The Kosintsev sisters ended their third game in a quick draw, Other participants continued their fights. As a result all other games finished with a score. In the game Muzychuk-Lahno playing white Anna Muzychuk attacked the opponent's king and rather quickly led the game to a victory. Alisa Galliamova and Elina Danielian won their first games of the tournament playing against Antoanetta Stefanova and Ekaterina Kovalevskaya respectively. Humpy Koneru did not start her tournament successfully but could improve her situation today by winning the Chinese chess player Ruan Lufei. The Women's World Chess Champion Hou Yifan won the ex-World Women's Chess Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk and strengthened her leading positions in the tournament. Anna Muzychuk and Nadezhda Kosintseva have one point below the leader.

See the comments of GM Vitaly Kiselev

Nadezhda Kosintseva - Tatiana Kosintseva

  No one doubted the result of this game and sisters Kosintsevs piecefully drew the game 15 minutes later after its start. This time girls chose a very popular draw variation with effective queen sacrifice and perpetual check and, as sisters said at the press conference: "Draw is the law for us". 





Anna Muzychuk - Kateryna Lahno

This game was also promising, because two constant opponents of the Ukrainian Championships (however Anna has been playing for Slovenia for several years already) met at the chess board. White chose rare variation in Scotch Defense and if judging by the time spent in the opening, Black did not expect it. There was a position with opposite sides castlings and in this "active" play White got to the opponent's king faster. At the end of the game White acted without any mistakes and already on the 28th move they won the game. According to both opponents, the plan moving pawns а6-b5 was a mistake. Instead of this Black should have chosen another plan - to press by pieces on the White's center.


Alisa Galliamova - Antoanetta Stefanova

  The Champion of Russia Alisa Galliamova (white) has played the Slavic defense, choosing the Bishop fianchetto g2. Black has received a material advantage at the Queen side but White had a compensation with the powerful centre, advantage in developing and weak position of the opponent's queen. The 15th move could have brought the unsolvable problems to the Black by a threat to win Queen. But White missed this opportunity and continued to gradually gain compensation for three sacrificed pawns. The decisive moment was move 23 when Black being in a trouble time and in an equal position did not make the an intermediate move 23... f5 and was mated.   

Humpy Koneru - Ruan Lufei

  This game was promising from the very beginning. Then Indian chess crown runner-up who started not very successfully today played against the chinese chess player. In the first rounds Ruan Lufei was favoured by fortune - in the first one she saved the hopeless endgame with two pawns down and in the second round her opponent blundered approximately in the equal position. White chose a rather interesting continuation in the English opening, made a bishop fianchetto on b2 and, and having exchanged it, played d4 and e4 and got the position with a small but stable advantage. Further on white captured a pawn and then skillfully passed to the won rook endgame. This time fortune could not help the Chinese player to save at least half point.   



Alexandra Kosteniuk - Hou Yifan

  Ex-World Champion proposed the young champion to check whose analysis of the Indian Defense are more deeper, but Hou Yifan passed over to Queen's Gambit (Ragozin Defense). White got the advantage of two bishops and Black - a strong pawns chain, space advantage and pieces activity. The breaking moment in the game was when the Russian chess player made a king castling taking into account that the "h" line was open. This fact played its role after the moment when Black completely blocked the White's play on the queen's side and gradually bring the queen to the open file "h" to attack the king. White did not manage to move the king from the center of the battle and Black won.  


Elina Danielian - Ekaterina Kovalevskaya

  This game was played by two participants who scored half point by this moment that ensured an interesting battle. They played Tarrasch Defense in the Queen's Gambit Declined. White chose the game plan against an isolated pawn on d5 exchanging pieces and passed to the endgame where the weakness of the isolated pawn was supposed to be seen. Until the 33rd move the position was almost equal, but in the time-trouble Kovalevskaya made a number of mistakes that led to the queen's endgame with one pawn down where there were no chances for a draw.