Humpy Wins Bronze at Batumi Women's World Rapid Chess Championship 2012; Harika Creditable Sixth

Congrats to Humpy
for winning bronze

Bulgaria's former women's world chess champion has won the Batumi Women's World Rapid Championship with another former women's world chess champion, Alexandra Kosteniuk, winning the silver. India's Koneru Humpy, the challenger to the women's world chess champion title, finished a creditable third. India's other player, Harika Dronavalli, finished with a great show at sixth place.

The Women’s World Rapid and Blitz Championship 2012 was held from May 30 to June 6 at the Sheraton Hotel, Batumi, Georgia. It was an 11 rounds Swiss tournament with time control 25 mins + 10 sec per move. Every woman chess player with an elo of 2500+ in one of the official FIDE rating lists as well as all former World Chess Champions and Olympic Chess Champions had the right to participate in the Championship.

Final Standings

1		GM	Stefanova Antoaneta	BUL	2518	8.5	61.5
2		GM	Kosteniuk Alexandra	RUS	2457	8.0	61.5
3		GM	Koneru Humpy	IND	2589	8.0	60.5
4		GM	Lahno Kateryna	UKR	2546	8.0	57.5
5		GM	Muzychuk Anna	SLO	2598	7.5	59.5
6		GM	Harika Dronavalli	IND	2508	7.5	53.0
7		GM	Dzagnidze Nana	GEO	2547	7.0	53.0
8		GM	Cramling Pia	SWE	2478	6.5	57.5
9		GM	Zhao Xue	CHN	2549	6.5	56.0
10		WGM	Guo Qi	CHN	2360	6.5	56.0
11		IM	Paehtz Elisabeth	GER	2491	6.5	54.5
12		WGM	Tan Zhongyi	CHN	2430	6.5	54.0
13		IM	Javakhishvili Lela	GEO	2449	6.5	52.0
14		GM	Zhukova Natalia	UKR	2442	6.5	52.0
15		GM	Zhu Chen	QAT	2491	6.5	52.0
16		GM	Kosintseva Tatiana	RUS	2532	6.5	48.0
17		WGM	Huang Qian	CHN	2417	6.0	62.5
18		IM	Khurtsidze Nino	GEO	2456	6.0	58.5
19			Wang Jue	CHN	2364	6.0	55.5
20		IM	Gunina Valentina	RUS	2530	6.0	54.5
21		IM	Mkrtchian Lilit	ARM	2449	6.0	51.0
22		IM	Ushenina Anna	UKR	2454	5.5	52.0
23		GM	Arakhamia-Grant Ketevan	SCO	2426	5.5	51.0
24		WGM	Batsiashvili Nino	GEO	2436	5.5	50.0
25		IM	Melia Salome	GEO	2410	5.5	46.0
26		WGM	Pogonina Natalija	RUS	2447	5.5	46.0
27		GM	Danielian Elina	ARM	2484	5.5	45.0
28		IM	Khukhashvili Sopiko	GEO	2414	5.5	43.0
29		IM	Gvetadze Sofio	GEO	2338	5.0	53.0
30		IM	Muzychuk Mariya	UKR	2456	5.0	51.0
31		GM	Chiburdanidze Maia	GEO	2500	5.0	49.5
32		WGM	Cori T Deysi	PER	2386	5.0	47.5
33		WGM	Ding Yixin	CHN	2353	5.0	45.0
34		IM	Purtseladze Maka	GEO	2348	5.0	44.0
35		IM	Krush Irina	USA	2457	5.0	43.0
36		IM	Lomineishvili Maia	GEO	2366	5.0	41.5
37		IM	Kovalevskaya Ekaterina	RUS	2417	4.5	48.5
38		GM	Socko Monika	POL	2484	4.5	48.0
39		WGM	Mammadova Gulnar	AZE	2345	4.5	47.5
40		IM	Matnadze Ana	ESP	2446	4.5	44.0
41		WIM	Mikadze Miranda	GEO	2323	4.5	41.5
42		WIM	Arabidze Meri	GEO	2351	4.5	41.0
43		WGM	Charkhalashvili Inga	GEO	2334	4.5	41.0
44		WIM	Janjghava Natia	GEO	2306	4.0	42.0
45		IM	Klinova Masha	ISR	2318	3.5	46.0
46		IM	Khotenashvili Bela	GEO	2500	3.5	44.5
47		IM	Gurieli Nino	GEO	2329	3.5	40.5
48		WIM	Umudova Nargiz	AZE	2231	3.0	39.5
49		WIM	Bezgodova Svetlana	RUS	2120	2.5	44.5
50		GM	Gaprindashvili Nona	GEO	2356	2.0	39.0

Read more »

Great Chess Video of US Women's Chess Champion 2012 Irina Krush

Watch this post-game interview with the US Women's chess Champion 2012 IM Irina Krush. Krush went into a tiebreak with defending champion Anna Zatonskih at the US Women's Chess Championship recently. 

You can also watch the video of the US Men's Chess Champion 2012 Hikaru Nakamura here. 

Read more »

International Chess Olympiad for the Blind in Chennai from Aug 9

The International Braille Chess Association (IBCA) www.ibca-info.org and the All India Chess Federation For The Blind (AICFB) www.aicfb.in are organising the 14th IBCA Chess Olympiad for the blind at Hotel ‘Le Royal Méridien’ in Chennai, India from August 9-20. The Hotel ‘Le Royal Méridien’ is one of the best five star deluxe hotels of the city and is known for its sprawling and landscaped lawns. Once a tiny fishing village, Chennai (formerly Madras) is now an international metropolis, the home town of World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand, and a cultural centre. 

Read more »

Stefanova Leads Women's World Chess Blitz in Batumi after 9 Rounds; Kosteniuk, Koneru, Harika Right Behind

Fantastic Chess continued on the third of the Batumi Women's World Rapid Chess Championship on Saturday in Georgia. Overnight joint leaders Antoaneta Stefanova and Koneru Humpy had varying fortunes. Stefanova is now sole leader after nine rounds with 7.5 points as she drew with Koneru Humpy, beat Nino Khurtsidze and Kateryna Lahno. Humpy, on the other hand, after drawing with Stefanova, lost to Kateryna Lahno and beat Guo Qi. That dropped Humpy to joint third with Kateryna Lahno and Anna Muzychuk.


Opening ceremony of the Batumi
Women's World Chess Championship.
In hot pursuit behind Stefanova is the very talented 12th Women's World Chess Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk. Her fiery attacks and sharp play fetched her a draw against Huang Qian, plus two superlative wins over Elisabeth Paehtz and Tan Zhongyi.

Read more »

Women's World Rapid Chess Championship in Batumi: Koneru Humpy Leads with Stefanova; Alexandra Kosteniuk Upsets Top Seed Muzychuk

Exciting chess is defining the Women's World Rapid Chess Championship currently on in Batumi, Georgia. The first six rounds have been played and already the 12th Women's World Chess Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk has beaten top seed Anna Anna Muzychuk of Slovakia. The attacking champion is in joint second place after six rounds even as India's Koneru Humpy and Bulgaria's Antoaneta Stefanova lead just a half point more. Apart from Humpy, India's other player Harika Dronavalli is doing pretty well too. Here are great video reports of the proceedings so far:








The top standings at the Women's World Rapid Chess Championship 2012 after six rounds is as follows:

1		GM	Koneru Humpy	IND	2589	5.0	17.0	24.5	2708
2		GM	Stefanova Antoaneta	BUL	2518	5.0	14.5	21.5	2720
3		GM	Kosteniuk Alexandra	RUS	2457	4.5	15.5	23.0	2714
4		WGM	Huang Qian	CHN	2417	4.5	15.0	22.5	2716
5			Wang Jue	CHN	2364	4.5	12.5	20.0	2706
6		GM	Lahno Kateryna	UKR	2546	4.5	12.5	18.5	2623
7		GM	Zhao Xue	CHN	2549	4.0	16.0	24.0	2596
8		GM	Cramling Pia	SWE	2478	4.0	15.5	21.5	2588
9		GM	Muzychuk Anna	SLO	2598	4.0	13.0	19.0	2510
10		IM	Paehtz Elisabeth	GER	2491	4.0	12.5	17.5	2545

Three rounds would be played on Saturday - 7,8, and 9. The top pairings for Saturday include Stefanova-Humpy, Lahno-Jue, Kosteniuk-Huang, Muzychuk-Cramling, and Zhongyi-Harika.


You can watch the Batumi chess championship live from India time 4.30 pm onwards at the official website. 

Read more »

Swell Chess Video Interview with 2012 US Chess Champion Hikaru Nakamura

The chess future is about Nakamura, Carlsen, and Karjakin! Nakamura looks out for pretty girls when he looks up from his chess board while playing...!
Gary Kasparov...!

You will find these and other interesting comments by the US Chess Champion 2012 Hikaru Nakamura in this great indepth interview with Jennifer Shahade. Surely a chess video not to be missed.

Read more »