WWCh G7: Hou Yifan wins again, half a point shy of retaining world title
Hou Yifan needs only one draw in the last three games of the Women's World Championship Match to retain her world title. The Chinese grandmaster also won the 7th match game against Humpy Koneru of India on Wednesday in Tirana, Albania.
Hou Yifan needs a draw on Thursday to retain her world title | All photos © FIDE by Anna Burtasova & Anastasiya Karlovich
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The 7th match game started as a Closed Ruy Lopez. Humpy Koneru managed to equalize with Black quite easily, but perhaps due to the match situation she took too many risks at some point. Hou Yifan won a pawn and from that moment the Indian was on the defending side.
Humpy Koneru: on the verge of defeat
After the time control the title holder won another pawn, and reached a completely winning rook ending. Due to the match situation her opponent played on a bit longer than usual, but the result was never in doubt.
After seven games the World Champion is leading by 5-2 and only a miracle can help Koneru win the world title: she needs to win all of the remaining three games. The 8th game is scheduled for Thursday, November 24th.
Hou Yifan doing well in her match
Game 7
[Event "WCh w"]
[Site "Tirana ALB"]
[Date "2011.11.23"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Hou, Yifan"]
[Black "Koneru, Humpy"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteTitle "GM"]
[BlackTitle "GM"]
[WhiteElo "2578"]
[BlackElo "2600"]
[ECO "C92"]
[Opening "Ruy Lopez"]
[Variation "closed, 9.h3"]
[WhiteFideId "8602980"]
[BlackFideId "5008123"]
[EventDate "2011.11.14"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3
O-O 9. h3 Qd7 10. d4 Re8 11. Nbd2 Bf8 12. a3 Bb7 13. d5 Ne7 14. Nf1 Ng6 15. N3h2
c6 16. Bg5 Be7 17. dxc6 Bxc6 18. Ng3 Nf4 19. Bxf6 Bxf6 20. Nh5 Qe7 21. Qf3 Bg5
22. Rad1 Ne6 23. Ng4 Rf8 24. Ne3 Bxe3 25. Qxe3 Rad8 26. Ng3 g6 27. Rd2 h5 28.
Qh6 Nf4 29. Ne2 Qf6 30. Nxf4 exf4 31. Rd3 Rfe8 32. Rf3 Rd7 33. Rxf4 Qg7 34. Qg5
Re5 35. Qg3 Rde7 36. Rd1 g5 37. Rf5 Bxe4 38. Rxe5 Qxe5 39. Rxd6 Qxg3 40. fxg3
Bb7 41. Kf2 Kg7 42. Bd1 h4 43. gxh4 gxh4 44. Rd4 Be4 45. Bf3 Bxf3 46. Kxf3 Re1
47. Rxh4 Rb1 48. Rb4 Kf6 49. Ke3 Ke5 50. Re4+ Kd5 51. Rd4+ Ke5 52. Rd2 f5 53.
Kd3 Kf4 54. Rf2+ Kg3 55. Rxf5 Rxb2 56. Rg5+ Kh4 57. Rg6 a5 58. Rg4+ Kh5 59. Re4
Kg6 60. Re2 Rb3 61. Ra2 b4 62. axb4 axb4 63. Rc2 Ra3 64. Kd4 bxc3 65. Rxc3 Ra2
66. Rg3+ Kh5 67. Ke3 Ra3+ 68. Kf2 Ra2+ 69. Kg1 Ra1+ 70. Kh2 Ra2 71. Rd3 Ra5 72.
Rd4 Rb5 73. h4 Rb3 74. g3 Rb1 75. Kh3 Rh1+ 76. Kg2 Ra1 77. Rd5+ Kh6 78. Kh3 Ra3
79. Re5 Ra4 80. Re3 Ra6 81. g4 Ra1 82. Re6+ Kg7 83. h5 Rh1+ 84. Kg3 Kh7 85. Kf4
Rf1+ 86. Kg5 Rf7 87. h6 Ra7 88. Kh5 Ra5+ 89. g5 Rb5 90. Re7+ Kg8 91. Kg6 Rb6+
92. Kf5 Rb5+ 93. Kf6 Rb6+ 94. Re6 Rb8 95. g6 Kh8 96. Re5 Ra8 97. Kg5 1-
Women's World Championship 2011 | Score
| Players | Rating | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Total | Perf. | +/– |
| Hou Yifan | 2578 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 5.0 | 2759 | +17 | |||
| Koneru Humpy | 2600 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 2419 | –17 |
GM Ye Jiangchuan, coach of Hou Yifan, interviewed in the press room
Peter Doggers joined a chess club a month before turning 15 and still plays for it. He used to be an active tournament player and holds two IM norms. Peter has a Master of Arts degree in Dutch Language & Literature. He briefly worked at New in Chess, then as a Dutch teacher and then in a project for improving safety and security in Amsterdam schools. Between 2007 and 2013 Peter was running ChessVibes, a major source for chess news and videos acquired by Chess.com in October 2013. As our Director News & Events, Peter writes many of our news reports. In the summer of 2022, The Guardian’s Leonard Barden described him as “widely regarded as the world’s best chess journalist.”
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