The 2012 European Individual Women Chess Championship is taking place from 2nd to 13th March at the Anatolian Hotel in Gaziantep, Turkey. European Rapid Championship and European Blitz Championship will follow in the same venue on 15-18th March.
The competition continued with the 7th round following a rest day. Valentina Gunina rode on the important victory in the previous game and defeated Hoang Thanh Trang to replace her on the first place. Thanh Trang was solid with black but then carelessly allowed the exchange of the important d5-pawn. White bishop became wonderfully active and Gunina soon obtained decisive advantage.
Valentina Gunina and Thanh Trang Hoang
The defending champion Viktorija Cmilyte was over-ambitious in the game against Cristina-Adela Foisor and soon reached an inferior middlegame. Though the Romanian champion didn’t continue in the best possible way, her position was still preferable.
Cmilyte was searching for active play and later the game entered an opposite-coloured bishop ending with extra pawn for white. It looked like black can hold the draw, but she played too passive and underestimated opponent’s breakthrough on the other flank. Foisor achieves an important victory and joins Gunina on the top of the standings.
Cristina-Adela Foisor and Viktorija Cmilyte
Anna Muzychuk pulled a win in an extremely tough game with Marie Sebag. The French player missed several good opportunities to create counterplay and white later stabilized the position to convert the advantage.
Top seeded Muzychuk has now improved her tournament position and shares the third place together with Thanh Trang Hoang.
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Anna Muzychuk
Tatiana Kosintseva - Nazi Paikidze
On 8th March, International Women’s Day, the players enjoyed a day off. Most of the participants, trainers and organizers embarked on the rest-day’s activities but some of them preferred to stay in the hotel and relax before the round 7.
The organizers of the EIWCC launched some special agenda for the participants. At 13.30 the players gathered in the lobby of the hotel where the President of Gaziantep metropolitan municipality Dr. Asım Guzelbey and the President of TCF Ali Nihat Yazici congratulated them with the holiday and presented the flowers.
Ali Nihat Yazici presents flowers to the ladies
Visit to Zeugma Mosaic Museum
The cultural program of the rest day included visiting of Zeugma Mosaic Museum, Medusa Museum, Cuisine Museum, Gazientep Castle and Coppersmiths’ Bazaar. After the end of the cultural program all guests were invited to one of the best restaurants in Gazientep “Imamcagdas” where everyone could taste the traditional Turkish baklava.
Photos by Anastasiya Karlovich
Visit to Gaziantep Castle
Coppersmiths' Bazaar
Iva Videnova and Jovana Vojinovic
Natalia Zhukova
