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Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Women's World Chess Champion 2012 Anna Ushenina Felicitated
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych congratulated Anna Ushenina on winning the Women’s World Chess Championship 2012 and awarded her with the Order of Princess Olga. “It is a pleasure that such a great person was born in Ukraine. I hope this award is not your last,” the President said.
According to the Head of State, the victory of Anna Ushenina was a special one. The athlete is not only the 14th world chess champion, but also the first Ukrainian who has won this title since Independence of Ukraine.
President of Ukraine awards Order of Princess Olga to world chess champion Anna Ushenina
The meeting was also attended by President of the International Chess Federation Kirsan Ilyumzhinov and Head of the Youth and Sports State Office Ravil Safiullin.
Congratulations to Anna Ushenina - Women's World Chess Champion 2012
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Congratulations to Anna Ushenina for winning the Women's World Chess Championship 2012. She won the second game of the tiebreak played in Khanty Mansiysk to take the title. The first game of the tiebreak was drawn. Ushenina was rated only 30 in the 64-player knockout tournament. Stefanova made Ushenina struggle right down to the rope in a Rook and pawn endgame. But, Ushenina had two connected passers and there was no blundering away the endgame. Stand by for more updates. Join the final press conference live at the official website.
Women's World Chess Championship 2012 Final Game 4: Stefanova Wins Back, Levels Score; Tiebreaks on Dec 1
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Former Women's World Chess Champion Antoaneta Stefanova of Bulgaria struck back and levelled the score against Anna Ushenina of Ukraine in the fourth game of the final in Khanty Mansiysk on Friday. The return victory by the Bulgarian not only ensured that she would remain in the match but would also force a tiebreak that is to be played on Saturday, December 1.
The tiebreaks begin with two rapid games: 25 minutes plus 10 second per move for each player. If the score is level, they will continue with two quicker games: 10 minutes plus 10 seconds per move. If the winner is still not determined, the players will proceed to blitz games: 5 minutes plus 3 seconds per move. Finally, is the score remains equal, the Armageddon game steps up: White has 5 minutes, Black has 4 minutes, 3 seconds per move are added starting with the move 61, and a draw counts as a victory for Black.
Khanty Mansiysk Women's World Chess Championship 2012 Final Game 3: Anna Ushenina Beats Antoaneta Stefanova, Takes Lead
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012 Hi everyone,
Anna Ushenina of Ukraine has taken the lead in the final of the Women's World Chess Championship 2012 being played in Khanty Mansiysk. In the third game, she beat Antoaneta Stefanova's not-oft used Slav Defense. The Bulgarian went for the Chebanenko Variation (with 4…a6; also called the Chameleon Variation sometimes) which Stefanova has not played for a long time. Nevertheless, Ushenina was not caught by surprise. White played very well and got a small advantage. In an attempt to activate her pieces, Black carried out a pawn break in the center, which turned out very risky. White replied with an interesting tactical operation, trading two minor pieces for a rook and two pawns. Formally the material was still equal, however, White got a clear advantage: Black’s pieces were badly coordinated, and her king became weak. Soon White advanced the passed pawn, and her position became overwhelming. Stefanova got into time trouble and was unable to defend perfectly. Instead of seeking the vital counterplay on the kingside, she decided to play passively, which turned out to be a decisive mistake. Ushenina converted her advantage flawlessly, not giving her opponent any hope. Black resigned on the 37th move. By winning this game Anna Ushenina took the match lead – 2-1. The fourth game (and the last one with a classical time control) is scheduled on Friday, November 30th. Antoaneta Stefanova plays White and needs a win to stay in the match. You can replay the game with Chess King - your super-strong chess tutor! From Alexandra Kosteniuk's www.chessblog.com Also see her personal blog at www.chessqueen.com Don't miss Chess Queen™ YouTube Channel
Women's World Chess Championship 2012 Final Game 2: Stefanova, Ushenina Settle for Quick Draw
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012 Hi everyone,
The second game between Antoaneta Stefanova and Anna Ushenina was a short draw on Wednesday. The match score is 1-1. The second game of the Women’s World Championship match between Antoaneta Stefanova (Bulgaria) and Anna Ushenina (Ukraine) featured an interesting theoretical discussion. The Bulgarian, playing White, decided to test her opponent’s knowledge in a very sharp opening variation known as the Slav Gambit: White sacrifices a central pawn, but forces Black to keep the king in the center and obtains long-lasting initiative. Ushenina, however, deviated from the main lines, and by the 10th move the players reached an original position with complicated strategic and tactical pattern.
The position looked more promising for White, but Stefanova possibly misplayed it on the next few moves. Ushenina could sacrifice a pawn for the initiative and try to utilize her development lead. This would create a very sharp game risky for both sides. However, the Ukrainian preferred a safer path, simplifying the position, and the players agreed to a draw already on the 17th move on a half-empty board.
The match score us 1-1. The third game of the final is to be played on Thursday, November 29th with Anna Ushenina playing White in the game. You can replay the game with Chess King.
Women's World Chess Championship 2012 Final Game 1: Ushenina Escapes Stefanova with Draw in Time Dash
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012 Hi everyone,
The first game of the final match for the Women's World Chess Championship 2012 in Khanty Mansiysk, Russia, was played on Tuesday between Anna Ushenina of Ukraine and Antoaneta Stefanova of Bulgaria.
The Ukrainian had White. In a well-known opening variation White had certain initiative, but Black’s position was very solid. After the game Anna Ushenina said that she expected this opening, although her opponent does not use it often. After the opening Stefanova offered a draw, but Ushenina declined and, as she confessed at the press-conference, over-reacted, weakening her king too much. Soon Black won a pawn and got excellent winning chances. However, Stefanova, being under time pressure, made a mistake on the 31st move, moving the f-pawn and weakening her king as well. White activated her queen and rook, and within the next few moves Black’s advantage evaporated. In five more moves the players agreed to a draw. You can watch the game with Chess King.
The second game is being played on Wednesday with Stefanova having White. This is a best-of-four match. If the score after four games is 2-2, the players continue on tie-break. The tie-breaks begin with two rapid games: 25 minutes plus 10 second per move for each player. If the score is 1-1, they will continue with two quicker games: 10 minutes plus 10 seconds per move. If the winner is still not determined, the players will proceed to blitz games: 5 minutes plus 3 seconds per move. Finally, is the score remains equal, the Armageddon game steps up: White has 5 minutes, Black has 4 minutes, 3 seconds per move are added starting with the move 61, and a draw counts as a victory for Black.
Khanty-Mansiysk Women's World Chess 2012: Ushenina Knocks out Wenjun, Joins Stefanova in Final
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
What do you do with a lost game at the Women's World Chess Championship? The answer is 'fight it out'. That's the recipe Anna Ushenina of Ukraine used to knock out Ju Wenjun of China in the tiebreak games of the semi-final in Khanty Mansiysk on Sunday. Ushenina now meets Antoaneta Stefanova of Bulgaria to vie for the World Women's Chess Champion 2012 title.
In the first tie-break game Anna, playing White, got an overwhelming position after the opening. Ju Wenjun had to sacrifice a piece in order to save her king from White’s attack. Black had some counterplay, but White calmly parried all threats, and soon the Chinese resigned.
In the second game Ju Wenjun got a better position, and Black sacrificed a pawn to avoid bigger trouble. White responded by sacrificing an exchange for two pawns, and had decent winning chances in the resulting position. However, she missed a number of winning continuations due to time trouble, and Ushenina avoided all traps and saved the game with accurate defending. The draw was enough for Ushenina to advance to the final of the Khanty-Mansiysk Women's World Chess Championship 2012. Watch the exciting second game with Chess King.
Semifinal results:Antoaneta Stefanova (Bulgaria) – Harika Dronavalli (India) 1.5-0.5 Anna Ushenina (Ukraine) – Ju Wenjun (China) 2.5-1.5
Meanwhile, Harika Dronavalli (India) and Ju Wenjun (China) were also awarded the bronze medal by Khanty-Mansiysk Mayor and Ugra Chess Federation president Vassily Filipenko.
Monday, November 26, is a rest day. The final match begins on November 27. This is a best-of-four match. If the score after four games is 2-2, the players continue on tie-break. The tie-breaks begin with two rapid games: 25 minutes plus 10 second per move for each player. If the score is 1-1, they will continue with two quicker games: 10 minutes plus 10 seconds per move. If the winner is still not determined, the players will proceed to blitz games: 5 minutes plus 3 seconds per move. Finally, is the score remains equal, the Armageddon game steps up: White has 5 minutes, Black has 4 minutes, 3 seconds per move are added starting with the move 61, and a draw counts as a victory for Black.
Khanty-Mansiysk Women's World Chess 2012: Stefanova in Final; Ushenina, Wenjun to Play Tiebreak
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Antoaneta Stefanova - A second crack at the title!
The second games of the Women’s World Championship semifinals were played today in Khanty-Mansiysk. Bulgaria's Antoaneta Stefanova becomes the first to advance to the final match.
Harika Dronavalli (India) needed to win as White to tie the match score against Antoaneta Stefanova (Bulgaria). In a slow maneuvering game the Indian advanced her pawns on the queenside, and Stefanova pushed on the kingside. As the game got more open, Black sacrificed a piece for White’s three central pawns and obtained a big advantage. However, Stefanova did not try to win the game outright and just forced a draw by repetition, securing the match victory. Now the former World Champion will have a chance to win her second title.
Tiebreak games to decide who goes home, and who plays Stefanova.
Anna Ushenina (Ukraine) and Ju Wenjun (China) agreed to an early draw. The Chinese was unable to get an opening advantage with White and offered a draw on the 18th move. Tomorrow, November 25th, the tie-break will determine the second participant of the final match. It will be the fifth tie-break at this championship for Ju Wenjun, and the second one for Ushenina.
Semifinal results: Antoaneta Stefanova (Bulgaria) – Harika Dronavalli (India) 1.5-0.5 Anna Ushenina (Ukraine) – Ju Wenjun (China) 1-1
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
The Women's World Chess Championship 2012 semi-final games were played in Khanty Mansiysk on Friday. Just two games, but the excitement packed in them was all worth it. In the first game, Antoaneta Stefanova beat Harika Dronavalli in a game of fireworks. In the other game, Anna Ushenina, who had displayed excellent form so far, let go of her splendid advantage allowing Ju Wenjun to draw the game.
Click on the links to view the respective games with Chess King:
Antoaneta Stefanova from Bulgaria took the lead against the Indian Harika Dronavalli, winning the first game of the match with White pieces. The former World Champion got a promising position after the opening. After lengthy maneuvering White made a break on the kingside and won a pawn. Black still had drawing chances and could equalize with accurate defending, but Harika impatiently went for a sharp counterattack. She sacrificed another pawn and then a piece, but miscalculated and did not get sufficient compensation for her losses. Stefanova combined defensive moves with threats to the black king and finished the game with a nice tactical blow that inevitably led to a checkmate.
Anna Ushenina (Ukraine) trapped her opponent Ju Wenjun (China) in the opening to obtain an overwhelming advantage. The Chinese did not defend perfectly, and her position soon became critical. However, the Ukrainian wrongly rejected the opponent’s exchange sacrifice, and Black managed to come back. A draw was agreed on the 28th move.
Women's World Chess 2012 Semi-Finals Today: Watch Live Stefanova vs Dronavalli, Ushenina vs Wenjun
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Marie Sebag vs Antoaneta Stefanova
The Women's World Chess Championship 2012 is all set for the semi-finals that begin in Khanty Mansiysk on Friday. The pairings are Antoaneta Stefanova vs Dronavalli Harika and Anna Ushenina versus Ju Wenjun. Watch all the action live on Friday at the official website.
Earlier, six participants had played the previous round tiebreaks on Thursday. Antoaneta Stefanova (Bulgaria) convincingly defeated Marie Sebag (France). In the first game of the match emotions took over logic, and the spectators witnessed a completely crazy game with brilliant moves and horrible blunders coming from both sides at an alarming rate. Finally the French player got an overwhelming position with an extra piece, but the Bulgarian kept cool and capitalized on her opponent’s final blunder by promoting a passed pawn. Sebag had to return material, ended up down an exchange and resigned. The second game was one-sided, and Stefanova won convincingly, thus wrapping up the match 2-0. The former World Champion advanced to the semifinal.
Zhao Xue vs Harika Dronavalli
The match between Harika Dronavalli (India) and Zhao Xue (China) was just as tense. The Chinese, playing White in the first game, got a promising position, but her hesitation allowed the opponent to advance her passed pawn a bit too far. Harika combined threats in the center and on the kingside, and finished the game with a nice attack against the king. In the second game the Indian got an opening advantage, pushed in the middlegame, and found the right moment to transpose to a drawn ending, as she was content with a draw. Harika won the match 1.5-0.5 and looked very happy at the press-conference. She thanked her parents, friends, trainers, and especially her grandmother, who also came to Khanty-Mansiysk.
The Chinese Ju Wenjun and Huang Qian were unable to determine the winner in rapid games, drawing both after very tenacious struggle. In the first 10-minute game Ju Wenjun had a big advantage and excellent winning chances, but misplayed in the end, allowing the opponent to make a draw. The second game was also a roller coaster ride: Huang Qian obtained a big advantage with complete domination on the board, but then made several mistakes, and Black turned the tables. Ju Wenjun played flawlessly for the rest of the game, and secured the match victory.
Earlier, Anna Ushenina had already knocked out Nadezhda Kosintseva in the main games to be the first to make it to the semi-finals of the Women's World Chess Championship 2012.
Khanty-Mansiysk Women's World Chess Championship 2012 Quarter Finals: Ushenina Knocks Out Kosintseva; Others to Play Tiebreak
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012 Hi everyone,
Zhao Xue - Harika Dronavalli - An exciting game
The Russian challenge came to an end at the 2012 Women's World Chess Championship in Khanty Mansiysk on Wednesday as Ukraine's Anna Ushenina knocked out Nadezhda Kosintseva. The second game of Round 4 was played between eight quarter-finalists at the championship. Meanwhile, Harika Dronavalli survived a totally lost game against Zhao Xue. Antoaneta Stefanova also beat Marie Sebag in the second game to draw level. Ju Wenjun and Huang Qian settled for a quick draw. The three pairs play the tiebreak on Thursday.
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
The Women's World Chess Championship 2012 in Khanty Mansiysk is now in the quarter finals. The fourth round (first game) was played on Tuesday with one decisive results in four games. Nadezhda Kosintseva let Anna Ushenina escape, but Marie Sebag beat Antoaneta Stefanova. The other games were drawn.
Quarter-Final Results
Marie Sebag - Antoaneta Stefanova1-0
Nadezhda Kosintseva - Anna Ushenina½-½
Wenjun Ju - Qian Huang½-½
Xue Zhao- Dronavalli Harika½-½
Here is a position from the Sebag-Stefanova game after White has played 36.Ne5. Black is a pawn down and played Rxa5. This invited a killer blow from White. Can you spot the nice sac? For the answer and the full game, surf to Chess King or click on the chess diagram below.
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012 Hi everyone,
The Khanty-Mansiysk Women's World Chess Championship 2012 continued with its unpredictable streak in the third round that began on Saturday. The first games of the round were played with five of the eight games turning out to be decisive.
Results: Round 3, First Game Alisa Galliamova - Marie Sebag 0-1 Mariya Muzychuk - Xue Zhao ½-½ Anna Ushenina - Natalija Pogonina 1-0 Lela Javakhishvili - Dronavalli Harika ½-½ Monika Socko - Antoaneta Stefanova 0-1 Qian Huang - Irina Krush 0-1 Tatiana Kosintseva - Nadezhda Kosintseva ½-½ Wenjun Ju - Natalia Zhukova 1-0
Monika Socko had knocked out reigning Women's World Chess Champion Hou Yifan in the previous round. She began Round with a loss. Socko's 20th move was a blunder and she could not recover thereafter. Ironically, Natalia Zhukova who had knocked out top-rated player Humpy Koneru also lost. Alisa Galliamova, who had knocked out Valentina Gunina also lost. Replay the game in the Chess King applet in the extended post below. In the position below, Socko plays 20.Qe3. Can you see the strong move from Black that eventually gave Stefanova her win as Black?
Cool Chess Video Collage from World Chess Championship 2012
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
A very nice chess video collage from the Women's World Chess Championship 2012 in Khanty Mansiysk, Russia. All the top stars have been knocked out from the event in a most-surprising result. Check out the report here on Chess Blog. Enjoy the chess video below.
Khanty-Mansiysk Women's World Chess Championship 2012 R2: Humpy Loses to Zhukova
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012 Hi everyone,
Wednesday, November 14, witnessed 32 participants of the Women's World Chess Championship 2012 play the first game of the second round in Khanty-Mansiysk. There were fewer decisive games compared to the first round, and the reason is obvious – the strength gap between the players was much narrower.
Natalia Zhukova who brought down top seed Koneru Humpy.
Women's World Chess Champion Hou Yifan (China) beat Monika Socko (Poland). Another thriller produced Natalia Zhukova (Ukraine), who, also as Black, defeated the rating favorite Humpy Koneru (India). Zhao Zue (China) crushed Nino Khurtsidze (Georgia), Pia Cramling (Sweden) won against Irina Krush (USA), Harika Dronavalli (India) defeated Elina Danielian (Armenia), and Maria Muzychuk defeated the hero of the starting round Maritza Arribas Robaine (Cuba). The rest of the games were drawn. Russian players Nadezhda Kosintseva, Tatiana Kosintseva and Olga Girya made draws against Lilit Mkrtchian (Armenia), Hoang Thanh Trang (Hungary) and Marie Sebag (France) respectively. There are two all-Russian pairs in the second round: Alisa Galliamova plays with Valentina Gunina, and Alexandra Kosteniuk faces Natalia Pogonina. These games also ended in draws, despite being the longest in the round. Results: Socko, Monika (POL) – Hou, Yifan (CHN) 0-1, Koneru, Humpy (IND) – Zhukova, Natalia (UKR) 0-1, Ushenina, Anna (UKR) – Muzychuk, Anna (SLO) draw, Zhao, Xue (CHN) – Khurtsidze, Nino (GEO) 1-0, Javakhishvili, Lela (GEO) – Lahno, Kateryna (UKR) draw, Kosintseva, Nadezhda (RUS) – Mkrtchian, Lilit (ARM) draw, Huang, Qian (CHN) – Cmilyte, Viktorija (LTU) draw, Sebag, Marie (FRA) – Girya, Olga (RUS) draw, Galliamova, Alisa (RUS) – Gunina, Valentina (RUS) draw, Cramling, Pia (SWE) – Krush, Irina (USA) 1-0, Hoang, Thanh Trang (HUN) – Kosintseva, Tatiana (RUS) draw, Harika, Dronavalli (IND) – Danielian, Elina (ARM) 1-0, Muzychuk, Mariya (UKR) – Arribas Robaina, Maritza (CUB) 1-0, Kosteniuk, Alexandra (RUS) – Pogonina, Natalija (RUS) draw, Zatonskih, Anna (USA) – Ju, Wenjun (CHN) draw, Stefanova, Antoaneta (BUL) – Zhu, Chen (QAT) draw. The 8th Ugra Governor Cup starts on Thursday in Khanty-Mansiysk. This is a part of the Russian Cup series, the prize fund is 1 million 641 thousand roubles, which is slightly more than $50,000. More than 100 players from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan already registered for the event, including Anton Korobov (2702), Nikita Vitiugov (2700), Alexey Dreev (2654) and Igor Kurnosov (2645). Evgenia Ovod (Russia) and Madina Davletbaeva (Kazakhstan), who already busted from the World Championship, will join the field as well. The tournament will run until November 24th.
Here are some nice chess games from the second round at the Khanty-Mansiysk Women's World Chess Championship 2012 with Chess King:
Khanty-Mansiysk Women's World Chess Championship 2012: Eight More Qualify in Round 1 Tiebreaks Today
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012 Hi everyone,
Here is the latest chess news updates for the Khanty-Mansiysk Women's World Chess Championship 2012. We had found the first 24 direct qualifiers for the second round on Monday. You can read the report on Chess Blog here. The tiebreaks for the first round took place on Tuesday to select the remaining eight players that would join the 24 other winners. The results for the eight tiebreaks are as follows:
Alisa Galliamova has knocked out Ekaterina Kovalevskaya, Lela Javakhishvili has knocked out Anastasia Bodnaruk, Maritza Arribas Robaina has knocked out Bela Khotenashvili, Elina Danielian has knocked out Sopiko Khukhashvili, Irina Krush has knocked out Li Ruofan, Mariya Muzychuk has knocked out Cristina-Adela Foisor, Natalija Pogonina has knocked out Svetlana Matveeva and Ju Wenjun has knocked out Atousa Pourkashiyan.
The second round begins on Wednesday with the first set of games and the pairings would be up on the official website shortly. Meanwhile, The 8th Ugra Governor Cup starts on Wednesday, November 14th. This competition is a part of the Russian Cup series, and its prize fund exceeds $50,000. More than 100 players from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Azerbaijan have already registered for this event, including Anton Korobov (2702), Nikita Vitiugov (2700), Alexey Dreev (2654) and Igor Kurnosov (2645). The World Championship participants who get eliminated in the Round 1 will also be able to join the Governor Cup, which ends on November, 24th. Have you tried our photogenic chess players' trivia quiz yet?
Khanty-Mansiysk Women's World Chess Championship 2012: Top Players Among 24 to Qualify for Second Round
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
A symbolic first move by the Governor of Ugra Natalia Komarova
The second set of games for the first round round of the Women's World Chess Championship 2012 have just concluded. Twenty-four players have qualified for the second round by either winning both their games or winning one and drawing the other. These include Hou Yifan, Humpy Koneru, Anna Muzychyk, Zhao Xue, Kateryna Lahno, Nadezhda Kosintseva, Valentina Gunina, Pia Cramling, Antoaneta Stefanova, Zhu Chen, Lilit Mkrtchian, Viktorija Cmilyte, Marie Sebag, Tatiana Kosintseva, Harika Dronavalli, Alexandra Kosteniuk, Anna Zatonskih, Hoang Thanh Trang, Olga Girya, Huang Qian, Nino Khurtsidze, Anna Ushenina, Natalia Zhukova, and Monika Socko.
Tiebreak games to be played on Tuesday include: Bela Khotenashvili – Maritza Arribas Robaina, Ju Wenjun – Atousa Pourkashiyan, Natalia Pogonina – Svetlana Matveeva, Cristina-Adela Foisor – Maria Muzychuk, Elina Danielian – Sopiko Khukhashvili, Irina Krush – Li Ruofan, Ekaterina Kovalevskaya – Alisa Galliamova, and Anastasia Bodnaruk – Lela Javakhishvili.
Photogenic Chess Players @ Women's World Chess Championship 2012: Name Them!
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012 Hi everyone, Here are some photogenic chess players from the Women's World Chess Championship 2012 that has just started in (courtesy official website) Khanty-Mansiysk. We repeat, these are just "some" photos, so don't protest if your favourite chess player's photo is not included just yet. Can you name all these chess players? More chess photo trivia Chess Blog posts coming soon.
Women's World Chess Championship 2012 Begins in Khanty-Mansiysk; No Upsets in First Round
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
The Women's World Chess Championship 2012 witnessed its first round on Sunday without any upsets. Earlier, on Saturday, Deputy Minister of Sport of the Russian Federation Pavel Kolobkov read a congratulatory telegram from the Minister of Sport of the Russian Federation Vitaly Mutko. Then FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, after his welcome speech, declared the championship officially open.
The opening ceremony was attended by Natalia Komarova, the Governor of Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Area – Ugra, and Evgeny Redkin, director of the Department of Physical Education and Sports of Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Area – Yugra.
Drawing of colors was an important technical aspect of the ceremony. For that purpose Chief Arbiter Hal Bond (Canada) and the reigning Women’s World Champion Hou Yifan (China) went up to the stage. Hou Yifan chose one of the two proposed chess boards and found a white pawn. This means that Hou Yifan and all participants with the odd numbers will have white pieces in the first game.
The opening ceremony continued with the colorful theatrical show. Participants and guests of the championship saw the performances of the artists of dance theater “Ugra-Classic”, an ensemble of wind instruments, dance group “Courage”, illusionist Yevgeniy Kaverzina, dance theater “Show-karapuz”, and the program was completed with the fantastic vocals and music of “AngeliQuie and The Band”. The official part was followed by a banquet.
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12th Women's World Chess Champion
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