EUROPEAN WOMEN INDIVIDUAL CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP 2018 – ROUND 4

Four rounds have already been played at the European Women Individual Chess Championship 2018, which takes place from 7th-20th April in Vysoke Tatry, Slovakia, with participation of 144 players coming from 30 European federations.

The event was officially declared opened during the ceremony which took place before the first round of the event. The Opening ceremony was attended by Mayor of Vysoke Tatry, Ing. Eugen Knotek, President of the Slovak Chess Federation Ing. Frantisek Jablonicky, ECU Treasurer, Martin Huba, Chief Arbiter Dr. Ivan Syrovy and the Tournament Director Eva Repkova. The distinguished guests addressed the players and after short dance performance the battles for the top of the European Women Individual Chess Championship had started.

After four played rounds, many of the top seeds suffered upsets and there is only one player who has emerged as leader with a maximum result of 4 points: GM Nana Dzagnidze of Georgia (2507). She is followed by group of 6 players with 3.5 points among whom are top seeded: Mariya Muzychuk of Ukraine (2540) and Valentina Gunina of Russia (2507). Marie Sebag of France (2492) and Elisabeth Paehtz of Germany (2468) are part of a group of 16 players that are a further half point back.

Top pairings of the 5th round:

The European Individual Women’s Chess Championship is a qualification event for the next World Women’s Chess Championship. According to the current FIDE regulations and the decision of the ECU Board, 14 players will qualify. The total prize fund of the event is 70.000 EUR.

The Championship is played in 11 rounds, Swiss system, in accordance with the ECU Tournament Rules and FIDE Rules of Chess with time control 90 minutes for 40 moves plus 30 minutes for the rest of the game with an increment of 30 seconds per move, starting from the move one.

Stefanova,Antoaneta (2479) - Eric,Jovana (2300)

EIWCC 2018 Vysoke Tatry (3), 10.04.2018

1.d4 f5 2.Bg5 g6 3.h4 h6 [3...Bg7 4.h5 h6 5.Bd2 g5 6.e3 d6 7.c4 e5 8.Bc3 Nc6 9.Nf3 e4 10.Nfd2 Nf6 11.d5 Ne5 12.Bxe5 dxe5 0–1 (45) Korobov,A (2693)-Bartel,M (2664) Wroclaw 2014] 

4.Bf4 Nf6 5.Qd3 d6 6.Nc3 

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A80: Dutch Defence: Unusual White second moves 

6...Nc6N [6...Bg7 7.f3 Nh5 8.Bh2 e5 9.0–0–0 exd4 10.Nb5 Nc6 11.g4 0–1 (34) Cornette,M (2399)-Sorbe,S (2260) France 2003] 

7.0–0–0 a6 8.f3 [8.e4²] 

8...Bd7 9.g4 [White should play 9.e4² ] 

9...e6 [9...e5= 10.dxe5 dxe5] 

10.gxf5² gxf5 11.e4 fxe4 [11...Qe7= remains equal.] 

12.fxe4± Nh5 13.Bh2 Qf6 

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14.e5! dxe5 15.dxe5 Qf7 16.Bg2 aiming for Nge2. 

16...Nb4? [16...Bb4±] 

17.Qe3+- Bc6 18.Bxc6+ Nxc6 19.Nge2 Threatens to win with Ne4. 

19...Rd8 

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[¹19...Be7 20.Rhf1 Qg6] 

20.Rdf1! Qe7 21.Qe4 Rg8 22.Qf3 Ng7 [¹22...Kd7 23.Rd1+ Kc8 24.Rxd8+ Nxd8 25.Qxh5 Qf7 26.Qxf7 Nxf7] 

23.Ne4 Nf5 24.Nf6+ Kf7 25.Qh5+ Rg6 26.Rhg1  1–0

Shuvalova,Polina (2389) - Dzagnidze,Nana (2507)

EIWCC 2018 Vysoke Tatry (3), 10.04.2018

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 a6 4.e3 Nf6 5.b3 [5.Nc3 dxc4 6.Bxc4 c5 7.0–0 b5 8.Be2 Bb7 9.dxc5 Qxd1 10.Rxd1 Nc6 11.b3 Bxc5 12.Bb2 0–0 13.Nd2 Be7 14.Bf3 Rfd8 15.Nde4 Nxe4 16.Nxe4 f5 17.Ng3 Na5 18.Ne2 Bxf3 19.gxf3 Kf7 20.f4 Rxd1+ 21.Rxd1 1–0 (46) Andreikin,D (2712)-Yu,Y (2751) Huaian 2017] 

5...b6 6.Bd3 D30: Queen's Gambit Declined: Systems without Nc3 

6...Bb7 7.cxd5 exd5 8.0–0 

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The position is equal. 

8...Nbd7N [8...Bd6 9.Bb2 0–0 10.Ne5 Re8 11.Nd2 Nbd7 12.f4 Nf8 13.a3 0–1 (41) Hoi,C (2445)-Arnason,J (2525) Ostersund 1992] 

9.Bb2 Bd6 10.Nbd2 Qe7 11.a3 0–0 12.b4 Ne4 13.Nb3 f5 14.Rc1 f4 15.Qc2 fxe3 16.fxe3 Ng5 17.Nxg5! Qxe3+ 18.Kh1 Qxg5 19.Bxh7+ Kh8 20.Bf5! Qh6‚ Black has some attack. 

21.g4 

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[21.g3³ Nf6 22.Qd2] 

21...Nf6!µ 22.g5 [22.Qd2µ Qh4 23.Qg2] 

22...Qxg5–+ 23.Rf3 

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Black must now prevent Rg1.
23...Bc8! 24.Bxc8 Raxc8 25.Rg1 Qh5 [But not 25...Qh6 26.Bc1µ]
26.Rf5? [26.Qg2 Ng4 27.Nd2]
26...Qh7 Threatens to win with ...Ne4.
27.Rgf1 Ne4 28.Rxf8+ Rxf8 29.Rxf8+ Bxf8 30.Kg1 [¹30.Qg2]
30...Bd6 31.Qe2 Qh3 32.Bc1? [32.Nd2]
32...Kg8 33.Nd2 Qc3 0–1