Bela Khotenashvili is the winner of Fondation Neva Women's Grand Prix
Bela Khotenashvili became the winner of Neva Fondation Women Grand Prix
In the last round Georgian player Bela Khotenashvili managed to make a draw against Anna Ushenina and won the tournament. Her nearest rival Anna Muzychuk had to win the game in order to catch the leader but Slovenian player didn’t get anything out of the opening and drew against Alexandra Kosteniuk. “I’m very happy to win this tournament and consider this result as the best one in my career so far. I would like to thank Georgian chess federation, President of GCF Giya Giorgadze and our coach Davit Jojua for their help”, said Bela Khotenashvili at the final press conference.
Pictures from the closing ceremony.
It became clear today how tired all players are as they were making such mistakes which don’t appear in their games normally. Ukrainian player Katerina Lagno overlooked the piece blunder of her opponent Batchimeg Tuvshintugs, Hou Yifan missed winning chances in the endgame and lost the game against Nana Dzagnidze. Tatiana Kosintseva had a very good position after the opening but was spending a lot of time and lost against Ju Wenjun. Viktorija Cmilyte outplay Olga Girya. As a result, Nana Dzagnidze tied for the third place with Tatiana Kosintseva.
Ushenina-Khotenashvili 1/2-1/2
Bela Khotenashvili got a position with isolated pawn in Queens Gambit. Anna Ushenina chose an interesting plan and tried to maintain the pressure. World champion could get an advantage by playing 17.b5 ab 18. Rc6! but didn’t consider this opportunity. After that Black managed to exchange a few pieces and the game ended in a draw. Bela Khotenashvili became the winner of the first stage of Women Grand Prix.
Muzychuk-Kosteniuk 1/2-1/2
It was an important game for Anna Muzychuk, as in case of victory she had a chance to catch Bela Khotenashvili. “If I could manage to get better position I would definitely play for win”, said Anna Muzychuk but I seems White didn’t get this opportunity during the game. Slovenian player didn’t expect Alexandra Kosteniuk to play Caro-Kann and Russian player managed to equalize the position quite easily. There was no way to improve the position for both sides and the game finished in a draw after 29 moves. Anna Muzychuk finished the tournament without losing any game.
Ju-Kosintseva 1-0
Ju Wenjun decided to play Dutch with White and Tatiana Kosintseva managed to get quite comfortable position with Black but spent a lot of time in the opening. After 20 moves Russian player had only 2 minutes till end of the time control and started to make inaccurate decisions. According to Tatiana Kosintseva, Black could have kept the bishop instead of changing it. Under the time pressure Black lost a pawn and had to fight for a draw in the endgame. Post-game analyses showed that Black could hold the balance but during the game White managed to exchange the queens and won.
Lagno–Batchimeg 1/2-1/2
Once again Mongolian player showed good opening preparation and didn’t get any problems with Black. Both players started to play unpredictably after 25 moves and for some time we had doubts in the press-center if there were problems with transmission or not. As it was proved at the press conference, Mongolian player simply blundered a piece by playing Ba4 but surprisingly Katerina Lagno didn’t take the bishop. As both players pointed out, they simply missed Na4! Katerina Lagno simply followed her plan Nc1-Ne2 and could not imagine that Black blundered a bishop. Black had advantage in the endgame but Katerina Lagno managed to transfer the position into the endgame with the opposite color bishops.
Hou-Dzagnidze 0-1
Nana Dzagnidze used to play 9…0-0 but feeling sleepy she mixed moves in the opening. White had slightly better position after the opening and Nana decided to sacrifice the exchange to complicate the game. “I think Black is just worse if I don’t do anything”, said Georgian player at the press conference. However, Hou Yifan managed to get absolutely winning position but had to play precisely as Nana was creating threats all the time. Black used his last chance - brought the king to the center and tried to advance e-pawn. Under the time pressure former world champion started to play inaccurately and even lost the game.
The awarding ceremony took place after the last game was finished and was attended by Under Secretary-General, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, Mr. Tokayev, the founder of Neva Fondation Elena Timtchenko, FIDE President Kirsan Iljumzhinov, FIDE CEO Geoffrey Borg.
Official website
Round 10: Bela Khotenashvili overtakes Anna Muzychuk in the lead
In the tenth round of Neva Fondation Women Grand Prix Georgian player Bela Khotenashvili confidently won against Katerina Lagno and is half a point above of Anna Muzychuk, who made a draw against Viktorija Cmilyte. Tatiana Kosintseva drew against Anna Ushenina and remains on the third place before the last round. Nana Dzagnidze defeated Ju Wenjun and shares the fourth place with Anna Ushenina one point behind of Tatiana Kosintseva. Olga Girya and Tuvshintugs Batchimeg made a relatively quick draw while Alexandra Kosteniuk and Hou Yifan played 6 hours to finish their game in a draw too.
Cmilyte-Muzychuk 1/2-1/2
Viktorija Cmilyte got slightly better position with White due to space advantage. She could have tried to get the position with another pawn structure after 17.c5 but decided to open c-file. Anna Muzychuk managed to exchange a few pieces and equalized the position. It was clear for her that Bela Khotenashvili is going to win the game, so she made a risky decision 26…Qc8. Lithuanian player could get a big advantage after 28.Qb3 Re2 29.Nc3 and if Re3 than 30.Nd5! Both players were under time pressure when Viktorija got another opportunity to win a pawn after 36. de Qg5 37.Qe4. Instead of this she played 36.Rf2 and Anna Muzychuk got better chances in the endgame. After inaccurate 50…Kg7 White found the way to make a draw.
Khotenashvili-Lagno 1-0
Katerina Lagno chose to play Queens-Indian against her opponent but it seems Bela Khotenashvili was prepared quite well at the opening. 13…Ne2 was a mistake as Black can d nothing but lose a pawn in all variations. According to Lagno, she simply missed Rd1 and it was hard for her to find any decent move after that. Georgian player didn’t leave any chance for Katerina to survive after 21.Ne5.
Kosintseva-Ushenina 1/2-1/2
The theoretical battle between the players started long time ago but in the last game between same opponents Anna Ushenina chose to play 10…Ne5. 13. Nd5 has never happened in the games before and was prepared by Tatiana Kosintseva at home. Anna Ushenina reacted very well and didn’t let her opponent to create real threats on the King’s side. The game finished with three-time repetition after 24 moves.
Dzagnidze-Ju 1-0
Nana Dzagnidze didn’t expect her opponent to choose Dutch Defence and was preparing mainly against Kings-Indian. However, Ju Wenjun, who won in Dutch against Anna Ushenina few rounds ago, chose to play this opening again and got quite comfortable position with Black. It was not a type of position which Nana prefers to play and Georgian player said during the press-conference she was suffering there. Ju Wenjun played 21...b5 at one point and let White’s pieces to have more space for maneuvers. Georgian player found good counter play and later on managed to transfer the game into the winning endgame with opposite color bishops.
Kosteniuk-Hou 1/2-1/2
A very complicated and the longest game of the round between two former world champions. After the opening Alexandra could not find the right plan and “was choosing strange moves”, as she pointed out during the press-conference. White lost a pawn but was hoping to get some counter chances due to the pair of bishops. Black missed some opportunities to get huge advantage and later on the players ended up in a very complicated endgame with unbalanced material (2 bishops, knight and 4 pawns against rook, bishop and 6 pawns). After 95 moves players signed a peace.
Official website
Round 10 Photo Gallery
Round 9: Muzychuk and Khotenashvili won their games and keep on leading
In the ninth round of Neva Fondation Women Grand Prix both leaders Anna Muzychuk (Slovenia) and Bela Khotenashvili (Georgia) won their games and share the first place with 6,5 points. Georgian player defeated Olga Girya to complete her last GM norm. Tatiana Kosintseva (Russia) outplayed Katerina Lahno and placed third half a point behind the leaders. Chinese derby Hou – Ju finished in a draw as well as the games Ushenina-Dzagnidze and Cmilyte-Kosteniuk.
Cmilyte-Kosteniuk 1/2-1/2
“I didn’t have any problems in the opening and I think the position was about equal”, said Alexandra Kosteniuk at the press-conference. At the same time she was not sure if 10…e5 was a correct move as after short castle, she didn’t know what to do. Both players agreed that after 14…c5 Black could equalize the position but Alexandra simply missed this chance and had to play precisely not to get into troubles. The position became very complicated after 25.Rd8-Rg8. White could have played 27.Ng3 and transfer the game into the ending with extra-pawn. Viktorija Cmilyte chose to play 27.Bd5 instead and missed 27…Bb7. The White’s rook was trapped and Lithuanian player had to sacrifice her knight in order to set free her rook. The player ended up in the endgame rook against bishop and knight. Black missed few winning opportunities and the game finished in a draw after 70 moves.
Girya-Khotenashvili 0-1
As Bela Khotenashvili pointed out during the press-conference, she knew that draw in the game would give her the last GM norm and tried to play safely. Black didn’t face any problem in the opening and the position was about equal after 20 moves of play. However, Olga Girya played inaccurate 26.Qd4 and lost a pawn while 26. Rf4 would lead to the position with equal material and chances. Since that moment White was suffering and tried to find drawish chances in the endgame. Bela Khotenashvili missed few chances to win and after 74 moves the endgame Night against Rook appeared on the board. After 5 and half hours of play both opponents were really tired and didn’t play precisely. Olga Girya made a mistake on the 108th move and lost the game.
Ushenina-Dzagnidze 1/2-1/2
Nana Dzagnidze got comfortable position with Black and created isolated pawn in White’s camp. Anna Ushenina didn’t manage to get any initiative on the King’s side because Anna Dzagnidze accurately changed the pieces and transferred the game into the endgame with slightly better chances for Black. The last opportunity to play for win was to exchange the rooks 28…Rc2 29. Bc2 f6 30.Ng6 Bf3 but both players agreed that with accurate play White should be OK. The game finished in a draw after three-time repetition.
Ju-Hou 1/2-1/2
Ju Wenjun chose to play Catalan and knew the theory quite well. Ju Wenjun remembered the games continued with14…Rb8, so 14…h6 was quite new for her. Despite the fact that White had an extra pawn, Black managed to get enough counter play. All heavy pieces left the board and players signed the peace after 40 moves of play.
Official website
Round 9 Photo Gallery
In the eighth round of Neva Fondation Women Grand Prix the game between two leaders Anna Muzycuk and Bela Khotenashvili finished in a draw and both players keep on leading before the free day. Kateryna Lagno and Tatiana Kosintseva won their games and share third place half a point behind. One of the central games of the tournament was an encounter between Hou Yifan and Anna Ushenina as in a few months they will play in the World championship match in China. The world champion Anna Ushenina outplayed Hou Yifan with black pieces after 40 moves and after 8 rounds shares 5 place with Ju Wenjun, who lost against Alexandra Kosteniuk today. The game between Viktorija Cmilyte and Tuvshintugs Batchimeg finished in a draw.
Official website
Photo Gallery
Cross-tables
Round 7
It’s well-known that women play uncompromised chess, so all six games were decisive at the round seven of Neva Fondation Women Grand Prix in Geneva. The victories of Black outnumbered White’s success with 5 to 1. Anna Muzychuk outplayed another leader after 6th round Tatiana Kosintseva. Bela Khotenashvili won against Viktorija Cmilyte and Katerina Lagno lost against Hou Yifan. As a result, Slovenian Anna Muzychuk and Bela Khotenashvili from Georgia tied for the first place with 5 out of 7 points. Chinese player Ju Wenjun, who defeated Anna Ushenina today, is on the sole third place half a point behind the leaders. Alexandra Kosteniuk managed to break through unfortunate series and won against Tuvshintugs Batchimeg. Nana Dzagnidze defeated Olga Girya and has +1 after 7 rounds.
Official website
Round 6
Four leaders after 6 Rounds
Tatiana Kosintseva and Bela Khotenashvili outplayed Viktorija Cmilyte and Batchimeg Tuvshintugs respectively and joined the group of leaders. Katerina Lagno and Anna Muzychuk finished their games in draws and also share the first place with 4 out of 6. After 5 draws in the previous rounds World Champion Anna Ushenina won the first game in the tournament and is half a point behind of the leaders. Her opponent Alexandra Kosteniuk lost the third game in a row. Olga Girya played very confidently against former world champion Hou Yifan and made a draw after 70 moves.
More detailed information can be found at the Official website
Round 6 Photo Gallery
Cross-tables
The key game of the round five was the encounter between number one and number two in the tournament Hou Yifan and Anna Muzychuk. Slovenian player outplayed Hou Yifan and shares the first place with Ukrainian Katerina Lagno who drew her game against Anna Ushenina. Two Russian players Alexandra Kosteniuk and Olga Girya lost their games against Bela Khotenashvili and Ju Wenjun respectively. Another Russian Tatiana Kosintseva had winning position against Tuvshintugs Batchimeg but missed her chances a few times today. Viktorija Cmilyte and Nana Dzagnidze were the last to finish their game in a draw after 72 moves.
Tuvshintugs -Kosintseva 1/2-1/2
One of the theoretical lines of Ragozin appeared on the board and in the middle game White transferred his knight on f2 by playing Nd2-f1-g3-h1-f2. The position was about equal but White missed a chance to play 32.d6 and blundered 33…Bh5. Black had a huge advantage and missed the direct way to win a few times. 39…Rg2! Could have finished the game immediately after 40.Kg2 Rg8 31.Kf1 Qf3. Tatiana played differently but the position was still absolutely winning. After 44…Nf4 and the evaluation of the position went from -5 to 0 according to Houdini. Since that Black didn’t have real chances to fight for more than a draw.
Lagno-Ushenina 1/2-1/2
Anna Ushenina surprised her opponent with Ne7, so Katerina Lagno decided to go into a sharp position after Qb3-Qb7. World Champion spent a lot of time and found a nice idea 23…c5 cutting the diagonal for the bishop. Despite the fact that White had an extra pawn, Black got good compensation and after three time repetition the game between two Ukrainian players finished in a draw.
Cmilyte-Dzagnidze 1/2-1/2
The game finished in draw but only after both players got some winning chances. Nana Dzagnidze sacrificed an exchange and. according to Cmilyte, the position on the board was easier for Black to play. However White found a good opportunity to activate his pieces and after Rh7 it was White who was trying to play for more than draw. According to Viktorija Cmilyte f6 was a mistake. Black received good counter chances but didn’t manage to win.
Girya-Ju 0-1
In Kings Indian Russian player got an extra pawn and Black had to prove if he has enough compensation or not. Following the best Kings Indian traditions Ju Wenjun brought all her pieces to the King’s side and sacrificed another pawn. Computer defends White’s position but it’s hard to stay calm playing such position with White. Olga Girya made a mistake 29.Qb2 and it cost her full point. Ju Wenjun just finished the game with direct attack on the White’s king.
Khotenashvili-Kosteniuk 1-0
In one of the variations of Catalan players went into a sharp position and after provocative 20…f5 White got quite strong initiative. At the press-conference the players agreed It was a mistake to take 26.Qh5 and let Black to change the bishop for a strong knight on e6. “I just missed White’s strong move Qe2”, said Bela Khotenashvili. Just few moves later Black made a mistake Qf3 and got lost position. “At this moment I just could not calculate anything. I was surprised Black was not losing immediately”, said Alexandra Kosteniuk. The endgame was technically winning for White but Georgian player didn’t play precisely and former world champion could hold a draw after 56…Kb2.
Muzychuk-Hou Yifan 1-0
A very important victory for Anna Muzychuk, as she was not able to defeat the former world champion for several years. Check later on our website the game analysis provided by GM Adrain Mikhalchishin.
Official website
The victory of Katerina Lahno over Alexandra Kosteniuk made Ukrainian player the sole leader in the tournament. It was a day of sacrifices as in 4 out of sixth games playing Black Katerina Lahno, Tuvshintugs Batchimeg, Olga Girya, Vikrtorija Cmilyte sacrificed their knights and Bela Khotenashvili sacrificed an exchange. Viktorija Cmilyte had a very strong attack but missed a few chances against Hou Yifan. Tatiana Kosintseva defeated Bela Khotenashvili. The biggest sensation of the round became the draw between Ushenina and Girya. The world champion had a huge advantage and confidently transferred the game into the ending with extra bishop and knight against king. Surprisingly, Olga Girya managed to survive!
Dzagnidze- Tuvshintugs 1-0
Tuvshintugs Batchimeg chose to play Grunfeld with Black. Georgian player got a comfortable position and after Be2 Mongolian player decided to give the knight for three pawns and transferred the game into the ending. Black could have protected the knight by playing 18…b5 but after 19.ab Black position was just worse. Nana Dzagnidze played very precisely in the endgame increasing the power of her pieces step by step. The crucial mistake of Mongolian player was 26…Kf8, since that moment Nana didn’t let any chance for her opponent to save the game.
Kosteniuk-Lahno 0-1
The Sheveningen variation in Sicilian, chosen by players, had happened many times in the match Kasparov-Karpov. The position became very sharp after 28…Qf4. White went for a force line and managed to win a piece for 2 pawns. However, Black’s initiative became very strong and White had to play precisely in order not to give counter chances. Despite the calm calculation of computer which holds White’s position, It was hard for Alexandra Kosteniuk to defend against all the threats, especially under the time pressure. One of the chances to hold the position for White was to play 35.Qg2 instead of 35.Ng2.
Kosintseva-Khotenashvili 1-0
Tatiana Kosintseva had to face Caro-Kann for the second time in a row and managed to get the position with a slight advantage. Black missed an interesting opportunity to equalize the game with the move 18…f6. White tried to use the weakness of pawn d5 and managed to create threats. On the time trouble it was not easy to defend for Black. Bela Khotenashvili sacrificed an exchange but it didn’t change the evaluation of the position.
Hou-Cmilyte 1-0
Viktorija Cmilyte chose to play an interesting line with 7…g5 which she checked 2-3 years ago. She remembered that White had to place their knight on h4 as after Ne1 Black got quite comfortable play. 16…d5 was an interesting try to play against weak White’s king and late on Viktorija succeeded to create a dangerous attack after 18…Nh3! The critical moment happened on the move 21 when Black had to choose one out many opportunities. It seems that Qe3 was enough to continue the direct attack and Hou Yifan estimated her position as very dangerous. Instead, Lithuanian player went for Qg4 and missed 24.Qd3. Check later the game analyzes provided by GM Adrain Mikhalchishin.
Ju Wenjun-Muzychuk 1/2-1/2
For the third time in the tournament Anna Muzychuk transfers the game to the endgame right after the opening. This time she was playing with Black and dc was a logical decision, as after fg cd White had slightly better position as he gets d5 square. Ju Wenjun agreed that Black had simple play and the game was drawn after 39 moves.
Ushenina – Girya 1/2-1/2
Slav Defence appeared on the board and the world champion chose to play quiet line increasing her slight advantage. It was clear for Olga Girya she had to sacrifice a knight otherwise White would advance his pawns in the center. Black got quite good compensation for the knight and could get a strong initiative by playing 31…h4. White secured his position by changing queens and when the first time control passed it became obvious that Black had not enough counter play and recourses to fight for a draw. Nevertheless Black just kept on playing and managed to safe the game.
Cross-tables
Official website
Photo Gallery
Anna Muzychuk, Bela Khotenashvili and Katerina Lahno are the leaders after a very exiting round three. The most unexpected result was the victory of lowest seed, Mongolian WGM, 2298, over top seed and former world champion, GM Hou Yifan, 2623. During the press-conference Tuvshintugs Batchimeg said she was just trying to make the logical moves. (Check analyzes of this game provided by GM Adrian Mikhalchishin at http://geneva2013.fide.com/). Georgian derby between Khotenashvili and Dzagnidze finished in favor of Bela Khotenashvili. Katerina Lahno outplayed Olga Girya in Grunfeld after 72 moves. Three other games Kosintseva-Kosteniuk, Cmilyte-Ju Wenjun, Muzychuk-Ushenina finished in draws.
Khotenashvili-Dzagnidze 1-0
Both players were ready to fight today and chose quite sharp line. 10. h5 was the main theory but Bela decided to try the new move b4. Nana Dzagnidze was defending accurately and after Qe6 Kg7 Black managed to get the equal chances. During the press-conference Nana pointed out that her original plan was to sacrifice an exchange after 17…Nh5 18. Nf3, She regretted that she changed her mind afterwards. A few moves later, Black blundered tactics by playing 21…h6. For some reason Nana was sure that her opponent could not play 22.Ne6. After Bg6 the position of Black became hopeless.
Cmilyte-Ju Wenjun 1/2-1/2
Ju Wenjun managed to surprise Viktorija Cmilyte in the opening and it became obvious that Chinese player feels comfortable in such position. Lituanian player was spending a lot of time trying to find the right plan and as she said during the press-conference “lost a track in one moment”. Ju Wenjun won a pawn but Viktorija got some compensation as Black king was weak. It was not easy to win the endgame with a pawn up because White was defending her position very well.
Muzychuk-Ushenina 1/2-1/2
The players decided to avoid theoretical lines in the opening, they also “missed” a middle game and went into the endgame on the sixth move. Slovenian play was quite happy with her position at the beginning and tried to choose the plan to get an advantage. After Black’s b5-b5 it became obvious for her that she has nothing in this position and started to play for a draw. Under the time pressure Black missed a few chances to get slight advantage. As players mentioned during the press-conference there was an opportunity to keep the bishop on g6 after 33…Ke7.
Girya-Lahno 0-1
Katerina Lahno chose to play Grunfeld with Black but it seemed Olga Girya knew the theory quite well. It was necessary for White to play 20.Qf4 Rc8 21.Rc8 Qc8 and 22.d5 in order to fight for advantage. Instead, Russian player chose a dubious plan with 20.Rb2 and simply missed double attack 21…Bc2. It seemed that the game will not last long as Black got an extra pawn and good position but Katerina Lahno missed back the double attack of Olga Girya. The position of Black was still much better but it was also a psychological blow. As Katerina pointed out during the press-conference she tried not to think about what happened and just continued to play. “There were so many situations like that one in my chess career. I’m used to hold the tension”, said Ukrainian player. Olga Girya was defending very well and was very close to make a draw but missed some chances.
Kosintseva-Kosteniuk 1/2-1/2
Alexandra Kosteniuk surprised her opponent with Caro-Kann but Tatiana decided to avoid playing the line which recently happened in the game Kosteniuk-Girya. Former World champion got an interesting play with 10…g5 and after 14.f4 the position became very sharp with many different opportunities for Black. Alexandra found a force way, which she thought could finish in Black’s favor, but she missed calm move 22.Rad1. White managed to transfer the game into a drawish ending.
Official website
Round 3 Photo Gallery
Hou Yifan defeated Bela Khotenashvili to take an early lead after two rounds together with Anna Muzychuk, who made a draw against Katerina Lahno. Another Chinese player Ju Wenjun managed to recover after yesterday’s game and won against Mongolian player Batchimeg Tuvshintugs. The similar pawn structure happened in the games Ushenina-Cmilyte and Dzagnidze-Kosintseva but in both games white didn’t manage to use the weakness of isolated pawn and games finished in draws. Two Russian players also shared a point after the long duel in a sharp line of Caro-Kann.
Hou-Khotenashvili 1-0
Georgian player preferred to avoid the main lines in a Two Knights Caro-Kann and went for a dubious continuation 7…Qb6. Former World Champion decided to sacrifice a pawn and got the position with initiative. While Black was trying to develop his pieces, White managed to reestablish the material balance and got a very pleasant position. According to Bela Khotenashvili, White had huge advantage and it was hard to defend with Black. Nevertheless, Black could still put up a stubborn resistance after 18…Qb6 19.c5 Qd8. After 18…Qb8 Georgian player lost a pawn and position became hopeless.
Ju Wenjun- Batchimeg Tuvshintugs 1-0
White didn’t get anything special out of the opening but was trying to keep the pressure during the game. Mongolian player found an interesting idea 18…c3, 19…c4 and got very comfortable position. Both players agreed it would be hard to get any chances for White if Black kept one pair of rook on the board, as after the exchanges the power of White’s two bishops became decisive in the endgame.
Lahno-Muzychuk 1/2-1/2
“I was checking this line long time ago but remembered that White has enough compensation for the pawn”, said Katerina Lahno during the press-conference. The position was also new for Anna Muzychuk, so she spent all her time and had 1 minute left after 20 moves. Luckily for Slovenian player there is different time control here (in contrast with Men’s Grand Prix) and players get increment of 30 seconds per move from move one. Nevertheless, the position was sharp and it was not easy to find the exact moves. Anna decided to sacrifice a pawn as she didn’t want to play the worse endgame and tried to find the compensation. Katerina felt that she could have tried to improve her play but it was not easy to find the right moment. After 24…Bc4 Black managed to solve his problems and game finished in a draw after 40 moves.
Dzagnidze-Kosintseva 1/2-1/2
Nana Dzagnidze decided to surprise her opponent with the opening choice and the classical position with isolated pawn appeared on the board. According to Tatiana Kosintseva, 13…Bf5 was dubious as normally bishop is placed on e6 in such positions. After 19. Nc7 Black had an interesting opportunity Qd6 but instead Russian GM played Bc7 and let her opponent to get the position with edge. Both players missed maneuver Bd2, which could have helped White to increase his advantage. Instead, the players repeated the moves and game finished in a draw.
Ushenina-Cmilyte 1/2-1/2
Another game where Black ended up in the position with isolated pawn. Viktorija Cmilyte got very comfortable position after the opening and could have changed the queens on move 17th in order to make a draw. According to Viktorija Cmilyte, she decided to keep the queens instead because her opponent spent a lot of time till that moment, so she chose to maintain the pressure. Anna Ushenina changed the dark square bishops and queens and could have tried to continue playing the rook and knight endgame without risk.
Kosteniuk-Girya 1/2-1/2
The opponents followed a very sharp line successfully played by their compatriot Sergey Karjakin with White. Both of them remembered the game which finished in a draw after 20…Ke8 21. Rc8 Kd7 22.Rc7 but the move 20…Kd8 played by Olga Girya looked more logical. Olga Girya defended very well and after many exchanges Black just simply kept an extra pawn and It was Alexandra’s turn to play precisely. The former world champion found very good defensive moves and managed to make a draw.
Official website
Round 2 Photo Gallery
Round 1
The first round of the first stage of Grand Prix tournament in Geneva got under way on the 3rd of May 2013, after the founder of Neva Fondation Elena Timtchenko made the first symbolic move in the game Kosinseva-Hou Yifan 1.e4. The President of Swiss Chess Federation Prof. Dr. Adrian Siegel repeated 1.e4 in the game Muzychuk-Girya.
The first round was a pretty tough one for the start of the tournament – Bela Khotenashvili and Anna Muzychuk started with victories while other four games were drawn. Another Georgian player Nana Dzagnidze was very close to defeat Alexandra Kosteniuk but missed the victory in the time trouble. The quickest game of the round one between Lahno and Cmilyte finished with three-time repetition after 31 moves. Mongolian player Tuvshintugs Batchimeg made a draw against Women’s World Champion Anna Ushenina. Pictures round 1.
Batchimeg-Ushenina 1/2-1/2
Playing with Black Anna Ushenina equalized comfortably and got a playable position. The game developed quite logically but at one point White forgot about the weakness of the first rank. Black immediately used it and managed to win a pawn. “I was playing normally today but then I missed this move Qe7 after Qe5. I had to play h4 first and then maybe Qe5 or Qd4. So I’ve got these complications right after Qe5 but luckily my opponent let me make a draw. It’s my birthday today, so maybe this was a reason I was lucky,” .said Tuvshintugs Batchimeg during the press-conference. As Adrian Mikhalchishin pointed out, Ukrainian player could have got winning rook endgame after an important maneuver 44…Re5-e6-c6.
Dzagnidze-Kosteniuk 1/2-1/2
White started to play quite aggressively at the opening (g4-h4-g5) and after h6 pushed the pawn to g6 to open g-file. It was scary for Black to make a short castling so Alexandra decided to look for counter play on the Queen’s side. According to the former world champion, Black’s moves b5 and Nc3 are dubious as after that her position became really bad. Nana Dzagnidze was sure White had winning position but didn’t find the right way to establish her advantage. One of the easiest way for White was to change white square bishops by playing 19.Bh7-20.Bg6. However, the variation chosen by Georgian player was in White’s favor as well, If she would play Qe4 instead of Ng6. After all troubles Alexandra was happy that the game was converted into the endgame where Black managed to make a draw.
Muzychuk-Girya 1-0
Caro-Kann was played in the game and both players were repeating the well-known theoretical line. “I think this endgame was slightly better for White, I liked my position”, said Anna Muzychuk during the press-conference. Olga Girya estimated the ending as equal:”I saw many games with many different plans in that endgame but somehow I forgot all of them (smiles)”. It was not necessary for Black to take on c4 and create a weakness on c6 but Olga pointed out it was not easy to find the moves in that position. Russian player could have tried to defend more actively but chose quite passive defence, so Anna Muzychuk was improving her position step by step. White grabbed the pawn on c6 and with accurate play converted the advantage into a full point.
Kosintseva-Hou 1/2-1/2
Despite the absence of Nadezhda Kosintseva in Geneva (she let her sister Tatiana to replace her for one event), she keeps on helping her sister Tatiana with the preparation through Internet. Today Tatiana repeated the moves from the game Kosintseva Nadezhda-Hou Yifan but chose to play 16.Bd3 instead of 16.Be2. Both opponents remembered the theory quite deeply and were following the main line. White got enough compensation for the pawn but Black had also quite safe position. It was not easy for both players to find the way to fight for more than draw. “I think it’s easier to play this position with White,” said Hou Yifan during the press-conference but at the same time she also didn’t see any idea for White to fight for more.
Khotenashvili-Ju Wenjun 1-0
Black chose to play quite risky move 10…Ne4 instead of more quiet 10…Re8 and playing white Bela Khotenashvili spent some time choosing between 12.Nd2 and 12.Ng5. 12. Nd2 guaranteed White stable advantage and good play, so since that moment it was not easy for Black to find the right plan. Please follow the deep analyzes of this game provided by GM Adrian Mikhalchishin.
Without exception the players expressed their joy to participate in this tournament.
Tuvshintugs Batchimeg: “It’s my first time here in Grand Prix and I’m really glad that FIDE is organizing one of the stages in our country. I’m lucky to participate in such a strong field here in this tournament and I would like to thank the Mongolian Chess Federation for giving me this opportunity. It’s great to be here in Geneva, I’ve been here for three times.”
Anna Ushenina: “I can say that organization is perfect here. I would like to express my gratitude to FIDE and Neva Fondation. It’s not easy to organize the event on such a good level”.
Viktorija Cmilyte: “It’s a very nice place and excellent hotel. It’s really nothing to complain about at all. I’ve got nominated by FIDE President not a long time ago and it came as a very pleasant surprise! I didn’t have much time to prepare for this event but I’m glad to have this fantastic chance to play in series of very strong tournament.”
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World's best women players get together in Geneva for the Fondation Neva Women's Grand Prix
Geneva, 3 May 2013 - Fondation Neva, in partnership with the International Chess Federation (FIDE), is organizing the first leg of the official Women's Grand Prix series for the first time in Geneva. From May 3 to 15, twelve of the best women players - featuring current women world champion Anna Ushenina from Ukraine - will confront each other at the Hotel N'vY. The competitions are open to the public (information on http://geneva2013.fide.com). "This tournament is a unique opportunity to discover this very popular sport in Russia", rejoices Mrs Timtchenko, President of Fondation Neva.
Competitive sport with multiple benefits for the youth
The opening ceremony attended by Mrs Isabel Rochat, Geneva State Chancellor, Mr Sami Kanaan, Administrative Chancellor of the City of Geneva, and a public of chess amateurs kicked off the Championship bringing together the leading women players. Among the legends present for the occasion, the famous Grand Master Nona Gaprindashvili, who dominated the Championship for a long time in the Soviet era. "We are happy to be in Geneva and we thank Fondation Neva for making it possible", said Mr Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, FIDE President. "Introducing chess lessons at schools is undoubtedly beneficial for young people in many respects. Fondation Neva wishes to encourage the discovery of this highly strategic sport, by creating opportunities for cross-cultural interactions", added Mrs Elena Timtchenko.
Geneva audience associated to this event
In order to give chess aficionados from Geneva an opportunity to follow every single day of the competition, the games will be open to the public from 2 pm and will be commented live by a specialist seating in front of the Nolita room at Hotel N'vY. The tournament is also broadcast on the FIDE official website (www.fide.com).
On Sunday May 12 - one of the two free days granted to the players - around thirty young passionate players, members of the Geneva Chess Federation, will play simultaneous games against a couple of the Grand Masters.
La tribune de Genève, Léman bleu and One FM are media partners of the Grand Prix.
Fondation Neva and Chess game
The Fondation Neva Women's Grand Prix is a reflection of Fondation Neva’s desire to raise awareness on this discipline considered a national sport in Russia, as well as of its involvement in popularizing it abroad. In April 2013, Fondation Neva partnered in the Alekhine Memorial tournament which took place at the Louvre Museum in Paris and brought together the world’s best chess players. More broadly, Fondation Neva is dedicated to encouraging closer links between Switzerland and Russia. This ambitious aim is given concrete expression in a number of initiatives in the sphere of sports, culture and science.
Fondation Neva: For over fifteen years, Elena and Gennady Timtchenko have been actively and personally engaged in philanthropic activities. In order to better manage the growing complexity of these projects, they created three foundations, among which Fondation Neva established in Geneva in 2008. Its core mission is to strengthen historical ties between Switzerland and Russia, two nations which share many common values and the same classical culture. By supporting projects promoting excellence in the field of culture, science and sports, Fondation Neva is helping to promote the Russian cultural diversity in Switzerland, to multiply exchanges between the two countries and to encourage their closeness. Since 2013 Fondation Neva extends its partnerships to France.
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