IM Mai Narva Wins WSCC Play-In 2 Convincingly
IM Mai Narva of Estonia convincingly triumphed in the second qualifier of the 2024 Julius Baer Women's Speed Chess Championship by winning the Knockout stage of the second Play-In after defeating WFM Hong Nhung Nguyen of Vietnam in the finals with a 3.5-0.5 score.
Though IM Eline Roebers of the Netherlands dominated the Swiss portion, she was defeated 4-3 through an armageddon tiebreak in a topsy-turvy semifinal match by Nhung Nguyen. Narva defeated the top-seeded GM Zhu Jiner of China with a 3.5-1.5 score in the other semifinals.
The next qualifier for the event, Play-in 3, takes place on Thursday, August 15, starting at 11:00 a.m. ET / 17:00 CEST / 8:30 p.m. IST.
Julius Baer Women's Speed Chess Championship Play-In 2: Knockout
Julius Baer Women's Speed Chess Championship Play-In 2: Swiss
Early on in the day, commentators IM Jovanka Houska and GM Judit Polgar introduced a crucial word that would come to dominate the proceedings throughout: "turnaround." Throughout the Swiss and Knockout phases of the event, the first high for the spectators happened when the players came down to their final half-minutes. However much the players had worked hard to achieve any advantage until that point—material or positional—the last minute made them lose control of the position and play whichever moves came to their heads, or even worse, their mice. This was when the turnarounds would happen, helping the defending side reach equality or even win the game.
This rollercoaster sort of game was the permanent feature of the day, especially in the games of Roebers, right up to the cliffhanger of the armageddon phase during the semifinals. Though a matter of excitement for the spectators, it sure left the losing players with unpleasant memories for a long, long time.
Play-In Swiss 2
Unlike the first qualifier, there weren't too many dramatic twists in the initial rounds of the Swiss, at least in the games of elite players. Rather, one witnessed many interesting endgames. One of the stars of the first Play-In, IM Anastasia Bodnaruk's game against GM Natalia Zhukova featured interesting play in an opposite-colored bishop endgame.
There was another interesting opposite-colored bishop ending between IM Gulnar Mammadova of Azerbaijan and Hong Nhung.
Narva tricked the formidable IM Karina Ambartsumova in the third game in a deceptive-looking rook endgame.
This tricky king and pawn endgame made commentator Polgar remark, "Pawn endings can be funny. And they can be very frustrating!"
Pawn endings can be funny. And they can be very frustrating!
—Judit Polgar
Though she lost to Jiner and Roebers in the course of the event, she scored a crucial final-round victory from a losing position against Mammadova, with a typical turnaround in the middlegame.
Roebers dominated the Swiss event with many fighting games. Her game against Narva in the seventh round was a glorious tactical fight, where Noebers was clearly lost at some point but pulled out a magnificent turnaround in a tactical skirmish followed by a complex endgame.
Jiner has a typical grinding style, playing long games and typically grinding endgames. Her win against the nine-year-old WFM Bodhana Sivanandan of England in the third round was typical of her style. Both players committed mistakes, which is inevitable in the final seconds of a 3+1 time control. To her credit, Jiner showed excellent resourcefulness.
Bodhana had an excellent event, even reaching to play the top board in the last round against Roebers, though she lost.
The other finalist, Nhung Nguyen, has an attractive tactical style. Her ability to spot tactical resources was the best part of her play.
Play-In Knockout 2
Unlike the first qualifier, both the semifinals and finals were well-fought, and it is impossible to describe all the battles in detail. Hence, I am presenting you with the most impressive game of each match of the Knockout stage.
We're about to begin the knockout! https://t.co/5sjC7UObEd #SpeedChess pic.twitter.com/qcePH6ZVAk
— chess24 (@chess24com) August 14, 2024
Semifinals: Narva - Jiner
Narva started the match tentatively by drawing the first game and losing the second by hanging a whole rook. But she won the next three games in a row to progress into the finals. Her best effort was in the fourth game of the match, where she convincingly outplayed Jiner.
Semifinals: Nhung Nguyen - Roebers
This was an electrifying match, where Nhung Nguyen was leading with a score of 3-2 after the first game of the 1+1 segment. In the last game of the match, Roebers seemed to be in a completely lost position, with her queen being in the most inactive position achievable on the board.
Imagine yourselves in Roebers' situation—would you have the heart to fight out this position? Roebers did put up an admirable comeback and even went on to win the game.
Looking at Roebers' resourcefulness in this game, Polgar exclaimed, "It's Eline's Day!"
It's Eline's Day!
—Judit Polgar
Eline Roebers traps a queen, but she didn't win the game: "The most painful game so far of the day!" (Judit Polgar) https://t.co/m3dFVo7jSX pic.twitter.com/XXrSIuL9XZ
— chess24 (@chess24com) August 14, 2024
However, Roebers' resourcefulness finally came to a halt in the armageddon game, where she needed to win with the white pieces. Nhung Nguyen played effectively to score a win and progressed to the finals.
Finals: Narva - Nhung Nguyen
Narva's treatment of her openings was an important feature of her playing strength, especially when she was pushing the h-pawn down the line. This curious factor enabled her to win two important games. The very first game of the match featured an unfortunate blunder by Nhung Nguyen in an otherwise equal position. She never recovered from this setback, ultimately losing the match with a score of 0.5-3.5.
Polgar remarked about Nhung Nguyen's blunder, "One moment of madness, and the whole house has come crashing down for Black!"
How to watch?
You can watch the broadcast on Twitch and YouTube. The games can also be checked out on our dedicated events page.
The live broadcast was hosted by IM Jovanka Houska and GM Judit Polgar.
The Julius Baer Women's Speed Chess Championship is a Chess.com event where some of the strongest female chess players in the world battle for a $75,000 prize fund. The main event sees 16 players compete in a single-elimination bracket in matches played at 5+1, 3+1, and 1+1 time controls. Four places go to the winners of four Play-ins held on August 12-16 and open to all female titled players. In each Play-in the top four players in a Swiss qualify to compete in a knockout.
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