Khanty Mansiysk Women's Chess GP Top Three Winners - Hou, Girya, Kosteniuk!

Hello Chess Blog friends,

12th Women's World Chess Champion and her successor meet once again for an exciting draw and the third and first place at the Khanty Mansiysk FIDE Grand Prix...

... and, Olga Girya in the background earning the second place with a very strong performance! Photos: Nikolay Bochkarev

Here's some exciting chess news from Khanty Mansiysk where the FIDE Women's GP has just concluded. The top three winners are reigning women's world chess champion Hou Yifan of China, Olga Girya of Russia (who picks up a GM norm) and 12th Women's World Chess Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk! 

Eleven rounds of exciting chess had Hou Yifan win the event with a strong 1.5 points, but the Russian girls were right behind all along. The last round witnessed a fierce struggle between Hou Yifan and Alexandra Kosteniuk, but the game was drawn.

Local Russian player Olga Girya proved to be the hero of the event playing above her rating and picking up an important GM norm. Alexandra Kosteniuk - with her fans cheering on twitter - played her usual killer chess to claim the unshared third place. She was the only one against whom Hou Yifan seemed to be under any pressure during the tournament. 

Two players tied for fourth with six points - Anna Muzychuk and Kateryna Lagno. 

FINAL STANDINGS

The prize distribution photos will be available soon. You can also look forward to a nice post by Chess Queen™ Alexandra Kosteniuk on her personal blog soon enough. Great round-wise reports by Alina l'Ami, along with nice photos by Nikolay Bochkarev, are available on the official website.

But, don't go away yet from Khanty Mansiysk! Tomorrow begins the Women's World Rapid Chess Championship followed by the Women's World Blitz Chess Championship. 

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's

www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal chess blog
at www.chessqueen.com
Don't miss Chess Queen™
YouTube Channel

AICF-KIIT Chess Cup: WGM Olga Girya in Sole Lead

Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hi everyone, 

Russian WGM Olga Girya maintained her lead with 2.5 points despite being forced to a draw by Indian IM Nisha Mohota in the third round of the AICF-KIIT Cup International Women Chess Championship at KIIT International School here on Tuesday. Involved in a theoretical battle from the Slav Defence, Mohota approached the game on positive note, winning a pawn on the 12th move. Olga accepted the challenge and entered complications, but when the smoke cleared the game petered out into a draw in the rook and pawn endgame.

After the completion of third round, four players, including top seed Elisabeth Paehtz and local star Padmini Rout, shared the second spot with two points. Paehtz won her first game by capitalising on not so ambitious play by Indian WGM Swathi Ghate. In a interesting duel between Odisha WGMs Padmini Rout and Kiran Manisha Mohanty, the former surprised her opponent with a rare Sicilian Defence. Neverthless Kiran had a tight grip over the position until the 25th move. Padmini’s knight move exchanging one of the two bishops helped her seize the edge. Padmini increased her advantage to seal win in 50 moves. In another decisive game of the day, Armenian IM Lilit Mkrtchian defeated Chinese WGM Guo Qi. Results (Round 3): Mary Ann Gomes (Ind, 0.5) lost to Foisor Cristina-Adela (Rou, 1.5), Nisha Mohota (Ind, 1.5) drew with Giriya Olga (Rus, 2.5), Mkrtchian Lilit (Arm, 2) bt Guo Qi (Chn, 1), Kiran Manisha Mohanty (Ind, 0.5) lost to Padmini Rout (Ind, 2), Eesha Karavade (Ind, 1.5) drew with Elina Dalielina (Arm, 2), Swathi Ghate (Ind, 1) lost to E Paehtz (Ger, 2).

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal blog at
www.chessqueen.com
Don't miss Chess Queen™
YouTube Channel

New Chess Event in India for Women: Elisabeth Paehtz Top Seed at AICF-KIIT Round-Robin

Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hi everyone, 

Top seed Elizabeth Paehtz of Germany. Find lots of great photos of the world's best chess players at www.chesspics.com.

Former World Junior Girls’ champion Elisabeth Paehtz of Germany is the top seed at the round-robin women's chess tournament that begins in the South Indian city of Bhubaneshwar on March 17. The AICF-KIIT Chess Cup is India's strongest-ever women's closed chess tournament with a prize fund of about $15,000. Elina Danilian and Lilit Mkrtchian of Armenia, Olga Girya of Russia, Cristina Foisor of France and reigning world junior girls’ champion Guo Qi of China are the other non-Indian players in the event. The Indian players include national women’s champion Mary Ann Gomes, Padmini Rout, Kiran Manisha Mohanty, Nisha Mohota, Eesha Karavade and Swati Ghate.

The tournament will be played on a round-robin basis and the drawing of lots will be done during the opening ceremony. There will be eleven rounds in all under FIDE’s standard time control between twelve players. The AICF-KIIT cup is aimed at providing top level opposition for Indian women chess players. 

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal blog at
www.chessqueen.com
Don't miss Chess Queen™
YouTube Channel

Camera in Russian Chess Girls' 'Locker Room'! (More Photos' Link Updated)

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

Hi everyone,

That's the Russian team for the Russia vs China
special chess match beginning on July 1 in
St Petersburg. Can you name all of them - the chess girls and their head coach?

The Russian men's and women's chess teams are all set for the special Russia versus China chess match from July 1-9, 2012 in St Petersburg, Russia.

This is a traditional chess team match between the two countries that has been taking place from 2001 in every year of the Chess Olympiad. The 2012 team chess match will be a practice friendly between both the men's and women's chess teams of both the countries before the Istanbul Chess Olympiad.

Each team will consist of six people – 5 players and 1 captain.

The tournament format is each plays each (Scheveningen), total 5 rounds of classical chess from the 2nd to 6th of July, additional two rounds of rapid chess will be played on the 7th and 8th.

Men's chess teams

Russia
Evgeny Tomashevsky (2738)
Dmitry Jakovenko (2736)
Ian Nepomniachtchi (2716)
Nikita Vitiugov (2703)
Maxim Matlakov (2668)

China
Wang Hao (2738)
Li Chao B (2703)
Wang Yue (2690)
Ding Liren (2679)
Yu Yangui (2626)

Women's chess teams

Russia
Valentina Gunina (2530)
Alexandra Kosteniuk (2457)
Natalia Pogonina (2447)
Olga Girya (2414)
Baira Kovanova (2391)

China
Zhao Xue (2549)
Ju Wenjun (2529)
Shen Yang (2419)
Huang Qian (2417)
Ding Yixin (2353)



Lots of more photos of the Russian women's team having fun in the beautiful sunshine of Peterhof park now at www.chessqueen.com. 


From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal blog at
www.chessqueen.com