Chess - The Scotsman 30/11/2012

THE oil-rich Russian-controlled town of Khanty-Mansiysk, located in Siberia, is fast becoming the chess capital of the world, despite the big chill factor there and a population of only 80,000.

In 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2011, the town hosted the Chess World Cup. It also hosted the 39th Chess Olympiad in 2010, and is currently playing host to 
Fide’s new-styled 2012 Women’s World Championship.

No other place on Earth has hosted so many Fide world elite events in such a short period of time.

But the weather there can be brutal, as no doubt many former gulag detainees could attest to. Eighteen-year-old Hou Yifan, clearly the all-time No 2 woman player after Hungary’s Judit Polgar (who does not play in women’s events), was the red-hot favourite to retain her title, but she was sensationally frozen out in the second round by Monika Socko, of Poland, and left the Siberian town by blaming the -17C weather and a heavy cold.

The Chinese golden girl does though have a right to a 2013 title match, not as a former champion but 
because she was first in the women’s Grand Prix series of events staged earlier in the year. And with the women’s world KO rapidly drawing to a close, it looks likely she’ll be facing Anna Ushenina, of Ukraine, who leads former champion Antoaneta Stefanova, of Bulgaria, by 2-1 going into today’s fourth
and final game of the 
contest.

A Ushenina - A Stefanova

Women’s World Ch., (6.3)

Chebanenko Slav

1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 a6 5 c5 Nbd7 6 Bf4 Nh5 7 Bd2 Nhf6 8 Rc1 g6 9 h3 Qc7 10 g3 Bg7 11 Bf4 Qd8 12 Bg2 0–0 13 0–0 Nh5 14 Bd2 f5 15 Qb3 e5 16 Ng5 exd4 17 Nxd5 cxd5 18 Bxd5+ Kh8 19 Ne6 Qf6 20 Nxf8 Qxf8 21 Bxb7 Rb8 22 c6 Nc5 23 Qb6 Nxb7 24 Qa7! Be5 25 c7 Ra8 26 Qxa8 Qe8 27 Qxa6 Nc5 28 Qa8 Ne4 29 Rc2 Nxd2 30 Rxd2 Kg7 31 Rc2 Kh6 32 b4 Bd6 33 Qd5 Nxg3 34 Qxd6 Nxf1 35 Qxd4 g5 36 Qf6+ Kh5 37 Rc6 1–0