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Chess Life Online Yifan Hou With Lavish Lead in Monte Carlo
Chess Life Online Yifan Hou With Lavish Lead in Monte Carlo | Yifan Hou With Lavish Lead in Monte Carlo |
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| By Vanessa West | |
| October 23, 2015 | |
GM Hou Yifan, Photo http://monaco2015.fide.com/
In round 10 of the FIDE Women's Grand Prix in Monaco, the favorite and tournament leader, Yifan Hou, faced off against one of her top competitors, Mariya Muzychuk. This game served as a prequel to the 2016 Women's World Championship, where the two will square off in a match for the title: Muzychuk as the defending champion and Hou as the challenger. Additionally, the game would ultimately decide who would win the tournament, stage one of the Women's Grand Prix. The result was an overwhelming, 29 move victory as black by Hou, who is currently ranked number 72 in the world overall. Muzychuk, Mariya (UKR)- Black Hou, Yifan (CHN) 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Nd7 4. O-O a6 5. Bd3 Ngf6 6. c4 g6 7. Nc3 Bg7 8. Re1 Ng4  9. Bf1 Nge5 10. d3 O-O 11. Be3 Nxf3+ 12. Qxf3 Ne5 13. Qd1 Nc6 14. Qd2 Rb8 15. Ne2 e5 16. Nc3 Be6 17. Nd5 b5 18. b3 f5 19. g3 f4 20. gxf4 exf4 21. Nxf4 Bg4 22. Bg2 Ne5 23. h3 Nf3+  24. Bxf3 Bxf3 25. Ne6 Qh4 26. Ng5 h6 27. Nxf3 Rxf3 28. d4 Rxh3 29. Kf1 Qg4  0-1 After this, Hou was 1.5 points ahead of the field, completely uncatchable by her competitors. She finished with 9 points out of 11, clinching victory by a full 2 point margin. Additionally, her performance rating throughout the tournament was an impressive 2766. Humpy Koneru and Mariya Muzychuk led the rest of the pack with 7 points, tying for second place. One of the most exciting games of the tournament was Muzychuk's 20 move victory against Nana Dzagnidze. Tactic Nana Dzagnidze vs. Mariya Muzychuk, Round 2  Black to move. In the very sharp Grunfeld Defense, Muzychuk emerged with a lead in development and opened up the center, chasing after White's king. Dzagnidze responded by castling by hand. Has the white king finally found shelter? Stay tuned for the second leg of the FIDE Women's Grand Prix: February 2016 in Kish, Iran. Also look for Yifan Hou's upcoming challenge match vs. GM Negi at the Saint Louis Chess Club from November 12-16. |
