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IM Ekaterina Atalık Wins Turkish Women's Championship
Turkish Championship for Women was held in Konya between 12-17 July 2008. The top seed was IM Ekaterina Atalık, ex-European champion while WIM Betül Cemre Yıldız and WFM Kübra Öztürk were the other top players participated. There was a record number of 52 participants, the event was played as nine-round Swiss, but IM Atalık duly won the event with 8.5/9 despite conceding one draw against Cansu Söylemez, a talented youngster from İzmir. WIM Betül Cemre Yıldız was the runner-up with 7.5 points and WFM Kübra Öztürk was the bronze medalist after scoring 7 points. The details can be seen from the tournament page.
IM Ekaterina Atalık, the top women player in Turkey who is also ex-European Champion played in the Turkish Women's Championship for the first time. Actually, she already played once in men's final in 2006 and shared 11-13.places. Her new rating, 2426, means that she is 46th highest rated women in the world in July 2008 FIDE Rating List.
Her strongest opponents were WIM Betül Cemre Yıldız and WFM Kübra Öztürk, both shown as talented youngsters. WIM Yıldız, 19 and already five-times Turkish Champion for women, took the bronze medal in World Youth Championship Under 18 Girls last year in Kemer and tested her talents against a group of elite players including IM Atalık himself in İş Bank Atatürk International Women Masters 2008.
The talented youngster from Izmir, Cansu Söylemez was able to hold her strong opponent to a draw after an accurate play. After being one point in front of her closest opponent WIM Yıldız in the final round she conceded a draw after the opening since there was nothing to play for and she would clinch the title after the draw.
The runner-up was Betül Cemre Yıldız, lost against IM Atalık and drew against WIM Öztürk and gathered 7.5 points. WFM Kübra Öztürk won the bronze medal with 7 points and you can see the thrilling endgame that she played against IM Atalık on the tournament page, where the both kept their nerves but IM Atalık was the side to win.
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