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The games were exciting and hard fought. Xie Jun seems to have consistently played the best chess.
Galliamova made herself look foolish in game 14 when she reached a position of rook, bishop pawn and rook pawn against rook, which is a known book draw, and she did not know the drawing technique. Galliamova lost because she put her king on the rook file, whereas it must remain on the bishop file to hold the draw. This was an incredible error for a player rated 2556 by FIDE.
Here is one of the best games:
[Event "FIDE WCh (women)"] [Site "Kazan RUS"] [Date "1999.07.31"] [Round "2"] [White "Xie Jun"] [Black "Galliamova,Alisa"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2528"] [BlackElo "2556"] [EventDate "1999.07.05"] [ECO "B66"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 a6 8. O-O-O Nxd4 9. Qxd4 Be7 10. f4 b5 11. Bxf6 gxf6 12. e5 d5 13. Kb1 Bd7 14. Qe3 f5 15. g4 fxg4 16. h3 gxh3 17. Bxh3 Qc7 18. f5 O-O-O 19. Rhf1 Kb8 20. fxe6 fxe6 21. Rf7 d4 22. Rxd4 Bc5 23. Ne2 h5 24. b4 Bxd4 25. Nxd4 Rc8 26. Bg2 Rhg8 27. Nc6+ Ka8 28. Rxd7 Qxd7 29. Nb8+ 1-0Xie Jun has now written an open letter offering to play a match with ousted World Champion Zsuzsa Polgar.
Beijing, 30th August 1999
Dear Zsuzsa Polgar,
Having finished my match against Alisa Galliamova, I finally have the time and energy to reply to the open letters and comments you published on your web site, some of which I felt were directed to me personally. And I am sure you would not want to do all the talking just by yourself. During the last two years, I have been following the updates on your web site, read your book with patience and studied your letters to FIDE carefully. Now I feel obliged to write this open letter in order to clear up some issues. I did not reply earlier for the simple reason that I decided to save my energy for a real chess match.
Let me start by saying that I am not the person as depicted in your book "Queen of the King's Game" which, in my opinion, is full of incorrect assumptions. I cannot begin to understand why you should write about me and members of my team as if you knew exactly what we were thinking. And I guess that phrases like "she defeated the forces of communism..." sell better than the more modest "she defeated an ordinary chess player from China..." Still, I take offense to the manifold violation of the truth in your story and the ill-natured style of writing.
Recalling our match in Jaen (1996) brings no pleasant memories. Mr. Rentero's letter was very disturbing, for both of us, as it distracted us from what we were there for: to play chess. Personally, I was most annoyed by the timing of the match - it started in the midst of the Spring Festival, the major festive season in China. But I accepted the conditions and did not complain, even though I, too, could probably have found some stipulation in the FIDE rules which would have allowed a delay of the start of the match. I decided, however, that it was not in the interest of women's chess, or chess in general, to introduce controversy. Which is also why I have never contested the result of the match. It was me alone who I blame for the mistakes in the games that eventually presented you with the title of Women's World Champion. From the moment I lost the title to you, I have been waiting for our rematch.
Why don't you forget for now who is the rightful owner of the title Women's World Champion, stop talking and go ahead with the things you announce on your web site. If you manage to find a sponsor for the amount you specify (between half a million and two million US dollars) you will know where to find me - although it seems far from realistic to me. I am easily satisfied and ready to consent to all conditions that you consider acceptable. Unfortunately, your statement that you will refuse to play in China frustrates in advance any of my attempts to find a sponsor in my home country. Hence, I am forced to leave this job to you.
There is one thing I would like to add. After us there will be a ninth, a tenth, and many, many more Women's World Champions in chess history. The title does not belong to anyone in particular and should be defended over the chessboard, not in the courtroom. Admittedly, the current situation is unsatisfactory, but adding insult to injury will deter rather than attract any future sponsors. If you are genuinely interested in promoting chess, and women's chess in particular, then you should do your best to ensure we can play at the chessboard. You will have a major advantage in preparation, as there is no database showing any of your games in the last three and a half years. On the other hand, if you have decided not to take up playing serious chess again, then just admit it and stop making excuses.
I do not expect a personal reply to this letter, since I intend to keep myself busy with more meaningful things than practice English prose. Just inform me when you have found a sponsor that suits your conditions. I am only interested in hearing whether we will meet each other over the chessboard or not. I look forward to that.
Let the games do the talking.
Best regards,
Xie Jun