Harika could have played on in the final position but chose to settle matters in the playoff tomorrow. In a sharp middlegame position, Skripchenko blundered a piece. Even though she fought valiantly to save the game, Zhao was simply too tough.
In the bottom draw, Koneru drew comfortably and moved on. Lahno after a bad loss in a equal position yesterday against Hou had to go all out today with the Black pieces to even up the score. Hou played well enough to hold to advance for a big showdown against Koneru.
Top draw
W: Harika, Dronavalli IND IM 2525 1/2 / 1/2 (match is tied at 1-1)
B: Ruan, Lufei CHN WGM 2480
W: Zhao, Xue CHN GM 2474 1/2 / 1-0 (Zhao will play the winner of Harika vs. Ruan match)
B: Skripchenko, Almira FRA IM 2460
Bottom Draw
W: Koneru, Humpy IND GM 2600 1-0 / 1/2 (Koneru will face Hou in the semifinal)
B: Ju, Wenjun CHN WGM 2524
W: Lahno, Kateryna UKR GM 2522
B: Hou, Yifan CHN GM 2591 0-1 / 1/2 (Hou will face Koneru in the semifinal)
