The World Chess Championship 2012 for women is going to take place November 9 – December 3 in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. Every odd year (ex 2011, 2013, 2015) the championship is a 10 games match between two players. Every even year (ex 2012, 2014, 2016) it is a knockout system.
A total of 64 players will participate in the Women’s World Championship this year. They include the World Champion Yifan Hou, the finalist from last year Humpy Koneru, the two semi finalists from 2010 Ruan Lufei and Zhao Xue, the World Girl’s Junior Champion from 2010 and 2011 Anna Muzychuk and Deysi Cori, 5 players by rating, 28 from the European Women’s Championships 2010 and 2011, 8 players from Americas, 12 players from Asia and Oceania, 3 players from Africa, and 2 nominees of the FIDE President.
Below is a list of invited players for the WWCC 2012. Each of them has to confirm participation by the 28th of August 2012. The Championship has a total prize fund of USD 450,000. For participating in round 1 players receive 3750 eur, for round 2 5500 eur, round 3 8000 eur, round 4 12 000 eur, round 5 (semi finals) 20 000 eur, the silver medalist 30 000 eur, and the champion 60 000 eur.
Women’s World Chess Championship 2012 participants
a) From World Women’s Championships 2010-2011:
01. Hou, Yifan (CHN) – World Champion
02. Koneru, Humpy (IND) – Finalist 2011
03. Ruan, Lufei (CHN) – Semi finals 2010
04. Zhao Xue (CHN) – Semi finals 2010
b) World Girl Junior Champions 2010-2011:
05. Muzychuk, Anna (SLO) 2010
06. Cori T Deysi (PER) 2011
c) Rating List 7/2011 & 1/2012:
07. Polgar, Judit (HUN) 2704,50
08. Dzagnidze, Nana (GEO) 2536,00
09. Chiburdanidze, Maia (GEO) 2500,00
10. Gunina, Valentina (RUS) 2498,50
11. Galliamova, Alisa (RUS) 2491,00
d) 28 players from European Women’s Championships 2010 & 2011
12. Cramling, Pia (SWE) 2010
13. Cmilyte, Viktorija (LTU) 2010
14. Socko Monika (POL) 2010
15. Sebag, Marie (FRA) 2010
16. Kosintseva Tatiana (RUS) 2010
17. Zhukova Natalia (UKR) 2010
18. Dembo Elena (GRE) 2010
19. Stefanova Antoaneta (BUL) 2010
20. Kosintseva Nadezhda (RUS) 2010
21. Muzychuk Mariya (UKR) 2010
22. Rajlich Iweta (POL) 2010
23. Ziaziulkina Nastassia (BLR) 2010
24. Kovalevskaya Ekaterina (RUS) 2010
25. Khurtsidze Nino (GEO) 2010
26. Danielian, Elina (ARM) 2011
27. Matveeva, Svetlana (RUS) 2011
28. Khotenashvili, Bela (GEO) 2011
29. Lahno, Kateryna (UKR) 2011
30. Javakhishvili, Lela (GEO) 2011
31. Arakhamia-Grant, Ketevan (SCO) 2011
32. Foisor, Cristina-Adela (ROU) 2011
33. Bodnaruk Anastasia (RUS) 2011
34. Pogonina Natalija (RUS) 2011
35. Ovod Evgenija (RUS) 2011
36. Romanko Marina (RUS) 2011
37. Hoang Thanh Trang (HUN) 2011
38. Mkrtchian Lilit (ARM) 2011
39. Khukhashvili Sopiko (GEO) 2011
e) 8 players from Americas
40. Linares Napoles Oleiny (CUB) (Continental)
41. Lujan Carolina (ARG) (Zonal 2.5)
42. Castrillon Gomez Melissa (COL) (Zonal 2.3)
43. Zatonskih, Anna (USA) (Zonal 2.1)
44. (TBA)
45. (TBA)
46. (TBA)
47. (TBA)
f) 12 players from Asia/Oceania
48. Berezina, Irina (AUS) (Zonal 3.6)
49. Ju Wenjun (CHN) (Zonal 3.5)
50. Shen Yang (CHN) (Zonal 3.5)
51. Huang Qian (CHN) (Zonal 3.5)
52. Wang Yu (CHN) (Zonal 3.5)
53. Harika, Dronavalli (IND) (Continental 2011)
54. Pourkashiyan, Atousa (IRI) (Continental 2010)
55. Ghader Pour, Shayesteh (IRI) (Zonal 3.1)
56. Ranasinghe, S D (SRI) (Zonal 3.2)
57. Li, Ruofan (SIN) (Zonal 3.3)
58. Davletbayeva, Madina (KAZ) (Zonal 3.4)
59. Soumya, Swaminathan (IND) (Zonal 3.7)
g) 3 players from Africa
60. Mona, Khaled (EGY) (Continental 2011)
61. Mezioud, Amina (ALG) (Continental 2011)
62. Greeff, Melissa (RSA) (Continental 2011)
h) 2 nominees of the FIDE President
63. (TBA)
64. (TBA)
Where’s the greatest chess player in history, Kosteniuk?
Ruan Lufei was the 2010 finalist, wasn’t she?
This is a very strange system….alternating formats every year. Why shouldn’t the World Champion have the same rights as her male counterpart and await a logically qualified challenger? Fide sure does some strange stuff.
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It seems to be useful to get more information about the new FIDE regulations concerning the World Women’s Championship. On the first view they look like a break with serious chess sport in favour of a commercial exploitation of the growing popularity of women’s chess. Time will tell if this orientation is helpful for the Federation and first of all if it is helpful for the top players who might lose the fruits of their hard labour in KO-system-competitions that are highly determined by the form of the day and by pure chance. Let’s hope that FIDE does not saw off its own branch.
Not to put to fine a point on it, but a knockout system is NOT the way to find out who is the strongest player in the tournament, and this lousy even-year mode of determining the championship takes away from the champions who win with the hard-earned, more legitimate odd-year format.