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Home > Archive > Chess forum > March 2006 > New Chinese Sensation in Woman's World Chess Championship
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New Chinese Sensation in Woman's World Chess Championship
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| Sam Sloan 2006-03-15, 7:35 pm |
| New Chinese Sensation in Woman's World Chess Championship
Apparently, the organizers have not noticed, or at least they have not
yet posted her picture, but there is a fantastic new sensation in the
Woman's World Championship.
Hou Yifan, a twelve year old girl (her real age might be only 11) has
just swept away two players rated over 2400 and has qualified to the
final 16 in the Woman's World Chess Championship.
In the first round, Hou Yifan defeated Nadezhda Kosintseva of Russia,
who is rated 2480, by 1 1/2 - 1/2
In the second round, Hou Yifan defeated Natalia Zhukova of Ukraine,
who is rated 2432, by 2-0
This gives her a performance rating for those four games of 2756.
This may be the best result ever for a player that age of either sex.
(Certainly, Judit Polgars sweep of 12.3 out of 13 playing second board
for Hungary in the 1988 World Chess Olympiad in Salonika Greece comes
to mind, but only one of the players Judit played was as strong as the
players Hou Yifan played and many of Judit's opponents were only
around 2200).
Perhaps we should have known already that Hou Yifan was much better
than her rating. She is only rated number 21 in her own country of
China. What is a girl with such a low rating doing in the World
Championship?
The answer: Hou Yifan won the Chinese Woman's Zonal Tournament, ahead
of a bevy of well known Chinese players.
I must admit that I was not the first to discover Hou. Ali Nihat
Yazici, who is a Candidate for Deputy FIDE President on the Bessel Kok
ticket, had this to say about her last year:
"As a journalist, president and chess person I must draw your
attention to this young lady, Miss Hou Yifan. Take a good look at her
- we are introducing you to a future women's world champion. Hou is
just eleven years old, and her official rating is 2158. But her
performance in Jinan was 2400. She is a great talent and I predict
that she may soon become the youngest GM in the world. Not WGM, but
GM!"
http://www.rightmove06.org/
http://www.womenchess.com/persres.asp?id=56&cat=0
The second round of the Woman World Championship was a disaster for
the favorites. Defending World Champion Antoaneta Stefanova of
Bulgaria lost and was eliminated, as well as the two top rated women,
Humpy of India and Pia Cramilng of Sweden. America's sweetheart Irina
Krush was also eliminated. Irina gave up an opportunity to play in the
US Championship in San Diego in order to compete in the Woman World
Championship. One wonders how she feels about that now that she has
been eliminated in the second round.
The upset victories by Hou Yifan are the most exciting thing to happen
in Ekaterinburg ever since Czar Nicholas and his wife and four
daughters, including Hollywood movie star Anastasia, were murdered in
a basement there on 18 July 1918. It will take a while before
Ekaterinburg lives down that one.
Sam Sloan
http://www.ishipress.com/royalfam/pafg01.htm
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| Ray Gordon 2006-03-15, 11:32 pm |
| > New Chinese Sensation in Woman's World Chess Championship
quote:
>
> Apparently, the organizers have not noticed, or at least they have not
> yet posted her picture,
Maybe because she's 12?
quote:
> but there is a fantastic new sensation in the
> Woman's World Championship.
>
> Hou Yifan, a twelve year old girl (her real age might be only 11) has
> just swept away two players rated over 2400 and has qualified to the
> final 16 in the Woman's World Chess Championship.
Means nothing. Waitzkin was just as impressive at that age and he stalled
out in the 2500 range.
quote:
> In the first round, Hou Yifan defeated Nadezhda Kosintseva of Russia,
> who is rated 2480, by 1 1/2 - 1/2
>
> In the second round, Hou Yifan defeated Natalia Zhukova of Ukraine,
> who is rated 2432, by 2-0
>
> This gives her a performance rating for those four games of 2756.
>
> This may be the best result ever for a player that age of either sex.
> (Certainly, Judit Polgars sweep of 12.3 out of 13 playing second board
> for Hungary in the 1988 World Chess Olympiad in Salonika Greece comes
> to mind, but only one of the players Judit played was as strong as the
> players Hou Yifan played and many of Judit's opponents were only
> around 2200).
The element of surprise is now gone. See how she holds up under scrutiny.
quote:
> Perhaps we should have known already that Hou Yifan was much better
> than her rating. She is only rated number 21 in her own country of
> China. What is a girl with such a low rating doing in the World
> Championship?
>
> The answer: Hou Yifan won the Chinese Woman's Zonal Tournament, ahead
> of a bevy of well known Chinese players.
>
> I must admit that I was not the first to discover Hou. Ali Nihat
> Yazici, who is a Candidate for Deputy FIDE President on the Bessel Kok
> ticket, had this to say about her last year:
>
> "As a journalist, president and chess person I must draw your
> attention to this young lady, Miss Hou Yifan. Take a good look at her
> - we are introducing you to a future women's world champion. Hou is
> just eleven years old, and her official rating is 2158. But her
> performance in Jinan was 2400. She is a great talent and I predict
> that she may soon become the youngest GM in the world. Not WGM, but
> GM!"
Still meaningless. It's what they do after they become a GM that counts.
The way there is just remedial chess.
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| Sam Sloan 2006-03-15, 11:32 pm |
| Do you admit that the girl is hot? She's exactly at the age I like.
What about you?
Sam Sloan
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| Ray Gordon 2006-03-15, 11:32 pm |
| > Do you admit that the girl is hot? She's exactly at the age I like.
quote:
> What about you?
Ask the 12 year-old boys what they think.
I couldn't care less.
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| Sam Sloan 2006-03-15, 11:32 pm |
| So you admit that you like 12 year old boys? I knew this all along.
Sam Sloan
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