Virtuality

12th Women’s World Chess Champion Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk won the fourth and final leg of the 1st Online Women’s Speed Chess Championship Grand Prix by narrowly beating Indian Grandmaster Humpy Koneru 7–5 in the final for first and second. And thus finally Kosteniuk herself and 14th Women’s World Chess Champion Anna Yuriyivna Ushenina will be battling for the virtual “Speedy Crown” in tomorrow’s super-final. Screenshot from the live stream.

Humpy Koneru – Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk

1st Online Women’s Speed Chess Championship Grand Prix; fourth leg; match game 4; time control: 3 seconds plus 1 second per move; chess.com, July 19, 2020

2r3k1/p4ppp/2N1b3/8/4p3/bPB1P3/P4PPP/3R2K1 w - - 3 21

Position after 20. ... Ra8-c8

In the position of the diagram, White, who is to move, has a Pawn ahead and a technical “near-win”. It just takes a bit of patience, for instance, by 21. b4! (Δ Nc6-e7+) 21. ... Kf8 22. b5±/+− with great advantage to White. But Koneru makes it too easy, as her childish solution turns out to be a cruel illusion: 21. Rd8+?? Rxd8 22. Nxd8 Bd5! Sic et simpliciter: White’s Knight is dominated. 23. Bd4 a6 24. Bb6 Kf8 25. Ba5 Be7 0 : 1. White resigns, for there follows ... Kf8-e8 winning the Knight.