Game analysis: Zhu Chen vs Humpy Koneru

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Paving way for a Chinese Chess Queen

Humpy leaves, paving way for a Chinese queen
Hari Hara Nandanan, TNN,
Dec 19, 2010, 01.03am IST

CHENNAI: There will be a Chinese queen in the women's World Chess Championship at Hatay. As Indian Grandmaster Koneru Humpy left the stage in the semi, losing to 16-year-old Hou Yifan 0.5-1.5, the final will now be a Chinese affair.

Yifan, who is a step away from creating a record for becoming the youngest women's (or open) world champion, will meet either Zhao Xue or Lufei Ruan, in the four-game final from Monday.

For Humpy, it was a second successive defeat in the semifinals of the World Championship and what must hurt her is the fact that both of them were inflicted by Yifan. Humpy has a good record against all the women GMs but against Yifan, she seems to have problems.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Endgame challenge

White just played 44. Be7. It is now Black to move. Is this a win, draw, or loss for Black? How should Black proceed?

8/4Bk2/1bp1p1pK/p1p1P3/P1P2P2/8/7P/8 b - - 0 44

Hou Yifan - Humpy Konery (WWC Seminfinal - game 1)

Koneru and Yifan take early lead

Round 1 - Game 1 results:

Top draw

Harika, Dronavalli IND IM 2525 1/2
Ruan, Lufei CHN WGM 2480

Zhao, Xue CHN GM 2474 1/2
Skripchenko, Almira FRA IM 2460

Bottom Draw

Koneru, Humpy IND GM 2600 1-0
Ju, Wenjun CHN WGM 2524

Lahno, Kateryna UKR GM 2522
Hou, Yifan CHN GM 2591 0-1

More upsets in WWC playoff

There are more upsets in the first rapid playoff game today. Game 2 is underway.

NEW DELHI, December 6, 2010
Humpy, Harika in second round
Rakesh Rao

K. Humpy and D. Harika moved into the second round of the Women's World chess championship with expected victories at Hatey, Turkey, on Sunday.

Humpy, the highest rated player in the field, dismissed South Africa's Melissa Greeff with white pieces in the second game of their first round battle. A day earlier, Humpy won with black pieces.

Harika, seeded nine, defeated compatriot Kruttika Nadig in 59 moves in the second game to post a 1.5-0.5 triumph. On Saturday, Kruttika held Harika with black pieces.

In the second round, Humpy plays England's Jovenka Houska who surprised fellow International Master from Poland, Iweta Rajlick 2-0.
Harika takes on an unexpected rival, Russian Woman Grandmaster Tatiana Shadrina, who upstaged Armenian Grandmaster Elina Danielian 2-0.

Though the two strongest Indian in the fray advanced, it was curtains for S. Meenakshi and former World junior girls champion Soumya Swaminathan.

Former World champion Maia Chiburdanidze stopped Meenakshi 2-0 while Poland's Monika Sacko overpowered Soumya 1.5-1.5, having won the first game with black pieces on Sunday.

In the biggest surprise of the first round, home challenger Betul Cemre Yalidiz knocked out Swedish veteran Pia Cramling 1.5-0.5.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com

Promising start for the Indian Chess Queen

Humpy makes promising start
Hari Hara Nandanan, TNN, Dec 5, 2010, 01.21am IST

CHENNAI: Koneru Humpy made a promising start to her campaign in the first game of the first round of the Women's World Chess Championship at Hatay ( Turkey) on Saturday.

Her opponent Melissa Greeff may have looked like a sitting duck for the Indian if one takes her rating (2082) into account. But the South African, 518 points below Humpy on the Elo scale, fought hard before losing her way in early middle game against the Sicilian defence.

After a slow build-up, Humpy broke through the Queenside with her Queen and won a pawn. Sensing that white's bishop was out of action, Humpy soon ventured into a Queen sacrifice that netted her two rooks.

After that, blacks rooks swung into action and trapped Greeff's knight on move 42. The Indian then promoted her Queenside passer and got back her Queen to seal the point by 47th move.
Humpy will have white in the return game on Sunday.

Read more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Snowdrops queened in snowy Marienbad

Snowdrops queened in snowy Marienbad
Tuesday, 30 November 2010 16:03

The chess legends of the 20th century and the rising generation of female players competed in the "Snowdrops and Oldhands - Czech Coal Chess Match 2010" tournament with Sheveningen system.

The event took place from 20 November till 27 November in Marienbad, Czech Republic. The playing venue was Villa Butterfly hotel.

Snowdrops won the match against Oldhands by 18:14. Rounds three and four were decisive, when Snowdrops gained four points advantage. Oldhands had less tournament practice in the recent year so they weren't in optimal chess mood in the start. In the second half of the match they managed to keep up with Snowdrops, this part ending in a draw 8:8.

Both teams were in fighting mode, resulting with many decided games and only ten draws from 32 possible. The best player in the tournament was Humpy Koneru with 6 points from 8, and the best player from Oldhands was Vlastimil Hort (5/8).

More information on the official website

Humpy's big assist in Snowdrops victory

Humpy hand in Snowdrops victory
Hari Hara Nandanan, TNN, Nov 30, 2010, 01.56am IST

CHENNAI: The Czech Coal Chess Match held last week was appropriately named Snowdrops (ladies) vs Oldhands. The chess legends of the 20th century vs the rising generation of female players.

You may call it a rematch because the same event was held last year too in Czech Republic around the same time when the snow was falling. India's Koneru Humpy, the strongest lady in the chess world after Judit Polgar, led the Snowdrops to a creditable 18-14 victory over the veterans.

Humpy was the top scorer with six points from the eight games she played (two each with reversed colours against the four opponents) but effectively it was a match of eight rounds in all- play-all system, each round consisting of four games.

Snowhands had a terrific start winning the first round by 3-1, but the veterans drew level with a same score in the next round. The ladies virtually had the match sealed in the next two rounds with resounding wins (3.5-0.5 and 2.5-1.5) taking a four-point lead.

Oldhands consisted of Lajos Portisch, one of the world's best chess players during the 1960s and 1970s, Vlastimil Hort, one of the best Czech players of all time, Dragoljub Velimirovic, champion of Yugoslavia in 1970, 1975 and 1997, known for his combinations and Wolfgang Uhlmann, the best player of former East Germany. Humpy, Lithuanian Grandmaster Viktoria Cmilyte, Philippines-born Australian chess player Arianne Caoli and the Czech Tereza Olsarova formed the Snowdrops quartet.

Humpy's only loss was to Vlastmil Hort in the penultimate round when she played attacking chess and went for a win. The Indian, who will be playing in the Women's World Championship at Hatay ( Turkey) in the first week of December, had satisfying wins over Portisch and Uhlmann in the first half of the tournament.

"Old masters play more practical chess rather than following move-to-move analysis. They try to create problems to the opponent over the board sometimes even by giving away material. I observed that if they get inferior positions they show a lot of determination to find counter-play," noted Humpy about her rivals after the match.

Humpy had good support from Viktoria Cmilyte, who scored 5.5 points. Hort was the top scorer for Oldhands with five points.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Oldhands win final round, Snowdrops win match

Team results:

	I	II	III	IV	V	VI	VII	VIII
Snowdrops	3	1	3,5	2,5	2	2	3	1
Oldhands	1	3	0,5	1,5	2	2	1	3
Total Snowdrops	3	4	7,5	10	12	14	17	18
Total Oldhands	1	4	4,5	6	8	10	11	14

Individual results:

		O1	O2	O3	O4	O1	O2	O3	O4	Total
S1	Humpy Koneru	1	0	1	1/2	1	1/2	1	1	6
S2	Arianne Caoili	1	1/2	0	1	0	0	0	1/2	3
S3	Tereza Olšarová	1	0	1/2	0	1/2	1/2	1	0	3,5
S4	Viktorija Čmilyte	1/2	1/2	1	1	1	1	1/2	0	5,5
		S1	S2	S3	S4	S1	S2	S3	OS4
O1	Wolfgang Uhlmann	0	1	1/2	0	0	0	0	1/2	2
O2	Vlastimil Hort	1/2	1	1/2	0	1	1/2	1	1/2	5
O3	Lájoš Portisch	0	1	0	1/2	0	1	1/2	0	3
O4	Dragoljub Velimirovič	0	1/2	1	1	1/2	0	1	0	4

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