Women's World Chess Championship 2010

The Women's World Chess Championship 2010 took place in Hatay, Turkey from December 2 through 24, 2010.

The tournament, like the previous ones, was played in a 64-player knock-out format. Each pairing consisted of two games, one with white and one with black, from which the winner advanced. In case of a tie, tiebreaks were played the next day, consisting of two rapid games and—if still tied—an Armageddon match. The final consisted of four games at classical time control, if necessary followed by four rapid tiebreak games.

The title was won by Hou Yifan from China who beat her compatriot Ruan Lufei in the final by 5–3, at 16 years of age making her the youngest Women's World Chess Champion in history.

Participants

Players were seeded by their Elo ratings (November 2010 list), except that defending champion Alexandra Kosteniuk was the No. 1 seed.

2

Qualification paths

• WC: finalists and semifinalists of Women's World Chess Championship 2008 (4)
• J08 and J09: World Junior Champions 2008 and 2009
• R: Rating (average of the FIDE rating lists of July 2006 and January 2007) (5)
• E08 and E09: European Individual Championships 2008 and 2009 (28)
• AM: American Continental Chess Championship 2009 (2)

• AS: Asian Chess Championship 2009 (3)
• AF: African Chess Championship 2009 (3)
• Z2.1 (2), Z2.2, Z2.3, Z2.4, Z2.5, Z3.1, Z3.2, Z3.3, Z3.4, Z3.5 (4), Z3.6: Zonal tournaments 2009
• PN: FIDE President nominee (2)

Notable absentees

The number one woman in the world, Judit Polgár, has never competed for the women's title and did not enter this time either. World number five, Nadezhda Kosintseva, did not play either, although her sister Tatiana (ranked 4th) did. Other names missing from the top 20 were: Irina Krush (17th), former finalist Alisa Galliamova (19th) and ex-champion Xu Yuhua (20th).

Iweta Rajlich and Arianne Caoili were listed as participants but unable to attend; their scheduled opponents, Jovanka Houska and Ju Wenjun, were given byes through to the second round.

Results

Final match

Women's World Chess Championship Final 2010

	1	2	3	4	R1	R2	R3	R4	Total
Ruan Lufei (China)	½	0	½	1	½	0	½	0	3
Hou Yifan (China)	½	1	½	0	½	1	½	1	5

Bracket

	1st Round					2nd Round					3rd Round					Quarterfinals					Semifinals					Finals
	1	Alexandra Kosteniuk	2
	64	Amina Mezioud	0
						1	Alexandra Kosteniuk	3
						33	Sopiko Khukhashvili	1
	33	Irina Turova	½
	32	Sopiko Khukhashvili	1½
											1	Alexandra Kosteniuk	1½
											16	Ruan Lufei	2½
	17	Ruan Lufei	2½
	48	Camilla Baginskaite	1½
						16	Ruan Lufei	3
						48	Zhang Xiaowen	1
	49	Lilit Mkrtchian	1
	16	Zhang Xiaowen	3
																16	Ruan Lufei	2½
																9	Dronavalli Harika	1½
	9	Pia Cramling	½
	56	Betul Cemre Yildiz	1½
						57	Betul Cemre Yildiz	0
						25	Mariya Muzychuk	2
	41	Mariya Muzychuk	2
	24	Deysi Cori	0
											25	Mariya Muzychuk	3
											9	Dronavalli Harika	4
	25	Dronavalli Harika	1½
	40	Nadig Kruttika	½
						9	Dronavalli Harika	2
						41	Tatiana Shadrina	0
	57	Elina Danielian	0
	8	Tatiana Shadrina	2
																					16	Ruan Lufei	2½
																					20	Zhao Xue	1½
	5	Tatiana Kosintseva	2
	60	Mona Khaled	0
						4	Tatiana Kosintseva	½
						29	Yelena Dembo	1½
	37	Yelena Dembo	2½
	28	Batkhuyag Munguntuul	1½
											29	Yelena Dembo	½
											20	Zhao Xue	1½
	21	Maia Chiburdanidze	2
	44	Meenakshi Subbaraman	0
						13	Maia Chiburdanidze	½
						20	Zhao Xue	1½
	53	Zhao Xue	1½
	12	Martha Fierro Baquero	½
																20	Zhao Xue	1½
																28	Almira Skripchenko	½
	13	Nana Dzagnidze	2
	52	Dina Kagramanov	0
						5	Nana Dzagnidze	1
						28	Almira Skripchenko	3
	45	Almira Skripchenko	3½
	20	Cristina Adela Foisor	2½
											28	Almira Skripchenko	4
											12	Viktorija Cmilyte	2
	29	Viktorija Cmilyte	2
	36	Julia Demina	0
						12	Viktorija Cmilyte	2½
						21	Elisabeth Paehtz	1½
	61	Elisabeth Paehtz	3
	4	Jolanta Zawadzka	1
																										16	Ruan Lufei	3
																										3	Hou Yifan	5
	3	Hou Yifan	2
	62	Carla Heredia Serrano	0
						3	Hou Yifan	1½
						35	Marina Romanko	½
	35	Natalia Zhukova	½
	30	Marina Romanko	1½
											3	Hou Yifan	2½
											19	Zhu Chen	1½
	19	Zhu Chen	2
	46	Nafisa Muminova	0
						19	Zhu Chen	3
						14	Monika Socko	1
	51	Monika Socko	1½
	14	Soumya Swaminathan	½
																3	Hou Yifan	1½
																11	Kateryna Lahno	½
	11	Antoaneta Stefanova	2
	54	Ingrid Aliaga Fernandez	0
						6	Antoaneta Stefanova	1
						38	Huang Qian	3
	43	Anna Ushenina	1½
	22	Huang Qian	2½
											38	Huang Qian	½
											11	Kateryna Lahno	1½
	27	Hoang Thanh Trang	2½
	38	Ding Yixin	1½
						22	Hoang Thanh Trang	1
						11	Kateryna Lahno	3
	59	Kubra Ozturk	½
	6	Kateryna Lahno	1½
																					3	Hou Yifan	1½
																					2	Humpy Koneru	½
	7	Anna Muzychuk	2
	58	Marisa Zuriel	0
						7	Anna Muzychuk	1½
						39	Evgenija Ovod	½
	39	Shen Yang	½
	26	Evgenija Ovod	1½
											7	Anna Muzychuk	½
											10	Ju Wenjun	1½
	23	Baira Kovanova	2
	42	Natalija Pogonina	0
						42	Baira Kovanova	½
						10	Ju Wenjun	1½
	55	Arianne Caoili
	10	Ju Wenjun	w/o
																10	Ju Wenjun	½
																2	Humpy Koneru	1½
	15	Marie Sebag	2
	50	Irina Vasilevich	0
						15	Marie Sebag	0
						18	Anna Zatonskih	2
	47	Maia Lomineishvili	0
	18	Anna Zatonskih	2
											18	Anna Zatonskih	½
											2	Humpy Koneru	1½
	31	Iweta Rajlich
	34	Jovanka Houska	w/o
						34	Jovanka Houska	½
						2	Humpy Koneru	1½
	63	Melissa Greeff	0
	2	Humpy Koneru	2

External links

• Official website
• ChessBase: 2010 Women's World Chess Championship - Preview
• FIDE: initial list of qualifiers
• FIDE calendar 2009 with continental and zonal championships standings