Koneru Humpy is sole leader at Cairns Cup chess after 8th round


Koneru Humpy is sole leader at Cairns Cup chess after 8th round

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Indian chess grandmaster Koneru Humpy jumped into sole lead with scoring 5.5 points and a round to play at Cairns Cup chess 2020. Koneru Humpy defeated Russian GM Valentina Gunina of Russia in the eighth round of the second edition of Cairns Cup here.

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In another crucial match of 8th round, 16-year old America Carissa Yip shocked world champion Wenjun Ju in a 61 move game. This shocking loss would be proved vital for Wenjun Ju.

More fact to remember, After 7 rounds, Koneru Humpy and world champion Wenjun Ju shares top position after scoring 4.5 points.In the Humpy vs Gunina game, the Indian opted for Semi-Slav opening and outplayed her rival in 35 moves to scored her 4th win of the tournament. Interestingly, Humpy will meet compatriot Harika Dronavalli in the final round with the former in with a chance to claim the top prize.

Harika Dronavalli shares point with Mariya Muzychuk in 8th round match. Intersting fact, Koneru Humpy suffers only defeat against Mariya Muzychuk till now. American star Carissa Yip had bounced back in style with three wins after losing four straight games in earlier rounds. Thanks to this victory, Carissa Yip scored 3.5 points after 8th round.

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Former world champion, Russia’s Alexandra Kosteniuk, is nearest competitor of Humpy, with five points. Alexandra Kosteniuk scored superb win over Nana Dzagnidze in 8th round match.
In the day’s other games of the day, local star Irina Krush shares point with Lagno Kateryna.