GM Koneru (2622) – WGM Hou (2557) [E15]
Women’s World Championship Blitz Playoff – Game 1, 12.09.2008
1.d4 e6 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Ba6 5.Nbd2 Bb4 6.Qc2 0–0 7.Bg2 d5 8.0–0 c5 9.dxc5 Bxc5 10.a3 Nbd7 11.Qa4 Bb7 12.b4 Be7 13.Bb2 a5 14.b5 Rc8 15.Nd4 Nc5 16.Qd1 Nfe4 17.Nxe4 dxe4 18.Qc2 Bf6 19.Rad1 Qc7 20.f3 Nd7 21.fxe4 Ne5 22.Rc1 Nxc4 23.Ba1 Qc5 24.Rxf6 gxf6 25.Kh1 Nxa3 26.Qxc5 Rxc5 27.Rf1 Nxb5 28.Nb3 Rc2 29.Bxf6 Rfc8 30.Rf4 a4 31.Nd4 Nxd4 32.Bxd4 Rc1+ 33.Bf1 a3 Black wins 0–1
Humpy is now in trouble. She MUST win with Black to get to the Armageddon game.
Click here to replay the game.
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Hou’s gonna win the second one 😀 Go Hou!
And Hou wins 2-0 … no Armageddon.
No draw odds odds Black!!?
Yes, now the youngest finalist!
Hou just made a history: The youngest female GM ever!
Congratulations! She will go further from here.
This will be a very interesting match between Kosteniuk and Hou. I must say that I believe Kosteniuk must play sort of like a Kramnik strategy against Kasparov. Simple positions NQES Not Quite Endings. Also Kosteniuk has excellent blitz experience so this will her. I believe Hou is stronger but may not win due to inexperience.
I believe Hou is stronger but may not win due to inexperience.
Umm you mean like her match against Humpy? or any other opponnet she beat this tournemnt?
Who doesn’t have more experience than her? 🙂
Kosteniuk must identify openings and structures that the inexperienced tend to badly misplay into dead lost positions, as Hou tends to misplay them also. Hou seems to have near-zero experience in certain positions.
I think the Sedina loss is the template.