/Oceania and two Fide President's nominees. That would total to 64! Keep track of updates at the official Fide website here.

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's

www.chessblog.com

Also see her personal blog at

www.chessqueen.com