Women's World Chess Championship 2006

2/8/2006 – FIDE has announced the list of players who will take part in the World Women's Championship, to be held from 10-27 March 2006, in Ekaterinburg, Russia. The reigning world champion is Antoaneta Stefanova of Bulgaria, who won the title in 2004. We bring you complete lists and lots of pictures.

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The Women's World Championship was established by FIDE in 1927. It was a tournament that was held alongside the Chess Olympiad. It was won by the legendary Vera Menchik (picture right), who went on to win every challenge and indeed ever championship she ever played in during her lifetime. Menchik died, undefeated, during the Second World War, and was succeeded by Ludmilla Rudenko, who won a round robin in 1949-50 to receive the title.

After this the system was changed to mirror the men's championship, i.e. a cycle of Candidates tournaments and Interzonals was held to to pick a challenger. The first was Elizaveta Bikova in 1952, who won the title in 1953, lost it in 1956 and regained it in 1958. Then came the "Georgian era", which lasted from 1962 to 1991 and saw Nona Gaprindashvili and Maya Chiburdaidze dominating women's chess.

In 1991 the Chinese player Xie Jun defeated Chiburdanidze to take the title. She was defeated in 1996 by the oldest Polgar sister, Susan, who kept the title until she lost it in 1999 by default to Xie Jun due to the birth of her first child. After this FIDE installed the knockout system for the Women's World Championship, and this was won in 2001 by the Chinese player Zhu Chen. The last championship in 2004 saw Bulgarian GM Antoaneta Stefanova win the title.

All women's world champions

Vera Menchik 1927–1944 United Kingdom
Ludmilla Rudenko 1950–1953 Soviet Union
Elisabeth Bikova 1953–1956 Soviet Union
Olga Rubzowa 1956–1958 Soviet Union
Elisabeth Bikova 1958–1962 Soviet Union
Nona Gaprindashvili 1962–1978 Georgia
Maya Chiburdanidze 1978–1991 Georgia
Xie Jun 1991–1996 China
Susan Polgar 1996–1999 Hungary
Xie Jun 1999–2001 China
Zhu Chen 2001–2004 China
Antoaneta Stefanova 2004–2006 Bulgaria

Women's World Chess Championship, Ekaterinburg, 10-27 March 2006

List of Qualifiers for the Women's World Championship 2006

No Name Title FED Qualified
1 Stefanova, Antoaneta GM BUL Women's World Champion 2004
2 Kovalevskaya, Ekaterina IM RUS runner-up of WWCC 2004
3 Koneru, Humpy GM IND semi-finalist of WWCC 2004
4 Chiburdanidze, Maya GM GEO semi-finalist of WWCC 2004
5 Korbut, Ekaterina WGM RUS World Junior Champion 2004
6 Paehtz, Elizabeth IM GER World Junior Champion 2005
5 best rated players from the average of July 2004-January 2005
7 Galliamova, Alisa IM RUS Rating List 7/2004 - 1/2005
8 Xu, Yuhua WGM CHN Rating List 7/2004 - 1/2005
9 Kosteniuk, Alexandra GM RUS Rating List 7/2004 - 1/2005
10 Zhu, Chen GM CHN Rating List 7/2004 - 1/2005
11 Zhao, Xue wg CHN Rating List 7/2004 - 1/2005
Continental Qualifiers - 52 chess players, 29 European Qualifiers
12 Peng Zhaoqin GM NED Dresden 2004
13 Zhukova Natalia WGM RUS Dresden 2004
14 Dzagnidze Nana IM GEO Dresden 2004
15 Slavina Irina IM RUS Dresden 2004
16 Foisor Cristina-Adele IM ROM Dresden 2004
17 Arakhamia-Grant Ketevan IM GEO Dresden 2004
18 Cramling Pia GM SWE Dresden 2004
19 Socko Monika IM POL Dresden 2004
20 Kosintseva Tatiana IM RUS Dresden 2004
21 Houska Jovanka WGM ENG Dresden 2004
22 Lahno Kateryna IM UKR Kishinev 2005
23 Kosintseva Nadezhda IM RUS Kishinev 2005
24 Zaiatz Elena WGM RUS Kishinev 2005
25 Danielian Elina IM ARM Kishinev 2005
26 Dembo Yelena IM GRE Kishinev 2005
27 Khurtsidze Nino IM GEO Kishinev 2005
28 Mkrtchian Lilit IM ARM Kishinev 2005
29 Kononenko Tatiana WGM UKR Kishinev 2005
30 Radziewicz Iweta IM POL Kishinev 2005
31 Matveeva Svetlana WGM RUS Kishinev 2005
32 Purtseladze Maka IM GEO Kishinev 2005
33 Sebag Marie IM FRA Kishinev 2005
34 Zielinska Marta WGM POL Kishinev 2005
35 Skripchenko Almira IM FRA Kishinev 2005 (after TB)
36 Ushenina Anna WGM UKR Kishinev 2005 (after TB)
37 Cmilyte, Viktoria WGM LTU Kishinev, reserve player
38 Javakhishvili Lela WGM GEO Kishinev, reserve player
39 Vasilevich Irina WGM RUS Kishinev, reserve player
40 Ovod Evgenija IM RUS Kishinev 2005
8 Americas Qualifiers
41 Reserve from Americas     Continental Championship
42 Reserve from Americas     Continental Championship
43 Krush, Irina WGM USA Zone 2.1
44 Khoudgarian, Natalia WIM CAN Zone 2.2
45 Arribas, Maritza WGM CUB Zone 2.3
46 Zapata, Karen WIM PER Zone 2.4
47 Lujan, Carolina WGM ARG Zone 2.5
48 Pina, Sulennis WGM CUB Cont. Championship
12 Asian Qualifiers
49 Pourkashiyan, Atousa  WIM IRI Zone 3.1
50 Vijayalakshmi, Subbaraman WGM IND Zone 3.2, from Cont. Champ
51 Hoang Xuan Thanh Khiet WIM VIE Zone 3.3
52 Aketaeva, Dana WIM KAZ Zone 3.4
53 Hou, Yifan WFM CHN Zone 3.5
54 Shen, Yang   CHN Zone 3.5
55 Qin, Janying WGM CHN Zone 3.5
56 Ruan, Lufei   CHN Zone 3.5
57 Berezina-Feldman, Irina WIM AUS Zone 3.6
58 Wang, Yu WGM CHN Cont.Championship
59 Meenakshi Subbaraman WGM IND Cont.Championship
60 Ju, Wenjun   CHN Cont.Championship
3 African Qualifiers
61 Mezioud Amina   ALG Zone 4.1
62 Sabure, Tuduetso WGM BOT Cont. Championship
63 Sohair Farid Basta WIM EGY Cont. Championship
1 President's Nominee
64 Kursova Maria   RUS President's Nominee

Participants


GM Antoaneta Stefanova, BUL, Women's World Champion 2004


IM Ekaterina Kovalevskaya, RUS, runner-up of WWCC 2004


GM Koneru Humpy, IND, semi-finalist of WWCC 2004


GM Maya Chiburdanidze, GEO, semi-finalist of WWCC 2004


WGM Ekaterina Korbut, RUS, World Junior Champion 2004


IM Elizabeth Paehtz, GER, World Junior Champion 2005


GM Alisa Galliamova, RUS, Rating List 7/2004 - 1/2005


WGM Xu Yuhua, CHN, Rating List 7/2004 - 1/2005


GM Alexandra Kosteniuk, RUS, Rating List 7/2004 - 1/2005


GM Zhu Chen, CHN Rating List 7/2004 - 1/2005


WGM Natalia Zhukova, RUS, Dresden 2004


GM Pia Cramling, SWE, Dresden 2004


IM Tatiana Kosintseva, RUS, Dresden 2004


IM Kateryna Lahno, UKR, Kishinev 2005


IM Lilit Mkrtchian, ARM, Kishinev 2005


IM Almira Skripchenko, FRA, Kishinev 2005 (after TB)


WGM Viktoria Cmilyte, LTU, Kishinev, reserve player


WGM Irina Krush, USA, Zone 2.1


WGM Tuduetso Sabure, BOT, Cont. Championship

Seedings

1 Koneru, Humpy
GM
 2537
2 Cramling Pia
GM
 2515
3 Kosteniuk, Alexandra
GM
 2514
4 Chiburdanidze, Maya
GM
 2511
5 Xu, Yuhua
WGM
 2502
6 Lahno Kateryna
IM
 2500
7 Stefanova, Antoaneta
GM
 2499
8 Zhu, Chen
GM
 2482
9 Kosintseva Nadezhda
IM
 2480
10 Hoang Xuan Thanh Khiet
IM
 2480
11 Kosintseva Tatiana
IM
 2479
12 Vijayalakshmi, Subbaraman
IM
 2479
13 Socko Monika
IM
 2475
14 Cmilyte, Viktoria
IM
 2475
15 Zhao, Xue
WGM
 2473
16 Qin, Janying
WGM
 2469
17 Galliamova, Alisa
IM
 2467
18 Dembo Yelena
IM
 2461
19 Skripchenko Almira
IM
 2461
20 Kovalevskaya, Ekaterina
IM
 2458
21 Mkrtchian Lilit
IM
 2453
22 Dzagnidze Nana
IM
 2452
23 Krush, Irina
IM
 2447
24 Javakhishvili Lela
IM
 2444
25 Zhukova Natalia
WGM
 2432
26 Khurtsidze Nino
IM
 2430
27 Matveeva Svetlana
IM
 2428
28 Korbut, Ekaterina
WGM
 2427
29 Arakhamia-Grant Ketevan
IM
 2426
30 Danielian Elina
IM
 2423
31 Paehts, Elizabeth
IM
 2422
32 Zaiatz Elena
IM
 2422
33 Radziewicz Iweta
IM
 2421
34 Kononenko Tatiana
WGM
 2417
35 Sebag Marie
IM
 2415
36 Peng Zhaoqin
GM
 2407
37 Foisor Cristina-Adele
IM
 2402
38 Zielinska Marta
WGM
 2398
39 Ushenina Anna
WGM
 2398
40 Vasilevich Irina
WGM
 2386
41 Wang, Yu
WGM
 2385
42 Shen, Yang
 
2380
43 Slavina-Turova Irina
WGM
 2379
44 Ovod Evgenija
WGM
 2366
45 Ruan, Lufei
 
2361
46 Pina, Sulennis
WGM
 2358
47 Houska Jovanka
WGM
 2355
48 Lujan, Carolina
WGM
 2346
49 Purtseladze Maka
WGM
 2341
50 Aketaeva, Dana
WIM
 2330
51 Kursova Maria
WIM
 2319
52 Pourkashiyan, Atousa
WIM
 2296
53 Ju, Wenjun
 
2290
54 Meenakshi Subbaraman
WGM
 2289
55 Berezina-Feldman, Irina
WIM
 2285
56 Hou, Yifan
WFM
 2269
57 Arribas, Maritza
WGM
 2261
58 Abrahamyan, Tatev
WFM
 2254
59 Zapata, Karen
WIM
 2218
60 Khoudgarian, Natalia
WIM
 2106
61 Sohair Farid Basta
WIM
 2083
62 Sabure, Tuduetso
WGM
 2072
63 Mezioud Amina
 
1989
64 Reserve player from Americas