Women's World Chess Championship 2018

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  • Women's World Chess Championship 2018

    Women's World Chess Championship 2018

    April 4, 2018

    "The 2018 Women's World Chess Championship is an upcoming match between Tan Zhongyi, the 2017 Women's World Chess champion, and challenger Ju Wenjun. Ju Wenjun qualified by winning the FIDE Women's Grand Prix 2015-16."

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%...mpionship_2018

    From the FIDE Calendar

    Place: Shanghai/Chongqing, China
    Start: 2 May 2018
    End: 20 May 2018

    Remarks: The first half of the match will be organized from 2nd to 9th in Shanghai and the latter half will be organized from 11th to 20th May in Chongqing.

    https://www.fide.com/index.php?optio...lview&aid=1569

    The match will consist of 10 games with the following rest days:

    Game 1
    Game 2
    Rest Day
    Game 3
    Game 4
    Rest Day
    Game 5
    Game 6
    Rest Day
    Game 7
    Game 8
    Rest Day
    Game 9
    Rest Day
    Game 10
    Rest Day
    Tie-Break Games

    http://www.fide.com/FIDE/handbook/FWWCM2017.pdf

  • #2
    Re: Women's World Chess Championship 2018

    Women's World Chess Championship 2018

    May 2, 2018

    The Women’s World Chess Championship starts tomorrow.

    A press conference was held at the InterContinental Shanghai Jing’an today.

    Vice-president of the FIDE Boris Kutin, deputy-director of the China National general administration of sports chess sports management center、Vice-president of the China chess association、Coach of the China national team Ye Jiangchuan, Vice-director of Shanghai general administration of sports Zhao Guangsheng, Vice-director of Chongqing general administration of sports Zhang Xin, Director of Chongqing Chess Sports management center、president of Chongqing Chess Institute Ke Ping, Director of Shanghai Chess Sports management center、 president of Shanghai Chess Institute Shan Lixia, chief arbiter, Women’s grandmaster, Ms Anastasia Sorokina and the two players: The current champion Tan Zhongyi and the challenger Ju Wenjun attended the Press conference.

    There will be a 10-game match in Shanghai and Chongqing. The new champion will be the first player who reaches 5.5 point. A rapid (25+10) playoff will be held if the two players draw the match. If the scores are level after the four rapid games, then, after a new drawing of colours, a match of two games will be played with a time control of five minutes plus three seconds' increment after each move. In case of a level score, another two-game match will be played to determine a winner. If there is still no winner after five such matches (i.e. after ten games), one sudden-death game will be played.

    The drawing of lots and technical meeting was hosted by chief arbiter, Ms Anastasia Sorokina. Ju Wenjun will play white tomorrow. The players will switch colours after 4 games.

    The prize fund for this match is 200,000 Euros and will be split between the players as follows: 60% for the winner and 40% to the loser if the match ends within the 10 regular games. In case the winner is decided by tie-break games, she will receive 55% and loser 45%.

    The games will start at 3 p.m. local time. I reckon that this is 3 a.m. Toronto/Montreal time.

    http://china2018.fide.com

    Ian Rogers tweets - Women's World Chess Championship web site announced as http://China2018.fide.com. Team of 4 commentators, in Mandarin only. Technical meeting imposes tough security rules - no pens, watches, half hour transmission delay. So, broadcasts will start at 3.30 Shanghai time.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Women's World Chess Championship 2018

      Women’s World Championship 2018

      May 3, 2018

      Game One

      This description of the action from the official site:

      The FIDE women’s world chess championship match began inside InterContinental Hotel Jing’an Suburb Shanghai. After a 5-hour-long contest, the challenger Ju Wenjun and the current champion Tan Zhongyi drew this first game.

      In the opening, Tan Zhongyi chose the queen’s gambit accepted with black,that was not what Ju Wenjun was expecting. Ju Wenjun spent a lot of time on opening, whereas Tan Zhongyi quickly got a complex position.

      There is big time difference on the clock, however there in no obvious advantage on the board. Tan Zhongyi was the more active side. And then the fight was concentrated in the middle of the board. After a sharp move 14...Ne5,Tan Zhongyi decided to bring the game into a fierce battle. Later in the post-game conference, they had different opinions about this move, Tan Zhongyi believed that it was necessary while Ju Wenjun thought that another simple move such as 14...Be5 would give black the better position. In their game, after some fight under time control, Ju Wenjun brought it to a Knight Pawn – Bishop Pawn ending. Continuous Pressure from Ju Wenjun during the next nearly 30 moves, Tan Zhongyi dealt with them all. A draw was agreed and ended this this first game after 63 moves.

      Later in the post-game conference, Tan Zhongyi said she was psychologically prepared. She would have preferred to have white in the first game. But accepted the challenge and did it well. Ju Wenjun says it is not rare to have a 5-hours game. Quality is what she cares about.

      Ju Wenjun and Tan Zhongyi are the same age. Being teammates fighting for honor, they are more like good friends. In the past 3 years, Ju Wenjun’s score doesn’t look as good as Tan Zhongyi’s. Ju Wenjun was asked whether this was going to be a problem for her? She said: Past results will never be my concern, every match is a new beginning. Tan Zhongyi and I, we know each other very well, that will make this match a brand-new experience and I am excited for it.

      When they were asked about the difference between classical robin tournament and this match, Tan Zhongyi said this is a challenge for her, while Ju Wenjun felt this kind of form helps players stay focused. And both of them were satisfied with today’s game and result.

      World Women’s Championship 2018
      Chongqing/Shanghai, China
      Game 1, May 3, 2018
      Ju Wenjun – Tan Zhongyi
      D20 QGA

      1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e4 c5 4.d5 e6 5.Bxc4 Nf6 6.Nc3 exd5 7.exd5 a6 8.a4 Bd6 9.Nf3 O-O 10.O-O Bg4 11.h3 Bh5 12.Bg5 Re8 13.Bd3 Nbd7 14.Ne4 Ne5 15.g4 Nxd3 16.Bxf6 gxf6 17.Qxd3 Bg6 18.Rae1 Qe7 19.Nfd2 Bf4 20.Qf3 Qe5 21.Re2 f5 22.gxf5 Qxf5 23.Rfe1 Re5 24.Nc4 Bh2+ 25.Kg2 Qxf3+ 26.Kxf3 Bxe4+ 27.Rxe4 Rxe4 28.Rxe4 Rd8 29.Ne3 b5 30.axb5 axb5 31.Re7 Kf8 32.Ra7 Be5 33.b3 c4 34.bxc4 bxc4 35.Ke4 Re8 36.Kf3 c3 37.Ra6 Rc8 38.Ke4 Bh2 39.Rc6 Rxc6 40.dxc6 Ke7 41.Nd5+ Kd6 42.Nxc3 Kxc6 43.Kf5 Bg1 44.Ne4 h6 45.Ke5 Kd7 46.Kf4 Bh2+ 47.Kf5 Ke7 48.Nf6 Bg1 49.f3 Kf8 50.Nh5 Bb6 51.Kg4 Ba5 52.Ng3 Kg7 53.Kf5 Bc7 54.Nh5+ Kf8 55.f4 Ba5 56.Ke5 Bc7+ 57.Ke4 Ba5 58.Ng3 Kg7 59.Kf5 Bd2 60.Ne4 Be3 61.h4 h5 62.Nd6 f6 63.Ne4 Kf7 1/2-1/2

      Position after White’s 14.Ne4






      Final position




      Ian Rogers tweets - Mandarin language commentary, by Zhang Xiaowen and Lin Ta, on the Women's World Championship match in Shanghai can be found via http://tiyutai.qingk.cn/spotlive-info/ … but is only viewable by mobile phones. Game alone can be seen via http://http://chinachess.net/cca.ims...d%20-%202.html
      Last edited by Wayne Komer; Thursday, 3rd May, 2018, 04:16 PM.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Women's World Chess Championship 2018

        Women's World Championship 2018

        May 4, 2018

        Game Two

        From the official site:

        http://china2018.fide.com

        Ju Wenjun won the second game

        In today’s game, Tan Zhongyi played c4 in the first move, instead of her more common move d4, meant to play out of Ju Wenjun’s preparation. What surprised us is, Ju Wenjun was prepared and played unusual moves. Tan Zhongyi said after the game: Have no idea how to do after the 2nd move.

        Instead of taking advantages from opening with white, Tan Zhongyi fell into disadvantageous position in that complex situation. After that, another mistake was made in the 22nd move due to too much confidence in her onboard analysis. That gave Ju Wenjun the opportunity to increase her advantage. After fierce battle, Ju Wenjun won the game. What is worth mentioning is that, Ju Wenjun also made few mistakes due to the time pressure and there was actually a good chance for Tan Zhongyi to save the game. Short of thinking time though, Tan Zhongyi lost it.

        Later at the post game conference, Tan Zhongyi didn’t look depressed, there were moments she laughed.

        Looking back to the past two games, Tan Zhongyi says: I had a successful opening in the 1st game, but didn’t play well after that. A big mistake was made in the 2nd game. What is needed now is to go back to the status quo. I believe nobody feels happy when they lose but I am good at working under pressure.” Tan Zhongyi said. .

        Both of them refused questions regarding to their seconds and team. I was told by the coach of Shanghai team, WGM Wang Pin, that the famous Chinese GM Ni Hua now is also the coach of the Shanghai team, he is in charge of technical issues. In today’s game, Ju Wenjun got Tan Zhongyi into trouble in 2 moves, so should we consider this as Ju Wenjun Team’s pregame preparation? Hopefully we will figure it out soon.

        5th May is the 1st rest day in championship match. They were asked about plan in break. “Play games!” Tan Zhongyi says without hesitation. “I think I will stay in the hotel, not going out.”
        “Well, no decision yet,” says Ju Wenjun.

        The 3rd game of the Women’s World Championship Match will start on 6th of May at 3 p.m. local time.

        Game 2, May 4, 2018
        Tan Zhongyi – Ju Wenjun
        A21 English, Kramnik-Shirov Counter-Attack

        1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Bb4 3.d3 Bxc3+ 4.bxc3 d6 5.g3 f5 6.Bg2 Nf6 7.Rb1 c6 8.Nf3 Qc7 9.O-O O-O 10.Bg5 Nbd7 11.Nd2 h6 12.Bxf6 Nxf6 13.e4 Be6 14.Bh3 Qd7 15.exf5 Bxf5 16.Bxf5 Qxf5 17.Ne4 Qd7 18.Qb3 Nxe4 19.dxe4 Rf7 20.Rfd1 Qg4 21.Rxd6 Qe2 22.Rf1 Raf8 23.c5 Kh7 24.Qd1 Qxa2 25.Qb1 Qc4 26.Rd2 a5 27.Qb6 Qxc3 28.Rb2 h5 29.Ra2 a4 30.Qb2 Qxc5 31.Rxa4 g6 32.Qd2 Kg7 33.Ra5 Qd4 34.Qxd4 exd4 35.f4 Rd8 36.Kf2 b6 37.Ra6 c5 38.Rxb6 Ra7 39.f5 gxf5 40.exf5 d3 41.Rc6 Ra2+ 42.Kf3 d2 43.Rc7+ Kf6 44.Rc6+ Ke7 45.Rd1 Rc2 46.h3 c4 47.g4 hxg4+ 48.hxg4 Rc1 49.Ke2 c3 50.Rc7+ Kf6 51.Rc6+ Kg5 52.Kf3 Rg8 53.Ke2 Rh8 54.Rd6 Rxd1 55.Kxd1 Rh1+ 0-1

        Position after Black’s 21st move Qe2




        Final position



        Ian Rogers at the Match tweets - Weird press conference after Ju Wenjun's win over Tan Zhongyi in the second game of the Women's World Chess Championship in Shanghai. Ju looked seriously depressed at having beaten her friend, while Tan was able to smile and even laugh. Game 3 on May 6, Ju leading 1.5-0.5.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Women's World Chess Championship 2018

          Women’s World Championship 2018

          May 5, 2018

          Today is a rest day.

          Colin McGourty in chess24 reporting the match wrote this yesterday:

          https://chess24.com/en/read/news/wom...ts-in-shanghai

          “The first five rounds will be held in Ju Wenjun’s birthplace, the 24 million people metropolis of Shanghai, before switching 1500km west to Tan Zhongyi’s birthplace, Chongqing, which has a mere 8.5 million or so in its central urban area (but over 30 million in the municipality as a whole!)”

          I thought this must be unique, to hold the match in the birthplace of each of the contestants.

          Then I tried to remember what World Men’s Champions played a match in the city of their birth.

          Certainly, Capablanca played in Havana, Euwe played in Amsterdam and Smyslov played in Moscow.

          I don’t think Anand was born in Chennai, Spassky was born in Leningrad and there were no matches there, Marshall was born in New York City and played Lasker a match there.

          So, I end up with Capablanca, Euwe, Smyslov and Marshall.

          Feel free to update or critique my conclusions.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Women's World Chess Championship 2018

            Fischer played a match in the city of his death (Reykjavik).

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Women's World Chess Championship 2018

              Originally posted by Hugh Brodie View Post
              Fischer played a match in the city of his death (Reykjavik).
              This has become a fascinating thread. :)

              Several (four?) games from the 1934 Alekhine - Bogoljubov World Championship Rematch were played in Freiburg and Villingen-Schwenningen. Bogoljubov died in Triberg. All three are basically villages in Schwarzwald, within aboiut 50-kilometer radius.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Women's World Chess Championship 2018

                Women’s World Championship 2018

                May 6, 2018

                Game Three


                Game 3, May 6, 2018
                Ju Wenjun – Tan Zhongyi
                E04 Catalan, open

                1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 dxc4 5.Bg2 Nc6 6.O-O Rb8 7.Nc3 b5 8.Ne5 Nxe5 9.dxe5 Nd7 10.Qc2 Bb7 11.Bxb7 Rxb7 12.Rd1 Be7 13.Qe4 Qc8 14.Qg4 g5 15.Qh5 Nc5 16.Bxg5 c6 17.Rd4 Rd7 18.Bxe7 Kxe7 19.Qh4+ Ke8 20.Rad1 Qd8 21.Qf4 Rxd4 22.Rxd4 Qb6 23.Rd6 Rf8 24.Ne4 Nxe4 25.Qxe4 Qb7 26.Rxc6 Kd7 27.Qd4+ 1-0

                Final position




                Ju Wenjun 2.5 – Tan Zhongyi 0.5

                _________

                There is almost no publicity for this match. One way to get some is to have a good chess correspondent on site. Ian Rogers is there, probably on his own dollar. He has published his account of the match so far at:

                https://new.uschess.org/news/queen-f...s-no-one-sees/

                “The ongoing Women’s World Championship in Shanghai between Tan Zhongyi and challenger Ju Wenjun – yes it’s on right now! – has suffered a quadruple whammy.

                Not only were players from the same country fighting for the title, with the world’s best female player Hou Yifan declining to compete any longer in the Women’s World Championship cycle, and the match is being played in a time zone which almost rules out a US audience, but also the world body FIDE – ostensibly the controlling body of the event – ignored the match until it began.

                FIDE is suffering from massive internal upheaval, but that hardly excused not bothering to advertise the match or provide a web site until late in the day.

                The Chinese hosts certainly noticed FIDE’s neglect and it was also noted that neither of the two people claiming to have the powers of the FIDE President attended the opening ceremony.

                So, inevitably, while Chinese media and officials turned out in force for Tuesday’s opening, the occasion – and the start of a 10 game, 200,000 Euro title match – passed almost without notice outside China.

                The two competitors are reigning Champion Tan Zhongyi and challenger Ju Wenjun, both born in 1991 and rivals since the age of 11. Long-time Chinese national team trainer Yu Shaoteng explained, “The players are more than friends, almost like sisters. They are the same age and have played together, both in junior events and in teams, for years.”

                Tan unexpectedly became Women’s World Champion at the knock-out tournament in Tehran in 2017, beating top seeded Ju in a semi-final upset and second seed Anna Muzychuk in the final. However Tan admitted at her final competition before the title match, the Chinese League matches, that, although she had been preparing hard for a year, she was having trouble even becoming nervous about the contest against her friend.

                The friendship between the two did not stop Tan Zhongyi and Ju Wenjun’s respective home cities, Chongqing and Shanghai, bidding against each other for the match; an expensive compromise involving the first half being played in Shanghai and the second in Chongqing only being decided six weeks before the match was scheduled to begin. Both cities secured independent sponsors; the Shanghai half is known as the China Mobile Women’s World Championship Match on all posters.”

                Photos etc at the uschess site

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Women's World Chess Championship 2018

                  Hugh, you have a good sense of humor. I never knew that.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Women's World Chess Championship 2018

                    M.Botvinnik played many matches in the city of his death - Moscow. T.Petrosian also died in Moscow and played 3 matches there. As well, M.Tal died in Moscow and played 2 matches against Botvinnik in this city.
                    Last edited by Victor Plotkin; Monday, 7th May, 2018, 11:30 AM.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Women's World Chess Championship 2018

                      Women’s World Championship 2018

                      May 7, 2018

                      Game Four

                      Game 4, May 7, 2018
                      Tan Zhongyi – Ju Wenjun
                      A45 Trompovsky Attack

                      1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 d5 3.Nd2 Nbd7 4.Ngf3 h6 5.Bh4 c5 6.e3 e6 7.c3 Be7 8.Bd3 Qc7 9.Qe2 O-O 10.O-O b6 11.Bxf6 Nxf6 12.Ne5 Bb7 13.f4 Ne4 14.Rad1 Bd6 15.Qg4 f5 16.Qh3 Bxe5 17.fxe5 Qe7 18.Qh5 Kh7 19.Qe2 Rac8 20.Rf4 Rf7 21.g4 Rcf8 22.Qg2 cxd4 23.cxd4 Nxd2 24.Rxd2 g6 25.Qh3 Bc8 26.Rg2 g5 27.Rf3 Kg7 28.Qh5 Bd7 29.h4 fxg4 30.Qg6+ Kh8 31.Qxh6+ Kg8 32.Rxg4 Rg7 33.Rf6 Qb4 34.Qxg7+ Kxg7 35.Rxg5+ 1-0

                      Position after Black’s 23…Nxd2



                      Chessbomb kibitzers:

                      - oh, interesting! After round 3 I thought this wouldn't be much of a fight, nice to see Tan Zhongyi fight back
                      - the critical mistake was 23... Nxd2 , which activated the d3B
                      - indeed
                      - I guess she was afraid of the knight coming to f3 and joining the attack but giving up her own strong knight to stop that was a mistake as we know now
                      Last edited by Wayne Komer; Monday, 7th May, 2018, 01:12 PM.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Women's World Chess Championship 2018

                        Women’s World Championship 2018

                        May 9, 2018

                        Game Five

                        Game 5, May 9, 2018
                        Tan Zhongyi – Ju Wenjun
                        C24 Bishop’s Opening, Berlin Defence

                        1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.d3 c6 4.Nf3 d5 5.Bb3 a5 6.a4 Bb4+ 7.c3 Bd6 8.O-O O-O 9.exd5 cxd5 10.Na3 Nbd7 11.Re1 h6 12.Nb5 Bb8 13.d4 e4 14.Nd2 Nb6 15.f3 Re8 16.Bc2 Bd7 17.Rb1 exf3 18.Nxf3 Ne4 19.Ne5 Bxe5 20.dxe5 Bxb5 21.axb5 Rxe5 22.Be3 Re6 23.Bd4 Nc4 24.Bd3 Qg5 25.b3 Ncd6 26.Rb2 Rae8 27.Rbe2 Nf5 28.Bc2 Nh4 29.Qd3 Ng6 30.Be3 Qh5 31.c4 Ne5 32.Qd4 Rg6 33.Bxe4 dxe4 34.Kf1 Nf3 35.Qd7 Nxh2+ 0-1

                        Position after Black’s 21….Rxe5




                        From the official site:

                        http://china2018.fide.com

                        Ju Wenjun leads with 3.5-1.5 after 5 games

                        The 2018 FIDE women’s world chess championship match had the 5th game inside the InterContinental Hotel Jing’an Suburb of Shanghai on 9th May. The challenger Ju Wenjun defeated the current champion Tan Zhongyi. 3.5:1.5, ending the first half match 2 scores ahead.

                        This 5th game is the last game of the first half in the championship match. According to the match rule, the two sides will change the first-second move turn after four games. That means, Tan Zhongyi will still play white. For Tan Zhongyi, this is her best opportunity to catch up score after her win in the 4th. For Ju Wenjun, she cannot afford to lose another extra point.

                        At today’s beginning, Tan Zhongyi played e4 in the first move, which she seldom does. Ju Wenjun reacted with 1...e5 and they went to the Bishop’s opening quickly. Tan Zhongyi played precisely and steadily. They fought into the middlegame. Tan Zhongyi played one or two weak moves, which affected her initiative. Ju Wenjun grabbed the opportunity and got a better position.

                        After that, under a lot of pressure, Tan Zhongyi sacrificed a pawn to gain a pair of bishops. But they found soon this was a big mistake for giving Ju Wenjun more chance to move pieces close to King side gradually. Various threats made Tan Zhongyi unable to fight back. When getting close to the 1st time limit, the white king fell into a hopeless situation. After 35 moves Tan Zhongyi resigned.

                        In the post-game conference, Tan Zhongyi said that her decision to play 1.e4 wasn’t specialized preparation, she just wanted to skip over the beginning and go straight to the fighting like yesterday. Ju Wenjun said the 1.e4 was more or less surprised her but fortunately she knows about this opening so played her side well.

                        When reviewing the game, Tan Zhongyi said that 11.Re1 was not a good move, as the black (i.e. queen’s) bishop was stuck after Ju Wenjun’s 11...h6. Ju Wenjun felt a bit advantage after 13...e4. Apart from that, both of them believe the White 19.Ne5 was a big mistake. Tan Zhongyi gave up one pawn to gain two bishops, but practically there was not enough compensation for the sacrifice.

                        When they were asked about the feeling of the first half championship match, Ju Wenjun said she was surprised at being 2 points ahead. She felt that Tan Zhongyi is not playing her best, but still there is long way to go. Tan Zhongyi admits that and she said female chess players are always like this, wrong rhythm can mess up the whole competition. Tomorrow they will be going to Chongqing, she wishes she will play better in the following half match, with a new mood, in new surroundings, and in her hometown.

                        Up to now in the 2018 FIDE women’s world chess championship match, the first half 5 games have finished. The challenger Ju Wenjun has 3 wins 1 draw and 1 loss. 3.5:1.5 .According to Match schedule, the 6th game will be held on 3:00pm 12th May, at Chongqing.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Women's World Chess Championship 2018

                          Women’s World Championship 2018

                          May 12, 2018

                          From the official site:

                          Tan Zhongyi won the longest game


                          One day changing cities plus one day rest, 3:00pm 12th May, 2018 FIDE women’s world chess championship match started its 2nd half game inside Chongqing Sun Kingdom Hotel.

                          Today in the 6th game, the current champion Tan Zhongyi finally won after a 6-hour fierce battle with the challenger Ju Wenjun. That makes the score 2.5:3.5.

                          Today, Ju Wenjun played White and the game started with the Catalan opening. That reminds us of their 3th game. Tan Zhongyi made some changes today at the 4th move, that gained equality. However, Ju Wenjun missed taking a pawn 19. Qxb7, which is actually worth a try. Later she didn’t play 22. f4, that to maintain her advantage. Tan Zhongyi was 2 scores behind back then, so she was more active, and accumulated some advantages step by step. Last move before 1st time limit, Ju Wenjun made a big mistake, 40.Bf1 and lost one pawn. That gave Tan Zhongyi the opportunity to gain more advantages, found out Ju Wenjun’s sticking point, and won victory on the 125th move. Today’s game lasted 6 hours, making it the longest in this match till now.

                          At the post-game conference, Ju Wenjun said she didn't see 19. Qxb7. Tan Zhongyi believed she would get compensation if sacrificed the pawn, so better to fight. Ju Wenjun felt the threat at the 40th move, but the time was running out with only 10 minutes left, no time for calculating future possibilities after 40.f4, so even though she knew was going to lose the f3 pawn she still went for Bf1. In the Queen rook ending, they two had different opinions, Ju Wenjun believed that rook ending will give black more chance to win, Tan Zhongyi believes the Queen rook ending is a more difficult task for her competitor, and the defence is not easy in reality, and she actually did that way.

                          Today is the first game at Tan Zhongyi’s hometown. Tan Zhongyi gains the victory after the long battle. She says herself didn't act good enough in previous game but will do her best in future games. Ju Wenjun says will adjust her being to get used to the surroundings in Chongqing and be ready to fight. 3:00pm 13th May Beijing time will be the time for their 7th game.

                          1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 Bb4+ 5.Bd2 Bd6 6.Nf3 O-O 7.O-O c6 8.Nc3 dxc4 9.Bg5 Nbd7 10.Ne4 Be7 11.Nxf6+ Bxf6 12.Bxf6 Qxf6 13.Qc1 e5 14.Qxc4 Re8 15.dxe5 Nxe5 16.Qb3 Re7 17.Nd4 Bg4 18.f3 Bd7 19.Qc3 Rc8 20.Rad1 c5 21.Nc2 b5 22.b3 Qb6 23.Kh1 b4 24.Qd2 Bc6 25.Ne3 g6 26.Qc2 c4 27.Nxc4 Nxc4 28.Qxc4 Bb7 29.Qf4 Rxe2 30.Rd7 Rf8 31.Rd2 Rxd2 32.Qxd2 Rd8 33.Qf4 a5 34.h4 h5 35.Kh2 Ba6 36.Rg1 Qd6 37.Qg5 Qd5 38.Qf6 Rd6 39.Qb2 Re6 40.Bf1 Qxf3 41.Bxa6 Rxa6 42.Rg2 Rf6 43.Qd4 Kh7 44.Qb2 Rf5 45.Qc2 Qe3 46.Re2 Qd4 47.Kg2 Qd5+ 48.Qe4 Qd1 49.Re1 Qd2+ 50.Re2 Qc1 51.Re1 Qb2+ 52.Qe2 Qf6 53.Rc1 Re5 54.Qf3 Qe7 55.Rc2 Kg7 56.Qd3 Re3 57.Qd4+ Kh7 58.Rf2 Qb7+ 59.Kh2 Re1 60.Rg2 Qe7 61.Rf2 Re2 62.Qf4 Kg8 63.Qf3 Rxf2+ 64.Qxf2 Qe4 65.Qd2 Kg7 66.Qb2+ Kf8 67.Qd2 Qe5 68.Qd8+ Kg7 69.Qd2 Qc3 70.Qf2 Kf8 71.Qe2 Qd4 72.Qc2 Qe5 73.Qf2 Ke8 74.Qg2 Qc5 75.Qa8+ Ke7 76.Qe4+ Kd8 77.Qd3+ Kc7 78.Qd2 f5 79.Qe2 Kd7 80.Qd3+ Ke7 81.Qe2+ Kf7 82.Qd2 Ke6 83.Qe2+ Kd5 84.Qf3+ Kd6 85.Qd3+ Kc7 86.Qd2 Qe5 87.Qf2 Kc6 88.Qc2+ Qc3 89.Qe2 Kd5 90.Qb5+ Qc5 91.Qd3+ Qd4 92.Qf3+ Qe4 93.Qd1+ Kc5 94.Qd2 Qf3 95.Qc2+ Kd4 96.Qd2+ Ke4 97.Qc2+ Ke3 98.Qc5+ Ke2 99.Qc2+ Ke1 100.Qc1+ Qd1 101.Qc6 Qe2+ 102.Kh3 Qe4 103.Qc1+ Kf2 104.Qd2+ Qe2 105.Qd4+ Kf1 106.Qa1+ Kf2 107.Qd4+ Qe3 108.Qb2+ Ke1 109.Qb1+ Kd2 110.Qb2+ Kd1 111.Qb1+ Qc1 112.Qd3+ Qd2 113.Qb1+ Ke2 114.Qh1 Qe1 115.Qd5 Qf1+ 116.Kh2 Qf2+ 117.Kh3 Qf1+ 118.Kh2 Qf3 119.Qc4+ Kf2 120.Qc5+ Qe3 121.Qc2+ Qe2 122.Qc6 Kf1+ 123.Kh3 Kg1 124.Qc5+ Qf2 125.Qc1+ Qf1+ 0-1

                          Position after 18…Bd7




                          Position after 39..Re6

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Women's World Chess Championship 2018

                            Women’s World Championship 2018

                            May 13, 2018

                            Game Seven

                            From the official site:

                            http://china2018.fide.com


                            Second draw of the match in the 7th game

                            The 2018 FIDE women’s world chess championship match had the 7th game at the Chongqing Sun Kingdom Hotel. The challenger Ju Wenjun and the current champion Tan Zhongyi drew after a three-hours fight, and this is their second draw in this match. The challenger Ju Wenjun is leading by 4:3.


                            After 5 fierce games, today the game ended in a kind of peaceful way. In the beginning Tan Zhongyi played 1.d4, Ju Wenjun chose the Nimzowitsch system and soon turned it into the Ragozin defence which is her favorite. They both were familiar with it. Later In the middle game, the position looked calm but white controlled the d4 square and more space in the center, so the commentators, GM Li Chao and Huang Qian, both believed that white had the more comfortable game.

                            Unfortunately, Tan Zhongyi didn't make the best move that gave Ju Wenjun the opportunity to simplify the position. Inevitably, it went to an opposite color bishop ending which indicated a clear draw. At that moment, they decided not to play anymore and agreed to the draw.

                            At the post-game conference, they were asked their opinion of the game. Tan Zhongyi said, she didn’t like Ju Wenjun’s plan of 16...c4 ,18... Bd6, and 19...Qe7, which gave her a bit advantage at the center. White’s position was acceptable but Tan Zhongyi still believes she could have done better in some moment and will analyze it later.

                            In Ju Wenjun’s opinion, yes the White might have had a better opening but she doesn't think that white had the chance to increase that small advantage. And later in the middle game, her position actually turned better.

                            Both of them felt tired after 7 games especially after a long fight yesterday, and this was a part of reason that Ju Wenjun felt they both lost some fighting will today. Fortunately tomorrow will be another free day, they said they will definitely rest and do some walking.

                            The score in the Match is 4:3 in favor of Ju Wenjun. The 8th game will be held on 3:00pm 15th May.

                            Game 7, May 13, 2018
                            Tan Zhongyi – Ju Wenjun
                            E51 Nimzo-Indian

                            1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nf3 d5 5.e3 O-O 6.Bd2 b6 7.cxd5 exd5 8.Bd3 Bb7 9.O-O Bd6 10.Nb5 Be7 11.Rc1 c5 12.Ne5 a6 13.Nc3 Nc6 14.Nxc6 Bxc6 15.dxc5 bxc5 16.Na4 c4 17.Bc2 Rb8 18.Bc3 Bd6 19.Bd4 Qe7 20.Nc3 Be5 21.b3 Rfd8 22.h3 Rbc8 23.Qd2 Bb7 24.Rfd1 Ne4 25.Qe1 Nc5 26.Ne2 cxb3 27.axb3 Bd6 28.Bb2 Ne6 29.Nd4 Nxd4 30.exd4 Qxe1+ 31.Rxe1 Bf4 32.Bf5 Bxc1 33.Bxc8 Bd2 1/2-1/2

                            Final position

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                            • #15
                              Re: Women's World Chess Championship 2018

                              Women’s World Championship 2018

                              May 15, 2018

                              Game Eight

                              From the official site:

                              A fierce draw

                              The 8th game took place inside the Chongqing Sun Kingdom Hotel. The challenger Ju Wenjun and the current champion Tan Zhongyi drew after a three hours fight, the score in the match is 4.5:3.5. Ju Wenjun has a one point lead.

                              Ju Wenjun played white today, she went for 1.d4 which she is quite familiar with. Tan Zhongyi made changes so to avoid the Catalan opening. After 4…f6 and 5…g5, Tan Zhongyi showed her intention to fight. Just like she said at the post game conference, there are not too many games left and she is still one point behind so she has to fight. Even though this variation might bring black into danger, but she believed it definitely worth a try. Ju Wenjun said, logically speaking, 4…Be7 or 4…Nf6 will be better. She wasn’t prepared for the variation otherwise she would have been better off. Apart from that, Tan Zhongyi was not happy with the move 7…Bd6 when she reviewed the game; it made the Kingside a weak spot. 7...Bg7 would have been better. Mr.Ye Jiangchuan had the same opinion, should have Nh6-f7 done before considering where the bishop to go.

                              Faced with the unfamiliar variation and the heat from Tan Zhongyi, Ju Wenjun coped pretty well. 11.e4,17.0-0-0,she played stable,controlling the initiative all the time. Though the computer suggested that white play 19.h4 instead of 19.c5, which will bring more advantage to white, both of them believed that Ju Wenjun's move 19.c5 was even better. The most crucial moment was at 26th,When Tan Zhongyi played 26...Rxe5 which actually was a blunder and gave white a great chance to win a piece!A simple and beautiful tactical combination 27.Rxe5 Nxe5 28.f4 Ng4 29.Qxf6 Nxf6 30.Bc4!, will bring white the win. But regrettably they both did not see it. With the hint given by computer at the post game conference, they were made aware of the missing chance. After that, they traded pieces on the opened center files and went to an equal ending, they agreed to a draw.

                              Interestingly, later at the post-game conference when two players were asked by the journalist who is their favorite chess player, Tan Zhongyi thought for a moment with smile on her face, then reflected ”Ding Liren”, whereas Ju Wenjun replied with careful consideration and answered: “if say that is the world champion, Kramnik is my favorite player”.

                              The 2018 FIDE Women’s World Chess Championship Match has the two games left. As the challenger Ju Wenjun has already reached match point, she has better chance of winning the title of the world's champion if she successful gets one point in the last two rounds. While the defending champion Tan Zhongyi, only if she gets one and half points will she tie the match. On May 16 3:00p.m., the ninth round competition will be continued.

                              http://china2018.fide.com

                              Game 8, May 15, 2018
                              Ju Wenjun – Tan Zhongyi
                              D30 QGD (also Catalan & Dutch)

                              1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 c6 4.Bg5 f6 5.Bf4 g5 6.Bxb8 Rxb8 7.e3 Bd6 8.Nc3 Nh6 9.Be2 O-O 10.Qc2 Bd7 11.e4 dxe4 12.Nxe4 Bb4+ 13.Nc3 g4 14.Nd2 Be8 15.Nb3 Bg6 16.Bd3 f5 17.O-O-O Qg5+ 18.Kb1 Rfe8 19.c5 Bxc3 20.Qxc3 Rbd8 21.Rhe1 Nf7 22.Bc4 Qf6 23.f4 gxf3 24.gxf3 b5 25.Bd3 e5 26.dxe5 Rxe5 27.Bc2 f4 28.Rxd8+ Qxd8 29.Bxg6 Rxe1+ 30.Qxe1 hxg6 31.Qe4 Qf6 32.Nd4 Ne5 1/2-1/2

                              Position after Black’s 26…Rxe5

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