Aphrodite Image Upsets Some - Diplomats!

Oh for goddess' sake - this political correctness stuff is getting ridiculous.  You can be sure that Muslims and anyone else who might be "offended" by a passport that contains an image of a priceless work of art aren't concerned, in their turn, about offending westerners with their views, practices and beliefs.

From Reuters as reported at Yahoo News
Goddess of Love emerges into foaming Cypriot row
– Thu Dec 23, 6:13 am ET


This lovely Aphrodite is called the
Aphrodite of Rhodes and is housed
in the Archaeological Museum of Rhodes.
She is depicted as wringing the sea water
out of her hair on the beach after her
birth from the foam of the waves.

 NICOSIA (Reuters Life!) – She may be the ancient Greek Goddess of Love, but a picture of a nude Aphrodite on the new passport of Cyprus has set more than hearts racing.

Cypriot diplomats are furious with the interior ministry for failing to consult with the foreign ministry before issuing passports with a depiction of a naked immortal that might offend conservative foreign cultures.

"They are worried that civilians and diplomats could get into trouble, particularly traveling to very conservative Islamic countries," the authoritative Phileleftheros daily newspaper wrote on Thursday.

The interior ministry said it was too late to change them, the newspaper said.

Local legend says Aphrodite (also known as Venus to the ancient Romans) emerged from the sea on a crest of foam just off the Mediterranean island.

The image on the new biometric passports is modeled on a Greek marble statue of a completely naked Aphrodite in the Cyprus Museum located in the capital Nicosia.

(Writing by Michele Kambas, editing by Paul Casciato)

Abuses in China's Official Population Control Policy

Gee, ya think?

From The New York Times [Excerpted]
Abuses Cited in Enforcing China Policy of One Child
By ANDREW JACOBS
Published: December 21, 2010

BEIJING — Thirty years after it introduced some of the world’s most sweeping population-control measures, the Chinese government continues to use a variety of coercive family planning tactics, from financial penalties for households that violate the restrictions to the forced sterilization of women who have already had one child, according to a report issued by a human rights group.

The report, published Tuesday by Chinese Human Rights Defenders, documents breadwinners who lose their jobs after the birth of a second child, campaigns that reward citizens for reporting on the reproductive secrets of their neighbors and expectant mothers dragged into operating rooms for late-term abortions.

Not uncommon, according to the report, are the experiences of women like Li Hongmei, 24, a factory employee from Anhui Province who was at home recovering from the birth of her daughter when a dozen men employed by the local government carried her off to a hospital for a tubal ligation. “I promised I would have the surgery when I got better but they didn’t care,” Ms. Li said in a telephone interview. “I screamed and tried to fight them off but it was no use.”

Although most of the abuses documented in the report are not new, its authors are seeking to highlight the darker side of birth-control restrictions at a time when the public debate has largely focused on whether China’s family-planning policy has been too successful for its own good. This year as the nation marked the 30th anniversary of the so-called one-child policy, officials have been praising such measures for preventing 400 million births. A smaller population, they argue, has helped fuel China’s astounding economic growth by reducing the demands on food production, education and medical care.

Some demographers, however, argue that plummeting fertility rates and a rapidly aging population are reasons enough to ease the rules. Sociologists fret about the surfeit of unmarried men — the result of selective abortions that favor sons — and the demands on only children forced to care for elderly parents.

As the report makes clear, China’s family-planning policies are unevenly applied and replete with exceptions. The rich simply pay the fines levied on those who ignore the restrictions, and some middle-class women have gotten around the rules by traveling overseas to give birth to a second child. Millions of couples refuse to register their newborns with the authorities, although that approach leaves such children ineligible for an array of social benefits, including a free education.

The policy is also not as all encompassing as many believe. Parents who themselves were raised in single-child families are allowed to have a second baby, as are many rural residents if their first is a girl. Ethnic minorities in some places, like Tibet and Xinjiang, can have as many as four children.

The worst abuses, the report says, take place in small towns and in rural areas, where a point system rewards or punishes local officials based on their ability to meet quotas. In many places, the revenues earned through fines on scofflaws, known as “social maintenance fees,” feed an entrenched bureaucracy.

In Jiangsu Province, parents who give birth to an “out of quota” child can be fined four times the average annual per capita income of the area. Other fines are imposed on women who miss regular gynecological exams or fail to undergo surgery for an intrauterine device. In one city in Hunan Province, the authorities collected $1.8 million in fines between July and September, according to government figures.

He Yafu, an independent demographer who has studied family-planning regulations for two decades, said one of the biggest obstacles to changes in the policy are county and township governments. “It’s become a huge vehicle for officials to collect money,” he said. “In some localities, the budget relies almost entirely on such fines.”

The report cites a number of recent cases that have wiggled through the media controls that normally filter out stories about family planning excesses. Last April, more than 1,300 people in Puning city, in Guangdong Province, were held hostage in government buildings in an effort to force women who had had a second child to undergo sterilization. The detainees, it turned out, were mostly elderly people whose daughters had left town to evade family planning restrictions. The campaign was so effective, according to a government Web site, that 3,000 sterilizations had been carried out by the fall.

Zhang Jing contributed research.

2010 Women's World Chess Championship - Final Between Hou and Ruan

Game 4 - Ruan wins.  Summary from official website:

Ruan Lufei won the fourth game of the final match and used her last chance to equalize the score! Playing with white pieces she chose an active continuation called Keres attack in Sicilian defense.

Tomorrow the last tie-break will be played at 12 a.m. It will consist of the 4 rapid games. 2 blitz games will follow if the score will be still equal. If it’s not enough to determine a World Champion the match will be decided in Armageddon. During the World Championship Ruan Lufei had already played in five tie-breaks while Hou Yifan had participated in only one (in the match with Zhu Chen).
Short (very short) interview with Ruan Lufei at official website:

“I have an opportunity which I got for free”

Anastasia Karlovich- Congratulations with your victory today. Please tell how did you manage to win? Did you feel any pressure during the game?

Lufei Ruan- Before the last game I thought I don’t have much chance and I thought she would win or maybe it would be a draw. I thought I only need to play, just to play it. If I have chance I’ll take it if I don’t have chance than just a joy of the game is ok. Anyway I’m satisfied with my result here now…  I’m satisfied even if I’m on the second place.

A.K- What about tomorrow tie-breaks. You won all previous matches in tie-breaks, so what is your feeling before the last one?

L.R- Hou Yifan is a very good rapid player, so she has good chances. I think she should have won the match today, so I still have options tomorrow. I have an opportunity which I get for free and I just want to play.

Neither snow, nor heat, nor wind, nor rain...

Can keep chessplayers from playing -



LAGUNA BEACH, CA - Two men take advantage of a break in the rain to play chess under umbrellas along the beach in downtown Laguna Beach. The downtown area was closed by up to 4 feet of storm runoff, which receded but left streets awash in mud. AP Photo/Denis Poroy.

This photo is from Laguna Beach, California, part of California that has been and continues to be pummeted by fierce rain and wind storms.  The same thing has happened from time immemorial, but people are still allowed to build houses on stilts over-looking ocean views, and every year those houses get swept away in landslides and mudslides when the rains come.  But chessplayers near the beach - hey, all is cool.  A typhoon could blow in and wouldn't disturb a fierce game in progress...

Philippines WFM Wins Bronze Medal

From Philstar.com
Pinay chesser wins bronze in Asian chess in Malaysia
(The Philippine Star) Updated December 23, 2010 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines - Woman Fide Master (WFM) Rulp Ylem Jose bagged a bronze medal in the 2010 Grand Asian Chess Championship (GACC) at the University of Malaya (UM) Second College in Kuala Lumpur Tuesday.

Jose, a member of the reigning UAAP champion Far Eastern U chess team under Grandmaster Jayson Gonzales, drew with WFM Jeslin Tay of Singapore in the ninth and final round to finish third with seven points.

The gold medal went to WGM Vera Nolsina (8pts) of Russia while the silver was won by WIM Ekaterina Kharashuta (7.5 points), also of Russia.

Four FEU players – WFM Jedara Docena, Lovelyn Medina, Jenny Rose Palomo and Rona Reigner Senora – made it to the top 10 in this annual event which attracted 43 players from six nations including Russia, Singapore, Iran, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and the Philippines.

The event, open to undergraduates from all over the globe, was held in cooperation with the Rakan Muda under the auspices of Malaysian Chess Federation (MCF).

National Chess Federation of the Philippines president-chairman Prospero “Butch” Pichay lauded the Filipino chessers for the honor and glory they brought to the country.

“The success of the Filipino chess players in the international competition would somehow inspire Filipino youths to venture into this sport,” said Pichay, also head of the Local Waterworks and Utilities Authority.

In the men’s competitions, which drew 93 participants, IM Darban Morteza (8 points) took the gold and Nasri Amin (7.5) of Iran the silver, while GM Pavel Maletin of Russia won the bronze medal after a superior tiebreak over fellow seven-pointer and countryman FM Yvan Dzhumagaliev. . . . The FEU chess team’s Malaysian stint was supported by FEU president Anton Montinola, FEU athletic director Mark Molina and Pichay.

Ruan Lufei Attends American College

Imagine that.

From The Pittsburgh Tribune Review
CMU student aims to be chess queen
By Craig Smith
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, December 22, 2010

A Carnegie Mellon University doctoral student is hoping to return to Pittsburgh as the women's world chess champion -- if she can play David to her opponent's Goliath.

Lufei Ruan, 23, a student at Carnegie Mellon's Tepper School of Business who is playing for China, beat Xue Zhao, also of China, to reach the finals at the world championships in Hatay, Turkey, on Saturday. She's playing another Chinese player, Hou Yifan, 16, for the title this week.

Their first match Monday ended in a draw, which some observers count as a good sign for Ruan. But Yifan struck back Tuesday and led in the four-game match.

"Her nerves are very good," Alexander Shabalov, a four-time U.S. chess champion who lives in Squirrel Hill, said of Ruan, who defeated defending champion Alexandra Kosteniuk on her way to the finals. Ruan declined to be interviewed.

Strong nerves are needed in the high-stakes game, said Carnegie Mellon doctoral student Iryna Zenyuk, 24, a women's international master from Ukraine.

According to World Chess Federation rankings, Yifan is No. 3 in the world with 2,591 points; Ruan is rated No. 21 with 2,480 points.

"I would say Ruan is probably considered the underdog," said chessmaster Jerry Meyers, scholastic director of the Pittsburgh Chess Club in Squirrel Hill. "(Yifan) is young, but she's amazed a lot of people."

"She really has done the Cinderella story," chessmaster Bruce Leverett of Mt. Lebanon said about Ruan. "Yifan is one of the top prodigies in the world in either sex."

Although Pittsburgh counts other chess champions among its residents, Leverett said it's rare to have this kind of talent in the city. Hans Berliner came to Pittsburgh, for example, after winning his correspondence world championship.

"It doesn't happen. ... She's the second-strongest player (behind Shabalov) in Pittsburgh now," Leverett said of Ruan.

Ruan leads the Carnegie Mellon team that plays in the Pittsburgh league, Zenyuk said.

2010 Women's World Chess Championship - Final Between Hou and Ruan

Game 3 today - a draw.  Game 4 tomorrow.  Ruan needs a win to force rapid and, if necessary, blitz games to determine the title.  A draw tomorrow gives the title to Hou.

Here is the summary from the offical website:

The third game of the match was drawn, therefore Hou Yifan lost her chance to finish the match today. For the second time in the match Ruan Lufei, playing Black, chose Caro-Kann. She managed to win a pawn but could not implement it into more in the ending with the opposite color bishops and rooks. Then Black decided to transform the position into the ending with 3 pawns and a bishop against a pawn and a rook of White. Despite an advantage she didn`t succeed to win those ending and could not equalize the score in the match.  Tomorrow Ruan Lufei plays with white pieces. She needs to gain a full point in order to balance a score and let the match to be decided in tie-breaks.

2010 Women's World Chess Championship - Final Between Hou and Ruan

First game - draw.

Second game, Hou won with the black pieces.

Summary from the official website:  Hou Yifan won the second game of the final. Playing with black pieces, she defeated her compatriot Ruan Lufei. After the opening Ruan Lufei got comfortable position and could create some problems for the opponent. Instead she decided to enter the ending which was better for the Black. Hou Yifan got two extra pawns and didn’t give any chance for her opponent in the rook ending.  Tomorrow Hou Yifan has white pieces. The match will be finished in her favor If she wins the third game of the final. 

Bansko Grand Chess Open 2010

Official Website.
December 12 - 19, 2010, Bansko, Bulgaria (116 players).
Information from official website and Susan Polgar's chess blog.

Final Ranking after 9 Rounds (Top finishers)

Rk.		Name	FED	RtgI	Pts.	TB1	TB2	TB3
1	GM	Grigoryan Avetik	ARM	2580	8,0	40,0	52,0	7
2	IM	Nabaty Tamir	ISR	2529	7,5	41,5	53,5	6
3	IM	Grigorov Grigor	BUL	2479	7,0	38,5	48,5	6
4	GM	Cheparinov Ivan	BUL	2668	6,5	41,5	54,0	4
5	GM	Mastrovasilis Athanasios	GRE	2556	6,5	41,0	51,5	6
6	IM	Dobrev Nanko	BUL	2376	6,5	41,0	50,5	6
7		Korobkov Piotr	UKR	2484	6,5	40,0	52,0	6
8	IM	Arnaudov G Petar	BUL	2468	6,5	39,5	51,0	5
9	GM	Danielsen Henrik	ISL	2516	6,5	39,0	49,0	5
10	IM	Zaslavsky Mikhail	ISR	2424	6,5	37,5	47,0	5
11	GM	Savchenko Boris	RUS	2632	6,0	44,5	57,0	4
12	GM	Georgiev Vladimir	MKD	2582	6,0	43,0	55,0	5
13	GM	Petrov Marijan	BUL	2534	6,0	42,5	53,0	4
14	GM	Nikolaidis Ioannis	GRE	2552	6,0	40,0	52,0	4
15		Strelnikov Sergey	UKR	2419	6,0	38,5	48,0	5
16	IM	Berbatov Kiprian	BUL	2461	6,0	37,5	47,0	4
17	FM	Kukov Velislav	BUL	2355	6,0	37,0	47,0	5
18	IM	Collas Silvia	FRA	2300	6,0	36,0	44,5	5
19	IM	Ashwin Jayaram	IND	2420	6,0	35,0	45,0	5
20	IM	Dimitrov Radoslav	BUL	2410	6,0	35,0	44,0	4
21	FM	Velchev Hristo	BUL	2322	6,0	34,0	43,0	5

31

WIM

Videnova Iva

BUL

2269

5,5

34,0

45,5

5

38

WIM

Pavlidou Ekaterini

GRE

2188

5,0

36,0

44,0

4

42

WIM

Nikolova Adriana

BUL

2328

5,0

34,0

44,5

4

44 IM Gvetadze Sopio GEO 2350 5,0 34,0 44,0 5
55 Grapsa Georgia GRE 2060 4,5 34,0 43,5 3
62 Bozilov Novica SRB 2030 4,5 29,0 36,5 2
72 Shivacheva Donika BUL 1690 4,0 28,5 38,0 3
75 Tabakova Elena BUL 0 4,0 26,5 34,5 3
78 Charpidou Anna GRE 1686 4,0 24,0 32,0 4
81 Atanasova Elitsa BUL 1748 3,5 30,5 39,5 3
84 Hatzipanteli Theodora GRE 1579 3,5 28,0 36,0 3
89 Antova Gabriela BUL 0 3,5 25,5 34,0 3
96 Najdenova Jana BUL 1466 3,0 26,0 34,0 3
106 Petkova Nadezhda BUL 0 2,0 26,0 32,5 2
109 Petkova Lilia BUL 0 2,0 17,5 24,0 2

2010 European Blitz and Rapid Chess Championships

Sponsored by insurance giant MetLife Amplico, in Warsaw, Poland.  There was great local support for the Championships.

The Blitz Championship was held December 17, 2010.  There were 348 (!) registered players.  Here are the final standings for the top finishers (partial table from The Week in Chess coverage):

European Blitz Warsaw POL Fri 17th Dec 2010 - Fri 17th Dec 2010 Leading Final Round 13 Standings:
Rk	SNo	Name	Ti	FED	Rtg	Pts	MBch	Bch	TB1	TB2
1	7	Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime	GM	FRA	2703	22.0	192.50	226.50	10	156.5
2	1	Ivanchuk, Vassily	GM	UKR	2764	20.0	179.00	213.00	10	140.5
3	2	Ponomariov, Ruslan	GM	UKR	2744	19.5	192.50	226.00	8	147.5
4	5	Movsesian, Sergei	GM	SVK	2721	18.5	186.50	220.50	7	133.5
5	3	Gashimov, Vugar	GM	AZE	2733	18.5	184.50	210.00	8	138.0
6	19	Edouard, Romain	GM	FRA	2636	18.5	177.50	213.50	8	132.0
7	17	Fridman, Daniel	GM	GER	2645	18.0	185.50	222.00	9	141.5
8	13	Rublevsky, Sergei	GM	RUS	2678	18.0	183.00	217.00	6	138.0
9	15	Inarkiev, Ernesto	GM	RUS	2667	18.0	179.00	214.50	7	139.0
10	18	Mchedlishvili, Mikheil	GM	GEO	2637	18.0	173.50	207.50	7	129.0
11	10	Polgar, Judit	GM	HUN	2686	18.0	170.00	196.00	7	134.0
12	22	Lysyj, Igor	GM	RUS	2627	18.0	166.50	196.50	8	127.5
13	14	Moiseenko, Alexander	GM	UKR	2670	18.0	163.50	190.00	9	124.0

Judit Polgar has always been an excellent blitz player - I recall reading in several books written about and by them that the Polgar sisters practically cut their eye-teeth playing casual blitz games against top players invited to the Polgar home in Hungary.

Other chess femmes also participated in the blitz championship:

67 67 WGM Kochetkova, Julia SVK 2311 15.5
71 71 WGM Rogule, Laura LAT 2362 15.5
113 113 IM Dworakowska, Joanna POL 2334 14.5
121 121 GM Socko, Monika POL 2495 14.0
134 134 WGM Doluhanova, Evgeniya UKR 2266 13.5
136 136 WGM Sudakova, Irina RUS 2350 13.5
140 140 WGM Cherednichenko, Svetlana UKR 2260 13.5
142 142 WGM Daulyte, Deimante LTU 2283 13.5
145 145 WGM Berzina, Ilze LAT 2318 13.5
146 146 m Cagara, Paulina POL 2045 13.5
149 149 WIM Butuc, Maria RUS 2180 13.5
154 154 WIM Krasenkova, Ilena RUS 2121 13.5
159 159 WIM Kalinina, Olga UKR 2222 13.0
163 163 WIM Bronnikova, Elizaveta RUS 2270 13.0
171 171 WIM Sirotkina, Nina RUS 2224 13.0
172 172 WFM Warakomska, Anna POL 2189 13.0
179 179 Kalinina, Marianna UKR 2031 13.0
190 190 WGM Jaracz, Barbara POL 2274 12.5
191 191 Minina, Veronika RUS 2147 12.5
192 192 I++ Ostrowska, Dominika POL 1926 12.5
195 195 k+ Skrzypczak, Anna POL 2015 12.5
198 198 WFM Iwanow, Anna POL 2111 12.0
199 199 WGM Szczepkowska-Horowska, Karina POL 2241 12.0
203 203 WFM Korchagina, Viktoria RUS 2139 12.0
205 205 Bulakh, Oleksandra UKR 2045 12.0
220 220 WFM Stangl, Anita, Dr. GER 2126 11.5
224 224 I Harazińska, Ewa POL 1767 11.5
226 226 Ivanova-Skripova, Tatiana RUS 2173 11.5
234 234 Ni, Polina LAT 1874 11.5
237 237 Cernavina, Ksenija LTU 1755 11.5
242 242 WGM Partac, Elena MDA 2101 11.0
243 243 k Chrząszcz, Malvina POL 2054 11.0
259 259 I Furman, Justyna POL 1790 11.0
274 274 I Murawko, Katarzyna POL 1751 10.5
277 277 Gravite, Julija LAT 1791 10.5
279 279 I Jaskiewicz, Kamila POL 1584 10.5
281 281 II Śliwicka, Alicja POL 0 1600 10.5
285 285 II Kucharska, Honorata POL 0 1600 10.5
293 293 I Kiołbasa, Oliwia POL 1660 9.5
294 294 I Woźniak, Mariola POL 1772 9.5
295 295 Dadello, Aleksandra POL 1734 9.5
297 297 Stetsyuk, Olga UKR 1917 9.5
301 301 II+ Kaniewska, Emilia POL 1692 9.0
306 306 IV Michalska, Aleksandra POL 0 1250 9.0
323 323 III Skowron, Agata POL 0 1400 8.0
326 326 I++ Staniszewska, Adrianna POL 1871 7.0
333 333 III Mucha, Marta POL 0 1400 3.0

My apologies to any chess femmes I missed while scrolling down the standings table.  Here is a separate table listing the female players (someone, see how accurate I was - or not, thanks.)  Judit Polgar topped that list.

GM Judit Polgar and other female players also played in the Rapid Chess Championship that took place December 18-19, 2010 (partial table from The Week in Chess):

European Rapid Warsaw POL Sat 18th Dec 2010 - Sun 19th Dec 2010 Leading Final Round 13 Standings:
Rk	SNo	Name	Ti	FED	Rtg	Pts	MBch	Bch	TB1	TB2
1	7	Almasi, Zoltan	GM	HUN	2721	10.5	100.50	119.00	8	78.5
2	1	Ivanchuk, Vassily	GM	UKR	2764	10.5	99.00	116.50	8	78.0
3	4	Gashimov, Vugar	GM	AZE	2733	10.5	98.50	115.50	9	77.5
4	14	Korobov, Anton	GM	UKR	2684	10.5	97.00	112.00	9	80.5
5	3	Shirov, Alexei	GM	ESP	2735	10.5	96.00	112.00	9	76.0
6	13	Naiditsch, Arkadij	GM	GER	2685	10.5	95.00	109.50	10	74.5
7	27	Bartel, Mateusz	GM	POL	2617	10.0	96.50	113.50	8	75.0
8	20	Mchedlishvili, Mikheil	GM	GEO	2637	10.0	96.00	112.50	9	74.5
9	15	Rublevsky, Sergei	GM	RUS	2678	10.0	96.00	112.50	8	74.0
10	24	Lysyj, Igor	GM	RUS	2627	10.0	94.00	110.00	8	74.0
11	31	Jussupow, Artur	GM	GER	2589	10.0	93.50	111.00	9	72.0
12	6	Movsesian, Sergei	GM	SVK	2721	10.0	92.50	108.00	8	71.5
13	28	Romanov, Evgeny	GM	RUS	2605	10.0	90.00	106.50	8	71.5
14	8	Jobava, Baadur	GM	GEO	2707	10.0	87.00	103.00	9	68.0
15	35	Halkias, Stelios	GM	GRE	2578	9.5	99.50	116.00	7	75.0
16	32	Andriasian, Zaven	GM	ARM	2585	9.5	99.50	114.50	8	75.5
17	19	Fridman, Daniel	GM	GER	2645	9.5	95.00	112.00	7	76.0
18	10	Riazantsev, Alexander	GM	RUS	2689	9.5	94.50	110.50	9	70.0
19	12	Polgar, Judit	GM	HUN	2686	9.5	94.00	111.00	7	70.0
20	2	Ponomariov, Ruslan	GM	UKR	2744	9.5	94.00	111.00	6	70.0
21	5	Wojtaszek, Radoslaw	GM	POL	2726	9.5	93.50	109.50	9	70.5
22	39	Gajewski, Grzegorz	GM	POL	2555	9.5	93.00	110.00	9	71.0
23	11	Bologan, Viktor	GM	MDA	2686	9.5	93.00	108.50	8	70.5
24	47	Nyzhnyk, Illya	IM	UKR	2535	9.5	92.50	109.00	8	70.0
25	38	Popov, Valerij	GM	RUS	2559	9.5	92.50	107.00	7	70.0
26	37	Zhigalko, Andrey	GM	BLR	2570	9.5	91.00	108.00	9	69.5
27	17	Inarkiev, Ernesto	GM	RUS	2667	9.5	91.00	106.00	8	71.0
28	51	Stupak, Kirill	IM	BLR	2530	9.5	90.50	108.00	9	68.5
29	23	Tkachiev, Vladislav	GM	FRA	2636	9.5	90.00	106.50	8	72.0
30	9	Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime	GM	FRA	2703	9.5	89.50	105.00	8	69.0
31	26	Krasenkow, Michal	GM	POL	2621	9.5	89.00	104.00	8	70.0
32	175	Duda, Jan-Krzysztof	FM	POL	2247	9.5	89.00	104.00	7	67.0
33	34	Moranda, Wojciech	GM	POL	2578	9.5	88.50	105.00	8	68.5
34	74	Malakhov, Igor	FM	RUS	2425	9.5	87.50	103.50	9	64.0
35	71	Okhotnik, Vladimir	IM	FRA	2428	9.5	85.50	101.50	8	65.0
36	41	Maiorov, Nikita	GM	BLR	2546	9.5	85.00	101.50	9	69.0
37	18	Socko, Bartosz	GM	POL	2660	9.5	85.00	100.00	9	63.5
38	139	Maevsky, Nikolay		RUS	2309	9.5	85.00	100.00	8	62.5
39	70	Boricsev, Oleg	IM	HUN	2429	9.5	77.00	90.50	9	55.5

Separate table of the final standings of the chess femmes who played in the Rapid Championship:

Lp.	M-ce	Nr	Tyt.	Nazwisko Imię	Fed.	Elo	Rank.	Płeć	Data ur.	Pkt.	Tie Break	MBch.	Bch.	L.Z.
1	19	12	GM	Polgar, Judit	HUN	2686	2686	K	1976- -	9.5	0.00	94.00	111.00	7
2	50	59	GM	Socko, Monika	POL	2495	2495	K	1978-03-24	9.0	0.00	90.00	106.00	8
3	62	137	WGM	Kochetkova, Julia	SVK	2311	2311	K	1981- -	9.0	0.00	76.50	89.50	8
4	87	192	WIM	Kalinina, Olga	UKR	2222	2222	K	1989- -	8.5	0.00	85.50	100.50	7
5	89	112	WGM	Majdan-Gajewska, Joanna	POL	2359	2359	K	1988-06-09	8.5	0.00	84.00	100.00	8
6	102	153	WGM	Daulyte, Deimante	LTU	2283	2283	K	1989- -	8.5	0.00	81.50	96.50	8
7	105	179	WGM	Szczepkowska-Horowska, Karina	POL	2241	2241	K	1987-10-28	8.5	0.00	81.00	94.50	7
8	107	157	WGM	Jaracz, Barbara	POL	2274	2274	K	1977-04-08	8.5	0.00	79.00	93.00	7
9	111	186		Kudzma, Laimonas	LTU	2232	2232	K	1968- -	8.5	0.00	76.50	90.00	8
10	116	171	WGM	Safranska, Anda	FRA	2250	2250	K	1960- -	8.0	0.00	88.50	104.50	6
11	130	161	WGM	Doluhanova, Evgeniya	UKR	2266	2266	K	1984- -	8.0	0.00	84.50	99.50	7
12	150	184	WIM	Toma, Katarzyna	POL	2234	2234	K	1985-09-16	8.0	0.00	78.50	92.00	7
13	151	195		Lind, Jan-Olof	SWE	2215	2215	K	1951- -	8.0	0.00	78.00	93.50	8
14	152	209		Alvarado, Carlos	PER	2190	2190	K	1975- -	8.0	0.00	77.50	92.50	7
15	156	110	WGM	Rogule, Laura	LAT	2362	2362	K	1988- -	8.0	0.00	76.00	91.50	7
16	158	172	WGM	Przezdziecka, Marta	POL	2249	2249	K	1988-05-20	8.0	0.00	74.50	88.00	7
17	161	193	WIM	Szymanska, Maria	POL	2220	2220	K	1984-08-04	8.0	0.00	73.00	85.50	8
18	163	231	WFM	Adamowicz, Katarzyna	POL	2139	2139	K	1993-01-07	8.0	0.00	70.50	84.00	6
19	183	241	WFM	Gosciniak, Maria	POL	2121	2121	K	1990-08-14	7.5	0.00	82.50	96.50	6
20	185	242	WIM	Krasenkova, Ilena	RUS	2121	2121	K	1961- -	7.5	0.00	82.00	97.00	6
21	188	201	WFM	Kulon, Klaudia	POL	2208	2208	K	1992-03-13	7.5	0.00	81.00	96.50	7
22	190	232	WFM	Korchagina, Viktoria	RUS	2139	2139	K	1992- -	7.5	0.00	81.00	94.00	7
23	191	282	k	Chrząszcz, Malvina	POL	2054	2054	K	1994-02-09	7.5	0.00	81.00	94.00	6
24	200	216	WFM	Zakościelna, Kinga	POL	2176	2176	K	1993-06-10	7.5	0.00	79.50	92.50	7
25	209	166	WGM	Cherednichenko, Svetlana	UKR	2260	2260	K	1984- -	7.5	0.00	78.50	91.50	7
26	211	214	WIM	Butuc, Maria	RUS	2180	2180	K	1993- -	7.5	0.00	77.50	92.50	7
27	216	266	k++	Nowak, Małgorzata	POL	2084	2084	K	1990-08-20	7.5	0.00	76.50	90.00	7
28	220	255	WGM	Partac, Elena	MDA	2101	2101	K	1984- -	7.5	0.00	76.00	89.50	7
29	228	225	WIM	Sarakauskiene, Zivile	LTU	2164	2164	K	1978- -	7.5	0.00	74.00	87.50	6
30	233	286	m	Cagara, Paulina	POL	2045	2045	K	1984-05-15	7.5	0.00	72.50	85.00	7
31	242	174	WIM	Mrvova, Alena	SVK	2248	2248	K	1978- -	7.0	0.00	87.00	101.00	7
32	245	118	WGM	Sudakova, Irina	RUS	2350	2350	K	1982- -	7.0	0.00	83.50	99.50	6
33	252	229		Minina, Veronika	RUS	2147	2147	K	1988- -	7.0	0.00	81.00	95.50	6
34	253	205	WIM	Gasik, Anna	POL	2196	2196	K	1988-08-11	7.0	0.00	80.50	96.50	6
35	264	160	WIM	Bronnikova, Elizaveta	RUS	2270	2270	K	1985- -	7.0	0.00	77.50	92.00	7
36	282	308	k+	Skrzypczak, Anna	POL	2015	2015	K	1992-12-17	7.0	0.00	74.50	87.00	5
37	286	439		Dadello, Aleksandra	POL	1734	1734	K	1998- -	7.0	0.00	73.00	86.00	6
38	288	321	I++	Tomaszewska, Luiza	POL	1997	1997	K	1995-07-04	7.0	0.00	73.00	84.50	7
39	291	300	I++	Głuszko, Monika	POL	2020	2020	K	1993-01-18	7.0	0.00	72.50	86.00	7
40	292	345		Voronov, Vadim	LTU	1936	1936	K	1965- -	7.0	0.00	72.50	86.00	6
41	300	421	I++	Pastuszko, Kinga	POL	1785	1785	K	1997-07-30	7.0	0.00	71.50	84.00	7
42	301	305	WCM	Leks, Maria	POL	2017	2017	K	1995-10-21	7.0	0.00	71.50	83.50	6
43	303	352	I++	Ostrowska, Dominika	POL	1926	1926	K	1993-03-22	7.0	0.00	70.50	83.00	7
44	304	358	I++	Kaniak, Monika	POL	1911	1911	K	1989-09-27	7.0	0.00	70.50	81.50	5
45	309	432	I	Harazińska, Ewa	POL	1767	1767	K	1998-04-11	7.0	0.00	69.00	82.50	6
46	314	332		De Lillo, Michele	ITA	1964	1964	K	1960- -	7.0	0.00	64.00	74.50	7
47	315	438	II+	Rogala, Lucyna	POL	1736	1736	K	1984-11-08	7.0	0.00	62.50	74.50	7
48	320	279	m	Korościel, Aneta	POL	2056	2056	K	1987-08-26	6.5	0.00	77.50	91.50	5
49	332	210	WFM	Warakomska, Anna	POL	2189	2189	K	1992-09-03	6.5	0.00	75.00	88.50	6
50	335	236	m	Przeździecka, Ewa	POL	2127	2127	K	1988-05-20	6.5	0.00	74.50	88.50	6
51	336	310	k	Wiśniowska, Klaudia	POL	2011	2011	K	1995-05-08	6.5	0.00	74.50	87.00	6
52	349	434	I	Murawko, Katarzyna	POL	1751	1751	K	1997-01-24	6.5	0.00	72.50	86.50	6
53	357	200	WIM	Szmacinska, Grazyna	POL	2209	2209	K	1953-01-29	6.5	0.00	71.50	87.50	6
54	360	324	k	Andrzejewska, Anna	POL	1987	1987	K	1988-06-28	6.5	0.00	71.50	82.50	6
55	362	273	k	Chmielińska, Alicja	POL	2065	2065	K	1984-06-11	6.5	0.00	71.00	84.50	6
56	363	457	I	Łukiewicz, Kaja	POL	1700	1700	K	1994-05-07	6.5	0.00	71.00	82.50	6
57	368	387	I+	Dzionk, Agata	POL	1857	1857	K	1992-03-26	6.5	0.00	69.50	83.50	6
58	369	415	I	Furman, Justyna	POL	1790	1790	K	1991-09-26	6.5	0.00	69.50	82.50	6
59	371	268		Paulauskiene, Vilma	LTU	2078	2078	K	1966- -	6.5	0.00	69.00	83.00	5
60	372	494	II+	Góra, Antonina	POL	1590	1590	K	1997-11-14	6.5	0.00	69.00	81.00	6
61	375	423	II+	Rykała, Monika	POL	1782	1782	K	1996-11-29	6.5	0.00	68.50	82.00	4
62	388	463	WCM	Dmochowska, Agnieszka	POL	1693	1693	K	1999-01-18	6.5	0.00	66.50	78.50	6
63	390	346	I++	Kaniak, Justyna	POL	1935	1935	K	1989-09-27	6.5	0.00	66.00	78.00	6
64	393	353	WFM	Kowalska, Elzbieta	POL	1925	1925	K	1944-06-01	6.5	0.00	65.00	78.00	6
65	395	511	III	Posuniak, Weronika	POL	1511	1511	K	1999-05-27	6.5	0.00	65.00	73.50	4
66	400	288		Bulakh, Oleksandra	UKR	2045	2045	K	1992- -	6.0	0.00	79.50	92.00	6
67	402	249	WFM	Iwanow, Anna	POL	2111	2111	K	1995-04-07	6.0	0.00	77.00	91.00	6
68	407	311		Batkovskyte, Dominyka	LTU	2011	2011	K	1993- -	6.0	0.00	75.00	88.00	6
69	415	295		Kalinina, Marianna	UKR	2031	2031	K	1991- -	6.0	0.00	72.00	86.50	6
70	419	407	I+	Stodolnik, Alicja	POL	1809	1809	K	1994-04-22	6.0	0.00	70.50	84.50	6
71	423	473	I	Kiołbasa, Oliwia	POL	1660	1660	K	2000-04-26	6.0	0.00	69.50	82.00	6
72	425	388	I++	Kowalska, Sara	POL	1854	1854	K	1994-01-20	6.0	0.00	69.00	83.50	4
73	426	413	I	Judek, Magdalena	POL	1797	1797	K	1986-12-27	6.0	0.00	69.00	81.50	5
74	427	428	I	Woźniak, Mariola	POL	1772	1772	K	1998-03-17	6.0	0.00	69.00	81.00	6
75	431	458	I	Skiba, Marta	POL	1699	1699	K	1993-03-17	6.0	0.00	68.50	80.50	6
76	433	498	I	Jaskiewicz, Kamila	POL	1584	1584	K	1997-10-19	6.0	0.00	68.00	78.00	5
77	436	544		Sudmale, Galina	LAT	0	1971	K	1952- -	6.0	0.00	67.50	79.50	6
78	446	414		Gravite, Julija	LAT	1791	1791	K	1993- -	6.0	0.00	65.00	78.00	5
79	454	478	II+	Kotłowska, Anna	POL	1645	1645	K	1996-10-18	6.0	0.00	64.00	75.00	6
80	463	433		Cernavina, Ksenija	LTU	1755	1755	K	1993- -	6.0	0.00	61.00	72.50	6
81	466	454	I	Herman, Monika	POL	1704	1704	K	1991-11-14	6.0	0.00	60.50	73.00	6
82	484	480	I	Kustal, Emilia	POL	1636	1636	K	1996-01-12	5.5	0.00	71.50	84.00	5
83	511	517	II	Antolak, Julia	POL	1456	1456	K	2000-02-22	5.5	0.00	63.50	76.00	5
84	516	508	II	Stężycka, Paulina	POL	1537	1537	K	1993-03-16	5.5	0.00	62.00	74.00	4
85	518	629		Iljucyk, Jana	BLR	0	1600	K	1999-11-02	5.5	0.00	62.00	73.00	5
86	534	640	III	Dixa, Joanna	POL	0	1400	K	2001-08-14	5.5	0.00	53.00	62.50	5
87	541	466	I	Delekta, Anna	POL	1690	1690	K	1996-10-16	5.0	0.00	69.00	82.00	5
88	553	587	II	Śliwicka, Alicja	POL	0	1600	K	2001-09-01	5.0	0.00	63.50	76.50	4
89	554	701		Limanovska, Elizabete	LAT	0	1000	K	2000-09-30	5.0	0.00	63.50	76.00	4
90	562	516	II+	Paterek, Diana	POL	1474	1474	K	1995-01-30	5.0	0.00	62.00	73.00	4
91	568	465	II+	Kaniewska, Emilia	POL	1692	1692	K	1999-06-26	5.0	0.00	60.50	72.50	4
92	570	523	II+	Lange, Aleksandra	POL	1401	1401	K	1994-07-25	5.0	0.00	60.50	70.00	5
93	572	520	II	Kaźmierczak, Ewa	POL	1422	1422	K	1976-12-03	5.0	0.00	60.00	70.50	4
94	575	503	II	Parol, Pola	POL	1562	1562	K	2000-09-28	5.0	0.00	59.50	71.50	5
95	578	589	II	Kucharska, Honorata	POL	0	1600	K	2002-07-18	5.0	0.00	59.00	69.00	5
96	586	590	II	Humin, Julia	POL	0	1600	K	2000-04-04	5.0	0.00	57.50	70.50	5
97	601	584	II	Kalinowska, Karolina	POL	0	1600	K	2000-04-09	4.5	0.00	63.00	73.00	3
98	601	630		Sapovalovaite, Eva	LTU	0	1600	K	1996-12-24	4.5	0.00	63.00	73.00	3
99	603	392	I	Litwiniec, Miroslawa	POL	1847	1847	K	1986-01-31	4.5	0.00	62.50	76.50	3
100	605	507	II	Wojna, Natalia	POL	1539	1539	K	1992-02-11	4.5	0.00	62.00	74.50	3
101	609	471	I	Gosławska, Cecylia	POL	1663	1663	K	1965-11-22	4.5	0.00	59.50	71.50	4
102	611	527	II	Hosiawa, Klara	POL	1355	1355	K	1999-07-02	4.5	0.00	59.00	70.00	4
103	616	586	II	Górska, Weronika	POL	0	1600	K	2000-06-16	4.5	0.00	57.00	66.00	4
104	617	698		Markeviciute, Paulina	LTU	0	1000	K	2000-04-11	4.5	0.00	56.50	68.00	4
105	619	668		Misiuk, Karolina	LTU	0	1400	K	2001-03-05	4.5	0.00	55.00	65.50	4
106	620	585	II	Kopacka, Natalia	POL	0	1600	K	1998-09-18	4.5	0.00	54.50	65.50	4
107	621	628		Suszinski, Geraldas	LTU	0	1600	K	1996-12-25	4.5	0.00	54.00	65.50	3
108	625	667		Szczerbacewicz, Nastia	BLR	0	1400	K	2002-08-12	4.5	0.00	53.00	63.00	4
109	630	672	IV	Giziewska, Marta	POL	0	1250	K	1999-07-20	4.5	0.00	51.00	61.50	4
110	636	685		Misiuk, Emilija	LTU	0	1200	K	2004-10-05	4.0	0.00	62.00	73.00	4
111	638	697		Jankauskaite, Kotryna	LTU	0	1000	K	2001-08-18	4.0	0.00	59.50	71.50	3
112	652	713		Delekta, Joanna	POL	0	1000	K	2001-04-24	4.0	0.00	54.50	64.00	4
113	653	637	III	Mucha, Marta	POL	0	1400	K	2004-02-17	4.0	0.00	54.00	64.00	4
114	657	669	IV	Michalska, Aleksandra	POL	0	1250	K	2002-03-05	4.0	0.00	50.50	60.00	4
115	663	625	III	Jankiewicz, Julia	POL	0	1600	K	2002-04-07	4.0	0.00	47.50	56.50	4
116	665	703		Zitinskaite, Goda	LTU	0	1000	K	2001-01-11	4.0	0.00	42.00	52.00	4
117	668	588	II	Soćko, Weronika	POL	0	1600	K	2000-03-21	3.5	0.00	54.00	65.00	3
118	673	708		Purtokaite, Domante	LTU	0	1000	K	2001-04-26	3.5	0.00	51.50	60.50	3
119	674	638	III	Skowron, Agata	POL	0	1400	K	1995-07-08	3.5	0.00	50.50	59.50	3
120	678	639	III	Gowin, Małgorzata	POL	0	1400	K	2001-02-05	3.5	0.00	47.50	57.00	3
121	682	670	IV	Bruns, Karolina	POL	0	1250	K	2002-11-14	3.5	0.00	43.00	51.00	3
122	686	676	IV	Powałka, Marta	POL	0	1250	K	1999-08-31	3.0	0.00	51.00	59.50	3
123	687	671	IV	Litwiniec, Julia	POL	0	1250	K	2001-10-19	3.0	0.00	49.50	57.00	3
124	688	678	IV	Szymańska, Emilia	POL	0	1250	K	2001-03-17	3.0	0.00	48.50	58.00	3
125	689	674	IV	Golecka, Jadwiga	POL	0	1250	K	2002-01-13	3.0	0.00	47.00	55.00	3
126	695	673	IV	Włoch, Dominika	POL	0	1250	K	2000-12-08	3.0	0.00	43.50	51.50	3
127	697	677	IV	Dobień, Kalina	POL	0	1250	K	2000-04-14	3.0	0.00	42.00	49.00	3
128	702	686	V	Błocińska, Magdalena	POL	0	1100	K	2002-11-21	2.5	0.00	41.50	49.50	2
129	706	675	IV	Gaus, Aleksandra	POL	0	1250	K	1984-10-31	2.0	0.00	39.50	48.00	1
130	709	710		Waszczuk, Patrycja	POL	0	1000	K	2003-06-17	1.5	0.00	39.00	46.50	0
131	711	219		Ivanova-Skripova, Tatiana	RUS	2173	2173	K	1958- -	0.0	0.00	71.50	84.50	0
132	711	251	WFM	Ivanova, Tatiana	RUS	2110	2110	K	1989- -	0.0	0.00	71.50	84.50	0
133	723	191	WIM	Sirotkina, Nina	RUS	2224	2224	K	1964- -	0.0	0.00	66.00	76.50	0

Coverage at The Week in Chess.
Official website.

Shin-Mu

Also called Shing-Mu, various spellings - Queen of Heaven.  Hislop (The Two Babylons) equated her with Ma-Tsoopo, a sea goddess worshipped in "Fuh-kien" China.  People have all kinds of opinions about Hislop, but I won't say he's wrong for tracing out similarities in word-sounds to ancient meanings from long before writing was invented.  He wrote: 

The name of Shing Moo, applied by the Chinese to their "Holy Mother," compared with another name of the same goddess in another province of China, strongly favours the conclusion that Shing Moo is just a synonym for one of the well-known names of the goddess-mother of Babylon. Gillespie (in his Land of Sinim, p. 64) states that the Chinese goddess-mother, or "Queen of Heaven," in the province of Fuh-kien, is worshipped by seafaring people under the name of Ma Tsoopo. Now, "Ama Tzupah" signifies the "Gazing Mother;" and there is much reason to believe that Shing Moo signifies the same; for Mu was one of the forms in which Mut or Maut, the name of the great mother, appeared in Egypt (BUNSEN'S Vocabulary, vol. i. p. 471); and Shngh, in Chaldee, signifies "to look" or "gaze." The Egyptian Mu or Maut was symbolised either by a vulture, or an eye surrounded by a vulture's wings (WILKINSON, vol. v. p. 203.) The symbolic meaning of the vulture may be learned from the Scriptural expression: "There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture's eye hath not seen" (Job xxviii.7). The vulture was noted for its sharp sight, and hence, the eye surrounded by the vulture's wings showed that, for some reason or other, the great mother of the gods in Egypt had been known as "The gazer." But the idea contained in the Egyptian symbol had evidently been borrowed from Chaldea; for Rheia, one of the most noted names of the Babylonian mother of the gods, is just the Chaldee form of the Hebrew Rhaah, which signifies at once "a gazing woman" and a "vulture." The Hebrew Rhaah itself is also, according to a dialectical variation, legitimately pronounced Rheah; and hence the name of the great goddess-mother of Assyria was sometimes Rhea, and sometimes Rheia. In Greece, the same idea was evidently attached to the Mother of the children of the sun (see ante, p. 20, Note), For one of her distinguishing titles was Ophthalmitis (SMITH'S Classical Dictionary, "Athena," p. 101), thereby pointing her out as the goddess of "the eye." It was no doubt to indicate the same thing that, as the Egyptian Maut wore a vulture on her head, so the Athenian Minerva was represented as wearing a helmet with two eyes, or eye-holes, in the front of the helmet.--(VAUX'S Antiquities, p. 186.)

I was looking in Barbara Walker's The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets to see if she had an entry under sisters (she doesn't) when I came across her entry on Shin-Mu:

"Mother of Perfect Intelligence," China's Holy Virgin, who miraculously conceived her firstborn son, a Savior and spirit of the grain.  Her infant "came like a lamb, with no bursting or rending, with no hurt or harm," and was tenderly adored by sheep and oxen.(1)  [Sound familiar?]

After producing this child, Shin-Mu resumed her archaic Great Mother character and gave birth to 33,333 creatures.  Patriarchal myths deprived her of a vagina, and so insisted all these creatures were born from her arms or breast.  A Christian traveller in China explained Shin-Mu's miraculous motherhood: she had "no place on her body whence to bring Them forth as other women of the world, whom for sin God hath subjected to filthiness of corruption, to show how filthy sin is."(2)

After she was virginized and even deprived of a vagina, Shin-Mu's only remaining connection with sexuality was similar to the virgin Mary's: she continued to be the divine patroness of whores.(3)

Persians diabolized her and called her Shimnu, the "Great Devil," so called in a Manichean Confession-Prayer found at Turfan and in the Cave of a Thousand Buddhas, at Tun-huang.(4) [Tocharians???]

Notes:

(1) Hays, 241.
(2) Briffault 3, 171.
(3) Briffault 3, 177.
(4) Legge 2, 334-35.