Cairns Cup

Cairns Cup

Tournament information
Sport	Chess
Location	Saint Louis Chess Club
Month played	June (since 2023)
Established	2019
Tournament format(s)	Round Robin
Purse	$200,000 (2024)
Broadcast	YouTube
Current champion
Anna Zatonskih

The Cairns Cup is an annual round robin chess tournament, founded in 2019, for the leading women's chess players held in St. Louis, Missouri in the United States.^[1] The tournament was named after St Louis Chess Club co-founder and World Chess Hall of Fame member Dr Jeanne Cairns Sinquefield.^[2][3]

Champions

Year	Winner	Runner-up	3rd place	Ref
2019	Valentina Gunina	Alexandra Kosteniuk	Irina Krush	[4]
2020	Humpy Koneru	Ju Wenjun	Alexandra Kosteniuk Mariya Muzychuk	[5]
2022	Cancelled due to Covid-19 restrictions			[6]
2023	Anna Zatonskih	Alexandra Kosteniuk	Bella Khotenashvili Irina Krush	[7]

Tournaments

2019

The 2019 Cairns Cup was the inaugural event hosted in February 2019. The event featured 10 players, in a round-robin format. The prize fund for the event was $150,000.^[2]

Results

The event was won by Valentina Gunina of Russia.^[8][9]

Place	Player	Crosstable Results
		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total
1	Valentina Gunina (RUS)	*	½	½	1	½	½	1	1	1	1	7
2	Alexandra Kosteniuk (RUS)	½	*	½	½	½	1	½	1	1	1	6½
3	Irina Krush (USA)	½	½	*	1	1	1	1	0	0	½	5½
4	Nana Dzagnidze (GEO)	0	½	0	*	½	½	1	1	1	½	5
5	Dronavalli Harika (IND)	½	½	0	½	*	1	½	½	½	½	4½
6	Zhansaya Abdumalik (KAZ)	½	0	0	½	0	*	1	½	1	1	4½
7	Anna Zatonskih (USA)	0	½	0	0	½	0	*	1	1	½	3½
8	Marie Sebag (FRA)	0	0	1	0	½	½	0	*	½	½	3
9	Bela Khotenashvili (GEO)	0	0	1	0	½	0	0	½	*	1	3
10	Elisabeth Pähtz (GER)	0	0	½	½	½	0	½	½	0	*	2½

2020

The second edition of the Cairns Cup was held in February 2020. The prize fund was increased to $180,000.^[10] 2019 winner, Valentina Gunina, returned to defend her title, ultimately finishing 10th. Humpy Koneru of India won the title.^[5][11][12]

Results

Place	Player	Crosstable Results[13]
		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total
1	Humpy Koneru (IND)	*	½	1	0	½	½	½	1	1	1	6
2	Ju Wenjun (CHN)	½	*	1	½	½	1	½	0	½	1	5½
3	Alexandra Kosteniuk (RUS)	0	0	*	1	0	½	½	1	1	1	5
4	Mariya Muzychuk (UKR)	1	½	0	*	½	½	½	½	½	1	5
5	Dronavalli Harika (IND)	½	½	1	½	*	½	½	½	½	0	4½
6	Kateryna Lagno (RUS)	½	0	½	½	½	*	½	½	½	0	4½
7	Irina Krush (USA)	½	½	½	½	½	½	*	0	1	0	4
8	Carissa Yip (USA)	0	1	0	½	½	0	1	*	0	1	4
9	Nana Dzagnidze (GEO)	0	½	0	½	½	½	0	1	*	1	4
10	Valentina Gunina (RUS)	0	0	0	0	1	½	1	0	0	*	2½

2023

The Cairns Cup returned in 2023 following a two year hiatus. Only nine players' results were counted in the tournament, as 2020 champion Humpy Koneru withdrew shortly before the halfway point.^[14] The tournament was won by Anna Zatonskih representing the United States. Alexandra Kosteniuk finished in 2nd, her third top-3 finish in the Cairns Cup, representing Switzerland for the first time. Irina Krush and Bella Khotenashvili shared third place.^[15][16]

Results

Place	Player	Crosstable results[17]
		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Total
1	Anna Zatonskih (USA)	*	1	½	1	½	½	½	1	1	6
2	Alexandra Kosteniuk (SUI)	0	*	1	1	0	1	1	½	½	5
3	Irina Krush (USA)	½	0	*	0	1	1	½	½	1	4½
4	Bella Khotenashvili (GEO)	0	0	1	*	1	½	1	0	1	4½
5	Nana Dzagnidze (GEO)	½	1	0	0	*	½	0	1	1	4
6	Harika Dronavalli (IND)	½	0	0	½	½	*	1	½	½	3½
7	Elisabeth Pähtz (GER)	½	0	½	0	1	0	*	1	½	3½
8	Gunay Mammadzada (AZE)	0	½	½	1	0	½	0	*	½	3
9	Zhansaya Abdumalik (KAZ)	0	½	0	0	0	½	½	½	*	2
10	Humpy Koneru (IND)	Withdrew from event

2024

The 2024 Cairns Cup is scheduled to begin on June 12.^[18] In May, the ten players for the tournament were confirmed, including 2023 champion Anna Zatonskih. 2024 will also be the first time Spain has had a representative in the tournament. The chief arbiter is Australian chess player Anastasia Sorokina.^[19] The prize fund for 2024 has risen to $200,000.^[20]

2024 Cairns Cup Entries^[21]

Title	Name	FIDE Rating	Federation
GM	Tan Zhongyi	2540
GM	Mariya Muzychuk	2510
GM	Nana Dzagnidze	2506
GM	Anna Muzychuk	2505
GM	Harika Dronavalli	2503
GM	Alexandra Kosteniuk	2501
GM	Elisabeth Pähtz	2457
GM	Irina Krush	2415
IM	Alice Lee	2368
IM	Anna Zatonskih	2331

Tournament Review

Prior to the first official day of play, the players competed in an Ultimate Moves battle of team chess, with players rotating in and out of blitz games. Team A, featuring Tan, Anna Muzychuk, Harika, Kosteniuk, Lee, and Zatonskih, won the ten-game match 5½-1½. Georgian GM Nona Gaprindashvili joined "Team B" as a special tournament guest.^[22]

Day one of the event saw former World Champions Tan Zhongyi, Mariya Muzychuk, and Alexandra Kosteniuk all record victories. Harika Dronavalli and Nana Dzagnidze played out a 126 move draw.^[23] Day two saw victories for Dzagnidze and Dronavalli, taking them both to joint first alongside Zhongi and Mariya Muzkchuk.^[24] In round three, all matches were drawn aside Swiss GM Alexandra Kosteniuk taking victory over Nana Dzagnidze. This saw Kosteniuk join the leaders on 2, with Dzagnidze dropping back to T-5 alongside Anna Muzychuk and Irina Krush on a total score of 1½.^[25] On the fourth day, Tan Zhongyi's 20 move victory over defending champion Anna Zatonskih took her into the overall lead on a score of 3. Both Drovanelli and Mariya Muzychuk drew, whilst Kosteniuk lost to Irina Krush.^[26] Day five saw all matches end in draws, the leaderboard remaining the same as each player added a half point to their totals.^[27]

Following a rest day, the players returned for round six, where Kosteniuk scored a decisive victory over Mariya Muzychuk taking her to an overall score of 3½, a half point behind sole leader Zhongyi.^[28] Round seven saw more close games, whilst Zhongyi took the win against Pähtz, retaining her lead, a further four players are also in contention for victory. Kosteniuk won again, and Mariya Muzychuk and Nana Dzagnidze also scored wins over Alice Lee and Irina Krush respectively.^[29] In round eight, Anna Muzychuk took a timely vicotry against Kosteniuk taking her to a five-way tie for second place on a score of 4½. Lee beat Zatonskih, leaving the latter at the bottom of the leaderboard with 1½ points total.^[30]

References