Two of the games were attempted Berlin Defences, but in both cases White preferred to avoid the main lines with 4.d3.
In the battle for second place, White's gradual pawn push didn't cause too much distress in the black camp, and Lahno was able to hit back at the centre. Unfortunately for her, her pressure only led to mass simplification and there was no advantage in the knight endgame.
The other game with 4.d3 was also drawn. The former World Champion, Alexandra Kosteniuk, obtained the bishop pair and even won a pawn, but the presence of opposite bishops in the endgame put paid to any winning chances.
Hou Yifan switched to the French and once Kovalevskaya opened the centre the World champion castled long. After a spirited fight in the centre, Hou Yifan was able to push her d-pawn deep into the heart of White's position which led to her winning a pawn and ultimately the endgame.
Nadezhda Kosintseva and Humpy Koneru played out a manoeuvring Breyer. Once the position opened up it led to a mass cull on the queenside and no winning chances for either player.
White's only win of the day was achieved by Anna Muzychuk in a rather fortunate fashion. A double-edged position had started to shift in Black's favour when Alisa Galliamova blundered a key pawn, and then the game was all Muzychuk's.
Not for the first time, Antoaneta had the longest game of the day. Danielian opted for a Catalan-style g2-g3 against the Bulgarian's Chebanenko Slav. In the early middlegame, the Armenian sought activity with a pawn sacrifice, but this soon led to naught, and she then got her pieces tangled and lost two pieces for a rook. Despite valiant resistance from Danielian, Stefanova was able to wear down her opponent's defences.
The round 7 summary:
| White | Rating | Result | Black | Rating | Moves | Opening |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexandra Kosteniuk | 2497 | ½-½ | Ruan Lufei | 2479 | 47 | Spanish with d3 |
| Anna Muzychuk | 2538 | 1-0 | Alisa Galliamova | 2492 | 59 | Siilian Richter-Rauzer |
| Kosintseva Nadezhda | 2560 | ½-½ | Humpy Koneru | 2614 | 49 | Spanish Breyer |
| Elina Danielian | 2521 | 0-1 | Antoaneta Stefanova | 2524 | 83 | Slav with g3 |
| Ekaterina Kovalevskaya | 2427 | 0-1 | Hou Yifan | 2575 | 66 | French Classical |
| Tatiana Kosintseva | 2557 | ½-½ | Kateryna Lahno | 2536 | 40 | Spanish 4.d3 |
The table after seven rounds:
| Posn. | Name | Title | Country | Rating | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hou Yifan | GM | CHN | 2575 | X | . | . | 1 | 1 | ½ | . | 1 | 1 | . | 1 | 1 | 6½ |
| 2 | Kateryna Lahno | GM | UKR | 2536 | . | X | ½ | 0 | . | 1 | . | 1 | ½ | . | 1 | ½ | 4½ |
| 3 | Tatiana Kosintseva | GM | RUS | 2557 | . | ½ | X | ½ | . | ½ | . | . | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 4½ |
| 4 | Anna Muzychuk | IM | SLO | 2538 | 0 | 1 | ½ | X | ½ | . | ½ | 1 | . | . | . | ½ | 4 |
| 5 | Humpy Koneru | GM | IND | 2614 | 0 | . | . | ½ | X | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | . | . | 4 |
| 6 | Nadezhda Kosintseva | GM | RUS | 2560 | ½ | 0 | ½ | . | ½ | X | ½ | . | . | . | ½ | 1 | 3½ |
| 7 | Antoaneta Stefanova | GM | BUL | 2524 | . | . | . | ½ | ½ | ½ | X | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | . | 3½ |
| 8 | Alisa Galliamova | IM | RUS | 2492 | 0 | 0 | . | 0 | ½ | . | 1 | X | ½ | 1 | . | . | 3 |
| 9 | Alexandra Kosteniuk | GM | RUS | 2497 | 0 | ½ | ½ | . | 0 | . | ½ | ½ | X | ½ | . | . | 2½ |
| 10 | Ruan Lufei | WGM | CHN | 2479 | . | . | 0 | . | 0 | . | ½ | 0 | ½ | X | 1 | ½ | 2½ |
| 11 | Elina Danielian | GM | ARM | 2521 | 0 | 0 | ½ | . | . | ½ | 0 | . | . | 0 | X | 1 | 2 |
| 12 | Ekaterina Kovalevskaya | IM | RUS | 2427 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | . | 0 | . | . | . | ½ | 0 | X | 1½ |
The Schedule:
| Date | Rounds etc. |
|---|---|
| 01st August 2011 | Opening ceremony |
| 02nd August 2011 | 1st Round |
| 03rd August 2011 | 2nd Round |
| 04th August 2011 | 3rd Round |
| 05th August 2011 | 4th Round |
| 06th August 2011 | Rest day |
| 07th August 2011 | 5th Round |
| 08th August 2011 | 6th Round |
| 09th August 2011 | 7th Round |
| 10th August 2011 | 8th Round |
| 11th August 2011 | Rest day |
| 12th August 2011 | 9th Round |
| 13th August 2011 | 10th Round |
| 14th August 2011 | 11th Round |
Times of the rounds:
Rounds 1-10 at 3 pm local time (1pm Paris, 12 noon London, 7am New York)
Rounds 11 at 12 noon (10am Paris, 9am London, 4am New York).
For further information go to the Official site: http://rostov2011.fide.com
For Live games: http://rostov2011.fide.com/tournament-games.html
