Following the successfully managed “100 Years of Mikhail Botvinnik” tournament, the organizers from St.Petersburg hosted the Lyudmila Rudenko Memorial from 22nd to 31st August. 43 female players, including 8 Grandmasters, participated in the 9-round Open honouring the second Women’s World Chess Champion.
The total prize fund is 7500 EUR, with 1500 EUR dedicated to the winner. The top finishers qualify to the final stage of Russian Cup according to the Russian Cup 2011 regulations.
The 13-years old WFM Aleksandra Goryachkina destroyed the much more experienced opposition and convincingly took the first place with 7.5 points, a full point clear of the next group of players.
Goryachkina will jump from 2153 elo to 2245 in the September rating list, while additional plus of 32 points from this event will be counted for November.
Aleksandra Goryachkina
Final standings:
1. WFM Goryachkina Aleksandra RUS 2153 – 7.5
2-5. WGM Doluhanova Evgeniya UKR 2227, WGM Molchanova Tatjana RUS 2346, WGM Stjazhkina Olga RUS 2247 and WGM Eidelson Rakhil BLR 2242 – 6.5
6-8. WGM Shaydullina Sandugach RUS 2158, IM Galojan Lilit ARM 2389 and WIM Baraeva Marina RUS 2197 – 6.0
9-12. Trapeznikova Darya RUS 1979, IM Romanko Marina RUS 2402, WFM Bivol Alina RUS 2171 and WFM Baraeva Irina RUS 2204 – 5.5
13-17. WFM Kostrikina Anna RUS 2079, WIM Tomilova Elena RUS 2317, WFM Korchagina Viktoria RUS 2109, WIM Butuc Maria RUS 2172 and Markelova Lubov RUS 2074 – 5.0 etc
Lyudmila Vladimirovna Rudenko (27 July 1904 – 4 March 1986) was a Soviet chess player and the second Women’s World Chess Champion from 1950 until 1953. Rudenko held the FIDE International Master and Woman International Master titles, which were awarded to her in 1950. She was awarded the Woman Grandmaster title in 1976. She was USSR Women’s Champion in 1952.
Born in Lubny in the Poltava region of Ukraine, in the Russian Empire, her father taught her to play chess at age 10 although at first she was more serious about swimming. Rudenko became the Odessa swimming champion in the 400m breaststroke. In 1925, she was the holder of the title of Vice-Swimming Champion of Ukraine (breaststroke).
Lyudmila Rudenko
She began playing tournament chess in 1925 after a move to Moscow. In 1928, she won the Moscow Women’s Championship. She then moved to Leningrad where in 1929 she began training with chess master Peter Romanowski. She won the Leningrad Women’s Championship three times.
In World War II, Rudenko organized a train to evacuate children from the Siege of Leningrad. She would describe this as the most important thing she had accomplished in her life.
