28 April 2015
Russia wins silver medals at the Women's Teams
Georgia won the championship.
The Women's World Team Championship ended in Chengdu, China.
In the concluding round Russia defeated USA 3.5-0.5 (wins by Gunina, Girya, and Goryachkina, draw by Pogonina). Thus, our team scored 15 match points and finished second.
Georgia defeated China 2.5-1.5, and secured the first place with 17 match points. China finished third with 11 points.
Ukraine defeated Egypt 3.5-0.5, India defeated Armenia 3-1, Poland and Kazakhstan drew.
Final standings:
1. Georgia – 17 (25 board points), 2. Russia – 15 (25), 3. China – 11 (22), 4. India – 10 (22), 5. Ukraine – 10 (20), 6. Kazakhstan – 9 (17.5), 7. Armenia – 7 (16), 8. Poland – 6 (15.5), 9. USA – 5 (13), 10. Egypt – 0 (4).
Olga Girya became the best reserve player of the championship. Valentina Gunina, Natalia Pogonina, and Alexandra Goryachkina won silver medals on their boards.
Andrey Filatov, the RCF President, commented the outcome of the championship:
– Our golden girls did not lose a single match, but the Georgian team was luckier. I think our players will earn many more gold medals in other events.
– Who of our team deserves special praise in your opinion?
– I want to praise our head coach and captain GM Sergey Rublevsky, who sometimes was nearly suffering a heart attack during matches. I believe our girls should take better care of him.
– What deprived us of a victory?
– Luck! The Georgian team gained the momentum, and Bela Khotenashvili had a wonderful performance on the first board. In my opinion, the final outcome is largely determined by the team leader's result. My congratulations to the Georgian women's team and their country! It was a brilliant victory!
We congratulate the Russian players and coaches with their success at the Women's Team Championship!
