2011 Women's World Chess Championship Match

Hola darlings!

Wouldn't you know it.  I thought maybe it was just my allergies acting up over the weekend, but Saturday night I ended up sleeping sitting up in the recliner in the family room and Sunday morning my throat felt horrid; after I gargled it felt better, and then didn't bother me all day.  This morning, worse.  It's been scratchy all day and my sinuses are draining down the back of my throat as well as drip, drip, dripping constantly into an always-in-hand tissue.  Argggh!  A cold!  I knew it when I started feeling worse at the office as the morning wore on, so those aches and pains and that feeling cold -- it's a fever, Jan!  Duh!  It's not the flu, I had a shot and I'm sure it's not that.  So, at noon I went to Walgreens and got some Cold Eze and some Day Quil.  I hope I've caught it soon enough with the Cold Eze so that the zinc will moderate the symptoms and duration of the cold - we'll see.  I'm travelling in three days, I don't want to be feeling sick!  But the truth is right now I'm feeling poorly and all I want to do is go to bed.

Speaking of feeling sick, Hou Yifan was rushed to a hospital yesterday evening when she experienced stomach pains.  She was checked out -- nothing could be discovered -- and it was determined that it was most likely stress-related.  She was in form today.  She defeated Koneru Humpy in Game 6 and now holds a commanding 2 point lead with only 4 games remaining in the match. 

I'm glad she was able to rebound to play good chess.  But I'm absolutely dismayed that at 17 she is so stressed out by the events in her life/this competition that she's experiencing stomach pains strong enough to send her to a hospital.  I think that's awful.  I can't help but wonder, will Hou Yifan be the chess equivalent of figure skating's Kim Yuna? 

Here's the game from R6.  Tomorrow the ladies have a rest day, and it seems both of them need it badly.  I sure do hope the organizers just let them alone!  Let them stay in their rooms and rest and meet with their people rather than prancing them around like fillies on display.  Geez!

Information from The Week in Chess:

GM Koneru, Humpy (2600) - GM Hou, Yifan (2578)
WCh w Tirana ALB (6), 2011.11.21

1.d4 e6 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Bb4 5.Qa4+ Nc6 6.e3 O-O 7.Bd2 dxc4 8.Bxc4 Bd6 9.Qc2 a6 10.a3 e5 11.dxe5 Nxe5 12.Nxe5 Bxe5 13.f4 Bxc3 14.Bxc3 Qe7 15.O-O Qxe3+ 16.Kh1 Qb6 17.f5 Bd7 18.Bb4 Rfe8 19.Rad1 Qc6 20.Qb3 Kh8 21.Rc1 Qb6 22.Bxf7 Re5 23.Bc3 Qxb3 24.Bxb3 Re3 25.Bc4 Rae8 26.Bd4 R3e7 27.Ba2 Re2 28.Bf7 R8e7 29.Bc4 R2e4 30.Bc5 Re8 31.Bf7 R8e5 32.Ba2 Bc6 33.Rg1 Re2 34.Bd4 Rxf5 35.Bc4 Rd2 36.Bc3 Ne4 37.Rge1 Ng3+ 38.hxg3 Rh5+ 0-1