Gibraltar Finale: The Stage Is Set
Hou Yifan is poised to create history by becoming the first female winner of the Gibraltar International. She told me that her win over Polgar hadn't sunk in as anything special and she wasn't thinking about the enormous cash rewards first place would bring.
Here is the view from the top of the rock:
Final round pairings:
1 | 25 | GM | Hou Yifan | 2605 | 7½ | v |
7 | GM | Mamedyarov Shakhriyar | 2747 | 2 |
2 | 14 | GM | Bologan Viktor | 2680 | 7 | v |
7 | GM | Adams Michael | 2724 | 3 |
3 | 11 | GM | Sasikiran Krishnan | 2700 | 7 | v |
7 | GM | Short Nigel D | 2677 | 15 |
4 | 10 | GM | Movsesian Sergei | 2700 | 6½ | v |
6½ | GM | Svidler Peter | 2749 | 1 |
5 | 21 | GM | Gustafsson Jan | 2643 | 6½ | v |
6½ | GM | Almasi Zoltan | 2717 | 4 |
6 | 22 | GM | Negi Parimarjan | 2641 | 6½ | v |
6½ | GM | Le Quang Liem | 2714 | 5 |
7 | 23 | GM | Erdos Viktor | 2634 | 6½ | v |
6½ | GM | Sutovsky Emil | 2703 | 9 |
8 | 27 | GM | Howell David W L | 2603 | 6½ | v |
6 | GM | Shirov Alexei | 2710 | 7 |
9 | 6 | GM | Polgar Judit | 2710 | 6 | v | 6 | GM | Korchnoi Viktor | 2558 | 37 |
The standings before the final round:
1 | GM | Hou Yifan | CHN | 2605 | 7.5 | 2892 |
2 | GM | Adams Michael | ENG | 2724 | 7.0 | 2826 |
3 | GM | Mamedyarov Shakhriyar | AZE | 2747 | 7.0 | 2808 |
4 | GM | Short Nigel D | ENG | 2677 | 7.0 | 2807 |
5 | GM | Sasikiran Krishnan | IND | 2700 | 7.0 | 2776 |
6 | GM | Bologan Viktor | MDA | 2680 | 7.0 | 2740 |
7 | GM | Le Quang Liem | VIE | 2714 | 6.5 | 2744 |
8 | GM | Almasi Zoltan | HUN | 2717 | 6.5 | 2740 |
9 | GM | Howell David W L | ENG | 2603 | 6.5 | 2727 |
10 | GM | Movsesian Sergei | ARM | 2700 | 6.5 | 2707 |
11 | GM | Svidler Peter | RUS | 2749 | 6.5 | 2701 |
12 | GM | Negi Parimarjan | IND | 2641 | 6.5 | 2692 |
13 | GM | Erdos Viktor | HUN | 2634 | 6.5 | 2633 |
14 | GM | Sutovsky Emil | ISR | 2703 | 6.5 | 2624 |
15 | GM | Gustafsson Jan | GER | 2643 | 6.5 | 2618 |
What they are playing for:
Open to all |
Prizes for best relative rating achievement | |||
1st Prize |
£20,000 | Rating Band | 1st Prize | 2nd Prize |
2nd Prize |
£12,000 | 2500-2599 | £3,000 | £2,000 |
3rd Prize |
£10,000 | 2400-2499 | £2,000 | £1,000 |
4th Prize |
£8,000 | 2300-2399 | £2,000 | £1,000 |
5th Prize |
£5,000 | 2200-2299 | £2,000 | £1,000 |
6th Prize |
£3,500 | 2100-2199 | £2,000 | £1,000 |
7th Prize |
£3,000 | 2000-2099 | £2,000 | £1,000 |
8th Prize |
£2,500 | Under 2000 | £2,000 | £1,000 |
9th Prize |
£2,000 | A player may not win more than
one complete prize from this table. |
Open to all Women |
|
1st Prize |
£10,000 |
2nd Prize |
£7,000 |
3rd Prize |
£5,000 |
4th Prize |
£3,500 |
5th Prize |
£2,500 |
6th Prize |
£2,000 |
7th Prize |
£1,500 |
8th Prize |
£1,000 |
9th Prize |
£600 |
10th Prize |
£400 |
So Hou Yifan may go home with 30,000 pounds!