Humpy Koneru Wins Cairns Cup
On Sunday GM Humpy Koneru won the Cairns Cup's hefty $45,000 first prize. After a quick draw with her compatriot GM Harika Dronavalli, she saw her main rival GM Alexandra Kosteniuk lose to GM Ju Wenjun.
Koneru finished on six points, half a point more than Women's World Champion Ju, who won $35,000. Kosteniuk shared the third prize with GM Mariya Muzychuk; both took home $22,500.
Harika didn't exactly push hard against Koneru (playing the Four Knights and trading queens right away) and so the game of the tournament leader was over in no time.
"I felt like I needed to just draw today to be risk-free," said Koneru.
Humpy was now virtually a point ahead of Kosteniuk, who needed a win to force a playoff on Monday. Instead, she lost a Berlin endgame against Ju, who showed wonderful skill with the bishop pair.
It all started with Kosteniuk going for a dangerous pawn grab, which eventually cost her $10,000 in prize money (compared to the game ending in a draw).
GM Irina Krush finished her tournament on a high note as she defeated GM Nana Dzadgnidze. The Georgian number one had a good start but lost steam toward the end of the tournament.
Her Benoni went wrong, her 15th move was strange... not a good day for Dzagnidze, and well-executed by Krush.
WGM Carissa Yip ended with a solid draw against Muzychuk and can be very satisfied with her tournament. That cannot be said about GM Valentina Gunina, who won the tournament last year but finished in last place this time.
Round 9 games
The second Cairns Cup was a 10-player round-robin with a prize fund of $180,000. It took place February 7-16 at the Saint Louis Chess Club.
Previous reports:
- Cairns Cup R8: Yip Beats Ju, Humpy Leads
- Cairns Cup R7: Muzychuk Beats Gunina
- Cairns Cup R6: Koneru Catches Ju, Yip Scores Again
- Cairns Cup R5: New Leaders After Round Without Draws
- Cairns Cup R4: Dzagnidze Maintains Lead, Yip Keeps Struggling
- Cairns Cup R3: Dzagnidze Leads
- Cairns Cup R2: Wins For Kosteniuk, Lagno, Muzychuk
- Dzagnidze, Koneru Score In Cairns Cup Opener
- Even Stronger 2nd Cairns Cup Starts Today
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