FIDE Women Grand Prix in Nalchik
12-player round robin, from 25th April to 8th May 2010
The FIDE Women Grand Prix is a new series of elite tournaments which will be organised by FIDE and Global Chess. There will be 6 legs over two years in various countries around the world with three tournaments every year.
The winner of each tournament will win 6,500 euros out of a prize fund of 40,000 euros and the overall winner of the series will win a further 15,000 euros at the end of the series.
This is the first time that such a series is being organised and is a significant development for the chess world. The introduction of the Grand Prix series means that there will be a World Championship contest annually now from 2010. In that year, the Champion will be determined from the World Championship Knockout which will also be held in Turkey and the following year, 2011, the World Champions will face the Winner of the Grand Prix series 2009/2010 in a match for the title.
This will be one of the strongest women tournaments of all times and it is important to point out that there are three ex-world Champions taking part as well as the highest ranked women players in the world. The 2008 Women’s World Chess Championship was also held in Nalchik (photo gallery).
Women’s Grand Prix in Nalchik, 25 Apr – 8 May 2010
List of participants:
GM Koneru Humpy (2622 IND)
GM Yifan Hou (2570 CHN)
GM Kosintseva Tatiana (2524 RUS)
GM Cramling Pia (2523 SWE)
IM Mkrtchan Lilit (2503 ARM)
IM Danielian Elina (2491 ARM)
GM Zhao Xue (2490 CHN)
GM Dzagnidze Nana (2479 GEO)
GM Chen Zhu (2476 QAT)
WGM Batkhuyag Munguntuul (2428 MGL)
WGM Kovanova Baira (2385 RUS)
WIM Yildiz Betul Cemre (2244 TUR)
I don’t understand why the Americans Krush and Zatonskih aren’t there.
It is great that women will have their own WC cycle, even though I hope it will eventually converge with the overall cycle.
Why Kosteniuk isn’t playing? Does she even play at all or is she too busy promoting herself?
Yeah, Kosteniuk should play and win the Grand Prix so that she can then challenge herself for the title!
You dummy! Why do you even bother to comment something you obviously dont know nothing about
This is not a list of whom I consider the strongest female players in the world today. This is a supposedly a new and improved women’s Grand Prix? Oh please.
Jan Newton
http://www.goddesschess.com