Krush almost beats the champion
Anna Zatonskih impressively won the third edition of the Cairns Cup with a round to spare, which meant the fight for second place became the focus of attention in the final round.
Three players entered the last day of action tied for second place, 1½ points behind Zatonskih: Alexandra Kosteniuk, Irina Krush and Bella Khotenashvili. After all was said and done, only Kosteniuk scored a full point, securing sole second place in the final standings.
Kosteniuk defeated Elisabeth Paehtz with black in what was her third consecutive win in Saint Louis. By the time the Swiss grandmaster had defeated her German colleague, Khotenashvili had already drawn her game against Harika Dronavalli, while Krush had an extra pawn in an endgame with rooks and bishops of opposite colours against the tournament winner.
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In a game that reminded us of their long-standing rivalry for the top spot among women chess players in the United States, Krush and Zatonskih fought until move 130, with Krush missing a few difficult-to-find recourses to score a full point.
The draw meant Zatonskih finished the tournament undefeated, as she became the American player to get a GM norm at the oldest age ever, according to Todd Bryant on Twitter:
I believe I have now confirmed that Anna Zatonskih’s 44y 11mo is the oldest age at which any American has achieved a GM norm, and up there worldwide.
Larry Kaufman – won World Senior age 61, no prior norms
John Donaldson – norm at 44y 9mo
Enrico Sevillano – final norm 44y 4.5mo— Strong Chess (@thestrongchess) June 12, 2023
Krush thus tied for third place with Khotenashvili. The latter signed her first draw of the event in the final round. The Georgian grandmaster had won four games in a row in rounds 3-7 before losing the all-important confrontation against Kosteniuk in the penultimate round.
Bella Khotenashvili | Photo: Bryan Adams
Krush ½ – ½ Zatonskih
Endgame analysis by GM Karsten Müller
Long-time rivals Irina Krush and Anna Zatonskih | Photo: Crystal Fuller
Results – Round 9
Final standings
All games
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