The rating favourite in the Women’s event, Anna Muzychuk, scored her first victory in the tournament. Playing as White, she defeated India’s Vantika Agrawal in the Closed Sicilian. Agrawal made a blunder in a tense position:
Here, Black should have continued with 29…Rb8 and then if 30.Rc7 she should have played Bb8, defending in a difficult position. Instead, she went for a rook exchange which turned out to be fatal.
29…Rxc1 30.Rxc1 Rb8 31.Rc5!! Winning a pawn as Agrawal apparently overlooked the checkmate on the eighth rank.
31…g5 32.Rxb5 Not only has White created an extra pawn on the b-file, but her centralised rook and pieces caused further chaos for Black. 1-0.
Following a shocking loss in round one, Anna struggled in the tournament, with three consecutive draws. Maybe this victory will mark a turning point in her tournament.
With six rounds to go, the Women’s field remains wide open, with four players sharing the lead and several others closing in.
