My apologies for not getting the news to you yesterday - I was still celebrating the Lombardi Trophy coming back to it's true home - Green Bay, WISCONSIN!!!! GO PACK GO! As I'm watching a special celebration on television that was held earlier today at WAY BELOW ZERO Lambeau Field, I'm touched by the obvious dedication of the fans who turned out and PACKED Lambeau (they paid a nominal $5 per ticket for entry) to watch a parade of politicians trying to shine in reflected glory, and the main event, THE PLAYERS, THE COACH, AND DOM CAPERS, THE MOST WONDERFUL SUPER-HUMAN ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH - EVER.
Okay - enough, Jan, enough! Back to the Moscow Open. Here are the final standings for the ladies in the "B" Group, which was the "Round Robin Tournament for Young Grandmasters - Women:"
And the WINNER is: GM ALEXANDRA KOSTENIUK, on tie-breaks, with 7.0/9.
Final standings for all the various groups here.
Interview with GM Alexandra Kosteniuk - some interesting news revealed:
– Congratulations, Alexandra! What are your emotions now? – The most positive – it’s always a pleasure to win a tournament. Moreover I haven’t won individuals for a while.
– Was it hard to chase the leader? – Yes, it was not easy after my failure in the second round. Munguntuul played very well and almost didn’t lose points. I reached her only before the final round when I was tired as resulted in the last game. But all is well that ends well.
– Is there something special for you when you play in Russia? – At home even the walls help. I had a lot of good tournaments in Moscow – starting with the World Championships among Women 2001. I love playing here and the result shows some positive influence of my native city.
– Did you believe in your victory? – I wouldn’t say that I believed or thought about it. Of course I wanted to play good. There was a moment in the tournament when I improved my play and won several difficult games. But thoughts about the outcome appeared only by the end of the final game.
– What can you say about your future tournaments or work in FIDE? – I already finished my work in FIDE. Right during the tournament I informed FIDE commission about my decision. Mostly I did it because this year I want to practice and play more serious and it’s hard to combine all these activities. Beside my professional career I’m also a mother which is obviously difficult, so trying to be a community worker in addition is almost impossible.
I have lots of plans for this year but they are all about chess. I take part in «Aeroflot Open» in a few days then Russian Team Championship, and then I hope to be nominated from Russia to FIDE Grand Prix. After that I plan to participate in two team competitions – European Championship and World Championship. In the near future I will be seen at the board fairly often.
Okay - enough, Jan, enough! Back to the Moscow Open. Here are the final standings for the ladies in the "B" Group, which was the "Round Robin Tournament for Young Grandmasters - Women:"
№ | Name | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Total | Place |
1 | Fominykh, Maria | 1/2 | 0 | 0 | 1/2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 8 | |
2 | Girya, Olga | 1/2 | 1/2 | 0 | 1/2 | 0 | 1/2 | 1 | 1 | 1/2 | 4,5 | 5 | |
3 | Kosteniuk, Alexandra | 1 | 1/2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1/2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | I | |
4 | Gunina, Valentina | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1/2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5,5 | 4 | |
5 | Galoyan, Lilit | 1/2 | 1/2 | 0 | 0 | 1/2 | 0 | 1 | 1/2 | 3,5 | 7 | ||
6 | Zawadzka, Jolanta | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1/2 | 1/2 | 0 | 0 | 1/2 | 1/2 | 4 | 6 | |
7 | Munguntuul, Batkhuyag | 1 | 1/2 | 1/2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | II | |
8 | Ambartsumova, Karina | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 10 | |
9 | Kashlinskaya, Alina | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1/2 | 1/2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 9 | |
10 | Zhao Xue | 1 | 1/2 | 0 | 1 | 1/2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5,5 | III |
And the WINNER is: GM ALEXANDRA KOSTENIUK, on tie-breaks, with 7.0/9.
Final standings for all the various groups here.
Interview with GM Alexandra Kosteniuk - some interesting news revealed:
Alexandra KOSTENIUK: ALL IS WELL THAT ENDS WELL
Alexandra Kosteniuk, former world champion was the main favorite to win the Young Grandmaster Tournament among women. That’s why it was harder for her to affirm her status and win the first place. Alexandra shared her impressions on completing the closing ceremony of Moscow Open 2011.– Congratulations, Alexandra! What are your emotions now? – The most positive – it’s always a pleasure to win a tournament. Moreover I haven’t won individuals for a while.
– Was it hard to chase the leader? – Yes, it was not easy after my failure in the second round. Munguntuul played very well and almost didn’t lose points. I reached her only before the final round when I was tired as resulted in the last game. But all is well that ends well.
– Is there something special for you when you play in Russia? – At home even the walls help. I had a lot of good tournaments in Moscow – starting with the World Championships among Women 2001. I love playing here and the result shows some positive influence of my native city.
– Did you believe in your victory? – I wouldn’t say that I believed or thought about it. Of course I wanted to play good. There was a moment in the tournament when I improved my play and won several difficult games. But thoughts about the outcome appeared only by the end of the final game.
– What can you say about your future tournaments or work in FIDE? – I already finished my work in FIDE. Right during the tournament I informed FIDE commission about my decision. Mostly I did it because this year I want to practice and play more serious and it’s hard to combine all these activities. Beside my professional career I’m also a mother which is obviously difficult, so trying to be a community worker in addition is almost impossible.
I have lots of plans for this year but they are all about chess. I take part in «Aeroflot Open» in a few days then Russian Team Championship, and then I hope to be nominated from Russia to FIDE Grand Prix. After that I plan to participate in two team competitions – European Championship and World Championship. In the near future I will be seen at the board fairly often.
