32 participants of the Women's World Chess Championship returned today to the playing venue in the Espinas Palace Hotel (Tehran, Iran) to play the first games of the second round.
As in the first round there were a few blunders and unexpected results.
The rating favorite of the tournament Ju Wenjun had a relatively easy day as her opponent former Women’s World Champion Zhu Chen mixed things at the opening and played 9.g4, allowing Black to get a big advantage.
The game on the second board didn’t last too long either, as Anna Muzychuk defeated Alina Kashlinskaya, who chose a wrong plan, probably missing Anna’s strong response 15.Bf4.
The biggest upset of the round was Chinese player Ni Shiqun who outplayed one of the top players Valentina Gunina.
In the Russian clash between Anastasia Bodnaruk and Olga Girya, playing white Anastasia initiated a risky kingside expansion. In a very complicated position Olga Girya decided not to check the power of White’s attack. She chose the safest way and converted the game into a slightly better ending, which she managed to win.
In one of the most dramatic games of the round Nataliya Buksa outplayed Sopiko Guramishvili by move thirty. The tables were turned after Ukrainian player decided to sacrifice a piece for three pawns and later on missed a killing fork.
The ex-World Champion Anna Ushenina decided to change the queens on the 10th move and was slowly increasing her advantage. Her opponent Tan Zhongyi got some chances to survive in the rook endgame but was a last one who made a mistake in this game.
The second game of the second round of the FIDE Women’s World Championship starts at 3 p.m. local time on 15th of February. |
