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From GM Mikhail Golubev for Chess Today:
Women’s Wch, Turkey
In the first games of the Semifinals (which consists of two main games) the encounter between two Chinese players was drawn, while one more Chinese semifinalist, Hou Yifan, outplayed Humpy Koneru in the Berlin Endgame after a long fight.
It is a shame indeed that two rated favourites face each other already in the Semifinals. Even taken into account that the world champion was seeded first, such a situation could have been avoided.
But something is wrong with FIDE rules.
In 2008, Koneru and Hou Yifan also played in the Semifinals (Hou Yifan won 4-2), and also then they were the two highest rated players in the tournament!
As something positive has be to said about the championship, the live camera is working well at the official website.
He’s right. FIDE screwed up again because the Russians are doing everything they can to protect their prima donna Koteniuk.
Why is Hou sacrificing a pawn like this when she only needs a draw?
I can’t agree with you on this one, Susan. Like tennis, the tournament is structured so that if the top four seeds make the semis, seed #1 plays #4 and seeds 2 and 3 play. Artificially making Kosteniuk the first seed IS what caused this. The same thing happened in 2008 when it was given to Xu Yuhua. Imagine the outcry if Nadal and Federer were reduced to 2 and 3 to make room for a dark horse winner from the previous year.
Excuse me Susan, I just realized it was Golubev who said it.
What’s the deal with the Zhao-Ruan games? Did they just agree off the board to fight it out in the blitz?
It’s too bad the top seeds have to play in the semis but I have no problem if the defending champion be given some advantage. Kosteniuk earned the right to have an advantage. And the winner of this tournament should also have the edge in the next cycle, no matter what her rating is. And in tennis, it’s not always #1 vs. #4 and #2 vs. #3. Many times 1 plays 3 and 2 plays 4. They only make sure 1 and 2 can’t meet before the final. College used to have this problem too with the 4 regional #1 seeds in have the top 2 in same half of the bracket. Now they make sure 1 and 2 can’t meet before the final.
Personally I like the old system with interzonals, candidate matches and winner plays defending champion in 12 or 16 game match.
Humpy is the greatest choker in history.
Quality of the games is quite bad. Is it the pressure? Or is that we are so used to seeing Anand and Kramnik play almost flawless that these games look like they are between 2200 rated players.
Why does not Judith play at least once to show the rest of the Women players who is the best?
what is the deal with Koneru? falling short again. This is so disappointing. She has so much potential, but just never was able to put it together. I hope Magnus is not going to follow the same path.
The quality of the games is not that bad. Remember this is knockout format in two games. If Anand and Kramnik would play in the same format, the quality would not be “flawless” like someone said.
Judith may be a better player, but in this knockout format. I am not sure she can win it all against either Hou or Humpy. Chess is a sports. I’d like this knockout format just like other sports do. It tests your skills and your nerve. Does Judith have the guts to do it? I am not sure. She’s afraid of losing….
I don’t think it’s that Koneru is choking, but rather Hou is simply stonger. Teenagers like this tend to be underrated, and the only human born in 1994 or later rated above her is Anish Giri. Hou could possibly be in the world top 10 in a few years. But I agree with the earlier comment, I thought it was foolish for her to sacrifice a pawn when she had normal, solid moves available like 0-0 and Nbd7 and only needed a draw.
Such a World Championship does not make sense at all because how can you truly assess the strength of a player on two games? Ridiculous. There should be at least 8 games played against each opponent. After all, the title at stake is nothing less than the Women World Champion, isn’t it?