WSCC GP Leg 4: Gunina catches up with Ushenina
The Women’s Speed Chess Championship is on the home stretch as Grand Prix Leg 04 started today with Round of 16. Interestingly enough, Sarasaddat Khademalsharieh and Irina Krush have been pitted against each other in the first round for the third time with the Iranian prevailing again. Most favorites convincingly won their matches, but in three encounters the higher-rated players had to work hard. Anna Muzychuk was on the verge of losing to 18-year-old Munkhzul Turmunkh. World’s #7 entered the bullet with a two-point deficit (2.5-4.5) but scored three straight victories to claim the match. Alexandra Kosteniuk vs. Bibisara Assaubayeva was a close affair utill the last two bullet games in which the European Blitz Champion downed her resilient opponent. It was nip and tuck in Humpy Koneru vs Olga Girya match until the last bullet game that the Indian won with White to advance into the quarterfinals. After Valentina Gunina got at least 2 GP points for progressing to the quarters of the last leg, Lagno is for sure out of the Super Final match. Kosteniuk, Hou Yifan, and Khademalsharieh hope to win the GP Leg 4 to get the maximum 12 points and catch up with the overall leaders Ushenina and Gunina (both have 22 points).
WSCC 2020: Schedule and Results
Women’s Speed Chess Championship Grand Prix final standings: Alexandra Kosteniuk wins the final leg of the Women’s Speed Chess Grand Prix and qualifies for the Super Final match against Anna Ushenina. Kosteniuk dictated the proceedings in the final match against Humpy Koneru. She took the lead in the 5+1 minute games, however, Koneru bounced back in 3+1. The former world champion won the final game of this portion to enter the bullet stage with a minimal lead 4.5-3.5. Alexandra won two bullet games, sealed the victory (7-5) and claimed 12 GP points. In the match for third place, Hou Yifan defeated Sarasadat Khademalsharieh 7,5-3,5. WSCC Grand Prix Leg 4 – Round of 16 The current leader Anna Ushenina (22 GP points) and the runner-up Kateryna Lagno (20) sit out the fourth event, meaning that two spots in the Super Final are still up for grabs – at least four other participants have chances to qualify. Even Ushenina is not guaranteed a slot in the Super Final yet. Since the winner of the tournament gets 12 GP points and the runner-up – 8, Kosteniuk, Hou Yifan, and Khademalsharieh seek to win the final leg. For Gunina, winning her first match and claiming 2 GP points may be enough, while advancing to the semis will secure her a place in the Super Final. WSCC Grand Prix – Standings after Leg 3 Kateryna Lagno became the winner of the third leg of the Women’s Speed Chess Championship Grand Prix. In the final match against Hou Yifan, she took an early lead crushing her opponent 3-0 in 5+1 blitz. In 3+1, players exchanged blows and entered the bullet portion with 5-2 in favor of Lagno. The match seemed done and dusted but apparently, it was too early to jump to conclusions as Hou Yifan staged an incredible comeback winning three 1+1 games in a row and leveling the score! The tiebreak of two bullet games followed, with the first ending in a draw. The dramatic culmination of the match came in the second game when Hou Yifan, an exchange up, made a fatal mouse slip that cost her a rook, a game, and a match! Hou Yifan reacted with dignity, smiling at her mistake and resigning right away. In the match for third place, Alexandra Kosteniuk defeated Sarasadat Khadamalsharieh 7-4. Kateryna Lagno got 12 GP points for her first place, finishing the GP campaign with 20 points on a shared (with Valentina Gunina) second place right behind the leader Ushenina (22 points). WSCC Grand Prix Leg 3 – Round of 16 Standings after WSCC Grand Prix Leg 2 Valentina Gunina emerged as the winner of the second leg of the Women’s Speed Chess Championship Grand Prix and picked up 12 GP points. In the final match, she took revenge on Anna Ushenina, to whom she had lost the previous Leg 1 final match. Ushenina earned 8 points for her runner-up finish and tied for the overall lead in the series with Gunina. Going into the bullet portion of the final match against Ushenina, Gunina who was playing at a higher tempo, had the lead 4.5-3.5. Most likely the Russian GM was quite optimistic about her chances as she is known for her prowess in the fastest time controls. The Ukrainian GM was close to bouncing back in the first bullet game as was up an exchange but missed a perpetual check. In the next game, Anna went from bad to worse as she blundered a queen. Valentina extended the lead to 6-4 with just 4 minutes to go. A smashing attack by Gunina in the next game pretty much decided the match in her favor as there was no comeback from 4-7. However, Ushenina scored a consolation goal in the last game to finish it on 5-7. In the match for third place, Kateryna Lagno did not give any chance to Sarasadat Khademalsharieh and collected 6 GP points. For her efforts, Sarasadat received 5 GP points. WSCC Grand Prix Leg 2 Pairings (Round of 16) Standings after WSCC Grand Prix Leg 1 Grand Prix, First Leg GM Anna Ushenina wins the first Grand Prix of the Women’s Speed Chess Championship. In the final, she defeated Valentina Gunina 7-4. For her efforts, Ushenina gets 12 GP points & 3,000 USD. “It’s a really interesting tournament and a very hard one because everyone is very strong. I enjoyed being part of it,” said Anna Ushenina in a post-match interview. The runner up Gunina gets 8 GP points and 2,000 USD. Alexandra Kosteniuk defeated Vaishali R 7-4 in the match for third place and claims the bronze medal, 6 GP points, and 1,000 USD. Three more legs are to be played in the Speed Chess GP, the next one starts on July 1. Leaderboard after the first of Grand Prix tournaments: GM Anna Ushenina UKR 12 GP points GM Valentina Gunina RUS 8 GP points GM Alexandra Kosteniuk RUS 6 GP points WIM Vaishali Rameshbabu IND 5 GP points GM Katerina Lagno RUS 2 GP points GM Ju Wenjun CHN 2 GP points WIM Munkhzul Turmunkh MGL 2 GP points WGM Le Thao Nguyen Pham VIE 2 GP points Anna Ushenina (Ukraine) and Valentina Gunina (Russia) became the finalists of the first Grand Prix leg of the Women’s Speed Chess Championship by FIDE and Chess.com Ushenina beat young Indian WGM Vaishali Rameshbabu 5.5-4.5 in a very close match coming from behind and taking an upper hand in the bullet portion. In the second all-Rusian semifinal, Gunina eliminated her compatriot GM Alexandra Kosteniuk 9-3. Valentina was on fire today despite being very tired from playing every day during the last week, as she confessed in a post-match interview. Unlike Kosteniuk, who was a seeded player, Valentina had to qualify for the Grand Prix and she did it only at the fifth attempt. The Russian GM will have a chance to recharge her batteries as there is a free day tomorrow before the final on Sunday. You can watch it live on our youtube.com/fidechannel and support your favorite player. Valentina Gunina and Alexandra