Women's Chess World Cup in Batumi: Fight for the Title and a Spot in the Candidates Tournament

This weekend, the month-long marathon of the Women's Chess World Cup will begin in Batumi. Starting from July 6th, for four weeks, the world's strongest chess players will compete not only for the title but also for a spot in the Candidates Tournament. Those who finish in the top three will earn this right.

Idman.biz reports that a total of 107 chess players will participate in the competition, which will be held in a knockout system, as per tradition.

The last time this tournament took place was two years ago in Baku. At that time, the Men's World Cup was also held in parallel, and Azerbaijani chess player Nijat Abasov took third place, qualifying for the Candidates Tournament. Typically, the World Cups in both categories are held in the same year. While women are already preparing to travel to the Adjara region of Georgia, the location of the men's competition, which is planned to be held in the fall, has not yet been determined.

Currently, all eyes are on Batumi. Four Azerbaijani chess players will also compete here. According to the results of the draw, in the 1st stage, Govhar Beydullayeva will face Iranian representative Anahita Zahedifar, Ulviyya Fataliyeva from Australia Jiling Zhang, Khanim Balajayeva from Kazakhstan Elnaz Kaliahmet, and Gulnar Mammadova will face Chinese Yunshan Li.

Participants will be given three days for each stage: first two classic games with alternating colors, and if necessary, tie-breaks will be played. Considering the knockout format, each stage can be remembered for serious tests for the favorites and surprising results. Out of 107 chess players, 86 will start the fight from the first stage, and 21 players with the highest rating will join the competition directly from the second stage.

The games will be held in the five-star "Grand Bellagio Convention & Casino Hotel". Currently, the World Cup for juniors, organized among children aged 8–12, is also continuing at this venue. 300 participants from 40 countries are competing there.

The total prize fund of the Women's World Cup is 691,250 US dollars, and the winner will be given 50,000 dollars. In addition, one of the main goals is to win one of the three tickets allocated to the Candidates Tournament, which means a chance to fight for the chess crown.

However, to get closer to this opportunity, chess players must pass five stages and advance at least to the semi-finals.

Idman.biz