GM-elect Hou (2557) – GM Koneru (2622) [B06]
WWC – Blitz Playoff – Game 2, 12.09.2008
1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nc3 d6 4.Be3 a6 5.f4 Nd7 6.Nf3 e6 7.Bd3 b5 8.e5 Ne7 9.Bf2 Nb6 10.Bh4 Qd7 11.a4 b4 12.Ne4 Nbd5 13.Qd2 Nf5 14.Bf2 f6 15.c4 bxc3 16.bxc3 fxe5 17.fxe5 0–0 18.0–0 Bb7 19.a5 Bh6 20.Nfg5 Qe7 21.c4 dxe5 22.dxe5 Nb4 23.Bc5 Bxg5 24.Qxb4 Be3+ 25.Kh1 Qh4 26.Qxb7 Bxc5 27.Nf6+ Rxf6 28.Bxf5 Rff8 29.Bxe6+ Kh8 30.Qd5 Bf2 31.Qd3 Rad8 32.Qe2 Bg3 33.h3 Bf4 34.Qg4 Qh6 35.Rae1 Rfe8 36.Qxf4 Qxf4 37.Rxf4 Rxe6 38.Rf7 c5 39.Rc7 Rd2 40.Rb1 Re8 41.Rbb7 White wins 1–0
Hou wins the blitz playoff 2-0 and will move on to the final to face Kosteniuk of Russia.
Click here to replay the game.
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
In my opion this was the “REAL” final. Go Hou!
YEAH
Hou totally deserve the win. She made low level mistake with big advantage during second game. However, she is still young.
I will also thank Humpy to play such great games under tremendous pressure.
Where’s Judit? It’s never a real Women’s Championship since 1990 without her.
… or Susan Polgar?
Poor Humpy. She just doesn’t have the luck.
This knock-out system for championship doesn’t take chess seriously. Women profession chess player should request FIDE to change the format at least with SS system.
It is always knock out at semi final under any system.
Just depend on how many games you want to play and do you use rapid and blitz.
Hou you gonna call!?
In the other thread, anon. said: “Kosteniuk must identify openings and structures that the inexperienced tend to badly misplay…I think the Sedina loss is the template.”
This is exactly correct. If Kosteniuk does this, she has a good chance to win. If not, Hou becomes WWC.
Hou’s on first ?
“but Judit’s real world champ since 1990 or so”
And Fischer (or Kasparov?) are man’s world champ, of course.
I well remember many talking of Anand (and many before, I remember Khalifman, Ponomariov…) not being the true champion etc., etc. though he won the world championship.
FIDE says what the championship looks like (if we like it or not) and the players can accept and play or deny to play but then lose the chance of becoming (staying) (FIDE) world champion.
The one who wins here (Hou or Kosteniuk) is woman world champion if _you_ like it or not.
Please stop talking about “real” versus “unworthy” world champions, why don’t you just say “They are world champion but XYZ is a much stronger player.” etc.
That impresses the same but does not take away the world champions’ (the _real_ ones ;)) honour having succeeded in a big tournament which was supposed to be a WC tournament.
Good luck to the new woman’s world champ and the vice champ for their final match. 🙂
I asked Humpy to marry me, she refused saying she’d prefer an Indian. Now see what’s happened to her? No kidding, Humpy’s got darned nice lips though!!
I don’t get it Humpus would rather play in a club tournament than represent her country in Dresden??
Do these tournaments actually clash? What are the other top players doing?
Chess Guy wants to know…..
I don’t get it Humpus would rather play in a club tournament than represent her country in Dresden??
I am guessing she is getting paid to pay but won’t get any money from Olympiad.
Humpy may bore of 13 consecutive lower-rated opponents at the Olympiad. India’s women team simply isn’t a high medal contender with four boards.
Like Anand, however, she may play when the others grow stronger to contender status.
A lost rare opportunity for India to own both mens’ and womens’ titles simultaneously.
It would be great to see Alexandra win the world title, after starting her family, and her doing so well in Mainz at chess960 as part of her comeback.
Is Hou the female version of Magnus?: so young but beginning to dominate?
Bravo Hou! I was predicting such final. Tomorrow free day and on Sunday they’ll start 4-game final match
anonymous Friday, September 12, 2008 10:16:00 AM CDT wrote:
‘I asked Humpy to marry me, she refused saying she’d prefer an Indian. Now see what’s happened to her? No kidding, Humpy’s got darned nice lips though!!’, well, did you at least go out with her!?
That guy had Koneru but his doctor gave him medicine to cure this problem.