Chinese Championships 2011

This year GM Hou Yifan, the reigning women's world chess champion who won her title in December, 2010, is competing in the Championship (not the Women's Championship, which is a separate event).  So far, so good for Hou, who is holding her own against some tough male competition.  Good for her, glad to see it.  Hou was not able to pull a Polgar and finish in the top three (as GM Judit Polgar did in the recently-concluded European Individual Chess Championship), but her 5th place finish is VERY creditable given the competition.

Hou's women's champion title will be put on the line later this year, presumably (has a sponor been found for the Women's Championship Match???), in a match with GM Koneru Humpy, who won the right to challenge earlier this year by her finish in the Women's Grand Prix events.  Koneru is ordinarily a formidable opponent but for some reason she seems to have developed a bad case of the chess yips when playing Hou.  Will she be able to over come the yips and play the kind of chess I know she's capable of?  Stay tuned.

Here are the final standings in the Chinese Chess Championships courtesy of The Week in Chess:

ch-CHN 2011 Xinghua Jiangsu (CHN), 30 iii-10 iv 2011															cat. XV (2609)
					1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2
1.	Ding, Liren	g	CHN	2637	*	1	½	½	½	1	½	1	1	1	1	1	9	2868
2.	Ni, Hua	g	CHN	2646	0	*	½	1	1	½	1	0	1	1	0	1	7	2707
3.	Zhou, Jianchao	g	CHN	2660	½	½	*	½	½	½	1	0	½	1	1	1	7	2706
4.	Zhao, Jun	g	CHN	2580	½	0	½	*	½	0	½	1	1	1	1	1	7	2713
5.	Hou, Yifan	g	CHN	2602	½	0	½	½	*	½	1	½	½	½	1	½	6	2645
6.	Wang, Yue	g	CHN	2734	0	½	½	1	½	*	0	½	0	½	1	1	5½	2597
7.	Yu, Yangyi	g	CHN	2652	½	0	0	½	0	1	*	½	½	½	1	1	5½	2604
8.	Li, Chao b	g	CHN	2646	0	1	1	0	½	½	½	*	½	0	0	1	5	2569
9.	Bu, Xiangzhi	g	CHN	2677	0	0	½	0	½	1	½	½	*	0	1	1	5	2566
10.	Xiu, Deshun		CHN	2508	0	0	0	0	½	½	½	1	1	*	½	½	4½	2552
11.	Li, Shilong	g	CHN	2520	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	½	*	1	3½	2483
12.	Zhang, Ziyang	m	CHN	2442	0	0	0	0	½	0	0	0	0	½	0	*	1	2240

I am shocked to see Wang Yue and Bu Xiangzhi, seasoned veterans on the international circuit, in such lowly positions!  And Ding Liren (who?) with a performance rating of over 2800.  Wow.  Who is this dude? 

On the women's side of the table, here are their final standings:

ch-CHN w 2011 Xinghua Jiangsu (CHN), 30 iii-10 iv 2011															cat. VI (2382)
					1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2
1.	Zhang, Xiaowen	wg	CHN	2344	*	1	½	½	1	½	1	1	½	½	1	1	8½	2596
2.	Zhao, Xue	g	CHN	2495	0	*	½	1	1	1	1	0	1	1	½	1	8	2547
3.	Wang, Jue		CHN	2275	½	½	*	½	0	0	1	½	1	1	½	1	6½	2457
4.	Wang, Yu A.	m	CHN	2398	½	0	½	*	½	½	0	½	1	1	1	1	6½	2446
5.	Tan, Zhongyi	wg	CHN	2428	0	0	1	½	*	0	1	½	½	1	1	1	6½	2443
6.	Ju, Wenjun	wg	CHN	2519	½	0	1	½	1	*	0	½	½	0	1	1	6	2406
7.	Guo, Qi		CHN	2331	0	0	0	1	0	1	*	1	½	1	½	1	6	2423
8.	Huang, Qian	wg	CHN	2394	0	1	½	½	½	½	0	*	½	1	½	0	5	2345
9.	Shen, Yang	wg	CHN	2443	½	0	0	0	½	½	½	½	*	0	1	1	4½	2311
10.	Gu, Xiaobing	wg	CHN	2369	½	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	*	½	1	4	2281
11.	Ding, Yixin	wg	CHN	2376	0	½	½	0	0	0	½	½	0	½	*	1	3½	2250
12.	Xu, Tong	wm	CHN	2217	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	*	1	2014

Looks like Wang Ju (finished in 3rd place) is ready for prime time, and Xu Tong (finished in 12th place) is not.  I wonder if Ju Wenjun and Shen Yang will be demoted now?  I would have expected either of them to win.  It will be interesting to see what the Chinese authorities do.