Women's World Championship 2-25 December 2010

[LozCooper]

My (admittedly pretty outdated) Fritz thought 64...Kf4 was winning, but now it's clearly drawn.

Indeed it was drawn after 75 moves. Game 4 tomorrow with Hou, leading 2-1, playing with black. Expect another nervous game as the pressure on both players increases.

[Maria Yurenok]

64...Kf4 certainly feels like a better try than going back with the king. Must be very disappointing to be so close to winning and get a draw. I'm looking forward to tomorrow's game now!

[John Saunders]

That was quite a battle. Obviously very tense.


[Event "WWCC 2010 Final"]
[Site "Antakya/Turkey"]
[Date "2010.12.22"]
[Round "6.3"]
[White "Hou, Yifan"]
[Black "Ruan, Lufei"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B17"]
[WhiteElo "2577"]
[BlackElo "2480"]
[PlyCount "150"]
[EventDate "2010.??.??"]
[TimeControl "40/5400+30:1800+30"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Ng5 Ngf6 6. Bd3 g6 7. N1f3 Bg7 8.
O-O O-O 9. Qe2 h6 10. Ne4 Nxe4 11. Qxe4 c5 12. Bc4 e6 13. Be3 Nf6 14. Qd3 Ng4
15. dxc5 Qc7 16. Rad1 Nxe3 17. Qxe3 b6 18. Nd2 Qxc5 19. Qxc5 bxc5 20. c3 Bb7
21. Nb3 Rfc8 22. Na5 Rc7 23. Nxb7 Rxb7 24. Rd2 Rab8 25. Bb3 a5 26. Rc1 a4 27.
Bxa4 Rxb2 28. Rxb2 Rxb2 29. Bd1 Rxa2 30. g3 Ra3 31. c4 Bd4 32. Kg2 Ra2 33. Rc2
Ra1 34. Bf3 Kf8 35. h4 Ke7 36. Bc6 g5 37. hxg5 hxg5 38. g4 Ra3 39. Be4 Kd6 40.
Re2 Kc7 41. Bh7 e5 42. Be4 Kb6 43. Rd2 Ka5 44. Bd5 f6 45. Kf1 Kb4 46. Ke2 e4
47. Rc2 e3 48. fxe3 Rxe3+ 49. Kd1 Rg3 50. Rg2 Rh3 51. Re2 Kc3 52. Rd2 Rh4 53.
Rg2 Kd3 54. Rd2+ Ke3 55. Re2+ Kf4 56. Re4+ Kg3 57. Be6 Rh8 58. Kd2 Re8 59. Kd3
Rxe6 60. Rxe6 Kxg4 61. Re4+ Kf5 62. Re1 g4 63. Rf1+ Ke5 64. Re1+ Kd6 65. Ke4
Bf2 66. Rd1+ Ke6 67. Rd5 g3 68. Kf3 f5 69. Kg2 Kf6 70. Kf3 Kg5 71. Re5 Kg6 72.
Rd5 Kf6 73. Kg2 Ke6 74. Kf3 f4 75. Kg2 Be3 1/2-1/2

[LozCooper]

Looking at today's game Hou can't be accused of playing for a draw after seeing the very risky 12....Qh2.

[Leonard Barden]

Yes, she's suffering again after White's 15 0-0-0. Half an hour down on the clock, too.

[Leonard Barden]

As on previous occasions in this match Ruan has blown most of her advantage and even Black's offside Qh2 is now potentially frisky. The 16-year-old is again en route to the world title, ironically so on the day of the Women's Hour debate....

[Jon D'Souza-Eva]

As on previous occasions in this match Ruan has blown most of her advantage

18.Qc4+ was a strange choice, surely Qxa7 was better?

[LozCooper]

Yes, although that allows Qxf4+ which allows the queen back into the game. Rdf1 seemed very strong though, threatening a7 and g7 whilst defending f4 first.

[Jon D'Souza-Eva]

White seems to be well on top now (after move 39) I think she'll convert this one.

[LozCooper]

White seems to be well on top now (after move 39) I think she'll convert this one.

Yes 2-2 and play-off tomorrow.

3. 8. 2. Round 6 (Final Match)
3. 8. 2. 1 If the scores are level after the regular games, after a new drawing of colours, four (4) tie break games shall be played.
The games shall be played using the electronic clock starting with 25 minutes on the clock for each player with an addition of 10
seconds after each move.
3. 8. 2. 2 If the scores are level after the games in paragraph 3. 8. 2. 1, then, after a new drawing of colours, 2 five-minute
games shall be played with the addition of 10 seconds after each move.
3. 8. 2. 3. If the score is still level after the games in paragraph 3.8.2.2, the players shall play one sudden death game. The
player who wins the drawing of lots may choose the color. The player with the white pieces shall receive 5 minutes, the player
with the black pieces shall receive 4 minutes whereupon, after the 60th move, both players shall receive an increment of 3
seconds from move 61. The winner shall be declared Women’s World Champion. In case of a draw the player with the black
pieces shall be declared Women’s World Champion.

[Leonard Barden]

Indeed, all over and Hou Yifan was crushed by White's raging queen and rooks. I fear for the 16-year-old in tomorrow's tie-breaks. She is by far the stronger player in normal conditions, but seems overawed by the occasion (despite this being her second world title match after she lost to Kosteniuk in 2008) while all her opponent's previous five matches have gone to tie-breaks and she has converted all of them.

[John Saunders]

What's the Mandarin Chinese for "choker"...? Entertaining game, though.

[Event "WWCC 2010 Final"]
[Site "Antakya/Turkey"]
[Date "2010.12.23"]
[Round "6.4"]
[White "Ruan, Lufei"]
[Black "Hou, Yifan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B81"]
[WhiteElo "2480"]
[BlackElo "2577"]
[PlyCount "93"]
[EventDate "2010.??.??"]
[TimeControl "40/5400+30:1800+30"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. g4 h6 7. h4 Nc6 8. Rg1
d5 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. Nxd5 Qxd5 11. Bg2 Qe5+ 12. Be3 Qh2 13. f4 Bd7 14. Qd2 Nxd4
15. O-O-O Bc5 16. Bxd4 Bxd4 17. Qxd4 O-O-O 18. Qc4+ Kb8 19. Qe4 Bc8 20. h5 Ka8
21. a4 Rd5 22. Rdf1 Qh4 23. Qc4 Rd7 24. a5 Qd8 25. a6 Qa5 26. Kb1 Kb8 27. axb7
Bxb7 28. Bxb7 Rxb7 29. Qd4 Ka8 30. Rf3 Rhb8 31. b3 f6 32. Rd1 Qb4 33. Qe3 Rb6
34. Rd4 Qe7 35. Qd3 R6b7 36. Re3 Re8 37. Rd6 e5 38. fxe5 fxe5 39. Re4 Qc7 40.
Rd5 Qb8 41. Rc4 Rf8 42. Kb2 Qe8 43. Rdc5 Qe6 44. Qe4 Kb8 45. Rxe5 Qf6 46. Rc6
Qf7 47. Rf5 1-0

[LozCooper]

An amazing save fron Ruan in game 1 as white after Hou won a pawn and then had a B&4 v R advantage in an ending

[Leonard Barden]

Hou Yifan is playing more like the real deal in today''s tiebreaks. Impressive endgame to take a 1.5-0.5 lead in the 4-game rapids.

[LozCooper]

Game 3 was drawn, with Hou, playing black, a little better in an accelerated dragon but not wanting to take any risks in an endgame where she had the only plausible pawn breaks. Game 4 about to start, Ruan, trailing 2-1 and playing black needs to win to force a blitz play-off.