FIDE WSCC GP4: Humpy and Harika advance to the Quarter-Finals

Humpy and Harika through

Unlike the third leg of the GP, Humpy and Harika advanced to Quarter-Finals in a close battle. While Humpy defeated Olga Girya of Russia 7-6, it came down to the last Bullet game which Humpy won to advance to the next stage, Harika took a 5.5-2.5 lead against her same opponent as leg 3, WGM Tatev Abrahamyan of USA. Harika needed only a draw in the remaining three Bullet games to advance and she finished with 6-5 to advance. Humpy and Harika will face Valentina Gunina and Alexandra Kosteniuk respectively in the Quarter-Finals today.

Humpy scored the first win

After making a quick draw in 19 moves with a threefold repetition, Game 2 was heading towards another draw till Olga Girya blundered in a seemingly equal knight endgame which cost her the game.

Girya - Humpy, Game 2

Find out why 38.hxg5 is a mistake and what white should have played instead.

Humpy's tactical prowess

Humpy is the reigning Women's World Rapid champion for a reason. She is versatile. In Game 3, we get to witness her tactical side

Humpy - Girya, Game 3

Find out what does 18...b6 provoke and what black should have played instead.

Double Bishop endgame

Humpy suffered her first loss in Game 4, although she had an opportunity to win the game.

Girya - Humpy, Game 4

How should white react to 33.Bb6 ? With only 18 seconds left on the clock, Humpy missed the winning continuation and eventually Girya got a winning position and she won the game on time.

A comfortable victory

In the first 3+1 game, Humpy scored a comfortable victory against Girya in Game 5 taking the score to 3.5-1.5 in her favor.

Checkmate combination

Humpy survived by the skin of her teeth as her opponent Girya missed a winning combination with only six seconds left on her clock. Of course when the clock is ticking down and you are playing the game it is that much difficult to spot and execute especially against someone like Humpy whom you will always wonder if she has a trick up her sleeve. Girya made a practical decision and repeated moves to make a draw.

Girya - Humpy, Game 8

Find out the winning continuation for white after 41...Kg6. The game ended with a repetition of 42.Nf4 and followed by Nh5+

Minute to win it

It all came down to the last Bullet (1+1) game. With a score of 6-6, Humpy managed to win the last game and secure her place in the Quarter-Finals by winning the match 7-6.

Replay all Humpy-Girya games in Round of 16

Harika's another brilliant start

Harika made another dominating start with 5.5-2.5 against the same opponent from the third leg of the GP, WGM Tatev Abrahamyan. It meant that she needed minimum a draw in the three Bullet matches to advance to the Quarter-Finals and she achieved that.

Starting on a high note

Game 1 went in favor of Harika as she scored a comfortable victory.

Double trouble with double rook

Harika got quite a few winning chances in the double rook endgame in Game 2. However she missed them because of time trouble.

Abrahamyan - Harika, Game 2

The game continued with 40...Rhxb2+ and draw was agreed because of perpetual checks. Find out what was the winning plan for black instead.

Harika's swindle

Despite having a difficult position for the majority of the game, Harika showed her grit, fought till the end, waited for her opponent to present an opportunity and then she pounced on it to snatch away a full point from the jaws of defeat.

Replay all Harika-Abrahamyan games in Round of 16

Round of 16 Results

GP4 brackets

Prizes

GP Players

Each leg is a 16-player knockout event and will last five days (including one rest day after the semi-finals). The dates are June 24-28th, July 1-5th, July 8-12th and July 15-19th, with games starting at 14:30 CET (6 p.m. IST)

GP Standings

Replay the livestream

Links

FIDE

chess.com

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