| India’s Koneru Humpy |
India’s most talented woman chess player and current world #3 Koneru Humpy beat reigning women’s rapid chess champion and former women’s world chess champion, Antoaneta Stefanova in Round 8. At the press conference, Humpy said, “I played this Panov variation for the first time in my life. I was not sure what I shall do after b5. If I take Nb5 black will play Rb8 and will have some counter play and compensation for the pawn. I think my opponent should have played 19…Nf6 instead of 19…Rd8 because after d6 and Nd5 I got a better position. It was clear there are some exact moves which lead to a win after 28. Qd3 h5 but I didn’t find anything better than 29.Rc3 and 30.Rc1. after 32.Rf8 it was lost for black.”
Koneru, Humpy (2589) – Stefanova, Antoaneta (2518)
[...] 1.c4 c6 2.e4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.d4 ¤f6 5.¤c3 g6 6.£b3 ¥g7 7.cxd5 O-O 8.¥e2 ¤a6 9.¥f3 b5 10.a3 ¦b8 11.¥f4 ¦b6 12.¤ge2 ¥f5 13.¦d1 £d7 14.O-O ¦c8 15.¦c1 ¦c4 16.£a2 ¥g4 17.¥xg4 ¤xg4 18.b3 ¦c8 19.£d2 ¦d8 20.d6 exd6 21.¤d5 ¦b7 22.£a5 ¤b8 23.h3 ¦e8 24.hxg4 ¦xe2 25.¥e3 h6 26.£c3 £xg4 27.b4 g5 28.£d3 h5 29.¦c3 ¤d7 30.¦fc1 ¤f8 31.¦c8 h4 32.¦xf8+ ¢xf8 33.£xe2 £e6 34.¤c3 ¦c7 35.£f1 a6 36.¤e2 ¦xc1 37.£xc1 f5 38.d5 £xd5 39.¥xg5 ¢g8 40.¥xh4 £e4 41.¤f4 d5 42.¥g5 d4 43.£c8+ ¢h7 44.£e6 d3 45.£g6+ ¢h8 46.¥f6 ¥xf6 47.£xf6+ ¢g8 48.£d8+ ¢g7 49.¤xd3
