Kosteniuk Maintains Lead in Nalchik

Alexandra Kosteniuk (pictured) and Hou Yifan drew the second game of their 4-game final to leave Kosteniuk with a 1.5-0.5 lead.  However Kosteniuk had possible winning chances after Yifan lost a pawn and the young Chinese girl was lucky that her strong passed e-pawn was enough to save the day.

Did Kosteniuk miss a win, and will she live to regret it?  Only time will tell...

Hou Yifan will have the white pieces in game 3 tomorrow (16 Sept).

The scene at the start of the game.  Picture from the official site.