Hou Yifan wins second WSCC title
GM Hou Yifan is the first player to win two WSCC titles. After defeating GM Harika Dronavalli in the Julius Baer Women’s Speed Chess Championship 2023 Final 15-11, the Chinese grandmaster is a two-time champion. “Ever since her first victory, she never relinquished the lead,” commentator GM Daniel Naroditsky said after the match. Critical to her success was incisive precision when converting advantages, as well as her resilience to save several lost positions. Both times Hou won the WSCC, in 2021 and 2023, she faced Harika in the final. Two years ago, she won her first title with a 15-13 score, but this year, Hou went above and beyond 2021, and her powerful start in the first segment paved the way for a commanding and impenetrable lead. When the match clock reached seven minutes, the commentators started discussing the match in the past tense, even as games were ongoing. Harika won the last two games, which does count for prize money by win percentage but not for the title. Hou earns $10,000 for winning the title match and another $5,769.23 by win percentage. Harika takes home $4,230.77 for the games she won. “I got lucky to start with some leading positions,” said Hou in her interview. “When this match [went] to the bullet chess, I felt like I [couldn’t] see the moves… but in general, I am relatively satisfied with the performance today, especially compared to the previous match where I blundered more.” Will the world’s highest-rated woman return to chess full-time in the future? The answer wasn’t a “yes,” but it wasn’t a “no” either! Harika also joined for an interview, sharing: “I’m just not happy with my strength today. I think it has to do with immediately back-to-back matches… it was really exhausting because I finished my matches at like 11 p.m. and today immediately to start this evening… I’ll have this regret for some time.” She also later added: “This is one of my favourite tournaments, being at home, you can play such matches with the best players with an amazing prize fund… I wish to come back again next year!” Text and photos: chess.com Official website: chess.com/events/info/2023-womens-speed-chess-championship
WYCC 2023: Fierce contest with three rounds to go
Eight tightly contested rounds have been played at the World Youth Championship 2023. IM Aleksey Grebnev (FIDE, 2500; pictured below) celebrated another victory with white pieces against Indian Ilamparthi A R. in the Open U18 category. Grebnev gained a decisive advantage in the opening and converted it into a full point. With 7.5 points under his belt, Grebnev is the sole leader of the Open U18 category, ahead of Aldiyar Ansat (KAZ, 2418), Tymon Czernek (POL, 2329) and Mark Jay Bacojo (PHI, 2335). WGM Rochelle Wu (USA, 2228) defeated Polish WFM Martyna Wikar to score 7/8 and grab the sole lead in the U18 category. She will face Hoang Tu Linh Luong from Vietnam, who delivered an excellent performance in Round 8 to take down the top seed, WIM Yelyzaveta Hrebenshchykova and has already increased her rating by 165 points. Polish players have dominated the Open U16 section so far. In Round 8, IM Jakub Seemann instructively converted his extra pawn in a rook endgame vs. FM Leonardo Costa (GER, 2397). Seemann is the sole leader with 7.5 points. IM Jan Klimowski (POL, 2520) also showed excellent endgame technique in his game against FM from Armenia, Erik Gasparyan, to maintain the second position with 7 points. Wang Chuqiao (pictured below) from China pulled off a crucial victory over Izabela Tokarz (POL, 1931) on the top board in the Girls U16 category. She is leading the field with 7.5 points. Her closest rivals are WFM Alexandra Shvedova (FIDE) and Daria Bondar (UKR), sitting on 7 and 6.5 points respectively. Polish FM Pawel Sowinski (2347) emerged on top in the Open U14 category. He toppled the tournament leader after Round 7, Phaam Tran Gia Phuc from Vietnam. In Round 9, Sowinski will face first seed player IM Savva Vetochkin (FIDE, 2403) with the black pieces. Georgian WFM Anastasia Kirtadze (1921) and WFM Afruza Khamdamova (2199) of Uzbekistan jointly lead the Girls section U14 with 7 points. They will clash in Round 9. Kirtadze demonstrated her fighting spirit in the last rounds, beating the first and third-seeded players WFM Anna Shukhman and WFM Zarina Nurgaliyeva. Despite missing her first game in the tournament due to the flight cancellation, Khamdamova (pictured above) won seven straight games to tie for the top position. The last three rounds will be decisive in all six categories at the FIDE World Youth Chess Championship. The games start at 3 pm Central European Time. Standings after Round 8 Open U18 Standings after Round 8 Open U16 Standings after Round 8 Open U14 Standings after Round 8 Girls U18 Standings after Round 8 Girls U16 Standings after Round 8 Girls U14 Photos: Przemek Nikiel Official website: worldyouth2023.com/
WSCC 2023: Hou Yifan and Harika to clash the final
Hou Yifan and Harika Dronavalli set up an eagerly anticipated final match in the Julius Baer Women’s Speed Chess Championship 2023. GM Hou Yifan defeated GM Alexandra Kosteniuk 12.5-9.5 in the hotly contested 22-game semifinal match, which saw just three draws. Kosteniuk led by one point at the end of each of the first two segments, but in the bullet games, the women’s world number-one took over and won nearly every single one. Hou takes home $6,000 for winning the match plus $3,409.10 by win percentage. Kosteniuk exits the tournament earning $2,590.90 by win percentage. After her amazing performance in the bullet segment, Hou quipped in the interview: “Am I playing sharp!?” GM Harika Dronavalli bested GM Kateryna Lagno in the second semifinal by a score of 12-10. It was a fairly even match in the first two segments, though Harika led by one or two points throughout. The turning point was the last 3+1 game, which the Indian GM won, and she carried that momentum through the bullet segment. Two years ago, in the 2021 Semifinals, Harika defeated Lagno 14-13 and needed tiebreaks to do so. This year, Harika outplayed Lagno in each segment. Even in the first two portions, there were some points left on the table that could have extended the lead further. The Indian GM earns $6,000 for winning the match plus $3,272.73 by win percentage. Lagno finishes in the semifinals with $2,727.27 by win percentage. Hou Yifan played Harika in WSCC final before. In 2021, she beat her to win the title. The 2023 final is bound to be an exciting match considering the recent history. Asked about playing the final against Hou, Harika said: “Actually, I didn’t even still process that I finished this and I’m going to Finals… I’ll try to relax a bit and try to focus on the game as much as I can and play some quality games if possible.” She finished with: “It’s just a new day and I’ll fight.” The final will take place on Wednesday, November 22 starting at 7:00 a.m. ET / 13:00 CET / 5:30 Text and photos: chess.com Official website: chess.com/events/info/2023-womens-speed-chess-championship