The second round tie-breaks started with 9 seeds on February 16th at 15:00 local time. After two rapid games, 5 players, including Harika Dronovalli, Alexandra Kosteniuk, Antoaneta Stefanova, Pia Cramling and Padmini Rout, went through the next round.
The first game of rapid match between Sopiko Guramishvili and Natalia Buksa was finished in draw by Sopiko's claim according to the three times repetition. The second game of one of the most dramatic matches of this tournament also finished in a draw.
Nino Batsiashvili-Nino Khurtsidze, Anna Ushenina-Tan Zhongi, Natalia Pogonina-Huang Qian and Sopiko Gramishvili-Natalia Buksa finished their rapid matches in a draw, so they continued their struggle at 10min+10sec time control.
After four hours of play Natalia Pogonina, who had to equalize the score 2 times in the match, knocked out Huang Qian.
Nataliya Buksa won the first game but lost the rook+king vs rook+knight+king position in the second one.
It seems Sopiko Guramishvili is winning after 125...Rg2. Nataliya quickly played 126.Ke3 and resigned after Ra2, missing her last chance to survive. After unbelievable 126.Ke1 (!) it was a stalemate! If Natalia Buksa managed to make a draw in that game, she would be a winner of the match. In the following blitz games Sopiko Guramishvili was stronger.
The last two matches, Batsiashvili-Khurtsidze and Ushenina-Tan Zhongi, were not decided in blitz and the players reached Armageddon games. Former world champion Anna Ushenina had all chances playing White but collapsed in a mustwin situation. Her opponent Chinese player Tan Zhongi proceeds to the next round.
Nino Batsiashvili, who had absolutely winning endgame with 2 pawns up, could not defeat her compatriot Nino Khurtsidze and was eliminated too.
The third round of the FIDE Women’s World Championship starts at 3 p.m. local time on 17th of February. 16 participants will continue playing but as before only half of them will advance to the next stage. |
