Chess
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White House Correspondent
AFTER A long, hard battle, China's Xie Jun won the Women's world championship match against Russia's Alisa Galliamova on Sunday.
After they had left the first half of the match in Kazan on the Volga tied four-all, Xie Jun took control in the second half in Shenyang, in Manchuria, with victories as Black in games 9 and 11. Galliamova though, won in turn with Black in game 12, reducing Xie Jun's lead to a single point going into the last rest day on Wednesday.
But, after a draw in game 13, Xie Jun bucked the trend by winning with White in game 14 and, although Galliamova fought to the bitter end in a knight ending in game 15, Xie held on.
So the final score was 8.5-6.5, and Xie Jun has regained the title she lost to Zsuzsa Polgar three years ago (Polgar was stripped of her title by Fide after she refused to defend it less than six months after the birth of her son).
Galliamova spoiled a perfectly playable position with the wild rook manoeuvre Re1-e3-g3-g4 and was given no chance to recover.
White: Alisa Galliamova
Black: Xie Jun
Shenyang 1999 (Game 11)
Ruy Lopez
In Las Vegas on Sunday, Alexander Khalifman as black defeated Vladimir Akopian in the first of the six-game final of the Fide world championship.
1 e4 e5
2 Nf3 Nc6
3 Bb5 a6
4 Ba4 Nf6
5 0-0 Be7
6 Re1 b5
7 Bb3 d6
8 c3 0-0
9 h3 h6
10 d4 Re8
11 Nbd2 Bf8
12 Nf1 Bb7
13 Ng3 Na5
14 Bc2 Nc4
15 a4 d5
16 Nxe5 Nxe4
17 Nxe4 dxe4
18 Nxc4 bxc4
19 b3 Qd5
20 Re3 cxb3
21 Bxb3 Qf5
22 Rg3 Bd6
23 Rg4 Qf6
24 Qc2 Re7
25 Ba3 Bxa3
26 Rxa3 Rae8
27 Ra1 c5
28 dxc5 Qe5
29 Re1 Kh7
30 Qd2 f5
31 Rg3 Qxc5
32 h4 Qc7
33 h5 Rd8
34 Qc1 Qe5
35 c4 f4
36 Rc3 Rf8
37 c5 Bc6
38 Rh3 Qg5
39 Qc2 Kh8
40 a5 Bd7
41 Rh2 Bc6
42 Qc4 e3
43 fxe3 f3
44 Kh1 fxg2+
45 Kg1 Rxe3
46 Rb1 Ref3
White resigns
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