2017 FIDE Women's World Championship (Tehran)

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Who would you make favourite for the tie-breaks?

[Steven DuCharme]

Tan because she has more TB experience in this event

[Chris Rice]

I would disagree with that and say Anna Muzychuk has to be the odds on favourite. She's the better player and has the momentum going in. Tan though, as we've seen has been incredibly resilient in the tie breaks, so can't be counted out. I just shudder to think how nervous both players will be tomorrow.

[Matt Mackenzie]

For all its faults the women's world championship has been a lot more interesting than either Sharjah or the Aeroflot.

I thought the latter was reasonably interesting, at least.

[Chris Rice]

Game 1 of the Tie-breaks is underway.

I'm not sure how true this is but it could explain why Tan allowed the obvious Bxh7+ idea. Her choice of opening was also curious. Given that she had been so solid with the Fort Knox in Game 1, one might have expected the same again or perhaps a Berlin or Petroff as a draw would have meant Muzychuk winning as Black in the final game just to force a tie-break.

Tan played the Petroff in the first game of the tie-breaks!

PS Game 5 (Game 1 of tie-breaks) Drawn - if only Tan had consulted me earlier she wouldn't be in the tie-breaks.

[Tim Harding]

Tan has won after Muzychuk, under time pressure, blundered into mate in second game.
Commentator says Muzychuk missed a win in the first game.

Tan is a very unimpressive world champion in my opinion. True she eliminated seeds 1, 2 and 4 but only by scraping through tiebreaks against Harika and again in the final.

[Chris Rice]

Tan has won after Muzychuk, under time pressure, blundered into mate in second game.
Commentator says Muzychuk missed a win in the first game.

Tan is a very unimpressive world champion in my opinion. True she eliminated seeds 1, 2 and 4 but only by scraping through tiebreaks against Harika and again in the final.

Completely agree with that. The format is just so wrong to decide a WC.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Tan is a very unimpressive world champion in my opinion.

I would have preferred Harika or Muzychuk to win, but is it fair to be that down on Tan?

Is she any more unimpressive (compared to the best women players) than, say, the male GMs Khalifman, Ponomariov, and Kasimdzhanov were at the time they won their world titles under this format?

[Chris Rice]

Tan is a very unimpressive world champion in my opinion.

I would have preferred Harika or Muzychuk to win, but is it fair to be that down on Tan?

Is she any more unimpressive (compared to the best women players) than, say, the male GMs Khalifman, Ponomariov, and Kasimdzhanov were at the time they won their world titles under this format?

I don't think Tim is saying he doesn't like Tan, just the way she won the WC was unimpressive. Your example of the three male WC's under the KO system actually makes that point which is why I assume they got rid of it and went back to the standard match play format. The only reason I assume they are keeping it as a KO for the women is simply a funding problem.

[NickFaulks]

True she eliminated seeds 1, 2 and 4 but only by scraping through tiebreaks against Harika and again in the final.

Why is it only in chess that we always get this grouching? If a Wimbledon outsider came through after beating seeds 1, 2 and 4, there would be nothing but praise, rather than complaints about tiebreaks and scrambled saved match points.

A lot of people have made it clear that they will accept no World Champion as legitimate other than Hou Yifan, since she is clearly the best player. So why bother to hold any competition at all?

That said, it doesn't seem right for a tournament with this format to dethrone a sitting classical champion, whether she played in it or not.

[LawrenceCooper]

True she eliminated seeds 1, 2 and 4 but only by scraping through tiebreaks against Harika and again in the final.

Why is it only in chess that we always get this grouching? If a Wimbledon outsider came through after beating seeds 1, 2 and 4, there would be nothing but praise, rather than complaints about tiebreaks and scrambled saved match points.

A lot of people have made it clear that they will accept no World Champion as legitimate other than Hou Yifan, since she is clearly the best player. So why bother to hold any competition at all?

That said, it doesn't seem right for a tournament with this format to dethrone a sitting classical champion, whether she played in it or not.

I wanted Anna Muzychuk to win but looking at the difference in opposition makes it hard for me not to consider Tan deserves to win the tournament. Sabina Foisor, Anna Ushenina, Padmini Rout, Ju Wenjun, Harika compared to A Mezioud, Kashlinskaya, Pham, Stefanova, Kosteniuk is incredibly tough. I would prefer the title to be awarded to the winner of her match against Ju Wenjun rather than after the knockout but that shouldn't diminish her achievement.

[Mick Norris]

I wanted Anna Muzychuk to win but looking at the difference in opposition makes it hard for me not to consider Tan deserves to win the tournament. Sabina Foisor, Anna Ushenina, Padmini Rout, Ju Wenjun, Harika compared to A Mezioud, Kashlinskaya, Pham, Stefanova, Kosteniuk is incredibly tough. I would prefer the title to be awarded to the winner of her match against Ju Wenjun rather than after the knockout but that shouldn't diminish her achievement.

Agree with that; it should make finding a venue for the match a bit easier though

The sooner the Women's championship has the same format as the Men's, including qualifiers and candidates, the better; given FIDE only seems able to get the World Cup hosted by tying it in with hosting the Olympiad, I'd have thought hosting men's and women's candidates at the same venue, either simultaneously or consecutively, would be possible

[Matt Mackenzie]

Its not a slight on Tan at all really, just an observation that this is a completely unsatisfactory way to determine a WC.

Not only is the supreme world title not decided this way (any more) its not done for world senior/junior championships either.

[David Sedgwick]

Why is it only in chess that we always get this grouching? If a Wimbledon outsider came through after beating seeds 1, 2 and 4, there would be nothing but praise, rather than complaints about tiebreaks and scrambled saved match points.

Yes, but the Wimbledon Champions don't become World Champion, or even World Number One, albeit they gain a lot of points towards the latter.

Reverting to chess, it doesn't seem to have been suggested that the winner of the British Knockout Championship should become the British Champion, although up to now the BKO has clearly been a stronger event than the British Championship.

That said, it doesn't seem right for a tournament with this format to dethrone a sitting classical champion, whether she played in it or not.

That rather makes my point.

[Alex Holowczak]

Why is it only in chess that we always get this grouching? If a Wimbledon outsider came through after beating seeds 1, 2 and 4, there would be nothing but praise, rather than complaints about tiebreaks and scrambled saved match points.

Yes, but the Wimbledon Champions don't become World Champion, or even World Number One, albeit they gain a lot of points towards the latter.

Reverting to chess, it doesn't seem to have been suggested that the winner of the British Knockout Championship should become the British Champion, although up to now the BKO has clearly been a stronger event than the British Championship.

That said, it doesn't seem right for a tournament with this format to dethrone a sitting classical champion, whether she played in it or not.

That rather makes my point.

So if Tan won this by virtue of coming through a Candidates tournament, and then winning a match against the incumbent Champion (despite being seeded 14 at the start of the tournament), everyone would be satisfied with that?