VALENTINA GUNINA WINS EUROPEAN WOMEN INDIVIDUAL CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP 2018

Valentina Gunina of Russia (2507) convincingly won the European Women Individual Chess Championships 2018, which took place from 7th-20th April, in Vysoke Tatry, Slovakia.

Valentina Gunina reached an impressive result of 9 points out of 11 games, without a lost game, to be the whole point ahead of the first runner-ups and to achieve the title of European Women Chess Champion for the third time in her career (2012, 2014, 2018).

Seven players tied for the second place, each with 8 points. According to the tie-break criteria, silver medal went to Nana Dzagnidze of Georgia (2507), the Winner of the Championship in 2017, while Anna Ushenina of Ukraine (2422) took the bronze medal and the third place.

19 players achieved the international FIDE title norms and the list of the players is available here, while 14 players qualified for the next cycle of the World Women’s Chess Championship.

Of interest is that the top seeded player of the tournament, GM Mariya Muzychuk of the Ukraine barely scraped into the group of players going through to the World Women’s Chess Championship. She was the only one of the 12 players finishing on 7 points to do so.

A total of 143 players from 30 different European federations participated in the event. These included 13 Grandmasters, 29 International masters, 35 Women Grandmasters, 22 Women International masters and in total 128 titled players, which made the event very strong.

The Championship was 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.

The total prize fund of the event was 70.000 EUR.

Dzagnidze,Nana (2507) - Gunina,Valentina (2507)

EIWCC 2018 Vysoke Tatry (8), 16.04.2018

1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 e6 3.g3 Nf6 4.Bg2 Be7 5.0–0 0–0 6.cxd5 exd5 7.b3 c6 A14: English Opening: 1.. .e6 with b3 by White 

8.Bb2 Bg4 9.h3 Bxf3 The position is equal. 

10.Bxf3 Nbd7 

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11.Bg2N [11.d3 Bd6 12.e4 dxe4 13.dxe4 1–0 (50) Meijers,V (2455)-Arnaudov,P (2474) Germany 2017] 

11...Bd6 12.d3 Qe7 13.e4 dxe4 14.dxe4 Rad8 15.Qc2 Rfe8 16.Nc3 h5 17.f4 h4 18.g4! Bc7 19.Rad1 [19.Kh1²] 

19...Qc5+ 20.Kh1 Nf8! 21.e5 Nd5 22.Bxd5 cxd5 [22...Rxd5= 23.Rxd5 cxd5] 

23.Qg2ƒ White is pushing. 

23...d4 24.Ne4 Qb6 25.Ba3 Ng6 

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26.Bd6 [26.Bc5± Qa5 27.g5 (27.Rxd4 Rxd4 28.Bxd4 Rd8²; 27.Bxd4 Nxf4 28.Qd2 Qxd2³) ] 

26...Rd7 [26...Rxd6² 27.exd6 Bxd6] 

27.Rd3 [27.Bc5± Qb5 28.Rxd4 Rxd4 29.Bxd4] 

27...Rc8 [27...f6=] 

28.Qc2 [¹28.g5] 

28...Rdd8 29.Qg2 [29.Qd2±] 

29...Bxd6 [29...Rd7= remains equal.] 

30.Nxd6 [30.exd6± Qa6 31.Qd2 (31.Rxd4 Rc2²) ] 

30...Rc3³ 31.Rxc3 dxc3 32.Qe4 Rd7 33.Kg2 a5 [Better is 33...Rc7³ 34.Nc4 Qa6] 

34.Kf3!= Rc7 35.Nc4 Qc5 36.a4? [36.Rc1=] 

36...Qb4 [36...b5–+ 37.axb5 Qxb5] 

37.Rb1µ b5 [37...Nf8!µ 38.f5 Nh7] 

38.axb5= Qxb5 39.Qa8+? [39.e6!=] 

39...Kh7–+ White must now prevent ...Rxc4. 

40.Qe4 a4 41.Nd6 

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[¹41.Na3 Qd7 42.bxa4] 

41...Qa6! 42.bxa4 c2 43.Rc1 Rc3+ 44.Kf2 Qb6+ 45.Ke2 Rxh3 Threatens to win with ...Rh2+. 

46.Nc4 Rh2+ 47.Kd3 Qb3+ [¹47...Qb1 48.Qe3 Rh3! 49.Rxc2 Nxf4+ 50.Kd4 Ne6+ 51.Kc3 Qe1+ 52.Kb2 Rxe3 53.Nxe3 Qxe3] 

48.Kd4 Now f5 and White clings on. 

48...Qxa4 49.e6 intending f5. 

49...Qa7+ 50.Kd5? [50.Kd3 Rf2 51.e7 Qxe7 52.Qxe7 Nxe7 53.Ke3] 

50...fxe6+ 51.Kxe6 Re2  0–1

Gunina,Valentina (2507) - Kulon,Klaudia (2319)

EIWCC 2018 Vysoke Tatry (9), 17.04.2018

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0–0 6.Be2 e5 7.0–0 exd4 8.Nxd4 Re8 9.f3 c6 10.Kh1 Nbd7 11.Bf4 Nh5 E94: King's Indian: Classical: 6 Be2 e5 7 0–0: Various Black 7th moves [11...Ne5 12.Qd2 Be6 13.Nxe6 Rxe6 14.Rfd1 Qf8 15.Rac1 Nh5 16.Be3 f5 17.b4 f4 18.Bf2 g5 19.c5 dxc5 20.bxc5 1–0 (49) Lysyj,I (2663)-Gabrielian,A (2520) Kolomna 2016] 

12.Bxd6 Qf6 13.Nc2 Nf4 White is slightly better. 

14.Rf2 Ne5 

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15.c5N [15.Bf1 Nfd3 16.Bxd3 Qxd6 17.Be2 Qc5 18.Qf1 Be6 19.f4 Nxc4 20.f5 Nxb2 21.fxe6 fxe6 22.Nd1 Nxd1 23.Rxd1 Qxc2 1/2–1/2 (23) Rohrmueller,U (2229)-Schmidt,P (2385) Bayern 2004] 

15...Nxe2 16.Qxe2 [16.Nxe2 Nc4³] 

16...Qe6 [Black should play 16...Qh4² ] 

17.Rd1± f5 [17...Qf6± 18.Kg1 Qf4] 

18.exf5!+- gxf5 [¹18...Qf7 19.fxg6 Qxg6] 

19.Qf1? [19.Qe1!+- and the rest is easy.] 

19...Qf7± 20.b3 b6 [¹20...Nc4] 

21.Na4 b5 22.Nb2 a5 23.Nd3 Nxd3 24.Qxd3 a4 25.h3 axb3 26.axb3 Be6 27.Rb1! Qf6 28.Nb4 Qh4 29.Qd2ƒ White is more active. 

29...Bxb3! 30.Rff1 [Don't blunder 30.Rxb3? Ra1+ 31.Kh2 Ree1–+] 

30...Bc4 31.Rfe1! Rxe1+! 32.Rxe1 

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32...Rc8? [32...Qxe1+!!= 33.Qxe1 Ra1 34.Qxa1 Bxa1] 

33.Kh2 h6 [33...Qd4± might work better. 34.Qc2 (34.Qg5 Qf6=) 34...Qf6] 

34.f4!+- Bf7? [34...Qf6 is a better defense.] 

35.Be7 Qh5 36.Qd7 Re8 [¹36...Ra8 37.Nxc6 (37.Qxc6 Ra3+-) 37...Ra2] 

37.Nxc6 Bc3 38.Re3 b4 39.Nd8 Bg7 40.c6 b3 41.c7 b2 42.Re1 Bc3 

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43.Rg1 [¹43.Nxf7 Qxf7 44.c8Q Rxc8 45.Qxc8+ Kh7 46.Qxc3 b1N 47.Qd3 h5 48.Rxb1]
43...Bd4 44.Qxd4 1–0