Reports | June 06, 2012 10:19

Stefanova and Gunina winners at World Rapid and Blitz Championships

Stefanova and Gunina winners at World Rapid and Blitz Championships

Antoaneta Stefanova won the Women's World Rapid Championship in Batumi, Georgia. The Bulgarian finished at 8.5/11 which was half a point more than Alexandra Kosteniuk, Humpy Koneru and Kateryna Lahno. Valentina Gunina of Russia was the convincing winner at the Women's World Blitz Championship which was held right after.

Winners in Batumi: Antoaneta Stefaova (rapid) and Valentina Gunina (blitz) | Photos by Anastasiya Karlovich

Event  Women's Rapid and Blitz Championships | PGN (rapid)
Dates 31 May-3 June, 2012
Location Batumi, Georgia
System Swiss (rapid: 11 rounds, blitz: 15 rounds)
Players

The strongest players were Anna Muzychuk (2598), Humpy Koneru (2589), Zhao Xue (2549), Nana Dzagnidze (2547), Kateryna Lahno (2546), Tatiana Kosintseva (2532), Valentina Gunina (2530), Antoaneta Stefanova (2518), Harika Dronavalli (2508) and Maia Chiburdanidze (2500)
Rate of play 25 minutes + 10 seconds increment per game (rapid) / 4 minutes + 2 seconds per game (blitz)
Prize fund US $59,000 (rapid), US 41,000 (blitz)

The Women’s World Rapid and Blitz Championships 2012 were held in Batumi, Georgia from May 31st till June 3rd, 2012. The event was organized and conducted by the ACP and the Georgian Chess Federation and approved by FIDE. The Championships, which were sponsored by Socar, had a total prize fund of US $100,000.

Every female player with an Elo of 2500+ in one of the official FIDE rating lists as well as all former World Champions and Olympic Champions had the right to participate in the Championships. Besides, every national federation could nominate one player and up to five more 2300+ players could be nominated.

A total of 50 players from 18 federations took part in the tournaments, including five World Champions: Nona Gaprindashvili, Maia Chiburdanidze, Zhu Chen, Antoaneta Stefanova and Alexandra Kosteniuk. Other strong participants were reigning European champion Valentina Gunina as well as Anna Muzychuk, Humpy Koneru, Zhao Xue, Nana Dzagnidze, Tatiana Kosintseva and others.

The event started with the Rapid Championship, with rounds 1-3 on Thursday, rounds 4-6 on Friday, rounds 7-9 on Saturday and rounds 10-11 on Sunday. The tournament was won by Antoaneta Stefanova of Bulgaria. She was the first to admit that she had been lucky. In the 6th round she got a nice present from her Chinese opponent.

PGN string

In the 9th round Lahno manage to "improve" on this:

PGN string

Women's World Rapid Championship | Final standings

Rk.   Name Rtg FED Pts. TB1 TB2 TB3
1 GM Stefanova Antoaneta 2518 BUL 8,5 61,5 74,5 2700
2 GM Kosteniuk Alexandra 2457 RUS 8 61,5 74,5 2672
3 GM Koneru Humpy 2589 IND 8 60,5 74,5 2630
4 GM Lahno Kateryna 2546 UKR 8 57,5 70,5 2639
5 GM Muzychuk Anna 2598 SLO 7,5 59,5 70,5 2554
6 GM Harika Dronavalli 2508 IND 7,5 53 64 2563
7 GM Dzagnidze Nana 2547 GEO 7 53 65,5 2562
8 GM Cramling Pia 2478 SWE 6,5 57,5 68 2545
9 GM Zhao Xue 2549 CHN 6,5 56 69,5 2535
10 WGM Guo Qi 2360 CHN 6,5 56 69 2562
11 IM Paehtz Elisabeth 2491 GER 6,5 54,5 64,5 2491
12 WGM Tan Zhongyi 2430 CHN 6,5 54 65,5 2528
13 IM Javakhishvili Lela 2449 GEO 6,5 52 63,5 2514
14 GM Zhukova Natalia 2442 UKR 6,5 52 63 2527
15 GM Zhu Chen 2491 QAT 6,5 52 63 2485
16 GM Kosintseva Tatiana 2532 RUS 6,5 48 57 2424
17 WGM Huang Qian 2417 CHN 6 62,5 75,5 2542
18 IM Khurtsidze Nino 2456 GEO 6 58,5 71,5 2530
19   Wang Jue 2364 CHN 6 55,5 67 2540
20 IM Gunina Valentina 2530 RUS 6 54,5 67,5 2481
21 IM Mkrtchian Lilit 2449 ARM 6 51 63 2460
22 IM Ushenina Anna 2454 UKR 5,5 52 63,5 2445
23 GM Arakhamia-Grant Ketevan 2426 SCO 5,5 51 63 2459
24 WGM Batsiashvili Nino 2436 GEO 5,5 50 62,5 2442
25 IM Melia Salome 2410 GEO 5,5 46 58 2443
26 WGM Pogonina Natalija 2447 RUS 5,5 46 55 2370
27 GM Danielian Elina 2484 ARM 5,5 45 55 2370
28 IM Khukhashvili Sopiko 2414 GEO 5,5 43 52,5 2390
29 IM Gvetadze Sofio 2338 GEO 5 53 66,5 2426
30 IM Muzychuk Mariya 2456 UKR 5 51 61 2407
31 GM Chiburdanidze Maia 2500 GEO 5 49,5 60,5 2386
32 WGM Cori T Deysi 2386 PER 5 47,5 58 2365
33 WGM Ding Yixin 2353 CHN 5 45 55 2381
34 IM Purtseladze Maka 2348 GEO 5 44 54 2380
35 IM Krush Irina 2457 USA 5 43 51 2340
36 IM Lomineishvili Maia 2366 GEO 5 41,5 51 2362
37 IM Kovalevskaya Ekaterina 2417 RUS 4,5 48,5 60 2396
38 GM Socko Monika 2484 POL 4,5 48 58,5 2347
39 WGM Mammadova Gulnar 2345 AZE 4,5 47,5 59 2381
40 IM Matnadze Ana 2446 ESP 4,5 44 53 2304
41 WIM Mikadze Miranda 2323 GEO 4,5 41,5 49 2315
42 WIM Arabidze Meri 2351 GEO 4,5 41 50 2330
43 WGM Charkhalashvili Inga 2334 GEO 4,5 41 49,5 2323
44 WIM Janjghava Natia 2306 GEO 4 42 51,5 2261
45 IM Klinova Masha 2318 ISR 3,5 46 54,5 2246
46 IM Khotenashvili Bela 2500 GEO 3,5 44,5 53 2258
47 IM Gurieli Nino 2329 GEO 3,5 40,5 49 2218
48 WIM Umudova Nargiz 2231 AZE 3 39,5 48 2188
49 WIM Bezgodova Svetlana 2120 RUS 2,5 44,5 54 2192
50 GM Gaprindashvili Nona 2356 GEO 2 39 48 2105

Antoantea Stefanova (Bulgaria), the winner in the rapid section

The ladies continued playing, and this time even faster, on Monday. The first 8 rounds of the blitz tournament were held on the first day, while rounds 9-15 were played on Tuesday. European Champion Valentina Gunina was clearly the strongest at this time control, as she finished 2.5 points ahead of Natalia Zhukova and Anna Muzychuk. The games don't seem to have been saved for eternity.

Women's World Blitz Championship | Final standings

Rk.   Name Rtg FED Pts. TB1 TB2 TB3
1 IM Gunina Valentina 2530 RUS 13 116 133 2804
2 GM Zhukova Natalia 2442 UKR 10,5 113 129,5 2629
3 GM Muzychuk Anna 2598 SLO 10,5 110,5 129,5 2612
4 GM Kosteniuk Alexandra 2457 RUS 10 113 131,5 2583
5 GM Stefanova Antoaneta 2518 BUL 9,5 114,5 134,5 2559
6 GM Dzagnidze Nana 2547 GEO 9,5 112,5 132 2543
7 WGM Ding Yixin 2353 CHN 9,5 93 105 2544
8 GM Lahno Kateryna 2546 UKR 9 109,5 128,5 2530
9 GM Chiburdanidze Maia 2500 GEO 9 108 127 2512
10 WGM Tan Zhongyi 2430 CHN 9 102,5 119 2541
11 IM Lomineishvili Maia 2366 GEO 9 100 116 2541
12 IM Melia Salome 2410 GEO 9 100 115,5 2544
13 IM Ushenina Anna 2454 UKR 9 99,5 116 2525
14 WGM Batsiashvili Nino 2436 GEO 8,5 112 130,5 2530
15 IM Matnadze Ana 2446 ESP 8,5 101,5 118 2507
16 IM Khotenashvili Bela 2500 GEO 8,5 95 111,5 2455
17 IM Muzychuk Mariya 2456 UKR 8 117 133,5 2471
18 WGM Cori T Deysi 2386 PER 8 112,5 131,5 2507
19 GM Zhao Xue 2549 CHN 8 109 125,5 2431
20 GM Koneru Humpy 2589 IND 8 98 112,5 2407
21 WIM Mammadova Gulnar 2345 AZE 8 97,5 111 2472
22 WGM Pogonina Natalija 2447 RUS 8 92 105 2449
23 WIM Arabidze Meri 2351 GEO 8 79,5 90,5 2417
24 WGM Huang Qian 2417 CHN 7,5 106,5 122,5 2471
25 IM Paehtz Elisabeth 2491 GER 7,5 99,5 113,5 2422
26 GM Cramling Pia 2478 SWE 7,5 92,5 107 2387
27 IM Krush Irina 2457 USA 7,5 89 101,5 2374
28 WGM Guo Qi 2360 CHN 7,5 86,5 101 2413
29 GM Arakhamia-Grant Ketevan 2426 SCO 7 101 114 2410
30 IM Khurtsidze Nino 2456 GEO 7 97,5 112,5 2387
31 IM Purtseladze Maka 2348 GEO 7 96 109 2408
32 GM Harika Dronavalli 2508 IND 7 95,5 108 2383
33 IM Gvetadze Sofio 2338 GEO 7 93 106 2427
34 IM Mkrtchian Lilit 2449 ARM 7 91 104 2387
35 WIM Mikadze Miranda 2323 GEO 7 85,5 98 2384
36 GM Kosintseva Tatiana 2532 RUS 6,5 107 124,5 2372
37   Wang Jue 2364 CHN 6,5 106 122 2408
38 IM Khukhashvili Sopiko 2414 GEO 6,5 90,5 107 2380
39 GM Socko Monika 2484 POL 6 99 114,5 2328
40 GM Danielian Elina 2484 ARM 6 96,5 111 2334
41 IM Kovalevskaya Ekaterina 2417 RUS 6 95 108 2374
42 WGM Charkhalashvili Inga 2334 GEO 6 85,5 99,5 2334
43 GM Zhu Chen 2491 QAT 6 84 98 2315
44 IM Javakhishvili Lela 2449 GEO 6 83 97 2325
45 WIM Janjghava Natia 2306 GEO 5,5 80,5 94 2278
46 IM Klinova Masha 2318 ISR 5 80,5 92 2255
47 WIM Umudova Nargiz 2231 AZE 4 78 89,5 2185
48 IM Gurieli Nino 2329 GEO 3,5 82 96 2149
49 WIM Bezgodova Svetlana 2120 RUS 3,5 82 95 2183
50 GM Gaprindashvili Nona 2356 GEO 3,5 81 93,5 2153

Valentina Gunina (Russia), the winner in the blitz section

Tags:

Share |
Peter Doggers's picture
Author: Peter Doggers

Founder and editor-in-chief of ChessVibes.com, Peter is responsible for most of the chess news and tournament reports. Often visiting top events, he also provides photos and videos for the site. He's a 1.e4 player himself, likes Thai food and the Stones.

Chess Master School

Comments

PeterV's picture

PeterV

1 year 1 week ago

Hard to believe that Valentina Gunina is still IM...

MH's picture

MH

1 year 1 week ago

Recently read an article about some of her games in NIC. Attacking all the time, yeah!

Your comment

By posting a comment you are agreeing to abide our Terms & Conditions

Latest articles