Women's World Chess Championship 2008

The Women's World Chess Championship 2008 consisted of a tournament for the Women's World Chess Championship which took place from August 28 2008 to September 18 in Nalchik in Russia.

It was won by Alexandra Kosteniuk, who beat Hou Yifan in the final by 2.5 to 1.5.

Participants

Players were seeded by their Elo ratings, except that defending champion Xu Yuhua was the no. 1 seed.

1. flagathlete|Xu Yuhua|CHN, 2483, GM
2. flagathlete|Koneru Humpy|IND, 2622, GM
3. flagathlete|Hou Yifan|CHN, 2557, WGM
4. flagathlete|Antoaneta Stefanova|BUL, 2550, GM
5. flagathlete|Pia Cramling|SWE, 2544, GM
6. flagathlete|Marie Sebag|FRA, 2529, GM
7. flagathlete|Zhao Xue|CHN, 2522, GM
8. flagathlete|Tatiana Kosintseva|RUS, 2511, IM
9. flagathlete|Alexandra Kosteniuk|RUS, 2510, GM
10. flagathlete|Viktorija Čmilytė|LTU, 2508, IM
11. flagathlete|Anna Muzychuk|SLO, 2504, IM
12. flagathlete|Ruan Lufei|CHN, 2499, WGM
13. flagathlete|Natalia Zhukova|UKR, 2489, WGM
14. flagathlete|Maia Chiburdanidze|GEO, 2489, GM
15. flagathlete|Hoang Thanh Trang|HUN, 2487, GM
16. flagathlete|Elisabeth Pähtz|GER, 2481, IM
17. flagathlete|Anna Ushenina|UKR, 2476, IM
18. flagathlete|Monika Socko|POL, 2473, IM
19. flagathlete|Irina Krush|USA, 2470, IM
20. flagathlete|Inna Gaponenko|UKR, 2468, IM
21. flagathlete|Lela Javakhishvili|GEO, 2461, IM
22. flagathlete|Dronavalli Harika|IND, 2461, IM
23. flagathlete|Nadezhda Kosintseva|RUS, 2460, IM
24. flagathlete|Ekaterina Korbut|RUS, 2459, IM
25. flagathlete|Anna Zatonskih|USA, 2446, IM
26. flagathlete|Shen Yang|CHN, 2445, WGM
27. flagathlete|Lilit Mkrtchian|ARM, 2436, IM
28. flagathlete|Tania Sachdev|IND, 2432, IM
29. flagathlete|Natasa Bojkovic|SRB, 2423, IM
30. flagathlete|Iweta Rajlich|POL, 2417, IM
31. flagathlete|Maia Lomineishvili|GEO, 2414, IM
32. flagathlete|Nino Khurtsidze|GEO, 2413, IM

33. flagathlete|Svetlana Matveeva|RUS, 2412, IM
34. flagathlete|Sopiko Khukhashvili|GEO, 2408, IM
35. flagathlete|Bathuyang Mongontuul|MGL, 2406, WGM
36. flagathlete|Ju Wenjun|CHN, 2389
37. flagathlete|Tan Zhongyi|CHN, 2387
38. flagathlete|Eva Moser|AUT, 2383, IM
39. flagathlete|Ketino Kachiani-Gersinska|GER, 2374, IM
40. flagathlete|Tea Bosboom-Lanchava|NED, 2358, IM
41. flagathlete|Sopio Gvetadze|GEO, 2355, IM
42. flagathlete|Nisha Mohota|IND, 2354, WGM
43. flagathlete|Vera Nebolsina|RUS, 2350, WGM
44. flagathlete|Claudia Amura|ARG, 2345, WGM
45. flagathlete|Zhang Jilin|CHN, 2344, WGM
46. flagathlete|Elena Sedina|ITA, 2344, IM
47. flagathlete|Sabina-Francesca Foisor|ROM, 2337, WGM
48. flagathlete|Le Thanh Tu|VIE, 2325, WGM
49. flagathlete|Ilaha Kadimova|AZE, 2324, WGM
50. flagathlete|Maritza Arribas Robaina|CUB, 2323, WGM
51. flagathlete|Nguyen Thi Thanh An|VIE, 2323, WGM
52. flagathlete|Katherine Rohonyan|USA, 2321, WGM
53. flagathlete|Irina Zakurdjaeva|RUS, 2308, WGM
54. flagathlete|Maria Velcheva|BUL, 2281, WGM
55. flagathlete|Valentina Golubenko|CRO, 2271, WGM
56. flagathlete|Atousa Pourkashiyan|IRI, 2269, WIM
57. flagathlete|Nafisa Muminova|UZB, 2242
58. flagathlete|Marisa Zuriel|ARG, 2231, WIM
59. flagathlete|Anna Gasik|POL, 2211, WFM
60. flagathlete|Sarai Sanchez Castillo|VEN, 2202, WGM
61. flagathlete|Karen Zapata|PER, 2180, WIM
62. flagathlete|Mona Khaled|EGY, 2007, WGM
63. flagathlete|Yorsa Alaa El Din|EGY, 1959, WIM
64. flagathlete|Anzel Solomons|RSA, 1895, WIM

Absences

The world's no. 1 female player, Judit Polgar, has never competed for the Women's World Championship and did not play this time. The world's no. 3 female player, Xie Jun, had played little chess in recent years (four rated games since 2005) [cite web|url=http://ratings.fide.com/hist.phtml?event=8600147|title=Individual Calculations for Xie Jun|publisher=FIDE|accessdate=2008-09-07] and also did not play.

Some players refused to go to Nalchik. In their letters to FIDE, Canadian Natalia Khoudgariancite web|url=http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=4834|title=Ilyumzhinov: Do not mix politics and sport|date=14 August 2008|accessdate=2008-08-28|publisher=Chessbase] and American Irina Krushcite web|url=http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=4839|title=Women's World Championship: Georgian players withdraw|date=17 August 2008|accessdate=2008-08-28|publisher=Chessbase] both cited the general safety in the region of North Caucasus.

More players protested after the start of the 2008 South Ossetia war. On 12 August 2008, six Georgian players published an open letter asking to move the Championship to a safer place, which was endorsed by several other players (Monika Socko, Irina Krush, Iweta Rajlich, Ketino Kachiani-Gersinska, Tea Bosboom-Lanchava, Claudia Amura, and Marie Sebag). [cite web|url=http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=4830|title=Appeal to FIDE: move the Women's World Championship|date=12 August 2008|accessdate=2008-08-28|publisher=Chessbase] On 15 August, the Chess Federation of Georgia published an open letter stating that the Georgian players will not participate in the Championship unless it is moved to another country. Argentinian Claudia Amura, whose opponent in the first round is Georgian Lela Javakhishvili, also published a letter to FIDE asking for the Championship to be moved.

The FIDE president Kirsan Ilyumzhinov published two letters in reply, on 13 August and 19 August. [cite web|url=http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=4849|title=Ilyumzhinov reiterates: we should not mix sport and politics|date=20 August 2008|accessdate=2008-08-28|publisher=Chessbase] In his letters, he confirmed that the Championship would be held in Nalchik, appealed to everyone not to mix politics and sport, and stated that the organizers provided all the necessary security. This was seconded by Boris Kutin, president of the European Chess Union, and Arsen Kanokov, president of Kabardino-Balkaria and the chairman of the organizing committee. On 21 August, Ilyumzhinov published a letter to Georgian president Mikhail Saakashvili asking him to let Georgian players participate. [cite web|url=http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=4855|title=Ilyumzhinov to Saakashvili: let your players participate|date=22 August 2008|accessdate=2008-08-28|publisher=Chessbase]

A total of 11 players did not arrive at the Championship. Besides the six Georgian players (Maia Chiburdanidze, Lela Javakhishvili, Maia Lomineishvili, Nino Khurtsidze, Sopiko Khukhashvili, and Sopio Gvetadze), these were Marie Sebag (France), Irina Krush (United States), Ekaterina Korbut (Russia), Tea Bosboom-Lanchava (Netherlands), and Karen Zapata (Peru). [cite web|url=http://reports.chessdom.com/wwcc-2008/world-women-championship-live-day-1|title=World Women Chess Championship LIVE!|date=29 August 2008|accessdate=2008-08-29|publisher=Chessdom]

Tournament

The Championship was a single-elimination tournament with 64 players and six rounds. In each encounter, players played two games at normal time controls (90 minutes for the first 40 moves followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with an increment of 30 seconds per move from move one). If the score after two games was level, the tie-break was played. In the tie-break, two rapid games were played (25 minutes for the game, with addition of 10 seconds after each move). If the score was level after the rapid games, two blitz games were played (5 minutes for the game, with addition of 10 seconds after each move). If the score was level after the blitz, the decisive armageddon game was played. The time control was 6 minutes for White and 5 minutes for Black, with no addition. If the game was drawn, Black is declared the winner. The colours in the armageddon games were chosen by the player who won the drawing of lots.

In the final, four regular games were played instead of two, and the first (rapid) phase of tie-break would also have consisted of four games. [cite web|url=http://nalchik2008.fide.com/regulations/?lang=eng|title=Regulations for the Women’s World Chess Championship Cycle|publisher=Official website of the Championship|accessdate=2008-09-07]

chedule

*Round 1: 29 August and 30 August, with tiebreaks on 31 August
*Round 2: 1 September and 2 September, with tiebreaks on 3 September
*Round 3: 4 September and 5 September, with tiebreaks on 6 September
*Quarterfinals: 7 September and 8 September, with tiebreaks on 9 September
*Semifinals: 10 September and 11 September, with tiebreaks on 12 September
*Final: 14 September to 17 September, with tiebreaks on 18 September

Results

64TeamBracket

RD1-team01=Xu Yuhua
RD1-score01=1.5
RD1-team02=Anzel Solomons
RD1-score02=0.5

RD1-team03=Nino Khurtsidze
RD1-team04=Svetlana Matveeva
RD1-score04=w/o

RD1-team05=Elisabeth Pähtz
RD1-score05=4
RD1-team06=Ilaha Kadimova
RD1-score06=3

RD1-team07=Anna Ushenina
RD1-score07=1.5
RD1-team08=Le Thanh Tu
RD1-score08=0.5

RD1-team09=Tatiana Kosintseva
RD1-score09=2
RD1-team10=Nafisa Muminova
RD1-score10=0

RD1-team11=Anna Zatonskih
RD1-score11=w/o
RD1-team12=Tea Bosboom-Lanchava

RD1-team13=Alexandra Kosteniuk
RD1-score13=2
RD1-team14=Atousa Pourkashiyan
RD1-score14=0

RD1-team15=Ekaterina Korbut
RD1-score15=–
RD1-team16=Sopio Gvetadze
RD1-score16=–

RD1-team17=Antoaneta Stefanova
RD1-score17=w/o
RD1-team18=Karen Zapata

RD1-team19=Natasa Bojkovic
RD1-score19=1.5
RD1-team20=Ju Wenjun
RD1-score20=2.5

RD1-team21=Natalia Zhukova
RD1-score21=1.5
RD1-team22=Katherine Rohonyan
RD1-score22=2.5

RD1-team23=Inna Gaponenko
RD1-score23=1.5
RD1-team24=Zhang Jilin
RD1-score24=0.5

RD1-team25=Pia Cramling
RD1-score25=1.5
RD1-team26=Sarai Sanchez Castillo
RD1-score26=0.5

RD1-team27=Tania Sachdev
RD1-score27=0.5
RD1-team28=Tan Zhongyi
RD1-score28=1.5

RD1-team29=Ruan Lufei
RD1-score29=1.5
RD1-team30=Irina Zakurdjaeva
RD1-score30=0.5

RD1-team31=Lela Javakhishvili
RD1-team32=Claudia Amura
RD1-score32=w/o

RD1-team33=Hou Yifan
RD1-score33=2
RD1-team34=Mona Khaled
RD1-score34=0

RD1-team35=Iweta Rajlich
RD1-score35=0
RD1-team36=Bathuyang Mongontuul
RD1-score36=2

RD1-team37=Irina Krush
RD1-team38=Elena Sedina
RD1-score38=w/o

RD1-team39=Maia Chiburdanidze
RD1-team40=Nguyen Thi Thanh An
RD1-score40=w/o

RD1-team41=Marie Sebag
RD1-team42=Anna Gasik
RD1-score42=w/o

RD1-team43=Lilit Mkrtchian
RD1-score43=3.5
RD1-team44=Eva Moser
RD1-score44=2.5

RD1-team45=Dronavalli Harika
RD1-score45=2
RD1-team46=Vera Nebolsina
RD1-score46=0

RD1-team47=Maria Velcheva
RD1-score47=0
RD1-team48=Anna Muzychuk
RD1-score48=2

RD1-team49=Zhao Xue
RD1-score49=2
RD1-team50=Marisa Zuriel
RD1-score50=0

RD1-team51=Shen Yang
RD1-score51=1.5
RD1-team52=Ketino Kachiani-Gersinska
RD1-score52=0.5

RD1-team53=Nisha Mohota
RD1-score53=0
RD1-team54=Nadezhda Kosintseva
RD1-score54=2

RD1-team55=Valentina Golubenko
RD1-score55=0.5
RD1-team56=Viktorija Čmilytė
RD1-score56=1.5

RD1-team57=Hoang Thanh Trang
RD1-score57=1.5
RD1-team58=Maritza Arribas Robaina
RD1-score58=0.5

RD1-team59=Sabina-Francesca Foisor
RD1-score59=3
RD1-team60=Monika Socko
RD1-score60=4¹

RD1-team61=Maia Lomineishvili
RD1-score61=–
RD1-team62=Sopiko Khukhashvili
RD1-score62=–

RD1-team63=Yorsa Alaa El Din
RD1-score63=0
RD1-team64=Koneru Humpy
RD1-score64=2

RD2-seed01=1
RD2-team01=Xu Yuhua
RD2-score01=0.5
RD2-seed02=33
RD2-team02=Svetlana Matveeva
RD2-score02=1.5

RD2-seed03=16
RD2-team03=Elisabeth Pähtz
RD2-score03=0.5
RD2-seed04=17
RD2-team04=Anna Ushenina
RD2-score04=1.5

RD2-seed05=8
RD2-team05=Tatiana Kosintseva
RD2-score05=1.5
RD2-seed06=25
RD2-team06=Anna Zatonskih
RD2-score06=0.5

RD2-seed07=9
RD2-team07=Alexandra Kosteniuk
RD2-score07=w/o

RD2-seed09=4
RD2-team09=Antoaneta Stefanova
RD2-score09=3
RD2-seed10=36
RD2-team10=Ju Wenjun
RD2-score10=1

RD2-seed11=52
RD2-team11=Katherine Rohonyan
RD2-score11=1.5
RD2-seed12=20
RD2-team12=Inna Gaponenko
RD2-score12=2.5

RD2-seed13=5
RD2-team13=Pia Cramling
RD2-score13=1.5
RD2-seed14=37
RD2-team14=Tan Zhongyi
RD2-score14=0.5

RD2-seed15=12
RD2-team15=Ruan Lufei
RD2-score15=1.5
RD2-seed16=44
RD2-team16=Claudia Amura
RD2-score16=0.5

RD2-seed17=3
RD2-team17=Hou Yifan
RD2-score17=2
RD2-seed18=35
RD2-team18=Bathuyang Mongontuul
RD2-score18=0

RD2-seed19=46
RD2-team19=Elena Sedina
RD2-score19=3
RD2-seed20=51
RD2-team20=Nguyen Thi Thanh An
RD2-score20=1

RD2-seed21=59
RD2-team21=Anna Gasik
RD2-score21=0.5
RD2-seed22=27
RD2-team22=Lilit Mkrtchian
RD2-score22=1.5

RD2-seed23=22
RD2-team23=Dronavalli Harika
RD2-score23=2.5
RD2-seed24=11
RD2-team24=Anna Muzychuk
RD2-score24=1.5

RD2-seed25=7
RD2-team25=Zhao Xue
RD2-score25=0.5
RD2-seed26=26
RD2-team26=Shen Yang
RD2-score26=1.5

RD2-seed27=23
RD2-team27=Nadezhda Kosintseva
RD2-score27=2.5
RD2-seed28=10
RD2-team28=Viktorija Čmilytė
RD2-score28=1.5

RD2-seed29=15
RD2-team29=Hoang Thanh Trang
RD2-score29=1.5
RD2-seed30=18
RD2-team30=Monika Socko
RD2-score30=0.5

RD2-seed32=2
RD2-team32=Koneru Humpy
RD2-score32=w/o

RD3-seed01=33
RD3-team01=Svetlana Matveeva
RD3-score01=0
RD3-seed02=17
RD3-team02=Anna Ushenina
RD3-score02=2

RD3-seed03=8
RD3-team03=Tatiana Kosintseva
RD3-score03=0.5
RD3-seed04=9
RD3-team04=Alexandra Kosteniuk
RD3-score04=1.5

RD3-seed05=4
RD3-team05=Antoaneta Stefanova
RD3-score05=2
RD3-seed06=20
RD3-team06=Inna Gaponenko
RD3-score06=0

RD3-seed07=5
RD3-team07=Pia Cramling
RD3-score07=1.5
RD3-seed08=12
RD3-team08=Ruan Lufei
RD3-score08=0.5

RD3-seed09=3
RD3-team09=Hou Yifan
RD3-score09=3
RD3-seed10=46
RD3-team10=Elena Sedina
RD3-score10=1

RD3-seed11=27
RD3-team11=Lilit Mkrtchian
RD3-score11=1.5
RD3-seed12=22
RD3-team12=Dronavalli Harika
RD3-score12=0.5

RD3-seed13=26
RD3-team13=Shen Yang
RD3-score13=3.5
RD3-seed14=23
RD3-team14=Nadezhda Kosintseva
RD3-score14=2.5

RD3-seed15=15
RD3-team15=Hoang Thanh Trang
RD3-score15=0.5
RD3-seed16=2
RD3-team16=Koneru Humpy
RD3-score16=1.5

RD4-seed01=17
RD4-team01=Anna Ushenina
RD4-score01=0.5
RD4-seed02=9
RD4-team02=Alexandra Kosteniuk
RD4-score02=1.5

RD4-seed03=4
RD4-team03=Antoaneta Stefanova
RD4-score03=0.5
RD4-seed04=5
RD4-team04=Pia Cramling
RD4-score04=1.5

RD4-seed05=3
RD4-team05=Hou Yifan
RD4-score05=1.5
RD4-seed06=27
RD4-team06=Lilit Mkrtchian
RD4-score06=0.5

RD4-seed07=26
RD4-team07=Shen Yang
RD4-score07=0
RD4-seed08=2
RD4-team08=Koneru Humpy
RD4-score08=2

RD5-seed01=9
RD5-team01=Alexandra Kosteniuk
RD5-score01=1.5
RD5-seed02=5
RD5-team02=Pia Cramling
RD5-score02=0.5

RD5-seed03=3
RD5-team03=Hou Yifan
RD5-score03=4
RD5-seed04=2
RD5-team04=Koneru Humpy
RD5-score04=2

RD6-seed01=9
RD6-team01=Alexandra Kosteniuk
RD6-score01=2.5
RD6-seed02=3
RD6-team02=Hou Yifan
RD6-score02=1.5

:¹The final tiebreak game between Monika Socko and Sabina-Francesca Foisor ended in controversy. It was an armageddon blitz game in which Socko (as White) had 6 minutes compared to 5 minutes Foisor (as Black), but White must win the game to advance to the next round whereas Black only needed to draw (or win). With time running out, a position was reached in which each player had only a king and a knight, a material combination which is a draw under normal circumstances. Just after this, Foisor's time ran out and the arbiter Zsuzsanna Veroci ruled it a draw, meaning that Foisor would advance. Socko immediately protested, showing a position where checkmate is possible (but cannot be forced) and reminding the aribters of the FIDE rules of chess which state that if one player runs out of time and the opponent has the "possibility" of checkmate, that player loses. Socko filed an appeal, and the Appeals Committee agreed that she was correct on the rules. The game was ruled a win for Socko and she advanced to the next round. [cite web|title=Drama at World Women Chess Championship round 1 tiebreaks|url=http://reports.chessdom.com/wwcc-2008/world-women-championship-live-day-3|publisher=Chessdom|date=31 August 2008|accessdate=2008-08-31] [cite web|title=Appeal's Committee Ruling|url=http://nalchik2008.fide.com/news/?lang=eng&a=2&id=38|date=31 August 2008|accessdate=2008-09-07|publisher=Official website of the Championship]

References

External links

* [http://nalchik2008.fide.com/ Official website]
* [http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=4761 Preview at Chessbase]