Women's World Championship
|
|
The first round in Ekaterinburg began with a number of strong players faltering in the two-game mini-matchs of this knockout tournament. Almira Skripchenko, winner of the strongest women's event of all time, staged in the same region two years ago, lost to Jovanka Houska of England; Elisabeth Pähtz, reigning Women's Youth World Champion from Germany, went down to her angstgegner (nemesis) Peng Zhaoqin of the Netherlands; and Kateryna Lahno, 16-year-old reigning European Women's Champion, bowed out to Karen Zapata, Elo 2218 from Peru.
The top favourites fared better: reigning FIDE world champion Antoaneta Stefanova, world's top-rated female player (after Judit Polgar) Koneru Humpy of India, veteran Pia Cramling of Sweden, Russian Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk. former women's world champion Maia Chiburdanidze, and Chinese star Xu Yuhua are all through to round two.
| Name | Rtng | G1 | G2 | R1 | R2 | B1 | B2 | SD | Tot |
| Mezioud, Amina (ALG) | 1989 | 0 | ½ | 0,5 | |||||
| Stefanova, Antoaneta (BUL) | 2499 | 1 | ½ | 1,5 | |||||
| Koneru, Humpy (IND) | 2537 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||
| Sabure, Tuduetso (BOT) | 2072 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Basta-Sohair, F. (EGY) | 2083 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Cramling, Pia (SWE) | 2515 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||
| Kosteniuk, Alexandra (RUS) | 2514 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||
| Khoudgarian, Natalia (CAN) | 2106 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Rivera, Ingris (COL) | 2128 | 0 | ½ | 0,5 | |||||
| Chiburdanidze, Maia (GEO) | 2511 | 1 | ½ | 1,5 | |||||
| Xu, Yuhua (CHN) | 2502 | 1 | ½ | 1,5 | |||||
| Hoang, Xuan Thanh Khiet (VIE) | 2196 | 0 | ½ | 0,5 | |||||
| Zapata, Karen (PER) | 2218 | ½ | 1 | 1,5 | |||||
| Lahno, Kateryna (UKR) | 2500 | ½ | 0 | 0,5 | |||||
| Hou, Yifan (CHN) | 2269 | 1 | ½ | 1,5 | |||||
| Kosintseva, Nadezhda (RUS) | 2480 | 0 | ½ | 0,5 | |||||
| Vijayalakshmi, Subbaraman (IND) | 2479 | 1 | ½ | 1,5 | |||||
| Berezina, Irina (AUS) | 2285 | 0 | ½ | 0,5 | |||||
| Meenakshi, S. (IND) | 2289 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Kosintseva, Tatiana (RUS) | 2479 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||
| Socko, Monika (POL) | 2475 | ½ | 0 | 0,5 | |||||
| Ju, Wenjun (CHN) | 2290 | ½ | 1 | 1,5 | |||||
| Pourkashiyan, Atousa (IRI) | 2296 | ½ | 0 | 0,5 | |||||
| Cmilyte, Viktorija (LTU) | 2475 | ½ | 1 | 1,5 | |||||
| Zhao, Xue (CHN) | 2473 | ½ | 0 | 0,5 | |||||
| Kursova, Maria (RUS) | 2319 | ½ | 1 | 1,5 | |||||
| Aketaeva, Dana (KAZ) | 2330 | 0 | ½ | 0,5 | |||||
| Qin, Kanying (CHN) | 2469 | 1 | ½ | 1,5 | |||||
| Galliamova, Alisa (RUS) | 2467 | 1 | ½ | 1,5 | |||||
| Purtseladze, Maka (GEO) | 2341 | 0 | ½ | 0,5 | |||||
| Lujan, Carolina (ARG) | 2346 | ½ | 1 | 1,5 | |||||
| Dembo, Yelena (GRE) | 2461 | ½ | 0 | 0,5 | |||||
| Skripchenko, Almira (FRA) | 2461 | 0 | ½ | 0,5 | |||||
| Houska, Jovanka (ENG) | 2355 | 1 | ½ | 1,5 | |||||
| Pina, Sulennis (CUB) | 2358 | 0 | ½ | 0,5 | |||||
| Kovalevskaya, Ekaterina (RUS) | 2458 | 1 | ½ | 1,5 | |||||
| Mkrtchian, Lilit (ARM) | 2453 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1,5 | |||
| Ruan, Lufei (CHN) | 2361 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 2,5 | |||
| Ovod, Evgenija (RUS) | 2366 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Dzagnidze, Nana (GEO) | 2452 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
| Krush, Irina (USA) | 2447 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 2,5 | |||
| Amura, Claudia N. (ARG) | 2366 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1,5 | |||
| Turova, Irina (RUS) | 2379 | ½ | 0 | 0,5 | |||||
| Javakhishvili, Lela (GEO) | 2444 | ½ | 1 | 1,5 | |||||
| Zhukova, Natalia (UKR) | 2432 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 3,5 | |
| Shen, Yang (CHN) | 2380 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 2,5 | |
| Wang, Yu A. (CHN) | 2385 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1,5 | |||
| Khurtsidze, Nino (GEO) | 2430 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 2,5 | |||
| Matveeva, Svetlana (RUS) | 2428 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||
| Vasilevich, Irina (RUS) | 2386 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Ushenina, Anna (UKR) | 2398 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 3 | |||
| Korbut, Ekaterina (RUS) | 2427 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
| Arakhamia-Grant, Ketevan (GEO) | 2426 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 2,5 | |||
| Zielinska, Marta (POL) | 2398 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1,5 | |||
| Foisor, Cristina Adela (ROM) | 2402 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1,5 | |||
| Danielian, Elina (ARM) | 2423 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 2,5 | |||
| Paehtz, Elisabeth (GER) | 2422 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Peng, Zhaoqin (NED) | 2407 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
| Sebag, Marie (FRA) | 2415 | ½ | 1 | 1,5 | |||||
| Zaiatz, Elena (RUS) | 2422 | ½ | 0 | 0,5 | |||||
| Radziewicz, Iweta (POL) | 2421 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||
| Kononenko, Tatiana (UKR) | 2417 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
A main street with typical Russian onion dome buildings
A chapel in Yekaterinburg
An orthodox cathedral
Lenin still very much present in the city
Monument of Tatischev and De Gennin, founders of Yekaterinburg
Georg Vilgelm de Gennin (1676-1750) was a Dutchman of German origin, author of "The description of the Ural and Siberian plants". Tatischev Vasily Nikitich (1686-1750) was a politician, diplomat and historian. Both are regarded as the founders of Yekaterinburg.
A bronze guitarist and admirer. They did not find anything
The theatre for opera, ballet and dramatic plays
The Children's Theatre, caught in the wintery Ekaterinburg landscape
The house of one of the richest traders in pre-Revoltuion days: Kharitonov's house
The Ural State University in Yekaterinburg
Modern residential areas
The opening spectacular for the FIDE Women World Championship
FIDE President Kirsan Nikolayevich Ilyumzhinov
US IM Irina Krush at the reception
Ekaterina Korbut (Russia) Elisabeth Pähtz (Germany) and Irina Vasilevich
(Russia). All three were knocked out in the first round. We will explain Elisabeth's
uniform in a separate report.
The Kosintseva sisters Nadezhda and Tatiana, with Maria Kursova (all Russia)
Anna Ushenina (Ukraine), Dana Aketaeva (Kazakhstan) and her mother
Inside the playing hall, at the start of the round
Top seed Koneru Humpy from India
The author, GM Sergey Tiviakov, with his charge, Elisabeth Pähtz (Germany)
| Opening Ceremony/Players' meeting | 10 March | |
| Round 1: | 2 days play + tiebreaks | 11-12 March |
| Round 2: | 2 days play + tiebreaks | 13-14 March |
| Round 3: | 2 days play + tiebreaks | 15-16 March |
| Free Day | 1 day free | 17 March |
| Round 4: | 2 days play + tiebreaks | 18-19 March |
| Round 5: | 2 days play + tiebreaks | 20-21 March |
| Free Day | 1 day free | 22 March |
| Round 6: | 4 days play | 23-26 March |
| Tie-breaks/Closing Ceremony: | 27 March | |
