The other World Championship

                                   Ju Wenjun

Those of you impatient for a first win for either player in the World Championship match between Carlsen and Caruana in London may be interested in the other World Championship final currently taking place in Siberia.

                               Kateryna Lagno

This is the women’s World Championship which follows a slightly different pattern to the men’s. It’s a knockout competition, initially with 64 players and we are now down to the final two: GM Ju Wenjun of China, the current World Champion, and GM Kateryna Lagno of Russia. (The world number 1, Hou Yifan, a favourite of Broadstairs Chess Club, is currently taking time out of chess to pursue a course at Oxford University.) Those people looking for gender equality in prize money should look away now – while the winner in the men’s competition will walk away with one million euros, the entire prize fund for the women’s tournament is $450,000 with the winner getting a mere $60,000. It must be worth an invite to the 50th Thanet Congress next August. Incidentally, the topic of women (or lack of) in chess is discussed in a Guardian article (click here.)   

One last difference between the finals is the length: while Carlsen and Caruana are battling it out for twelve games + the possibility of tie breaks (rapid plays, blitz games and eventually armageddon), the women will only have four classic games + tie breaks if necessary. In such a short final, there is little margin for error as Ju Wenjun found out in Game 2 played today. No rest days for the women – Game 3 is tomorrow and Game 4 if needed on Thursday.

White:  Kateryna Lagno (2556)      Black:  Ju Wenjun (2568)

     1. Nf3 Nf6 2 g3 d5 3 Bg2 c5 4 O-O Nc6 5 d4 e6 6 c4 dxc4 7 dxc5 Qxd1 8 Rxd1 Bxc5 9 Nfd2 Na5 10 Na3 Bxa3 11 bxa3 O-O 12 Ne4 e5 13 Bd2 Nxe4 14 Bxe4 Nc6 15                     Bc3 Be6 16 Bxc6 bxc6 17 Bxe5 Rfd8 18 Bc3 f6 19 f3 Kf7             20                   Kf2   Rxd1           21   Rxd1   Rb8           22   g4   c5           23   h4   h6           24   a4   Ke7           25   a5   Rb7           26   Rg1   Rd7           27   g5   hxg5           28   hxg5   Kf7           29   gxf6   gxf6           30   Rh1   Kg7           31   Rb1   Kf7           32   Rb5   Rc7           33   Rb8   Re7           34   Rh8   Kg6           35   Rf8   Rf7           36   Rg8+   Kh7           37   Rd8   Kg6           38   Rd6   Re7           39   Rc6   Kf7           40   Rxc5   Rd7           41   Rc6   f5           42   Ke3   Re7           43   Kf4   Rd7           44   Rc5   Rd8           45   Rb5   Rd7           46   a6   Kg6           47   Ke5   Re7           48   Rb7   Re8           49   Rxa7   Bf7+           50   Kd4   Rxe2           51   a4   Re6           52   Kc5   Be8           53   Rg7+   Kh6           54   a7   Ra6           55   Re7   Rc6+           56   Kb4   Rc8           57   Rb7   Ra8           58   Rb8   Bc6   59 Rb6