Women’s GP round 3 report

Ruan Lufey – Ju Wenjun 1/2 – 1/2

Ruan Lufey prefered to avoid the main lines in Sicilian Defense and chose the variation with 4.Qd4. Her opponenet managed to equalize the position and the game was finished in a rook ending by repetiotion.

Ju Wenjun: I didn’t make any special preparation against this line today but I’ve played many games in that opening before. I’ve got normal position but still think that White had better chances. Maybe they should not play 18.Nd5 and maybe choose 18.g3.

Ruan Lufey: Its my second time I chose this Opening I`ve played one rapid game before. We have very similar openings with my opponent so I wanted to try something new but actually I’m not familiar with this variation, so I didn’t get a big advantage and that’s why I decided to make a draw. I was planning to play 18.g3 but you can see I was thinking for a long time and found the line 18…gf4 19. gf4 Rae8 and I can not play Nd5 any more while my opponent can continue by playing Rhd8.

Zhao Xue – Zhu Chen 1/2 – 1/2

Grunfeld Defense was played in the game. Zhu Chen managed to get some advantage in the middle game but could not convert it into more.

Zhu Chen: I didn’t work really deep on this line but I think after 12.Bf4 Be5 White are still slightly better but Black have easy play. It was not so easy for White to find a plan after 14…b6. Later on I’ve got an advantage and I played well until I allowed her to play 31. d5. It was better to play 30…Be4, I was choosing between these two moves.

Zhao Xue: It was very difficult game for me – I didn’t play good in the opening and chose not a very good plan. As a result I’ve got a bad position in the middle game. The endgame was bad for me as well so I think I was very lucky to save that position, so today’s draw is a good result.

Viktorija Cmilyte – Elina Danielian 1 – 0

Slav defense happened in the game. Playing Black Elina Danielian decided to sacrifice a piece but didn’t manage to get enough compensation in followed complications. Viktoriya Cmilyte played precisely and won the game.

Viktorija Cmilyte: Well it was a very interesting position after the opening. I think (I’m not quite sure) I was playing correctly. I believe 18.Qd1 is a good move but there were so many lines to calculate. After 18…Rfd8 19.Rd6 c2 I spent the most of my time because initially 20.Qd4 seemed also very good but after 20…Nf6 21.Bg5 Rd6 suddenly it can be White who is losing. I spent a lot of time thinking about all those lines – it is a position where you should calculate a lot. Probably 20…Kg8 is not a good move because after 21.Rd3 there is nothing to do for Black. After 20…Ne5 I was planning to play 21.Qh6 Kg8 and I definitely saw something otherwise I would not have played it (laughing). Yes in that position I was curious if 22.Bg5 is working? After 22…Rd6 23.Bf6 Rd1 24. Ne1 White can give a mate.

Elina Danielian: It was an interesting game. Maybe I could improve somewhere but it is difficult to say now. I was calculating 20.Qd4 and I was planning to answer 21.e5! I think after possible 20…Ne5 21. Qh6 Kg8 22. Rd2 also wins. Still maybe I should have tried this line.

Anna Muzychuk – Munguntuul Bathkhuyag 1/2 – 1/2

Sicilian Defense happened in the game. White received edge in the opening but didn’t manage to create big problems for Black in complications. Black equalized the position and the game was drawn in the ending.

Anna Muzychuk: I’ve got a very good position from the opening and later on I think White got a big advantage after 14.Nd5. But then I was trying to find some immediately winning variation but could not find any line. Instead of 15.cd I also calculated 15.Ne7 Re7 16. cd6 Re6 and I didn’t know how to protect a pawn on d6. I think the move I played was safer. I was also thinking of playing17. f5 instead of taking on e5 but I didn’t like17… Nd4 18.Bc4 – Black has 18…Rc4.There were many good possibilities and I believe there must be something.
Munguntuul Batkhuyag: After 13.c5 the position became bad. I also think 17.f5 was better then 17.fe because my bishops got some space and started to play. I’m not sure if I can play 17…Nd4 after 17.f5 because she can continue by playing 18.Bh5 and Bh6 and my pawns are weak and bishops can not play.

Hou Yifan – Betul Yildiz 1/2 – 1/2

Two knights defense was chosen in the game. Turkish payers Betul Yildiz got slightly better positions and missed the opportunity to use a mistake of the opponent and a get decisive advantage by playing 25…Nf4! and 33. Nc3! Instead she transferred the game to the slightly better endgame. Hou Yifan manage to changed the knights and got some chances in bishop ending but didn’t find the most precise moves. After 90 moves the game was drawn.

Hou Yifan: In the opening it was unclear and I played not very good, so Black position was slightly better. In the ending with Queens, bishop and knight I think it was equal but then I changed Queens and maybe it was not good because Black has better position again. In the bishops endgame I had some chances but there was no enough time to find the best way. During the game when I made Qc2 I understood she could just take on c3. After she took Ne3 I was glad we still continue the game.

Betul Yildiz: I saw how I was winning but I didn’t play those winning moves (laughing). Honestly I didn’t see Nf4 and Nc3.

Tan Zhongy – Ekaterina Kovalevskaya

Tarrasch Defense was played in the game. Playing black Ekaterina Kovalevskaya managed to receive comfortable position but didn’t play precisely before the time control. Tan Zhongy used the mistakes of the opponent and converted her advantage into a full point.

Tan Zhongy: I didn`t feel my position was better today. My opponent didn’t control her time and it was not easy for her to make moves under the time trouble, she didn’t play very accurate. I didn’t try to use this situation and play on her time; I was continuing to play normally.
Ekaterina Kovalevskaya: Everything went usually today – I’ve got a good position from the opening but if you sleep at the board then you blunder in one move. I spent 40 minutes thinking, choosing variations but hands can do correct moves themselves, I should not spend so much time. It’s very unpleasant to lose such games – when you do everything by yourself. I didn’t feel uncomfortable after I lost against Hou Yifan because it was she who overplayed me. I had some chances to survive but there were only chances.