The Women’s FIDE Grand Prix Series concludes in Gibraltar. The last chess tournament in the series, a 12-player round robin, runs from May 22 to June 2, 2021. The two players who score the most cumulative points in the Grand Prix series qualify for the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament, which determines the next Challenger to the Women’s World Chess Champion.
The website for the Women’s FIDE Grand Prix Series is https://wgp2019.fide.com/. Commentary is available on Twitch or on YouTube, where the broadcasts are archived. The following two positions are from round 3 of the Gibraltar tournament.
Former Women’s World Chess Champion and Grandmaster Antoaneta Stefanova had been pressing, in an equal position, to win as Black. After Stefanova over-pressed, International Master and Woman Grandmaster Irina Bulmaga had a nice move to end the game. White to move.
Click/tap to reveal the solution
57.Nf6 $1 b5
(57… Nxf6 58. Kxf6 b5 59. axb5+ Kc5 60. b6 Kxb6 61. h6 White’s pawn promotes first.)
58. axb5+ Kxb5 59. Nxg8 a4 60. h6 a3 61. h7 1-0
By the end of round 3, International Master and Woman Grandmaster Zhansaya Abdumalik was one of the two tournament leaders—the other was Grandmaster Kateryna Lagno—with 2½ of 3. Abdumalik was lucky to draw in round 3, as she was two pawns behind against International Master and Woman Grandmaster Gunay Mammadzada. Can you find Abdumalik’s resource, as White, to draw the game?
Click/tap to reveal the solution
52. Nxa4 Rxa4
(52… bxa4 53. Kc3 Wins Black’s bishop and the rook-and-pawn endgame is equal.)
53. Rxa4 bxa4 54. Kc2 1/2-1/2
The players agreed to a draw. The pawn is the “wrong color” and White will put her king in the a1-corner to draw this game.
