Tied 1.5-1.5 on the scoreboard, the three final games will decide which of the two Chinese Grand Masters advances to the next stage of the cycle: challenging the current Women’s World Champion Ju Wenjun, for the title in July.

Playing with Black, Tan Zhongyi deviated from the second game of the match with 3…Nf6 instead of 3…dxc4, a solid choice for this game. Lei Tingjie brought the trendy Catalan Opening to the table, a decision that caught her opponent off-guard, as she explained in her postgame interview.

Following seventeen moves of well-known theory, the first key moment of the game came on move eighteen when Tan Zhongyi created some weaknesses in her position by advancing 18…f5. 

According to the engines, Black is seriously worse after this move, as it weakens her kingside considerably. Tan Zhongyi explained that the structure was slightly unfamiliar to her and that she wanted to consolidate her central knight on d5. 

A few moves later, 21.f4 might have been a slightly better move than 21.Na5, preventing Black’s counterplay in the center, but even so, White still kept the upper hand. However, Tan Zhongyi graduallyfought back into the game, generating enoughinitiative on the kingside to compensate for her opponent’s queenside domination.

The second key moment could have turned the tables completely. Lei Tingjie blundered with 28.b3? but Tan Zhongyi’s reply 28…Nc8 was no good. Instead, she could have played 28…fxe4 29.fxe4 Rxf1 30.Bxf1 and now the masterstroke 30…Nxd5! sacrificing a piece that can’t be accepted.

The knight can’t be captured with the rook due to 31…Qe3+ winning, while 31.exd5 runs into 31…e4! and Black is winning wherever the rook moves to. It’s hard to say what Tan Zhongyi missed in this line – she had more than 50 minutes on the clock and only spent 4 minutes on her decision. In any case, in her postgame interview, she regretted not having played this move.

Lei Tingjie didn’t give her a second chance. She started piling up the pressure, and when Tan Zhongyi ventured her rook into Lei’s position to win a pawn, she struck hard and fast at her opponent’s king, building up a decisive attack that eventually forced her opponent to resign.

In her postgame interview, Lei Tingjie said that today’s game was very complicated. She mentioned that she saw Tan’s missed tactical opportunity and was very nervous. Finally, she explained that she was very lucky to win in the end. 

After answering the questions, Lei dashed off to dinner: she was so nervous during the game that she forgot to drink water for four and a half hours, and now she was very hungry!

Both players will return tomorrow for the fifth game. Tan Zhongyi will be playing with White for the final time, in a must-win situation. 

Playing with White, Tan Zhongyi switched back to her normal opening repertoire with 1.d4, side-stepping Lei Tingjie’s excellent opening preparation in the first game. Her bold play in that encounter was rewarded, but readers will recall that luck was definitely on her side in the critical moments – she didn’t seem to be so familiar with the nuances of the variation.

Lei Tingjie opted for the Tarrasch variation in the Queen’s Gambit, with 3…c5. According to my database, this is the first time she has played this line in her career: a risky choice.

Tan Zhongyi thought for a moment and decided to repeat the same variation she had played recently in an online blitz game. Instead of the most theoretical line with 6.g3 – which would have permitted the fashionable “Dubov “ 8…Bc5 system, Tan Zhongyi went for the solid 6.dxc5, considered to be very slightly better for White.

Both players demonstrated excellent opening preparation, blitzing out their moves at an unusual speed for this kind of event. The queens were exchanged very soon, and around move fifteen, both players were already facing the prospect of yet another minor piece ending.

White did enjoy the advantage of the two bishops in an open position, but the weak pawn on e3 somewhat restricted the activity of the dark-squared bishop. The engine suggests that the position is approximately equal. 

Shortly afterwards, Lei Tingjie correctly sacrificed a pawn to activate the rest of her pieces, receiving full compensation – both of her rooks occupied active lines while the bishop on a6 and the knight on f6 were on the lookout for a killing blow. 

In these positions, one has to be careful. Tan Zhongyi went into defence mode, swapping off all of her opponent’s active pieces, with the unfortunate downside that she wasn’t able to avoid transitioning into yet another opposite-coloured bishop ending. 

Although still enjoying the advantage of her extra pawn, Lei Tingjie had no trouble at all defending the very simple fortress that this type of endgame provides. A draw was agreed on move forty. According to the online precision ratings, both players scored 98%, with no mistakes and no imprecisions: a remarkable feat. 

“A calm game, with really not much happening. Both players played well and solid chess,” reflected GM Alik Gershon on the live stream. WIM QiuMengjie added: “This game had no mistakes, but the fourth game will be a crucial encounter for both players, with Lei Tingjie playing White.

Both players will enjoy a well-deserved rest day tomorrow, and the match will resume on Sunday, April 2nd with Lei Tingjie conducting the White pieces. 

After nearly six hours of play and seventy gruelling moves, with everything pointing towards a draw, a last-minute mistake by Tan Zhongyi in severe time trouble put the 1-1 result on the scoreboard. 

The second game of the match began as usual at 3 pm local in Chongqing. Trailing her opponent by a full point on the scoreboard, the onus was on Lei Tingjie to showcase her skills with the White pieces.

She opened the game with 1.d4, and both players went for the fashionable Queen’s Gambit. On move three, Tan Zhongyi opted for 3…dxc4, and a few moves down the line, the position transposed into one of the most exciting lines of the Semi-Slav defence, in which White sacrifices a pawn for the initiative. 

According to my database, Lei Tingjie usually plays it safe in the opening – therefore, maybe she was slightly surprised by this turn of events. One can never know for sure, but there is a possibility that both players ended up in a position somewhat unknown to them in their wish to sidestep their opponent’s preparation.  

The first major deviation from theory was played by Tan Zhongyi. Her choice 7…Qb6 is fairly unknown at the top level, whereas 7…a5 would lead to the trendy Noteboom variation. Sensing the danger, she intelligently gave back her extra pawn to finish her development and castle. 

A few moves later, after an inaccuracy by her opponent, Lei Tingjie missed a golden opportunity to strike first with 21.Nxb4 Qxb4 followed by 22.Qc2. 

According to the engines, the threats on b4, f6, and e6 would have offered White excellent chances to bring home the full point. 

Nonetheless, Lei Tingjie continued pressing her small positional advantage: two bishops and a slightly favourable pawn structure gave her a decent edge in the late middlegame and early stages of the endgame. 

Although Tan Zhongyi displayed excellent defensive skills, Lei Tingjie pushed on, understanding that her opportunity might arrive in time trouble. 

Finally, they reached an opposite-colour bishop endgame, which is generally well-known for its drawing tendency. 

Fate struck on move seventy-one. Tan Zhongyi could have held the draw with 7….Be8, but instead, she played 71…Bg4? and after White’s 72.Kg6! was forced to exchange her h-pawn for the opponent’s f-pawn allowing Lei Tingjieto win the game by advancing her two connected passed pawns. 

Commentating live from the venue, GM Alik Gershon summarized the situation fantastically: “Very impressive technique by Lei. Slightly unfortunate for Tan, but this is how you can lose these types of positions. White can make many small mistakes and still have chances, while Black can’t make any mistakes because she can lose immediately.” 

Co-commentator WIM Qiu Mengjie agreed: “If White makes a mistake, she will always have the draw at hand.” 

The third game of the match will be disputed tomorrow, March 31st. Tan Zhongyi will play with the White pieces. 

Primarily remembered today for his formulation of an atomic theory of the universe, the ancient Greek philosopher Democritus left many quotes for history. “Boldness is the beginning of an action, but fortune controls how it ends” is one of them, very appropriate to understand what happened today in the first game of the Women’s Candidates Final in Chongqing, China. 

The action began punctually at 3 pm local time with the ceremonial first move, performed by Du Xueyong, Deputy Director of Chongqing Sports Bureau, accompanied by FIDE Vice-President and former Women’s World Champion Xie Jun. 

Playing with White, Tan Zhongyi opened with 1.c4, the English Opening, one of her two main weapons. Hardly a surprise for Lei Tingjie, she quickly replied with 1…e5, against which Tan Zhongyi blitzed out 2.d3, a secondary line which, according to my database, she had never played before in her career. 

Already on move six, the position was completely new, a rare occurrence nowadays. Customary in English Openings, Tan Zhongyi went for the kingside fianchetto, followed by the typical queenside pawn expansion with a3 and b4. Lei Tingjie defended with precision, obtaining a very promising middlegame position. 

Around move twenty, with both players under fifteen minutes to reach the 40-move time control, Tan Zhongyi boldlyopted for a very risky and unbalanced idea, allowing her opponent two strongly connected passed pawns in exchange for active piece play and her own passer on d5. Soon, a second pawn had to be sacrificed to maintain the initiative. 

Although the computers were indicating a decisive material advantage for Lei Tingjie, her king was considerably exposed – in addition, she was getting very low on time. 

On move thirty, Lei Tingjie could have scored first blood if she had found 30…c4! (instead of 30…Qe6? played in the game): however, the lines are very difficult to calculate with only seconds on the clock. 

Tan Zhongyi won a piece but still had to deal with her opponent’s advanced passed pawn. She missed a win on move thirty-five (35.e4! instead of 35.Qe8, with a decisive advantage), but luck was on her side today. 

With less than thirty seconds on her clock and five moves to go for the time control, Lei Tingjie blundered with 36…f4? and was forced to resign a couple of moves later, after Tan Zhongyi correctly spotted 37.e3! followed by the exchange of queens on d3.

Commentating the match from the venue, GM Alik Gershon witnessed the meltdown live.   

“What a blow for Lei Tingjie. Until the very last moment, she had a draw with 36…Qb1. This has been a very upsetting game for her” were Gershon’s final words.

Chief Arbiter Panagiotis Nikolopoulos retrieved the scoresheets from the players, certifying a win for White in the first game of the match.

Excited after her victory, Tan Zhongyi attended the press conference, while a disappointed Lei Tingjie retired to her chambers to regroup for tomorrow’s second game, in which she will be playing with White. 

Rated 2545, Grandmaster Lei Tingjie qualified for the Women’s Candidates Tournament by clinching the 2021 FIDE Gran Swiss in Riga with one round to spare.

Winner of the 2015 Moscow Open and silver medallist in the 2016 Women’s World Rapid Championship, she has represented China on several occasions with outstanding performances: among others, a gold medal at the 2016 Asian Nations Cup in Dubai and the 2018 Batumi Olympiad.

Currently ranked fourth and ninth on the Chinese and World rating lists respectively, Lei Tingjie recently secured her spot in the final by convincingly winning the 2022 Monaco Pool A Women’s Candidates tournament, defeating Mariya Muzychuk in the quarter-final and her sister Anna Muzychuk in the semi-final.

Former Women’s World Chess Champion in 2018, Grandmaster Tan Zhongyi was a child prodigy, winning the World Youth U-10 Girls Chess Championship in 2000 and 2001 followed by the World Youth U12 Girls Chess Championship in 2002.

Currently rated 2526, she stands in fifth place in the Chinese rankings and number twelve overall in the world. Winner of the Women’s World University Chess Championship in 2012 and the 2014 Asian Women’s Blitz Championship, she broke through in 2015 becoming the Chinese Women’s Champion amongst several other phenomenal results.

Having qualified for the Candidates thanks to her brilliant third place in the 2021 Sochi Women’s World Cup, she won her place at the final with a compelling result in the 2022 Khiva Pool B Women’s Candidates tournament: she defeated consecutively none other than Kateryna Lagno and Aleksandra Goryachkina.

The participants are: GM Elisabeth Paehtz (Germany), GM Alexandra Kosteniuk (FIDE), GM Tan Zhongyi (China), GM Harika Dronavalli (India), GM Zhansaya Abdumalik (Kazakhstan), GM Mariya Muzychuk (Ukraine), GM Anna Muzychuk (Ukraine), GM Nana Dzagnidze (Georgia), GM Humpy Koneru (India), WGM Zhu Jiner (China), IM Alina Kashlinskaya (Poland), and WGM Dinara Wagner (Germany).

Round 11 live video broadcast:

Humpy Koneru, India’s number one female player, missed the opportunity of a lifetime this afternoon in the tenth round of the Munich Women’s Grand Prix.

In a must-win situation, Humpy ground down her opponent Alexandra Kosteniuk with the Black pieces in a spectacular performance, only to misplay a queen ending and allow Kosteniuk to escape by the skin of her teeth. 

A very close call indeed for Kosteniuk, who keeps her one-point lead going into the last round, where she will face Zhu Jiner with Black. Tie-breaks still favour Humpy, so only a draw will secure the tournament victory for Alexandra – any other result will also depend on the result of the game between Humpy and Tan Zhongyi.

The ceremonial first move was performed by Lukasz Turlej, FIDE Secretary General and Munich WGP Tournament Supervisor, in the Kosteniuk-Humpy game

GM Kosteniuk, Alexandra vs GM Koneru, Humpy (0.5-0.5)

Undoubtedly, the game of the day. Trailing Kosteniuk by one point, Humpy decided to play for a long battle, keep some tension in the position and see if an opportunity to win came about. Most probably, Alexandra Kosteniuk would be content with a draw, keeping her one-point margin going into the last round.  

In an attempt to surprise her opponent and maybe take her out of her preparation, Humpy played the Open Ruy Lopez with 5…Nxe4 but chose the side-line 6…Be7 (instead of the mainline 6…b5). 

According to my database, Humpy had played 6…b5 at least fifteen times, but 6…Be7 definitely caught Kosteniuk off-guard. For many moves the position remained in balance: bishop pair for Humpy, better pawn structure for Kosteniuk. 

However, Humpy gradually increased her space advantage on the queenside and soon had Kosteniuk against the ropes. It’s hard to pinpoint a specific mistake – Humpy just outplayed her opponent. 

But luck was on Kosteniuk’s side this afternoon. Humpy missed a clear chance to win in a tricky queen endgame, and Kosteniuk managed to escape with a draw, keeping the lead going into the final round. 

“I am feeling very tired but much better than if I’d lost the game” were Kosteniuk’s feelings a few minutes after the game had finished.

GM Tan, Zhongyi vs GM Dzagnidze, Nana (0-1)

According to my database, Dzagnidze and Tan Zhongyi have faced each other multiple times. In a total of 24 games, the former Chinese Women’s World Champion has won nine games while the Georgian player has won seven times, with a total of eight draws. 

“We have played many games together; we know each other very well. I didn’t expect her opening today, so I played on the board,” said Nana Dzagnidze in the postgame interview. 

In this afternoon’s game, Tan Zhongyi started with the English Opening, but soon there was a transposition to the Tarrasch System in the Queen’s Gambit. Coming out of the opening, Tan Zhongyi had a slight advantage, putting pressure on her opponent’s isolated pawn. 

“Maybe she played too ambitiously, and I found the interesting ideas …Qb8 with the idea …Bc7-b6,” said Dzagnidze in a short post-game interview.

But Dzagnidze defended well and took advantage of a small mistake in her opponent’s strategy (19.a4?) to win a pawn and force a superior endgame. With the excellent technique, she took home the full point in a very instructive opposite. 

“I chose the right plan to get the winning position. If the pawns would have been closer, the bishop ending might be a draw,” were Dzagnidze’s final conclusions.  

GM Harika, Dronavalli vs GM Muzychuk, Anna (1-0)

Thirty-eight games together with twenty-five draws shows that this match-up was going to be equal. The opening was a Symmetrical English, and it quickly became clear that both players were in their preparation until move fifteen. 

Harika spent thirty minutes on 16.Rc1 and quickly fell into a bad position, losing a pawn. “I forgot my preparation at some point, I knew the variation, but I couldn’t recall it,” said Harika in her postgame interview. 

With 18…Rxb4, Muzychuk would have enjoyed a small advantage, but instead she blundered 18…e5? and Harika was back into the game, recovering the pawn with superior piece coordination. 

“After her blunder, I had very easy play. The bishop pair and the misplaced rook on b6 should be winning for me,” Harika explained.

GM Paehtz, Elisabeth vs WGM Zhu, Jiner (0.5-0.5)

Paehtz decided to mix things up this afternoon, going for the 2.c3 Alapin Variation side-line against the Sicilian. Displaying excellent opening preparation, both players blitzed out their first sixteen moves following an earlier 2021 game between Gaponenko and Berdnyk. 

In her preparation, Paehtz had obviously gone even further: while Zhu Jiner started to ponder her moves, she continued playing fast. “I prepared it until 20.Nb3, and then according to the super engine, the only move to keep it equal was 20…Rcd8, if I remember correctly. So, after her 20…Rfe8 I was on myself but had a nice position already,” explained Elisabeth Paehtz after the game. 

Her strategy worked out: under heavy pressure in the centre, Zhu Jiner decided to jettison her e5 pawn and go into an inferior ending. Zhu Jiner displayed excellent defensive technique right until the end. Even so, Paehtz missed a clear chance to win the game with 67.Rc7+! instead of 67.b7. 

“After four hours, it’s known that the energy level goes down. I did quite a lot of sports before the event, but apparently, it was not enough. I knew I may lose the grip at some point, and unfortunately, it happened…” Paehtz frankly recognized the importance of being on top form during these elite events. 

GM Abdumalik, Zhansaya vs GM Muzychuk, Mariya (1-0)

Zhansaya Abdumalik and Mariya Muzychuk have played against each other many times in the past, with a more or less equal score.

Facing the Sicilian for the second day in a row, Abdumalik opted for the Rossolimo Attack, transposing a few moves later to the Marozcy structure. With 13.c5, she sacrificed a pawn to damage her opponent’s pawn structure: an interesting positional idea.

“The game was very smooth for me; I had a slightly better position after the opening, and then with the two bishops, I have a very safe and better game,” explained Zhansaya Abdumalik after the game. 

After recovering the pawn, she started grinding down her opponent with her two bishops and slightly better pawn structure and produced a textbook example of how to play with the bishop pair on an open board. 

WGM Wagner, Dinara vs IM Kashlinskaya, Alina (1-0)

After two defeats in a row, Wagner decided on a very solid, albeit less ambitious, b3-e3 system against her opponent’s Semi-Slav. Kashlinskaya traded off her passive minor pieces and reached a very playable middlegame featuring the “Alekhine pawn structure”.

In an equal position, with around twenty minutes each on the clock, both players repeated moves twice, but Wagner deviated on the third, fighting for a win. The position remained equal, but now there were some imbalances in the pawn structure. 

On move thirty-five, Wagner crashed through with the rook sacrifice 35.Rxg7!

However, under huge pressure on the clock, after 35…Kxg7 36. Ne4 Rd5 37. Qxf6+ Kh7 38. Qh4 Qa6 39. Nf6+ Kg7, she missed the sequence with the crushing 40.Ng4!! 

Instead, Dinara regained the material with 40.Nxd5. The subsequent rook ending was better for White, but not a lock. However, Kashlinskaya couldn’t find the best defensive ideas and eventually had to resign, and Wagner chalked up her first win in the event.

“I am feeling great. Very happy that I decided to continue playing on and was rewarded for that. A draw was, in principle good, because I am really tired after ten rounds. But then I thought to myself – it’s a great opportunity to play with the best players in the world, why should I force a draw” explained a very happy Dinara Wagner in her postgame interview. 

The eleventh and final round will be played on Sunday, February 13th at 1 PM at the Kempinski Hotel venue. 

The closing ceremony and prizegiving are scheduled for Monday 13th at 7 PM in the Maximillian III room at the Kempinski Hotel. Approximate duration: One hour

Photos: Mark Livshitz

The participants are: GM Elisabeth Paehtz (Germany), GM Alexandra Kosteniuk (FIDE), GM Tan Zhongyi (China), GM Harika Dronavalli (India), GM Zhansaya Abdumalik (Kazakhstan), GM Mariya Muzychuk (Ukraine), GM Anna Muzychuk (Ukraine), GM Nana Dzagnidze (Georgia), GM Humpy Koneru (India), WGM Zhu Jiner (China), IM Alina Kashlinskaya (Poland), and WGM Dinara Wagner (Germany).

Round 10 live video broadcast:

The participants are: GM Elisabeth Paehtz (Germany), GM Alexandra Kosteniuk (FIDE), GM Tan Zhongyi (China), GM Harika Dronavalli (India), GM Zhansaya Abdumalik (Kazakhstan), GM Mariya Muzychuk (Ukraine), GM Anna Muzychuk (Ukraine), GM Nana Dzagnidze (Georgia), GM Humpy Koneru (India), WGM Zhu Jiner (China), IM Alina Kashlinskaya (Poland), and WGM Dinara Wagner (Germany).

Round 9 live video broadcast: