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Round 3 pairings:

Alexandra Kosteniuk v Lufei Ruan 0.5-0.5 0.5-0.5 1-1 Play-off 1.5-2.5 Lufei Ruan qualifies
Anna Zatonskih v Humpy Koneru 0-1 0.5-0.5 0.5-1.5 Koneru qualifies
Hou Yifan v Zhu Chen 1-0 0-1 1-1 Play-off 2.5-1.5 Hou Yifan qualifies
Xue Zhao v Yelena Dembo 1-0 0.5-0.5 1.5-0.5 Xue Zhao qualifies
Almira Skripchenko v Viktorija Cmilyte 0.5-0.5 0.5-0.5 1-1 Play-off 4-2 Skripchenko qualifies
Kateryna Lahno v Qian Huang 1-0 0.5-0.5 1.5-0.5 Lahno qualifies
Anna Muzychuk v Wenjun Ju 0-1 0.5-0.5 0.5-1.5 Ju qualifies
Dronavalli Harika v Mariya Muzychuk 0.5-0.5 0.5-0.5 1-1 Play-off 4-3 Harika qualifies

Round 4:

Dronavalli Harika v Lufei Ruan 0.5-0.5 0.5-0.5 1.5-2.5 after play-off. Lufei Ruan qualifies
Humpy Koneru v Wenjun Ju 1-0 0.5-0.5 Koneru qualifies
Kateryna Lahno v Yifan Hou 0-1 0.5-0.5 Hou qualifies
Zhao Xue v Almira Skripchenko 0.5-0.5 1-0 Zhao qualifies

Semi-finals:

Yifan Hou v Humpy Koneru 1-0 0.5-0.5 Hou Yifan qualifies for the final
Lufei Ruan v Zhao Xue 0.5-0.5 0.5-0.5 Play-off

Am I the only Forumite still following this event? It always looked as if the two best players, Hou Yifan and Humpy Koneru, would meet in the semi-final and so it proved. Pathetically only two games. Today in game one Koneru chose the Berlin and it looked a dead draw until her g7-g6? locked in her own king in a Bs of same colour ending. Hou then showed impressive technique and finally ended it with a double pawn sacrifice to force a queen. Koneru needs to win as White tomorrow to force a tie-break. The other semi-final is Ruan Lufei (who eliminated the holder Kosteniuk) v Zhao Hue who don't appear in the same class as Hou and Koneru

Weren't both bishops on black squares?

To be honest the two game match format makes it a bit of a joke as a method to decide the World Champion. There have been some great games played though.

Semi-finals:

Yifan Hou v Humpy Koneru 1-0 0.5-0.5 Hou Yifan qualifies for the final
Lufei Ruan v Zhao Xue 0.5-0.5 0.5-0.5 Play-off 2.5-1.5 Lufei Ruan qualifies for the final

I predict the winner will be Chinese

Abbott and Costello fans will be cheering on Hou Yifan...

Hou is the world champion?
That's right (etc)

For the unitiated, search for "Who's on first"

I agree the earlier two-game matches are too short.

_________________
Kevin J Thurlow

"One of the nicest people in English chess." - S Giddins 2011
"Not a gracious gentleman" - D Howes 2011

until they listen to this.

Final:

Hou Yifan v Ruan Lufei

Web coverage: http://wwcc2010.tsf.org.tr/
Live games: http://wwcc2010.tsf.org.tr/en/live-games
Final scores: http://wwcc2010.tsf.org.tr/en/component ... ew&kid=138

Schedule: (15:00 is 13:00 English time)

Monday 20.12.2010 Round 6: Game 1, 15:00

Tuesday 21.12.2010 Round 6: Game 2, 15:00

Wednesday 22.12.2010 Round 6: Game 3, 15:00

Thursday 23.12.2010 Round 6: Game 4, 15:00

Friday 24.12.2010 Tiebreaks + Closing Ceremony

Saturday 25.12.2010 Departure

Closing Ceremony - 18:00-21:00
Games and tiebreaks begin at 15.00

Amusing quote from Ruan Lufei on the official site: "The result that I have now is just unbelievable! I had a back ticket on December, 13 because I thought I would be eliminated by Kosteniuk and go home”, said the second winner of the semi-final match.

Hou has played the Fantasy Variation against the Caro Kann. I'll be following this one closely as that is one line which is making me hesitant to take up the Caro myself.

I thought Black was briefly better in the early middlegame but a draw seemed the likeliest result for most of the game. Not very exciting.

[Event "WWCC 2010 Final"]
[Site "Antakya/Turkey"]
[Date "2010.12.20"]
[Round "6.1"]
[White "Hou, Yifan"]
[Black "Ruan, Lufei"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B12"]
[WhiteElo "2577"]
[BlackElo "2480"]
[PlyCount "146"]
[EventDate "2010.??.??"]
[TimeControl "40/5400+30:1800+30"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. f3 dxe4 4. fxe4 e5 5. Nf3 Bg4 6. Bc4 Nd7 7. c3 b5 8. Bd3
Ngf6 9. O-O Bd6 10. Bg5 O-O 11. Nbd2 h6 12. Bh4 Qc7 13. Qc2 Nh5 14. h3 Be6 15.
Rae1 Nf4 16. Bg3 Nxd3 17. Qxd3 Rad8 18. Bf2 a6 19. Nh4 Nb6 20. b3 Rfe8 21. Qf3
b4 22. Rc1 bxc3 23. Qxc3 exd4 24. Bxd4 c5 25. Bxg7 Bf4 26. Nhf3 Rxd2 27. Nxd2
Bxd2 28. Qxd2 Kxg7 29. Qc3+ Kh7 30. Qxc5 Qxc5+ 31. Rxc5 Ra8 32. Ra5 Nc8 33. Rc1
Nd6 34. e5 Nf5 35. Kf2 h5 36. Rc2 Nd4 37. Rd2 Nc6 38. Rc5 Ne7 39. b4 Kg6 40. a3
Kf5 41. Ke3 Rg8 42. Ra5 Rg3+ 43. Kf2 Rb3 44. Rxa6 Nd5 45. Ra5 Ne3 46. Rc5 Nc4
47. Rc2 Nxa3 48. R2c3 Rb2+ 49. Kg3 Nb1 50. Rf3+ Kg5 51. h4+ Kg6 52. Rc7 Kg7 53.
Rf6 Kg8 54. Rf4 Rb3+ 55. Kh2 Rb2 56. Rc5 Na3 57. Rc3 Nb5 58. Rg3+ Kf8 59. Rg5
Nc7 60. Rxh5 Nd5 61. Re4 Kg7 62. Rg5+ Kh7 63. Rc4 Rb3 64. Rg3 Rb2 65. Rg5 Rb3
66. Rd4 Nxb4 67. Rg3 Rb2 68. Rc3 Nd5 69. Rcd3 Ne7 70. Rd2 Rb5 71. Re2 Ng6 72.
Rde4 Bf5 73. e6 Bxe6 1/2-1/2

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Win for Hou Yifan with black in game 2 in a rook ending.

Lufei Ruan seemed to be doing OK in the opening but went astray with 21 Bxd5, perhaps thinking she was winning a pawn whereas she was in fact handing over the initiative to her opponent. Good technique from Hou Yifan.


[Event "WWCC 2010 Final"]
[Site "Antakya/Turkey"]
[Date "2010.12.21"]
[Round "6.2"]
[White "Ruan, Lufei"]
[Black "Hou, Yifan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B83"]
[WhiteElo "2480"]
[BlackElo "2577"]
[PlyCount "116"]
[EventDate "2010.??.??"]
[TimeControl "40/5400+30:1800+30"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Be2 Be7 7. O-O Nc6 8.
Be3 O-O 9. f4 e5 10. Nxc6 bxc6 11. Kh1 exf4 12. Bxf4 Be6 13. Bf3 Qb8 14. b3 Qb4
15. Qe1 a5 16. Rd1 Rfe8 17. e5 dxe5 18. Bxe5 Rac8 19. Qg3 g6 20. Na4 Nd5 21.
Bxd5 cxd5 22. Bc3 Qg4 23. Qxg4 Bxg4 24. Rxd5 Bb4 25. Bxb4 axb4 26. Rd2 Bf5 27.
Kg1 Rxc2 28. Rxc2 Bxc2 29. Kf2 Bd3 30. Re1 Rc8 31. Ke3 Bb5 32. Rd1 Re8+ 33. Kf4
Re2 34. g4 Bxa4 35. bxa4 Rxa2 36. Rd4 Rxa4 37. h4 Kf8 38. Re4 f6 39. Rc4 Ke7
40. Rd4 Ke6 41. Ke4 Ke7 42. Kf4 h6 43. h5 gxh5 44. gxh5 Kf7 45. Re4 Kf8 46. Kg4
f5+ 47. Kxf5 Ra5+ 48. Kg6 Ra6+ 49. Kh7 Rb6 50. Rf4+ Ke7 51. Rf1 b3 52. Kg7 b2
53. Rb1 Ke6 54. Kxh6 Kf5+ 55. Kg7 Kg5 56. Kf7 Kxh5 57. Ke7 Kg4 58. Kd7 Kf3 0-1

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Twitter @johnchess
Website www.saund.co.uk

Hou Yifan is playing this match as if the whole weight of Beijing expectations is on her teenage shoulders. After stuttering her way to a 1.5-0.5 lead, she is a pawn down as white in game 3 in a Bs of opposite colours (Loz: I doublechecked before writing that) ending and in danger of defeat if her opponent's technique is up to it.

Having avoided 7 h4 which seems to be the critical test of 6...g6 it does appear that white has drifted through the game, perhaps unsure if she should be playing for a win or draw. No such dilemma now, she's hoping to hang on.

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

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