🔹 12th World Teams Women R4
🔹 PGN format

@UnityChess

FIDE opens a bidding procedure for the Candidates Tournament 2020. The tournament will determine the challenger for the world championship and is scheduled to be held in the first half of 2020. All bids should be submitted by 6th June 2019.

Happy International Women's Day - March_8.
Try to solve these two puzzles from the games of the two strongest female players in chess history.
1. Black to win. Borislava Borisova vs Judit Polgar, Salonika, 1988.
2. White to win. Hou Yifan vs Siranush Andriasian, Jinan, 2005.

Round 3 of the Prague Masters

The Masters is a 10-player round-robin tournament organized by Nový Bor Chess Club, taking place from 6-15 March in the Hotel Don Giovanni in Prague, Czech Republic.

🔹 1st Prague Masters 2019
🔹 PGN format

@UnityChess

🔸chess.com IoM Masters Douglas ENG 2018
🔸Round 6
⚪️Kobo,Ori (2505)
⚫️Shirov,Alexei (2636)
🔸0-1

18...Nxd3+! [Shirov chooses the best way to obtain an advantage.]

[18...Nxg2+ would not be so good, in view of 19.Kd2 Nc4+ 20.Bxc4 Rxc4 21.Rhg1 Bh3 22.Kd3 Rc6=]

19.Rxd3 Bf5 [△Nc4]

20.Rd1 [20.Ne4 Rc2! 21.d5 Bb4+ 22.Kd1 Rxb2=/+]

20...Nc4! [Alexei fully exploits the absence of the White's light-squared bishop.]

21.0–0 [21.b3? Nb2 22.Rd2 Nd3+ △Bb4 23.Rxd3 Bxd3 24.Kd2 Ba6-/+]

21...Nxb2 22.Rb1? [White gives up the exchange unnecessarily.]

[22.Rd2! Nc4 23.Rdd1 Ba3 24.Ne4 Re8 25.N2c3 Bxe4 26.Nxe4 f5 27.Nc5 b6 28.Nd3=/+]

22...Bxb1 23.Rxb1 Ba3 24.Nb5? [24.d5 Re8 25.Bxa7 Nd3 26.Bb6+ Kd7-/+]

24...Rc2!–+

0–1

⚫️#160 (Strategy-Black to Move)
🔸Shankland,S (2731)
🔸Rapport,R (2735)
🔸Champions Showdown Rapid Saint Louis USA 2019

22...Bxe3! [Of course, Rapport doesn't allow White to plant his knight on the d5–outpost.]

[22...b4 23.c4 (23.Nd5=) 23...Bxe3 24.Qxe3 Rb6 25.b3 Qc5 26.Ra2 Qxe3 27.fxe3 Rcc6 28.Rca1=; 22...Qc6? 23.Nd5±]

23.Qxe3 Rb6 24.Qd3 Qc4 25.Rd1 Rcc6 26.g3 Rxa6 27.Rxa6 Rxa6 28.Kg2 Qxd3 29.Rxd3 Kf8 30.Rd5 Rb6-/+

½–½

⚫️#160 (Endgame-Black to Move)
🔸Shankland,S (2731)
🔸Rapport,R (2735)
🔸Champions Showdown Rapid Saint Louis USA 2019

49...Rb1? [49...a3! 50.Rxf5+ Ke6 51.Ra5 Kd6 52.Ra7 Kc5 53.Rxg7 Rb5 54.f5 Rb4+ 55.Kg3 Kb6 56.Rg8 Ra4 57.Rb8+ Kc7 58.Rb1 a2 59.Ra1 Kd6–+; 49...Ra3? 50.Ra6+ Kf7 51.Rf6+ Ke7 52.Re6+ Kf8 53.Rf6+ Kg8 54.Rf8+ Kh7 55.Rh8+=]

50.Ra6+ Kf7 51.Ra7+ Ke6 52.Rxa4 Rh1+ 53.Kg3 Rxh5 54.Ra6+ Kd5 [54...Kf7 55.Ra7+ Kg6 56.Ra6+ Kh7 57.Ra1 g5 58.Ra7+ Kg6 59.Ra6+ Kf7 60.Ra7+ Ke6 61.Ra6+ Kd5 62.Ra5+ Ke4 63.Ra4+ Kd3 64.Ra3+ Kc2 65.fxg5 hxg5 66.Ra5=]

55.Ra5+ Kd4 56.Ra4+ Kd3 57.Ra3+ Kc4 58.Ra4+ Kb5 59.Ra1 g6 60.Rc1 Kb6 61.Ra1 g5 62.fxg5 hxg5 63.Rf1 g4 64.Kf4 Kc5 65.Rd1 Kc4 66.Rd8 Kc3 67.Rd7 Kc2 68.Rd8 Rh7 69.Kxf5 Rg7 70.Kf6 g3 71.Kxg7 g2 72.Rc8+ Kd2 73.Rd8+ Ke2 74.Re8+ Kf2 75.Rf8+ Kg3 76.Rf6 g1Q 77.Rg6+ Kf2 78.Rxg1 Kxg1

½–½

⚪️#161 (Strategy-White to Move)
🔸Navara,D (2738)
🔸So,W (2765)
🔸Champions Showdown Rapid Saint Louis USA 2019