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The women's event has three places in their Candidates event (other than Ju Wenjun, Goryachkina, Koneru and Lagno who are qualified by other methods)

Quarter finals are:

Goryachkina v Saduakassova
Dzagnidze v Muzychuk, A

Kosteniuk v Gunina
Tan, Zhongyi v Lagno

If Goryachkina & Lagno reach the semis, the other 2 semi-finalists reach the Candidates; leaves it a bit messy for the other place though

Lagno lost & Goryachkina won, so that's worked out well for FIDE then

Zhongyi Tan and Kosteniuk qualify for the Candidates, as does Anna Muzychuk as the winner of the tiebreak v Dzagnidze

Semi finals are:

Goryachkina v Muzychuk, A

Kosteniuk v Tan, Zhongyi

Borth semis open with a draw. How would you classify this opening?

Slav, probably.

Think it would get classified under D11 in the ECO scheme, yeah.

Kosteniuk beats Tan and makes it to the final. In the other game Muzychuk (A) is clinging on in a rook ending against Goryachnika but as I write Chessbomb thinks she's played one red move too many...

https://www.chessbomb.com/arena/2021-fi ... an_Zhongyi

23.Rxe6 is a Hodgson of a move.

The computers reckon Goryachkina was winning a lot faster with 21 e5, and may I say frankly that if, without any engine help or looking at their line, you can work out what that move is about, let alone how it wins, you are doing better than I.

Oops I posted this in the other world cup thread by mistake:

Giri's commentary on the rook ending was a tour de force.

They have player cams which slightly surprised me since usually only for the official streams. Goryachkina has a "what is this nonsense you are trying against me" look which is worth at least 50 points.

JustinHorton wrote: ↑

Fri Jul 30, 2021 5:42 pm

The computers reckon Goryachkina was winning a lot faster with 21 e5, and may I say frankly that if, without any engine help or looking at their line, you can work out what that move is about, let alone how it wins, you are doing better than I.

I'd seen that on chess24live, and didn't really follow it when I could play through the variation

Aleksandra will be favourite against Alexandra in the final

I see there's a 3rd place match too

I agree that Aleksandra is favourite, but she is probably a bit less talented tactically than the other top women and with Alexandra in good form she has at least a punchers chance.

Giri was shocked Goryachkina missed e5, having spent some time explaining how the prep had gone wrong. Be5 is a distraction sacrifice, you put the bishop on the square so the pawn cannot use it, and it gives white the time to break the d-file pin.

First game to Kosteniuk, with the Black pieces

Goryachkina could have baled out into defending R v R+B but didn't fancy it and instead went into a B v R which turned out to be lost. Credit to Kosteniuk, who most likely had it worked out.

Kosteniuk wins the second game too, in which Goryachkina never had a sniff of a win, and takes the title.