Kosteniuk-Pähtz 5,5-2,5

Alexandra Kosteniuk is the first Chess960 women world champion! After the first day, the score was 2-2, but the Russian favourite won the first two games of the second day and drew the penultimate game, deciding the match in her favour. In the last game the women did not play a quick draw, but enjoyed the audience with a dramatic game, which was won by Kosteniuk. At the final press conference the Russian star said: “The first day was very interesting, I had a few promising positions on the board, but I could not win those games. I was obviously not happy with the results. On the second day I had a few very difficult positions and should have lost one or two games, but surpringly, I won those games. I did play better on day one, but could not score points, on the second day I did not play well, but decided the games and the match.” Elisabeth Pähtz did not say very much after the games: ”Sure, I should have won the first and last game today, but sometimes shit happens.”

In the senior match between the chess legends Hort and Portisch, the younger of the players, 62-year old Vlastimil Hort, already had a slight advantage after the first day, leading 2,5-1,5 against his 69-year old opponent from Hungary. After two draws, Portisch won the seventh game and after a peaceful 20-move draw in the last game, two blitz games had to decide the match! After a draw in the first blitz game, Hort managed to bring his minimal advantage to a full point in the second 5+5 blitz game, winning the beautiful trophy in the end. “I an not a very good blitz player”, Portisch said. “I can remember that I worked for Karpov many years ago and that we played 50 blitz games in row. I won one. But I am very happy with the 4-4 result after eight games. Vlastimil is the deserved winner”. Hort did not agree, of course. “I was lucky to get into overtime, or penalty shoout-out, how do you call it. You have to accept the blitz games, to get a decision, but you need luck and I was the lucky one tonight. I think Lajos forgot his glasses and lost his concentration in the blitz”, Hort laughed.