JanXena on
Les Echecs des Femmes
November, 2008

Home for Thanksgiving

Americans celebrate Thanksgiving Day on the 4th Thursday in November every year.  This year, Thanksgiving falls on November 27, 2008, a mere two days after the end of the Dresden Chess Olympiad.  Will our players be back home in time to celebrate with their families and loved ones?  I sure hope so - and here's hoping for a fantastic showing for Teams USA (okay, I'm biased, I admit it).

I'm waiting for Xena and her new horse to arrive back home on a slow boat from China (maybe they'll be here by Thanksgiving Day). You wouldn't believe the rigmarole we had to go through with Customs, import/export rules, live-animal rule, etc. etc.

Horsey is extremely incensed and upset that he has apparently been dumped in favor of this imitation Tang Dynasty Model.  Well, this imitation Tang Dynasty Model certainly is beautiful - I just love that cheesy horse smile, don't you? - and he certainly is BIG!  Xena's feet don't reach the stirrups, but she doesn't give a rip about that.

Is this the end for Horsey?  Is Horsey being sent into ignominious retirement?  Will Xena switch back to her harem pants to ride her new Monster Horse?  She's positively indecent trying to ride in that dress (fortunately, the Tang-style saddle with high pommel hides a lot).  (Photo:  Xena and Monster Horse, taken somewhere on the northwestern steppes of Mongolia, just over the Chinese border).

Recent Events

European Club Cup
October 16 - 24, 2008

Here are the final rankings of all the chess femmes who participated, according to Performance Rating:

1 IM Ovod Evgenija 2429 Spartak Vidnoe 2859 3,0 3 100,0 4 (Like - Wow!  Very impressive!)
2 IM Dzagnidze Nana 2503 Cercle d'Echecs Monte Carlo 2707 6,0 7 85,7 2
3 GM Stefanova Antoaneta 2548 Spartak Vidnoe 2694 5,0 6 83,3 1
4 IM Harika Dronavalli 2462 Economist SGSEU Saratov 2689 4,0 5 80,0 2
5 IM Muzychuk Anna 2508 T-com Podgorica 2649 5,5 7 78,6 1
6 GM Koneru Humpy 2618 Cercle d'Echecs Monte Carlo 2646 4,5 6 75,0 1
7 IM Ushenina Anna 2496 Economist SGSEU Saratov 2541 4,5 7 64,3 1
8 GM Chiburdanidze Maia 2489 MIKA Yerevan 2523 3,0 5 60,0 1
9 GM Lahno Kateryna 2488 MIKA Yerevan 2519 4,0 6 66,7 2
10 IM Kosintseva Tatiana 2513 Spartak Vidnoe 2507 4,5 6 75,0 3
11 WGM Sharevich Anna 2322 EPAM 2504 3,5 4 87,5 4
12 IM Maric Alisa 2405 T-com Podgorica 2494 4,5 7 64,3 2
13 IM Zatonskih Anna 2440 EPAM 2485 3,5 6 58,3 1 (US Women's Champion)
14 GM Hoang Thanh Trang 2483 EPAM 2482 3,0 6 50,0 1
15 IM Khurtsidze Nino 2417 MIKA Yerevan 2479 3,5 5 70,0 4
16 GM Zhao Xue 2518 Spartak Vidnoe 2475 3,0 5 60,0 2
17 IM Korbut Ekaterina 2459 Finek St. Petersburg 2471 3,0 6 50,0 1
18 IM Cmilyte Viktorija 2512 Finek St. Petersburg 2469 3,5 6 58,3 1
19 IM Matveeva Svetlana 2411 EPAM 2462 2,5 5 50,0 3
20 IM Mkrtchian Lilit 2443 MIKA Yerevan 2460 3,5 5 70,0 3
21 IM Kovalevskaya Ekaterina 2439 T-com Podgorica 2458 5,5 7 78,6 4
22 WGM Motoc Alina 2313 CS Cotnari-Politehnica Iasi 2452 6,0 7 85,7 3
23 WGM Hou Yifan 2578 Spartak Vidnoe 2448 2,0 4 50,0 1
24 WIM Cherenkova Kristina 2245 Aspropirgos Attikis 2423 4,5 7 64,3 2
25 IM Skripchenko Almira 2455 Cercle d'Echecs Monte Carlo 2422 3,0 4 75,0 4
26 IM Foisor Cristina Adela 2365 Radnicki Rudovci 2419 5,5 7 78,6 2
27 GM Cramling Pia 2550 Cercle d'Echecs Monte Carlo 2414 3,0 6 50,0 1
28 WGM Kovanova Baira 2379 Economist SGSEU Saratov 2413 4,5 7 64,3 3
29 IM Atalik Ekaterina 2432 EPAM 2407 3,5 7 50,0 2
30 IM Ciuksyte Dagne 2339 Panevezys Chess Club 2405 4,5 7 64,3 1
31 IM Socko Monika 2434 Cercle d'Echecs Monte Carlo 2386 2,5 5 50,0 3
32 WGM Zhukova Natalia 2488 Finek St. Petersburg 2384 3,0 6 50,0 2
33 IM Danielian Elina 2513 MIKA Yerevan 2383 3,5 7 50,0 1
34 IM Paehtz Elisabeth 2471 Economist SGSEU Saratov 2375 3,5 7 50,0 2
35 WGM Stojanovic Andjelija 2357 Rudar Ugljevik 2368 4,5 7 64,3 1
36 WFM Congiu Mathilde 2230 Vandoeuvre Echecs 2341 3,5 7 50,0 1
37 IM Gaponenko Inna 2473 T-com Podgorica 2327 3,5 7 50,0 3
38 WFM Fakhretdinova Margarita 2147 Aspropirgos Attikis 2311 4,0 7 57,1 3
39 WGM Voicu Carmen 2239 SK Gross-Lehna 2285 3,5 6 58,3 2
40 WGM Demina Julia 2357 Finek St. Petersburg 2268 2,5 4 62,5 3
41 WGM Chelushkina Irina 2360 Radnicki Rudovci 2266 3,0 7 42,9 1
42 IM Kosintseva Nadezhda 2468 Spartak Vidnoe 2263 2,0 4 50,0 3
43 WGM Cosma Elena Luminita 2340 CS Cotnari-Politehnica Iasi 2262 4,5 7 64,3 2
44 IM Peptan Corina-Isabela 2430 CS Cotnari-Politehnica Iasi 2252 3,0 7 42,9 1
45 IM Turova Irina 2381 Finek St. Petersburg 2251 4,0 6 66,7 4
46 WFM Botvinnik Irina 2239 Herzliya Chess Club 2251 3,0 7 42,9 1
47 WGM Pitam Ella 2295 Madatech Haifa Chess Club 2234 3,0 7 42,9 1
48 WFM Steil-Antoni Fiona 2166 Vandoeuvre Echecs 2229 3,0 7 42,9 2
49 Porat Maya 2167 Madatech Haifa Chess Club 2202 5,0 7 71,4 4
50 WIM Daulyte Deimante 2278 Panevezys Chess Club 2196 3,0 7 42,9 2
51 WIM Papadopoulou Vera 2196 Aspropirgos Attikis 2172 1,5 7 21,4 1
52 WIM Boric Elena 2292 Rudar Ugljevik 2153 3,5 7 50,0 2
53 WFM Vujic-Katanic Branka 2107 Rudar Ugljevik 2147 4,0 7 57,1 3
54 Genzling Sylvie 1936 Bischwiller 2140 2,0 7 28,6 1
55 WGM Karlovich Anastazia 2256 SK Gross-Lehna 2138 2,5 6 41,7 1
56 IM Petrenko Svetlana 2285 SK Gross-Lehna 2135 2,0 6 33,3 1
57 WFM Limontaite Simona 2197 Panevezys Chess Club 2105 4,5 7 64,3 4
58 Klipper Rebecca 2023 Vandoeuvre Echecs 2101 2,5 7 35,7 3
59 WGM Olarasu Gabriela 2297 Radnicki Rudovci 2099 3,0 7 42,9 3
60 Iordanidou Zoi 2110 Aspropirgos Attikis 2096 2,5 7 35,7 4
61 WIM Makka Ioulia 2220 Panevezys Chess Club 2089 3,0 7 42,9 3
62 WGM Igla Bella 2254 Madatech Haifa Chess Club 2087 2,5 7 35,7 2
63 WIM Paulet Iozefina 2307 CS Cotnari-Politehnica Iasi 2083 4,0 6 66,7 4
64 Nagel Verena 2052 SK Gross-Lehna 2023 2,0 5 40,0 3
65 Len Irina 2091 Herzliya Chess Club 2016 2,0 7 28,6 2
66 Grapsa Georgia 2121 Galaxias Thessaloniki 2006 1,5 7 21,4 1
67 Vovinkina Natalia 2147 Madatech Haifa Chess Club 2002 2,0 7 28,6 3

12th Essent Chess Tournament (Hoogeveen)
October 17 - 25, 2008
GM Marie Sebag (FRA 2533), the world's newest minted female to earn the coveted GM title, had a tough time in this event.  You'll recall that Sebag earned her third and final GM norm by hanging tough in the "Open" section of the 2008 Individual European Chess Championships (April 21 - May 3, 2008, finishing  with 6.5/11, good enough for 71st place out of 337 (covered in the May, 2008 column).  (Sebag was the Featured Chess Femme in the June, 2008 column).  Sebag skipped the 2008 Women's World Chess Championship (I don't blame her one bit!), but will be competing for France in the Dresden Olympiad.  Here are the final standings from Hoogeveen:

1. Sokolov, Ivan NED g NED 2650 5 2847
2. Adly, Ahmed g EGY 2586 2½ 2538
3. Smeets, Jan g NED 2604 2½ 2532
4. Sebag, Marie g FRA 2533 2 2488

16th North American FIDE Invitational
October 18 -24, 2008
The North American Chess Association has slowly and steadily been increasing the scope of its activities under the watchful eye of Bill Goichberg's megalith, the Continental Chess Association, and is currently organizing at least one event of national scope a month.  NACA recently held its 16th FIDE invitational event, again in near-suburban Chicago.  These invitational events are specifically designed to give up-and-coming players an opportunity to earn FIDE norms (as well as getting some good OTB experience against seasoned players) and often feature one or two chess femmes.  In the 16th, WFM Alisa Melekhina played, aiming for one or more norms.  You'll remember Melekhina from her fine play a few years ago in the 2007 U.S. Women's Chess Championship (she was the youngest player), when she came in tied with veteran WGM Camilla Baginskaite for 6-7 place, with 4.0/9.  Besides being a young American player I've been keeping on my eye on, Melekhina came to my attention because of her interest in "The Eight," a book I can say, looking back, changed my life.  (Scroll down the Chess Cafe article for information on Melekhina and "The Eight.")  (Photo: Melekhina, NACA website).  

1st - IM Valay Parikh - 7/9
2nd - IM Ben Finegold - 6.5/9
3rd - IM Angelo Young - 5.5/9
4th-5th - FM Peter Bereolos & FM Florin Felecan - 5/9
6th-7th - FM Dale Haessel & IM Emory Tate - 4/9
8th - FM Mehmed Pasalic - 3.5/9
9th - WFM Alisa Melekhina - 3/9
10th - FM Aleksander Stamnov - 1.5/9

1st World Mind Sports Games 
October 3 - 18, 2008 
Beijing, China
 

FIDE published this official list of female chessplayer participants.  According to this press release from the United States Chess Federation on July 24, 2008, this was the American line-up for the chess femmes.

It was not a good event for American players, darlings.  Not a single medal won by the USA.  Nor was a single medal won by England, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Turkey, etc. etc.  Hmmm...  Total medal count (courtesy of The Week in Chess):

1. China: 4 Gold, 3 Silver, 2 Bronze;
2. Russia: 2 Gold, 1 Silver
3. Ukraine: 1 Gold, 3 Silver; 3 Bronze;
4. Bulgaria: 1 Gold, 1 Silver;
5-6. Ecuador, Hungary: 1 Gold each;
7. Vietnam: 1 Silver, 1 Bronze
8. India: 1 Silver;
9. Iran: 2 Bronze;
10-11. Greece, Singapore: 1 Bronze each.

Individual Women's Blitz Championship:  (All games here in PGN and for replay)

Photo from official website: Kosteniuk takes Women's Gold in Individual Blitz.  Stevanova takes Silver, Hou Yifan takes Bronze.  Chessdom.com provided an analysis of the final Armageddon game between Kosteniuk and Stefanova that decided the title.

Individual Women's Rapid Championship:

1 GM Stefanova Antoaneta BUL 2548 8
2 GM Zhao Xue CHN 2518 7
3 WGM Huang Qian CHN 2430 6
4 IM Houska Jovanka ENG 2399 6

Team Blitz Championship Women:  (All games here in PGN and for replay)

Team Rapid Championship Women:  (All games here in PGN and for replay)

Cap d'Agade
October 25 - November 1, 2008

Sixteen players formed 2 teams to face off against each other in this rapid chess invitational, and several chess femmes were on each team.  Unfortunately, none of them made it to the quarter-finals.  Here were the Teams:

Photo:  Experience versus Youth
(Karpov v. Hou)

This kind of event starkly shows the still-existing gap between some of the best chess femmes in the world and top-ranked male players.  Sebag is a newly-minted GM, having shown her mettle in the "Open" Section at the 2008 European Individual Chess Championships, Kosteniuk is the newly-minted Women's World Chess Champion and won a gold medal in Women's Individual Blitz at the 1st World Mind Sports Games, Lahno won a repeat Gold in the Women's event at the 2008 European Individual Chess Championships, Hou won medals at the 1st World Mind Sports Game and went all the way to the finals in the 2008 Women's World Chess Championship, only to lose to GM Alexandra Kosteniuk.  These are some seasoned female players - but the relative differences in ELO (even allowing for the artificially depressed ELOs of the chess femmes because they mostly play against other chess femmes with equally low ELOs) demonstrates that rankings do tell - there's just no way to overcome a 200 to 300 point differential in ELO without earning lots of bumps and bruises along the way -- assuming these chess femmes will continue along that rocky road (hope they will!)  On the other hand, not many top ranked chess hommes can beat Ivanchuk (he's had a tremendous 2007-2008 season) and future World Champion Carlsen :)

Photo:  The Geek versus the Beauty (Vachier Lagrave v. Kosteniuk)

Only the top 4 finishers in each group moved on to the quarter-finals:

Current Events:

The Casino De Barcelona
October 30 - November 7, 2008
The Casino of Barcelona (Marina Avenue, 19-21 ), 10 player round-robin.  GM Antoaneta Stefanova (BUL 2550), on her non-stop schedule this year, is the lone chess femme playing in this invitational.  Here are the other players:  GM Alexey Dreev (2670); GM Baadur Jobava (2664); GM Kiril Georgiev (2644); GM Holden Hernández (2580); GM Artur Kogan (2561); GM Boris Gulko (2552) IM Fidel Corrales (2551); GM JM. López (2547); GM Marc Narciso (2511).

(Photo:  Chessdom.com)

Through the first four rounds, Stefanova has 4 draws:

R1: GM Gulko Boris 2552 - GM Stefanova Antoaneta 2548 ½-½
R2: GM Stefanova Antoaneta 2548 - GM Georgiev Kiril 2645 ½-½
R3: GM Narciso Dublan Marc 2511 - GM Stefanova Antoaneta 2548 ½-½
R4: 10 GM Stefanova Antoaneta 2548 - GM Kogan Artur 2561 ½-½

Games.  Interestingly, Stefanova started her Round 2 game as white with (1) d4 (does that remind you of something we've all seen recently???) and Round 3, where Stefanova was playing black, also started (1) d4.  The new rage darlings - yawn.

Upcoming Events

World Blitz Chess Championship 2008
November 7 - 8, 2008
Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan
GM Judit Polgar is playing in this fluff invitation only event - a good way to "spread the wealth" among the top money earners of the chess world. Prize Fund of 350, 000 Swiss Francs. 80% of them (280, 000 Swiss Francs) are for the participants, and the rest is for FIDE (what a racket!) All players will receive prizes. The champion will receive 80 000 Swiss Francs and the 16th place is awarded 5000 Swiss Francs.  B-O-R-I-N-G not to mention S-O-C-I-A-L-I-S-T!

2008 Chess Olympiad
November 12 - 25, 2008
Dresden, Germany
A record number of teams will be participating, and some of the strongest teams ever will be representing traditional chess power houses such as Russia, China, Armenia - and that's the Women's Teams.

In the News

• October 3, 2008:  Rashida Corbin is New Barbados Chess Queen, Barbados National Champion Named, from The Barbados Advocate.  

• October 8, 2008: Soraya Homam wins the Women's World Open II, Women's World Open result from Live pokerPartyPoker.com.

• October 9, 2008:  From Russia With Love. Profile of GM Alexandra Kosteniuk, the newest Women's World Chess Champion, from The Times of India.

• October 10, 2008:  Lan Huong brings home xiangqi bronze. VietNamNet Bridge – Ngo Lan Huong yesterday secured a bronze medal in the women's individual xiangqi (Chinese chess) event at the first-ever World Mind Sports Games, held in Beijing, China.

• October 11, 2008:  Second Aqaprofit-Polgar Chess Day.  Judit Polgar, Zsuzsa Polgar and Zsofia Polgar played simuls against 100 in Budapest.  There are many photographs of the Polgar sisters. 

• October 13, 2008:  WGM Hou Yifan Wins First Gold Medal at Mindsports Games, from People's Daily Online.

• October 14, 2008:  Lady chessers sow terror in 14U class, from The Philippines Sun Star.  

• October 14, 2008:  Alisha Chawa, Chess Princess:  Fremont girl is a chess star at age 7

• October 15, 2008:  Chess Princess: Margaret Hua.  Ten-year old set to compete in World Chess Tournament, from the KWMU (Public Broadcasting).  

• October 15, 2008:  Judit Polgar:  Queen of chess players makes the right moves, from The Financial Times (as reported at Susan Polgar's blog).

• October 16, 2008:  Sarah Chiang Makes Second Trip to World Youth Chess Championship, from the Southlake Times Star.  

• October 30, 2008:  Padmini Rout bags gold in World Youth Chess Championship, from The Times of India.

• October 30, 2008:  Philippines University Games, from The Visayan Daily Star: Women from Bacolod schools hogged the spotlight yesterday as University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos woodpushers blitzed the opposition to successfully defend their women’s chess crown, while University of St. La Salle Lady Stingers defeated University of Sto. Tomas to arrange a title showdown against Far Eastern University today in 13th Philippine University Games in Dumaguete City.

  Fresh from its 2008 NOPSSCEA championship run and after placing four members in the Top 10 at last week’s Raymundo R. Dizon Jr. Chess Championships in Bacolod City, the Recoletos women swept the seven-round Swiss System tournament with emphatic wins, which included a 3-1 drubbing of eventual runner-up De La Salle University, and a 3.5-.5 win over perennial Bacolod rival and tournament third placer West Negros University.

  Powering the Recoletos squad in the 12-team women’s field were Mary Grace Tambasen, Jeniffer Nacion and Cherry Gimarangan – gold medalists on Boards 2, 4 and 5 respectively, and Board 3 bronze medalist Rolanie Villanueva.  Reserve player was Chessie Dela Peña. 

  UNO-R’s other victims were Central Philippine University (3.5-.5), Holy Cross of Davao College (4-0), Jose Maria College (3.5-.5), Xavier University (3-1) and Holy Angel University (4-0).  So far ahead were the UNO-Rians that they could have lost their last match to HAU and still emerged champion.
   

• November 2, 2008:  I'm not the only woman behind Anand's success, from DNA India.com.  

• November 2, 2008:  Ugandan chess teams need money to get to Dresden Olympiad (and back?), from The Ugandan Monitor.  (Total needed to send the Men's and Women's teams is approximately 13,338 Euros, of which approximately 1,544 Euros plus one return (round trip?) airline ticket have been donated.  How can this Chess Federation raise that kind of money in such a short period of time, in such a poor country?)  

• Special Editorial:  Supporting Girls' Scholastic Chess.  My home state (Wisconsin) is a microcosm of what's happening in the United States.  Some important issues to think about, and a blatant plug for the Chess, Goddess and Everything blog.  

• Super-Duper Special:  The long-awaited sequel to the very best chess mystery novel of ALL time has been released!  Yes, it's true darlings!  Katherine Neville's "The Fire" is finally out!  Fans of "The Eight" have been waiting 20 years for the sequel which answers most (but by no means all) of the questions left dangling at the end of "The Eight."  Okay - I know none of you macho chess dudes may ever admit it in a million years, but I'll bet some of you read Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code" and his "prequel", "Angels and Demons," which is also a mega hit and soon to hit the big screen with Tom Hanks reprising his role as Professor Robert Langdon.  Rip-roaring good reads, if a bit shallow on the history and stretching things a bit at times.  
  
  Not so Neville.  Her historical research and insight are in-depth and first class all the way.  This is a book that you can't read 5 chapters at a time and figure out where it's going, nosirree!  It's a book you can really get your teeth into.  Read a couple of pages and you're full for the evening!  Yeah, in Neville's writing the most important character is female, and in "The Fire" not only is the main character a female, she is a former child chess prodigy who gave up the game at 12 when her father was killed before her eyes just before a seminal match was to be held in Russia.  Can't deal with strong women - don't read Neville!  If you want a rip-roaring good story with non-stop action (think about how you felt when you first saw "Raiders of the Lost Ark", still one of the best action and faux-archaeology movies of all time), lots of interest historical back-stories about chess, and aren't afraid of human-interaction and psychological conflict, this (and "The Eight") is the book for you.  
   

  • Susan Polgar is involved in everything!  She was invited to and at the release party for "The Fire" and rubbed shoulders with people I would eat dirt to meet.  I'm so jealous...

  • A  review of "The Fire" (there have been many):  Cult classic author Katherine Neville makes next move
    By Oline Cogdill | Mystery Fiction Columnist, October 31, 2008

  • An excerpt from "The Fire" published at USA Today (September 4, 2008).
     

• Truly Out of This World Special:  Those Gorgeous, Fabulous Las Vegas Showgirls, Candi Kane and Bambi Darlin, provided some special coverage of the World Chess Championship Match between GM Vladimir Kramnik (challenger) and GM "Vishy" Viswanathan Anand to Goddesschess and serialized some reports at the Goddesschess blog - we're waiting with baited breath for the grande denouement, which the Girls have assured me will be coming soon.  The Girls are up to their necks in chess, mystery and intrigue... October 21, 2008 episode;  October 22, 2008 episode;  October 23, 2008 episode.

As always, you can find more news about women chess players
at Chess Femme News at Goddesschess and the Goddesschess blog.

Archives

"Xena" (a/k/a Jan Newton) is one of the principals at Goddesschess, a popular "niche" website since its debut in 1999.  Goddesschess publishes articles from authors around the world as well as producing and publishing the principals' own work.  In addition to promoting views about the goddess side of chess, Goddesschess publishes news and articles of general interest about board games, research concerning the development and history of board games and archaeological discoveries related to board games.  Jan also regularly publishes women's chess news at Chess Femme News.  Enjoy!

Also, JanXena is experimenting with formatting and content,
please feel free to let Chessville know what you think, pro and con.

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