侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) (left) and Woman Grandmaster Altan-Ulzii Enkhtuul posing for a photo on a beach in Vladivostok, Sea of Japan, Far East, Primorsky Krai, Russia. Photo: 逸凡 (Yìfán) (@yf_hou). |
On Tuesday, January 21, 2020 — the last free day of the Women’s World Chess Championship match between 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) and Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina — the Russian Chess Federation and the Timchenko Foundation co-organised a 40-board simultaneous exhibition with four-time Women’s World Chess Champion and Rhodes Scholar 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) and English Grandmaster and FIDE Vice President Nigel David Short taking on, respectively, twenty young opponents of “the fair sex” and twenty of “the strong sex”. The parade was staged, as usual, at the Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) on Russky Island, Vladivostok, Primorsky Krai, Russia. In what should have been a rhetorical triumph of reactionary conformism and gender-segregated education, with 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) being compelled to commend the foresight of the organisers for making her play only with girls, however, and not unsurprisingly, the official photographer succeeded in snapping a series of non-captioned pictures which tell a story of fashion and passion. Photos © Eteri Kublashvili.
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On December 14, 2019 four-time Women’s World Chess Champion and Rhodes Scholar 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) officiated as guest of honour the awards ceremony at 9th Chinese Youth Chess Championship in 聊城 (Liáochéng), 阳谷县 (Yánggǔ County), 山东省 (Shāndōng province), China. Photos: 北京 (Běijīng) Queen’s Wing Chess Club. |
In the meantime, four-time Women’s World Chess Champion and Rhodes Scholar 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) continues to provide divine guidance to the bewildered souls wandering in the squared world. Photo: Eteri Kublashvili/Russian Chess Federation.
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居文君 (Jū Wénjūn)’s victory today might indicate that the Russian coaches have put too much pressure on Goryachkina. Photo: Eteri Kublashvili/Russian Chess Federation.
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Curiously enough, 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) and Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina attended their mandatory post-game interviews in separate rooms with different hosts and interpreters: and so, as 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) and Nigel David Short asked existential questions in English, Sergey Yuryevich Shipov gave answers in fluent Russian. Photos: Eteri Kublashvili/Russian Chess Federation.
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Inbetween, English Grandmaster and FIDE Vice President Nigel David Short flaunted a Soviet ushanka in honour of four-time Women’s World Chess Champion and Rhodes Scholar 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), who majestically took to the stage-screen in her shawl-collared and puff-sleeved black blouse. Photo: Ekaterina Vasilchenko/Russian Chess Federation.
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居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) burned all bridges behind her and broke thru the ice to win back the ninth game. Photo: Eteri Kublashvili/Russian Chess Federation.
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After all, no educational game should teach ruthless competition, and that’s why the Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna” is the favourite chess960 club of those who wish to play, however passionately, a game of escape from the mainstream of everyday life.
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It’s a rainy Saturday, but the sun always shines at Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna”, so be on time at four o’clock in the afternoon for your chess960 date, taking care not to forget to bring with you a pair of clean sneakers to be used in the dance room only!
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Andy Warhol, Portrait of a Dancer (Carmen Gutherrey), 1954. Courtesy of Artnet.
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And here is the commentary room, which on the occasion was turned by English Grandmaster Nigel David Short into a haute couture box to welcome four-time Women’s World Chess Champion and Rhodes Scholar 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) on the runway of the Blue Hall. Photo: Eteri Kublashvili/Russian Chess Federation.
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Now, however, both Goryachkina and 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) will have to do their best and hope for the best. Photo: Eteri Kublashvili/Russian Chess Federation.
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Vladivostok, Russia: A girl and an Akita dog, both in uniform, scan the sea horizon, waiting for a yellow submarine to surface in front of them. Photo: Yuri Smityuk/TASS.
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So not to displease anyone, the chief referee Shohreh Bayat showed herself without her headscarf not only in 上海 (Shànghǎi) but also in Vladivostok. Photo © Yuri Smityuk/TASS.
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Regardless of how her Women’s World Chess Championship match will end, 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) will take part, from February 6–17, in the invitational 2nd Cairns Cup, the all-female chess super-tournament hosted by the Saint Louis Chess Club and named after co-founder Jeanne Sinquefield (nee Cairns). Even this year, ten of the best female players in the world will compete in a nine-round classical tournament to share a record prize fund of $180,000. The participants are (in alphabetic order): Nana Dzagnidze, Valentina Evgenyevna Gunina, Dronavalli Harika, 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn), Humpy Koneru, Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk, Irina Borisivna Krush, Ekaterina Aleksandrovna Lagno, Mariya Olehivna Muzychuk, and 叶诗雯 (Carissa Yip).
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The opening ceremony of the second half of the Women’s World Chess Championship match between 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) and Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina took place at the Okean Imax Movie Theatre in Vladivostok, Primorsky Krai, Russia on January 15, 2020. The two women sat silently, deep in their thoughts, as dignitaries and sponsors catwalked on the stage to welcome them unconditionally in the Queen’s name. Tomorrow’s game at the Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) on Russky Island is scheduled to begin at 7.30 A.M. (London time), while four-time Women’s World Chess Champion and Rhodes Scholar 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) is expected to make her long-awaited début on the red carpet of the Blue Hall on Friday, January 17, 2020. Photo: Tatiana Meel/Komsomolskaya Pravda.
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