Counterattacks Prevail: Kashlinskaya’s 1st Win, Kosteniuk Still Undefeated

[ad_1]

IM Alina Kashlinskaya scored her first victory of the Munich FIDE Women’s Grand Prix  in round five, making an attacking comeback vs. GM Mariya Muzychuk after losing material early in the game. 

GM Alexandra Kosteniuk continues to lead by 1.5 points, drawing despite being down two pawns against GM Harika Dronavalli by creating compelling kingside counterplay. 

How to watch?
The games of the Munich Women’s Grand Prix can be found here. The rounds start each day at 6 a.m. Pacific/15:00 CEST.


Harika, one of the players tied for second, got her shot vs. Kosteniuk this round. Photo: David Llada/FIDE.

Kosteniuk made her first draw of the event, ending her perfect score but staying undefeated by holding the balance vs. Harika. The Indian grandmaster gained a comfortable edge out of the opening due to her centralized pieces and better pawn structure. In the middlegame, Harika won two pawns; both were passed. However, Kosteniuk managed to drum up counterplay on the kingside in the nick of time and produce a perpetual check. 

In the only victory of the round, Kashlinskaya defeated GM Mariya Muzychuk. The Polish international master fought back after losing a pawn in the opening and began aiming her pieces at the white kingside with the rook lift from e6-g6. After an inaccurate move by Muzychuk, Kashlinskaya discovered a tactical shot to seize the advantage. 

This fighting duel is our Game of the Day, annotated by GM Rafael Leitao.

After the game, Kashlinskaya shared her relief at the game’s outcome: “Yeah, a long one and a tough one with a lot of emotions during the game because, obviously, I was lost from the opening.”

GM Humpy Koneru, gaining a substantial edge in the opening by anchoring her knight onto c3, used her greater activity to win a pawn and press into the endgame vs. GM Nana Dzagnidze. But the Georgian grandmaster was able to generate counterplay with an exchange sacrifice to create an influential passed pawn. 

Dzagnidze, ever the fighter. Photo: David Llada/FIDE.

GM Tan Zhongyi vs. WGM Dinara Wagner was a back-and-forth fight. Tan gained a sizeable edge in the Catalan due to her early queenside pressure but lost it back with her puzzling kingside pawn sacrifice 20.g4?! Wagner retaliated by activating her pieces and creating a passer on the c-file. In the midst of this tense battle, Tan neutralized the game with a perpetual check. 

Wagner was set on the defeating one of the top seeds, Tan. Photo: David Llada/FIDE.

GM Anna Muzychuk and WGM Zhu Jiner played a fairly level game in the Taimanov Sicilian, opening lines in the center and trading down until drawing by repetition on move 38. GMs Zhansaya Abdumalik and Elisabeth Paehtz played into a perpetual check in just 30 moves in the Sicilian Sveshnikov. 

Crosstable


All Games – Round 5

The FIDE Women’s Grand Prix Second Leg (of four) takes place February 1-14, 2023, in Munich, Germany. The format is a round-robin tournament with 12 players. The time control is 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game, plus a 30-second increment starting on move one. The prize fund is 80,000 euros.


Previous coverage



[ad_2]

Source link

  • Related Posts

    Stephane Bressac Wins Unique 1st Blind Chess Challenge, Open To Everyone

    [ad_1] IM Stephane Bressac won the first edition of the Blindfold Chess Challenge, a tournament with a unique format held July 9-11 in Valencia, Spain, where visually-impaired players faced off…

    Bullet Brawl July 13, 2024: Naroditsky Wins 21st Brawl, Closes In On Nakamura’s All-Time Record

    [ad_1] GM Daniel Naroditsky has moved one step closer to seizing the top spot on the all-time Bullet Brawl leaderboard after winning the latest edition ahead of GMs Arjun Erigaisi, Hikaru…

    You Missed

    Hơn 2.300 VĐV dự giải cờ vua nhanh Hà Nội mở rộng

    Hơn 2.300 VĐV dự giải cờ vua nhanh Hà Nội mở rộng

    Đại kiện tướng 17 tuổi đánh người ở giải vô địch Mỹ

    Đại kiện tướng 17 tuổi đánh người ở giải vô địch Mỹ

    Đại kiện tướng 22 tuổi dùng điện thoại gian lận khi thi đấu

    Đại kiện tướng 22 tuổi dùng điện thoại gian lận khi thi đấu

    Marcel Duchamp – danh họa mê cờ đến bỏ vợ

    Marcel Duchamp – danh họa mê cờ đến bỏ vợ

    Đội của Firouzja vô địch Global Chess League 2024

    Đội của Firouzja vô địch Global Chess League 2024

    Đội của Carlsen hụt suất chung kết Global Chess League

    Đội của Carlsen hụt suất chung kết Global Chess League