Sharjah: Women’s world champion Hou Yifan beat Russian GM Tatiana Kosintseva to share the lead with Ju Wenjun of China at four points each after five rounds of the Fide Women’s Grand Prix at the Sharjah Chess Club.
Yifan, playing white, essayed the English Opening and gained a hold of the center. Kosintseva gave a pawn on the 48th move which would be her undoing in the Rook and pawn endgame. She sacrificed a Rook for Knight on the 54th move in order to create a passed pawn. Kosintseva returned the exchange but could not stop the pawn promotion and resigned on the 77th move.
Erstwhile solo leader Ju Wenjun, playing black, used the King’s Indian Defense and played to a quick draw by repetition of position on the 18th move against second running Batchimeg Tuvshintugs of Mongolia. It was a respectful early draw between the two tournament leaders.
Tuvshintugs, Harika Dronavalli of India and former women’s world champion Anna Ushenina of Ukraine follow with 3½ points each.
Dronavalli used the English Opening against compatriot Humpy Koneru. The top two Indian players played carefully and an exchange of Queens on the 18th move led to a drawn endgame and a draw by repetition of position was reached on the 36th move.
Former women’s world champion Anna Ushenina of Ukraine, playing black, used the Sicilian Defense against Nafisa Muminova of Uzbekistan. An early exchange of Queens on the 12th move led to an equal Rook and pawn endgame and the two agreed to draw with no pawns left on the board on the 52nd move.
In the other decisive game of the fifth round, Elina Danielan of Armenia dealt Zhao Xue of China her second loss to follow with 2½ together with Kosintseva.
Danielan needed only 26 moves with White to beat Zhao Xue. The Armenian quickly controlled the centre and made a powerful break on the 18th move. A double threat on the 21st move and a Bishop sacrifice three moves later led to an unstoppable mate and Zhao Xue resigned on the 26th move.
Xue and Humpy are in the bottom half with two points each. Cellar dwellers Zhu Chen of Qatar and Romani’s Alina L’Ami drew a Queen’s Indian by repetition on the 33rd move to get into the scoreboard with half a point each.
The final leg of the Fide Women’s Grand Prix offers €60,000 (Dh289,419) for the tournament and €90,000 total cash prizes for the Grand Prix. The series will choose the challenger to the women’s world championship next year.
