Humpy is through to the Semi-Finals, Harika eliminated

by Shahid Ahmed - 17/07/2020

Humpy beat the winner of FIDE WSCC GP leg 2, Valentina Gunina by 6-5 and now she will face the Women's World no.1 Hou Yifan in the Semi-Finals. Despite starting with 0-2, Humpy immediately struck back with two consecutive wins and made it 2-2. Then she took a lead by 5.5-3.5 and eventually 6-5 to secure her place in the Semi-Finals. Harika had a difficult start against former Women's World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk 1.5-4.5 and she was unable to make a comeback, finishing with 3-9. Thus it was the end of Harika's run in the leg 4 of the GP. Humpy will face Hou Yifan today. Who do you think will win the match? Photo: Amruta Mokal

Humpy sets up a clash with Hou Yifan

Despite making a 0-2 start, Humpy immediately struck back with two consecutive wins and made the score 2-2. Gunina again took the lead 2.5-3.5, Humpy made a comeback again with three consecutive victories and made it 5.5-3.5 leaving Gunina in a must-win situation. Gunina managed to win only one and draw the last game which made sure Humpy won the match with 6-5 and setup a clash with Women's World no.1 Hou Yifan in the Semi-Finals.

Humpy will face Hou Yifan in the Semi-Finals | Photo: Amruta Mokal

Humpy strikes back

First two Blitz (5+1) games went in favor of Gunina. So what did Humpy do? She immediately struck back and won the next two games to equalize the score 2-2.

Humpy - Gunina, Game 3

Position after 19...e5

Find out why 19...e5 is a mistake and what should white do now.

Tactical Humpy

Gunina blundered her knight after making an inaccurate calculation and then Humpy made a tactical shot which increased her advantage and made things surmountable for Gunina.

Gunina - Humpy, Game 4

Position after 35.Qxh5

Find out why 35.Qxh5 is a blunder in an already lost position.

Checkmate ends the game

Although Game 6, the second 3+1 game ended up in a draw, Humpy was completely winning the game before she went for the perpetual check draw. In a practical game, time pressure can cause even the best to miss something like this.

Gunina - Humpy, Game 6

Position after 42.Kb1

Find out the winning continuation for black after 42.Kb1

A clinical victory

In the third 3+1 game, Humpy scored a clinical victory. She capitalized on Gunina's every single mistake and she lost one pawn too many.

Domination of the major pieces

Humpy scored a fine victory in the fourth 3+1 game as she dominated with her Queen and Rook forcing Gunina to make mistakes. Humpy took the lead 4.5-3.5

Endgame Endurance

Despite having a difficult position for the majority of the first Bullet (1+1) game, Humpy endured all turmoil and waited for her chance. Gunina presented by making an incorrect exchange offer, Humpy seized the opportunity and extended her lead by 5.5-3.5

Gunina - Humpy, Game 9

Position after 34...Qd4

Find out why 34...Qd4 is a blunder and what black should have played instead.

Replay all Humpy-Gunina games in Quarter-Finals

Kosteniuk eliminates Harika

Harika had a difficult start against Chess Queen Alexandra Kosteniuk 1.5-4.5 and she was unable to make a comeback, finishing with 3-9.Thus it was the end of Harika's run in the leg 4 of the GP.

Sole victory

Harika scored her only victory against Kosteniuk in the Quarter-Finals in Game 8 after being down by 1.5-5.5

Kosteniuk - Harika, Game 8

Position after 25.exf5

Find out why 25.exf5 is a mistake and what white should have done instead.

Harika's run at the GP comes to an end | Photo: FIDE

Replay all Harika-Kosteniuk games in Quarter-Finals

Quarter-Final Results

Humpy advances to the Semi-Finals | Source: chess.com

Prizes

GP Points and Prizes | Source: chess.com

GP Players

Women's Speed Chess Championship has nine seeded players, among them reigning Women's World Rapid Champion GM Koneru Humpy is there | Source: chess.com

Each leg is a 16-player knockout event and will last five days (including one rest day after the semi-finals). The dates are June 24-28th, July 1-5th, July 8-12th and July 15-19th, with games starting at 14:30 CET (6 p.m. IST)

GP Standings

Each player will play three out of the four legs in the Grand Prix | Source: chess.com

Replay the livestream

Live commentary by GM Robert Hess and WFM Alexandra Botez | Video: FIDE

Links

FIDE

chess.com

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