Tactics from the European
Women's Individual Championship
Istanbul 2003

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(1) Galojan,L (2242) - Bojkovic,N (2416) [E46] IEWCC Istanbul TUR (1), 02.06.2003 [Easy] Black to play 31-year-old Natasa Bojkovic of Yugoslavia found an easy way to win a pawn (at least) and the game.

Natasa Bojkovic

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(2) Kadziolka,B (2206) - Slavina,I (2381) [A85] IEWCC Istanbul TUR (1), 02.06.2003 [Easy] White to play WGM Irina Slavina of Russia has just played 38...d5. Her 16-year-old opponent, Beata Kadziolka from Poland did not miss the simple tactical opportunity.

Beata Kadziolka

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(3) Ionescu Brandis,I (2366) - Hagesaether,E (2166) [B07] IEWCC Istanbul TUR (1), 02.06.2003 [Easy] White to play Ellen Hagesaether of Norway has just played 36...Na8-b6, protecting the c8 promotion square with two pieces. What can her Romanian opponent Irena Ionescu Brandes (29) do about this?

Irena Ionescu Brandes

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(4) Cramling,P (2470) - Motoc,A (2358) [D00] IEWCC Istanbul TUR (2), 03.06.2003 [Easy] White to play Veteran Swedish player Pia Cramling knew the best way to finish off this game against her young Romanian opponent.

Pia Cramling

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(5) Kouvatsou,M (2233) - Matnadze,A (2386) [B22] IEWCC Istanbul TUR (2), 03.06.2003 [Easy] White to play During an attack it is always advantageous to check which of your opponent's pieces are undefended and think about how these can be attacked.

WGM Maria Kouvatsou, Greece

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(6) Makropoulou,M (2234) - Mkrtchian,L (2416) [B85] IEWCC Istanbul TUR (2), 03.06.2003 [Easy] Black to play After 20-year-old Armenian WGM Lilit Mkrtchian had played ...Bb6-f2 her experienced Greek opponent moved the attacked rook to a bad square (Re1-c1). How did Lilit punish this mistake?

Lilit Mkrtchian

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(7) Agababean,N (2319) - Gencer,O [D00] IEWCC Istanbul TUR (3), 04.06.2003 [Easy] White to play Veteran WGM Naira Agababean of Modova has completely outplayed her 13-year-old Turkish opponent Oziem Gencer. How did the game end?

Naira Agababean

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(8) Tkeshelashvili,S (2293) - Kharashkina,B (2182) [D45] IEWCC Istanbul TUR (3), 04.06.2003 [Easy] White to play WGM Sopio Tkeshelashvili (go on, it's not that difficult to pronounce) is an exchange up and has the chance to turn it into a full piece. How did she end the game?

Sopio Tkeshelashvili

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(9) Smokina,K (2269) - Kosintseva,N (2417) [A26] IEWCC Istanbul TUR (4), 05.06.2003 [Easy] Black to move After a pawn exchange on g4 the black bishop is black. But the older of the Kosintseva sisters (18) knew what she was doing and turned the game in her favour.

Nadezhda Kosintseva

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(10) Calzetta,M (2253) - Houska,J (2386) [C77] IEWCC Istanbul TUR (7), 10.06.2003 [Easy] White to play Jovanka Houska has just played ...h7-h5. Why was that a blunder, and how did her Spanish opponent Monica Calzetta Ruiz punish it?

Monica Calzetta Ruiz

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(11) Fakhiridou,E (2276) - Kononenko,T (2370) [C15] IEWCC Istanbul TUR (8), 11.06.2003 [Easy] White to play Why was the last move ...Re7-e7 by 24-year-old Ukraine WGM a petty blunder?

Ekatrini Fakhiridou

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(12) Mar,K (2236) - Lomineishvili,M (2397) [B31] IEWCC Istanbul TUR (1), 02.06.2003 [Medium] Black to play WGM Maia Lomineishvili has just given a pawn with 18...f3 19.gxf3. What did the 25-year-old Georgian have in mind?

Maia Lomineishvili

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(13) Sedina,E (2434) - Tkeshelashvili,S (2293) [B52] IEWCC Istanbul TUR (2), 03.06.2003 [Medium] White to play Italian IM Elena Sedina found the best way to finish off this game, and even managed to mate her disconcerted opponent.

Elena Sedina

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(14) Alexandrova,O (2445) - Yildiz,B (2119) [D37] IEWCC Istanbul TUR (2), 03.06.2003 [Medium] White to play 25-year-old IM Olga Alexandrova took a brave decision and exploited her Turkish opponent's backrank weakness. Olga had to make sure that her own king could withstand the black counterattack.

Olga Alexandrova

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(15) Muzychuk,A (2256) - Houska,J (2386) [B12] IEWCC Istanbul TUR (3), 04.06.2003 [Meduim] White to play Anna Muzychuk from Ukraine has just turned thirteen, her opponent, WGM Jovanka Houska from England is ten years older. What did the little one do to shock her experienced opponent.

Anna Muzychuk

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(16) Mamedjarova,Z (2298) - Mira,H (2126) [A21] IEWCC Istanbul TUR (3), 04.06.2003 [Medium] White to play She's 20 and a full IM. Zeinab Mamedjarova spotted the deadly weakness in the black position and wrapped up the game in a few moves.

Zeinab Mamedjarova

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(17) Peptan,C (2471) - Galliamova,A (2489) [B01] IEWCC Istanbul TUR (6), 08.06.2003 [Medium] Black to play 31-year-old IM Alisa Galliamova used to be married to Vassily Ivanchuk and was always a contender for the women's world championship. Here she finds a pretty move to finish off her Romanian opponent.

Alisa Galliamova

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(18) Peng Zhaoqin (2433) - Motoc,A (2358) [A69] IEWCC Istanbul TUR (6), 08.06.2003 [Medium] Black to play In this position our 18-year-old ephydriad Alina Motoc of Romania played 20...Rxf3. Her Chinese opponent fell into the trap and played 21.Nxe5. How did that lose her half a point?

Alina Motoc

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(19) Polovnikova,E (2383) - Radziewicz,I (2428) [C02] IEWCC Istanbul TUR (7), 10.06.2003 [Medium] Black to play WGM Iweta Radziewicz, 22, of Poland is a pawn down but has the white king in a bind. She ended the game with a spectacular move. What would you play here?

Iweta Radziewicz

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(20) Milliet,S (2240) - Nagel,Y (2068) [B23] IEWCC Istanbul TUR (7), 10.06.2003 [Medium] White to play Often in chess the best move is one that allows your opponent the greatest scope for error. With this in mind how did 19-year-old Sophie Milliet lead Yvette Nagel-Seirawan astray?

Sophie Milliet

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(21) Medic,M (2290) - Ciuksyte,D (2375) [A30] IEWCC Istanbul TUR (8), 11.06.2003 [Medium] Black to play The white king is in mortal danger, as Dagne Ciuksyte, 26, of Lithuania proved with her next unexpected move.

Dagne Ciuksyte (picture from 1996)

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(22) Gencer,O - Seps,M (2095) [B90] IEWCC Istanbul TUR (8), 11.06.2003 [Medium] Black to play Young Ozlem Gencer is lost with white, but can you work out exactly how her opponent 17-year-old Monica Seps of Switzerland could deliver mate?

No pictures available

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(23) Mamedjarova,Z (2298) - Sedina,E (2434) [A57] IEWCC Istanbul TUR (9), 12.06.2003 [Medium] White to play IM Zeinab Mamedjarova, IM from Azerbaijan, is in a bit of trouble: her queen is attacked and cannot protect the rook pinned behind it. Looks like her Italian opponent is winning. How die Zeinab solve the problem?

Zeinab Mamedjarova

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(24) Cavusoglu,Y (2045) - Muhren,B (2092) [D27] IEWCC Istanbul TUR (9), 12.06.2003 [Medium] Black to play You can smell the mate, but can you work it out in your head? 17-year-old Bianca Muhren of the Netherlands finished off the game with a flourish.

Bianca Muhren

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Tactic problems as a zipped PDF file
for viewing and printing with Adobe Acrobat

Solutions
Note that you can click on the notation to follow the moves on the board.

Frederic Friedel