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.
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 |

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