Humpy Koneru Wins with Black Against Cramling, Hou Yifan and Maia Chiburdanidze Drew |
Saturday, 07 March 2009 |
The first round was played with many interesting game. Hou Yifan hold against Maia Chiburdanidze and avoided a second consecutive loss after Dresden. Humpy Koneru scored a crucial victory with black pieces against Pia Cramling. Local hero Betül Cemre Yıldız was close to producing the upset of the day but Antoaneta Stefanova escaped and managed to win. Martha Fierro was another player who ran through fear tunnel but win in the end against Zeinab Mamedyarova. Xue Zhao started well by converting the development advantage against her compatrot Shen Yang swiftly. Detailed report below.
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