Hou beats Gu, loses to Ding, remains in the lead

The first Chinese women chess grandmasters tournament is taking place from April 16 to April 24 (free day on April 21) in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, in China. Ten top Chinese women grandmasters, including Women's World Champion Hou Yifan, are participating. The event is a round robin with time controls of 90 minutes for the entire game plus a 30 second increment for each move. Draw offers are only allowed with the permission of the chief arbiter and will only be granted in theoretically drawn positions. Games start at 14:00h local time.

Results of rounds six and seven

It is a tough choice in round six: whom should we be rooting for...

... our dear friend WGM Gu Xiaobing (above with flowers on a school campus), who
faithfully supplies us with news and pictures from Chinese tournaments...

... or super-talent Hou Yifan, reigning women's world champion, whom we have
known since she was twelve, and who is now a very engaging 17-year-old?

Hou Yifan (2602) - Gu Xiaobing (2369) [B20]
1st CHN-w Masters Jiangsu Wuxi CHN (6), 22.04.2011
1.e4 c5 2.Ne2 Nf6 3.Nbc3 d6 4.g3 g6 5.Bg2 Bg7 6.d3 Nc6 7.h3 Rb8 8.Be3 b5 9.Qd2 0-0 10.0-0 b4 11.Nd1 e5 12.f4 Nd4 13.f5 Nh5 14.Bf2 gxf5 15.exf5 Nxe2+ 16.Qxe2 Nf6 17.g4 h6 18.Bh4 Bb7 19.Ne3 d5 20.g5 hxg5 21.Bxg5 Re8 22.Ng4 Qd6? 23.Nxf6+ Bxf6 24.Bh6 e4? Allows a disastrous attack.

25.Qh5 Be5 26.Rf4! To lure the bishop away from the protection of g7. 26...Bxf4 27.Qg4+ Qg6 28.fxg6 Bxh6 29.gxf7+ Kxf7 30.Rf1+ Ke7 31.Qh4+ 1-0. Must be a strange feeling to be demolished in this fashion by a sweet young thing who turned seventeen just two months ago.

GM Hou Yifan, who is rated 226 points higher than her round seven opponent

Ding Yixin (2376) - Hou Yifan (2602) [B84]
1st CHN-w Masters Jiangsu Wuxi CHN (7), 23.04.2011
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be2 e6 7.0-0 Be7 8.f4 Qc7 9.a4 0-0 10.Kh1 Nc6 11.Be3 Re8 12.Qe1 Nxd4 13.Bxd4 e5 14.fxe5 dxe5 15.Qg3 Bd8 16.Be3 Kh8 17.Bg5 Be6 18.Rf2 Qb6 19.Rd1 Qxb2 20.Rxd8 Raxd8 21.Rxf6 Rc8 22.Nd1 Qxc2 23.Rf2 Qxe4 24.h4 f6 25.Be3 f5 26.Bd2 Qxa4 27.Bc3 f4 28.Qg5 Qd7 29.Bxe5 Bf5 30.Qxf4 Rc5 31.Bc3 Be6 32.Bg4

Grandmaster Hou Yifan has been pushing from the start, and from move 22 on she had a commanding position which she would normally turn into a win. But at move 28 she lost the thread and allowed her opponent back into the game. Now it is unclear if anyone has an advantage. And then comes 32...h5?? A terrible blunder, quite atypical for Yifan. 33.Qh6+ Kg8 34.Bxg7 and because of 34...Qxg7 35.Bxe6+ Rxe6 36.Qxe6+– 1-0.

In second place now: HDL girl WGM Shen Yang

Standings after seven rounds

On the free day (Thursday) the players visited the Jiangsu Tianyi High School in Wuxi, which has 95 classes and over 5000 students. There were simultaneous exhibitions and encounters with students.

Players and dignitaries on a stage at the school campus...

... and a lot of chess enthusiastic students listening to them speak

Top star Hou Yifan is hounded for autographs

WGM Zhang Xiaowen playing one of the many simuls the Masters players gave

Here are some pictures of the opponents in the different simuls. We reproduce them without further comment, just commending our Chinese colleagues for the excellent work they have done capturing the interest and enthusiasm these young students have for chess.

Finally a group photo with trainers, officials and the players on the campus

Pictures by Zhang Xiaolu Sina Chess News Blog and China Qiyuang

Links Official tournament site All games in PGN (courtesy of TWIC) The games are being broadcast live on the official web site and on the chess server Playchess.com. If you are not a member you can download the free PGN reader ChessBase Light, which gives you immediate access. You can also use the program to read, replay and analyse PGN games. New and enhanced: CB Light 2009!

Copyright ChessBase