A major chess tournament organized by the Azerbaijani Baku, the World Cup, is coming to an end. It lasts almost an entire month, with 103 athletes taking part in the women’s section of the competition, with the top three qualifying for the 2024 Candidates Tournament. Russian chess player Alexandra Goryachkina was seeded second, so they could safely be expected. high results from it. And she did not disappoint.
Sasha missed the first round, and in the second, third and fourth he won with the same score 1.5:0.5 against opponents from Cuba, India and Georgia. In the quarterfinals, the Indian opponent put up a great fight, but ended up being beaten too: 4.5:3.5. In the semifinals, the Russian woman faced the sixth seed from China: 1.5:0.5.
Photo source: FIDE
In the other half of the grid, almost all the favorites were eliminated, so many expected the Ukrainian Anna Muzychuk to beat the Bulgarian Nurgul Salimova, and then in the final we would all face a Russian-Ukrainian showdown, but that was not it. the case. The 29th seed, Salimova, faced her opponent and reached the final. This, perhaps, is for the best, since the decisive duel is itself a tense event, so it would be superfluous to add additional tension and subtexts here. The battle for the World Cup risked turning into a political confrontation, which would only interfere with the sports component.
The first batch was extremely tense. Goryachkina played white, but as a result, he had to put up with a difficult defense. In the “one pawn up against an underdeveloped kingside” position, the Bulgarian was better oriented. At the same time, any mistake could be fatal for both rivals. Salimova had the initiative and could hardly lose this game. But it was quite possible to catch a fish in the murky waters of the endgame.
But gradually the Bulgarian chess player began to seriously limit time. It wasn’t a “flag” in this case, but he didn’t have much time to think. So, when Salimova and Goryachkina crossed the thirty-move mark, after which, according to the tournament rules, it is already possible to officially offer a draw, it became clear that if someone did not do something irreparable in the next few minutes, the game would end in a draw. So in the end it happened. Goryachkina’s thirty-third move was the last in the first part of this matchup.
Photo source: FIDE
Tomorrow, the opponents will have the second game, in which White’s advantage will already be with the Bulgarians. If the winner is not revealed there, the fate of the title will be decided by a tiebreaker. Thanks to their arrival in the final, both players have already secured their place in the Candidates Tournament. But the World Cup will only receive the strongest. The meeting place cannot be changed: Baku, 14:00 Moscow time, Alexandra Goryachkina vs. Nurgul Salimova.
