Twinset

• Boro Miljanić, Predsjednik Opštine Aleksandar Žurić domaćin svjetskim šampionkama, sestrama Muzičuk, Šahovski savez Crne Gore, July 8, 2015

Bijelo Polje Mayor Aleksandar Žurić welcomes Women’s World Chess Champion Mariya Muzychuk and her sister Anna on July 7, 2015. [Read more].

Bijelo Polje Mayor Aleksandar Žurić welcomes Anna & Mariya Muzychuk. Photo: Šahovski savez Crne Gore.

Mariya Muzychuk enjoys playing chess with Bijelo Polje Mayor Aleksandar Žurić. Photo: Šahovski savez Crne Gore.

Cameo

• Svietska šampionka u šahu Marija Muzičuk u posjeti crnoj gori (Women’s World Chess Champion Mariya Muzychuk visiting Montenegro), Šahovski savez Crne Gore, July 7, 2015

Women’s World Chess Champion Mariya Muzychuk and her sister Grandmaster Anna Muzychuk are visiting Montenegro Chess Federation from 6 to 16 July. On 15 July Mariya will attend the press conference of ECU President Zurab Azmaiparashvili, which will be held in Bar, the host city of the upcoming historical 1st European Chess Union Congress (7-11 October 2015).

Mariya Muzychuk during her simultaneus exhibition with 15 players in Bijelo Polje, Montenegro, on July 7, 2015. Photo: Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE).

Adriatica

• World Champion Mariya Muzychuk visiting Montenegro Chess Federation, Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE), July 9, 2015

Mariya Muzychuk during a simultaneus exhibition with 15 players in Bijelo Polje, Montenegro, on July 7, 2015. Photo: Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE).

Fluttershy

• Петро Колодій закликав Президента Міжнародної шахової федерації (ФІДЕ) провести у Львові чемпіонат світу з шахів (Peter Kolodiy urged FIDE President to choose Lviv as venue of the upcoming Women’s World Chess Championship match), oblrada.lviv.ua, June 18, 2015

Mariya & Anna Muzychuk. Photo: oblrada.lviv.ua.

Head of Lviv Regional Council Peter Kolodiy (left) and Lviv Mayor Andriy Ivanovych Sadovyi (center) welcome FIDE President Kirsan Nikolayevich Ilyumzhinov (right). Photo: oblrada.lviv.ua.

Give Peace a Chance

• Президент ФІДЕ: Львів має всі шанси приймати матч за титул чемпіонки світу з шахів (FIDE President: give Lviv a chance to host Women’s World Chess Championship match), iPress.ua, June 18, 2015

Марія Музичук (Mariya Muzychuk)
Photo: img.com.ua

The Importance of Being Earnest

• China Wants to Host the World Women’s Championship Match, But Ilyumzhinov Gives the Chance to Lviv, Chess-News.ru, June 18, 2015

Ukrainian Women’s World Chess Champion, Mariya Muzychuk and her sister Anna, in the Lviv mayor’s office. Photo: Chess-News.ru.

Kirsan Nikolayevich Ilyumzhinov (@Ilyumzhinov)

瑪麗皇后

• Марія Музичук: “Хотілося б змагатися за світову шахову корону саме у Львові” (Mariya Muzychuk: “I’d like to play for the chess crown in Lviv”), galsports.com, May 25, 2015

The Muzychuk Family
Photo: galsports.com

Legends of Tomorrow

Evgeny Surov: Who is stronger at the moment: Anna or Mariya Muzychuk? Alexander Genrikhovich Beliavsky: Well, if you take the rating, which is the summary of all the successes, then today Anna is stronger. But Mariya is younger, she is growing rapidly, and – who knows? – Maybe, after the match with Hóu, it will turn out that she is stronger.

• Alexander Belyavsky: “To go down in history as world champion, you need to win a match”, Chess-News.ru, April 28, 2015

Chess-News.ru (@Chess_News)

Adrian Bogdanovich Mikhalchishin, Oleg Mikhailovich Romanishin and Alexander Genrikhovich Beliavsky in their prime. Photo: GrandCoach.com.

Настольный теннис (Table tennis)

Anna & Mariya Muzychuk enjoy playing ping-pong
Photo: Chess-News.ru

Happy Days

Muzychuk family
Photos: Anastasia Karlovich

Women’s World Chess (@worldwomenchess)

• Anastasia Karlovich, Mariya Muzychuk: Is this really my happy day?!, FIDE Women’s World Chess Championship 2015

Cuore e vento

Anna Olegivna Muzychuk
Photo: Eteri Kublashvili

Women’s World Chess (@worldwomenchess)

Second Youth

Anna Olegivna Muzychuk – Pia Cramling

Women’s World Chess Championship; playoff game 1; Krasnaya Polyana, March 28, 2015

Sicilian Defence B46

“In the first game I was very worried. My opponent had better after the opening. She could make strike directly but she played 21. c4, and I made 21. ... Be6 move, probably I should have taken Bf5 and go ... Nf8-e6 directly. I let her get the chance to triple on ‘f’ file. Then afterwards, when I let her take on f7, I think I had a little compensation. I played 28. ... Red8, and push my d-Pawn and I had a good Knight. But of course I was very lucky that I could win. Of course she had a Pawn up. But somehow my King was in a game, and I had more time. The game has changed completely”, then Pia Cramling said. 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. Bd3 d5 8. 0-0 Nf6 9. Qe2 Be7 10. b3 0-0 11. Bb2 Bb7 12. Rae1 Qc7 13. f4. For 13. e5 Nd7 14. f4 Nc5 15. f5 see Sutovsky – Movsesian, 11th European Individual Championships, Rijeka 2010. 13. ... Rfe8 14. e5 Nd7 15. f5 exf5 16. Bxf5 Bc5+ 17. Kh1 Nf8 18. Na4 Bb4 19. c3 Be7 20. Qg4 Bc8 21. c4 Be6 22. Rf3 Bxf5 23. Qxf5 Bb4 24. Ref1 Ne6 25. cxd5 cxd5 26. Qxf7+ Qxf7 27. Rxf7 Rac8 28. Rd7 Red8 29. Rxd8+ Rxd8 30. Rd1 d4 31. Nb6 Kf7 32. g3 Kg6 33. Kg2 Kf5 34. Kf3 Ng5+ 35. Ke2 Ke4

36. Rd3? Nh3! 37. Rd1 d3+ 38. Kf1 Rf8+ 39. Kg2 Nf2 40. Rf1 d2 41. a3 d1=Q 42. Rxd1 Nxd1 43. axb4 Nxb2 44. e6 Re8 45. Nd7 Nd3 0 : 1. “I was never hoping that I could survive. I was just playing. But then I put up my King. And all of a sudden, she played this 36. Rd3, and I got this 36. ... Nh3. Everything was finished, I think. It was not so easy, but I had more time and she went wrong. Of course this game was very difficult for me”, Cramling said.

Anna Olegivna Muzychuk vs. Pia Cramling
Photo: Anastasiya Karlovich

妈妈和女儿

王茜 (Wáng Qiàn) & 侯逸凡 (Hóu​ Yì​fán)
Photo: 谷笑冰 (Gǔ Xiàobīng)

• 智英会国象女子超快棋赛 侯逸凡蝉联冠军赵雪第六, sports.sina.com.cn, December 15, 2014

The Girl with the Cat Tattoo

北京 (Beijīng), December 14, 2014. Prizes, medals and awards: 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) is the Golden Girl! Photo: 王亮 (Wáng Liàng).

北京 (Beijīng), December 14, 2014. From the left: Valentina Gunina (Silver), 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) (Gold) and Anna Olegivna Muzychuk (Bronze). Photo: 王亮 (Wáng Liàng).

北京 (Beijīng), December 14, 2014. 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) on the top. Photo: 王亮 (Wáng Liàng).

金牌

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) is the Golden Girl!
Photo: World Mind Games (Facebook)

It goes without say that in the women’s [blitz] event; Hóu Yìfán is the player to beat. Her play is astoundingly good and her winning streak unmatchable. This time around she beats Gunina with 22½ out of 30. When asked about the blitz event, she calmly said “there are so many different positions and you always need time to recover”. Pia Cramling came out in the last round and put in an impeccable performance to beat Muzychuk, who loses out on grabbing silver. [Read more]

World Mind Games (@WorldMindGames)