The Women's World Championship match between defending World Champion Ju Wenjun and her challenger Aleksanda Goryachkina is proving to be a tough struggle. The first three games ended in draws, but they were hard fought.Then the pair traded wins, before a sixth-game drawbrought the first half, played in Shanghai, to a dead-heat close. Let's get caught up:
Report on Games 1 & 2All stories on the Women's World Championship
After the first rest day, Goryachkina took the white pieces and once again played1.d4 as in game one, but this time asemi-Tarrasch defence came on board.The opening's popularity was revived severalyears ago by the likes of Vladimir Kramnik, and later picked up by Chinese starsWang Hao and HouYifan.
Semi-Tarrasch: A universal weapon against 1.d4
Even though the Semi-Tarrasch cannot offer a complete repertoire against 1.d4, being conditioned of Whites move order, it is an excellent complement to the Nimzoindian Defence. Throughout history, great players like Fischer, Kortschnoj and Kramnik have included the Semi-Tarrasch in their repertoire which strongly speaks about its safe character and Blacks possibilities for counterplay. GM Mihail Marin presents a complete Semi-Tarrasch repertoire for Black, explaining the main strategic ideas of the resulting structures.
More...
The structure resembles the Gruenfeld defence andusually continues as Ju played7...cxd4 8.cxd4 b4 9.d2. White has a strong pawn centre, against Black's queenside majority. After the opening, the game was roughly balanced with both sides looking for some way to gain an edge.
Der WM-Kampf der Frauen
On the 23rd move, Black decided againstwhat was in retrospect a good option.
After 23.d3, Black was able to play 23...e5 here. Since 24...xf3 is a huge threat, 24.dxe5 xd3 is practically forced and White's centre would have lost much of its dynamic potential. Instead, Black opted for 23...dc8.
A few moves later, the players reached this position:
After 31.c4, 31...c5 was the right reaction, but Ju played 31...exd5 and lost a pawn after the intermediate move 32.xb6!b7 33.xd5. Even so, it was not enough to win. After exchanging the remaining major pieces, Goryachkina went into a rook endgame with her extra pawn and pressed until move85, but to no avail.
The match was tied at 1:1.
Aleksandra Goryachkina stares down her opponent
Ju took the leadwith a win in the fourth game. At first, it looked as if this game would also end in a draw, but the world champion pull out the point in a pawn endgame.
Queen's Gambit Accepted Powerbook 2019
How do you play the Queen's Gambit Acceptedt? Does White have promising variations or can Black construct a water-tight repertoire? The Powerbook provides the answers based on 195 000 games, most of them played by engines.
More...
Ju returned to her regular opening move 1.d4 after surprising with 1.e4in game two. Her young Russian opponent chose a variation of the Queens Gambit Accepted via transposition.
Black did not play 5...f5 here, leading to a Slav, but instead 5...e6. After 6.e3 c5, Black lost a tempo compared to the main line (c7-c6-c5 instead of c7-c5 in one move), but having provokeda4, can aim to exploit the hole onb4. This idea came from Vladimir Alatortsev in the 1940s, was then forgotten before being picked up again by players from Vietnam in the early 2000s. In the past, this might have been called the "Vietnamese variation". This line became popular after Vladimir Kramnik used it in 2004 in a game of his World Championship match against Peter Leko and earned a quick draw. After that, other top players had confidence in this idea, not least of whom was Magnus Carlsen.
Ju Wenjun lines up her next move
After a few natural developing moves, the playersreached this position:
The main move here is 10.e2. Instead, Ju liquidated her isolated pawn with 10.d5, which is a common motif in this type of position, but often also releases the tension. That was the case here too, but White kept a slight initiative and reached an endingin which her own king was a little more secure.
Soon the last minor pieceswere exchangedand the drawing chances in the queen-onlyendgame apparently increased. However as has been a hallmark of this competition so far the players fought on.
White has advanced herpawn to a6, which gives the queen a base on b7. With 44.f3 she activatesthe king. The game is still objectively balanced, but Black is under pressure. A few moves later this position was on the board:
Chess Endgames 3 - major piece endgames
The third part of the endgame series tackles queen endings, rook against minor pieces, queen against rook and queen against two rooks. Queen endings are not nearly as mysterious as they appear at first sight. Knowing a few rules of thumb and principles will make things very much easier for you.Over 7 hours video training.
More...
Black covered her a-pawn with 50...e7, allowing the transition to the pawn endgame. However, this is lost.
She could have still defended with 50...e8. If 51.xa7 then 51...d5 with perpetual check.
Instead, after 51.xe7 xe7 52.g4 d6 White is winning.
(52...hxg4+ 53.xg4 e6 54.f4 f5+ 55.g5 f7 56.h5 gxh5 57.xh5 f6 58.h6 +-)
53.gxh5 gxh5 54.e4 c6 55.f4(55.f5? b5 56.xf6 b4 57.f4 xb3 58.f5 c4 is not enough.)
55...b5 56.d5 +- f5 57.d6 b6 (57...xa6 58.c6 leads to the game. [Not 58.xc5 a5 59.c4 b6 60.d4 a5 61.e5 b5 62.xf5 b4 63.g5 xb3 64.f5 a4 65.f6 a3 66.f7 a2 67.f8 a1 with draw.]58...a5 59.xc5 +-)
58.d7 a5 59.c7 xa6 60.c6 a5 61.xc5 a6 62.b4 b7 63.d5 1-0
A fierce fight arose as early as the opening:
4.e5 is by far the most common move but Goryachkina choose 4.cxd5.
12...e4 was the first new move, and it looks more ambitious that 12...e6 which came before (e.g. Nepomniachtchi vs Anand, Batumi 2018):
13.xb7 This looks like the only good move for White.13...c8 Black can handle the dangers on the a4-e8 diagonal and the pawn deficit is not yet a factor.14.g5(Here 14.g5 was the better move. Not only is there a mate threat on f7, but also e5-e6 or f2-f3 are in the cards. Perhaps the bishop retreat to e6 really is better.
Ju tooksome bold decisions for example when she decided to go into an endgame down the exchange:
21...cxd4!? The world champion gets a strong pawn in the middle of the board as compensation, but21...g6 was a more cautious alternative.
Thingsmight have worked out for the Chinese, but forone last mistake:
29...g6 only after this move is Black in truly dire straits.(After29...d5, White would have to be careful:30.g4?! [30.e8 is better]d3 31.d1 d2 32.h2 e5=).
30.f4! Goryachkina, still had some work to do, but was on the path to victory, restoring equality to the match score.
The Russian bouncing back in Game 5
The game offered an interesting insight into the interaction between bishops and pawns. A bishop which is hemmed in by its own pawns on the same colour squaresis generally considered "bad". On the other hand, these pawns are also defended by the bishop and thus protected from theopposing army. And pawns so anchoredhave the ability to constrict an opposing bishopof the same colour. The players had to deal with such questions, mindful of the associated opportunities and risks.
Navigating the Ruy Lopez Vol.1-3
The Ruy Lopez is one of the oldest openings which continues to enjoy high popularity from club level to the absolute world top. In this video series, American super GM Fabiano Caruana, talking to IM Oliver Reeh, presents a complete repertoire for White.
More...
Concentration before the "kick-off"
Iranian arbiter Shohreh Bayat is the first and only international category A arbiter in Asia. She is also the only female general secretary of a sports association in Iran. She is currently the chief arbiterin the Women's World Championship match. This should be cause for celebration inthe Iranian chess community.Yet now Bayat may be unable to return home!
Video interview with Bayat in 2019
As the German news media ARD Tagesschau reports,Iranian websites loyal to the hardline religious leadership were hostile towards Bayat, alleging that she did not properly wear a hijab or Islamic headscarf during the match as required for Iranian women, and implying that she was engaged in some sort of political protest.
In fact,Bayat dutifully worea headscarf, but in an elegant and unobtrusive way, commonfor many young Iranian women,especially when visiting countries where the custom is unusual and certainly not compulsory.
Bayat rejects the assumption that she was engaged in any sort of politicalprotest. Yet, the Iranian Chess Federation even went so far as to request a written apology from its official representative and instruct her to wear a particularly formal headscarf from now on.
Instead, Shohreh Bayat boldly took another approach: she omitted the headscarf completely.
Bayat, with long brown hair freely flowing
Speaking to ARD:
"I asked the Iranian Chess Federation to assure me in writing that I could return to Iran without worrying about my security," she says. "When I didn't get an answer to that, it was clear to me that it was not safe for me to return, and that it made no difference whether I wore the headscarf or not."
Nigel Short, as Vice President, FIDE's official representative at this World Cup, expressed concern for referee Shohreh Bayat and stressed that FIDE was very happy with her performance.
With the departure of Alireza Firouzja, the Iranian Chess Federation has just lost its greatest talent of all time and is now in the process of alienating another high-ranking chess personality. It's a dark time for this burgeoning chess power.
Click or tap any result to open directly viaLive.ChessBase.com
"Vladivostok" that means something even to people who are usually not geography buffs. The end point of the "Trans-Siberian Railway" lies in the far east of the Russian expanse, on the coast of the Sea of Japan, not far from the only 19 km long land border between Russia and North Korea. The second half of the World Championship match between Ju and Goryachkina will be played in Vladivostok starting Thursday.
As the Russian city is still further east than Shanghai, chess fans who want to watch the live broadcast of the games from Europe will have be up bright (or dark as it's January after all!) and early at6:30 in the morning. In New York, night owls can tune in a half past midnight!
Commentary by GM Nigel Short & WGM Zhang Xiaowen | FIDE chess on YouTube
Klaus Besenthal contributed reportingTranslation from German: Macauley Peterson
Originally posted here:
Ju vs Goryachkina all tied at the half - Chessbase News
- Stars of the future shine in chess's ancestral homeland - Washington Times - September 19th, 2023 [September 19th, 2023]
- The 15 Best Episodes of Cowboy Bebop - MovieWeb - September 19th, 2023 [September 19th, 2023]
- Charge of the knight brigade: Indian teens storm global chess - IndiaTimes - August 20th, 2023 [August 20th, 2023]
- Knowing when to insist - ChessBase - August 20th, 2023 [August 20th, 2023]
- World Cup: Pragg and Salimova win tiebreakers - ChessBase - August 20th, 2023 [August 20th, 2023]
- What do F-16 and MiG-29 fighter jets do? - Times of Oman - August 20th, 2023 [August 20th, 2023]
- Xbox game releases August 21 to 27 - TrueAchievements - August 20th, 2023 [August 20th, 2023]
- Go! Guide Aug. 17 - The Republic - August 20th, 2023 [August 20th, 2023]
- MinStrength: An Alternative to Performance Rating - ChessBase - June 2nd, 2023 [June 2nd, 2023]
- Mittens (chess engine) - Wikipedia - January 31st, 2023 [January 31st, 2023]
- AlphaZero - Chess Engines - Chess.com - December 28th, 2022 [December 28th, 2022]
- 2022 U.S. Chess Championships, Round 3: Earning Respect! | US Chess.org - uschess.org - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Go! Guide Oct. 13 - The Republic - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Events, sales and more things happening Downriver The News Herald - Southgate News Herald - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Chess cheating drama: What are the different ways to cheat in chess? - The Indian Express - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- Formula 1 2022: How to Watch the Italian Grand Prix Today - CNET - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- The Machines That Made 500 Years of Circumnavigation Possible - Popular Mechanics - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- Formula 1 2022: How to Watch the Belgian Grand Prix Today - CNET - August 29th, 2022 [August 29th, 2022]
- Kids want to grow, learn; are we planting seeds of knowledge? - Las Cruces Sun-News - August 29th, 2022 [August 29th, 2022]
- New: 3.h4 against the Kings Indian and Grnfeld - ChessBase India - August 25th, 2022 [August 25th, 2022]
- A bright chess champ emerges from Thiruvallur - The New Indian Express - August 25th, 2022 [August 25th, 2022]
- Interviewing The Coach Of Olympiad Sensation Gukesh - Chess.com - August 25th, 2022 [August 25th, 2022]
- Virtual Psychiatry is Here to Stay - Psychiatric Times - August 25th, 2022 [August 25th, 2022]
- Whatever Happened to the Transhumanists? - Gizmodo - August 2nd, 2022 [August 2nd, 2022]
- Beyond Carlsen: the devaluation of the World Chess Championship - TheArticle - July 31st, 2022 [July 31st, 2022]
- Go! Guide July 21 - The Republic - July 27th, 2022 [July 27th, 2022]
- Chennai Chess Olympiad and AI - Analytics India Magazine - June 24th, 2022 [June 24th, 2022]
- Go! Guide July 23 - The Republic - June 24th, 2022 [June 24th, 2022]
- Was Basman right? Iconoclasm, ridicule and chess - TheArticle - June 20th, 2022 [June 20th, 2022]
- Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix Is Today: How to Watch the Race Live - CNET - June 20th, 2022 [June 20th, 2022]
- Sentience is the wrong discussion to have on AI right now - TechTalks - June 20th, 2022 [June 20th, 2022]
- Headlines at 10:30 am on 20th June 2022 - The Indian Express - June 20th, 2022 [June 20th, 2022]
- 5 Chess Brilliancies That Stockfish Hates - Chess.com - June 11th, 2022 [June 11th, 2022]
- Carlsen Wins, Leads, Hits A 2870 Live Rating - Chess.com - June 11th, 2022 [June 11th, 2022]
- 21 things to do with kids in San Diego County in June - The San Diego Union-Tribune - June 11th, 2022 [June 11th, 2022]
- Is This Cooling Technology Company Ready To Heat Up? - Benzinga - Benzinga - June 3rd, 2022 [June 3rd, 2022]
- Calendar of events and activities throughout Downriver - Southgate News Herald - June 3rd, 2022 [June 3rd, 2022]
- Tilting Point partners with Polygon on Web3 games - VentureBeat - May 11th, 2022 [May 11th, 2022]
- Online booking agents have been behaving like kings - it's time to topple them - City A.M. - April 17th, 2022 [April 17th, 2022]
- Chess Games - Play Chess Games on CrazyGames - March 29th, 2022 [March 29th, 2022]
- A tale of two universities and two engines - Chess News - March 26th, 2022 [March 26th, 2022]
- Charity Cup: Anton wins three in a row to reach knockout - Chess News - March 26th, 2022 [March 26th, 2022]
- Formula 1: How to Watch the Bahrain Grand Prix and F1 Racing in 2022 - CNET - March 26th, 2022 [March 26th, 2022]
- Praggnanandhaa, 16, becomes only third Indian to beat Magnus Carlsen in stunning upset - ESPN - February 21st, 2022 [February 21st, 2022]
- Is Artificial Intelligence as Intelligent as We Think it is? - Analytics Insight - February 17th, 2022 [February 17th, 2022]
- Didnt Become a Hostage- Former World Chess Champion Calls Magnus Carlsen the Bridge Between Traditional and Modern Chess - EssentiallySports - February 17th, 2022 [February 17th, 2022]
- Can the academy rein in Big Tech? - Times Higher Education - February 17th, 2022 [February 17th, 2022]
- FIDE World Women's Team Championship Final: Russia Wins Gold In Victory Over India - Chess.com - February 17th, 2022 [February 17th, 2022]
- Researchers warn that social media may be fundamentally at odds with science - TechCrunch - February 15th, 2022 [February 15th, 2022]
- Battle of the Sexes: Men triumph! - Chessbase News - February 9th, 2022 [February 9th, 2022]
- Battle of the Sexes: Men increase lead - Chessbase News - February 5th, 2022 [February 5th, 2022]
- Chairman of the board | Boris Starling - The Critic - February 5th, 2022 [February 5th, 2022]
- Using AI in Recruiting - Onrec - February 5th, 2022 [February 5th, 2022]
- Arena Download - Complete GUI for chess engines that will ... - January 24th, 2022 [January 24th, 2022]
- A hundred years of exactitude: Jos Ral Capablanca - TheArticle - January 24th, 2022 [January 24th, 2022]
- Intel Core i5-12400 vs AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Face-Off: The Gaming Value Showdown - Tom's Hardware - January 24th, 2022 [January 24th, 2022]
- software - Why dont chess engines use Node.js? - Chess ... - December 29th, 2021 [December 29th, 2021]
- Stockfish - Chess Engines - Chess.com - December 27th, 2021 [December 27th, 2021]
- Top 10 Strongest Chess Engines In 2021 - Hercules Chess - December 23rd, 2021 [December 23rd, 2021]
- The 10 Greatest Blitz Chess Games Of All Time - Chess.com - December 23rd, 2021 [December 23rd, 2021]
- Ninja, the worlds top streamer, on how video games can make you smarter about money and investing - MarketWatch - December 17th, 2021 [December 17th, 2021]
- 8 Reasons To Play In The 2022 Daily Chess Championship - Chess.com - December 15th, 2021 [December 15th, 2021]
- World Chess Championship - the Arena - Chessbase News - December 7th, 2021 [December 7th, 2021]
- The World Chess Championship Opens With An Endless Knight-Rook Dance - FiveThirtyEight - November 27th, 2021 [November 27th, 2021]
- Play chess: online and computer chess on real boards in the test - Market Research Telecast - November 27th, 2021 [November 27th, 2021]
- The 5 Best Computer Chess Engines - Chess.com - November 15th, 2021 [November 15th, 2021]
- 10 Strongest Free Chess Engines [all above 3000 ELO] at ... - November 15th, 2021 [November 15th, 2021]
- Chessprogramming wiki - November 3rd, 2021 [November 3rd, 2021]
- Stockfish can crush you at chess even more efficiently in the 14.1 update - Neowin - November 3rd, 2021 [November 3rd, 2021]
- Grand Swiss: Shirov and Najer join Firouzja in the lead - Chessbase News - November 3rd, 2021 [November 3rd, 2021]
- Deadmau5's 'Oberhasli' is what it looks like when the metaverse comes for music fans - Mashable South East Asia - October 26th, 2021 [October 26th, 2021]
- Deadmau5's 'Oberhasli' is what it looks like when the metaverse comes for music fans - Mashable - October 24th, 2021 [October 24th, 2021]
- Deep Blue - Chess.com - October 17th, 2021 [October 17th, 2021]
- AlphaZero Crushes Stockfish In New 1,000-Game Match - Chess.com - October 17th, 2021 [October 17th, 2021]
- Free UCI-Compatible Chess Programs for the Stockfish Engine - HobbyLark - October 17th, 2021 [October 17th, 2021]
- CORRECTING and REPLACING RazerCon Is Back for Round II: Tune in for a Keynote By CEO Min-Liang Tan Filled With Exclusive New Announcements and Guest... - September 29th, 2021 [September 29th, 2021]
- Going back in time in La vie sans applis - The Concordian - September 8th, 2021 [September 8th, 2021]
- The Road to 2030 in the Age of Intelligence - Huawei - September 8th, 2021 [September 8th, 2021]
- India's kings and queens of chess - Jordan Times - August 26th, 2021 [August 26th, 2021]
- India's Kings and Queens of Chess by Arvind Subramanian - Project Syndicate - August 22nd, 2021 [August 22nd, 2021]