Women's World Chess Championship 2012

The Women's World Chess Championship 2012 was a knockout tournament, to decide the women's world champion.[1] The title was won by Anna Ushenina of Ukraine for the first time.[2] Defending champion Hou Yifan went out in the second round.

Women's World Chess Championship 2012
Anna Ushenina, winner of the 2012 championship.
VenueYugra Chess Academy
LocationKhanty Mansiysk, Russia
Dates10 November – 1 December 2012
Competitors64
Champion
Anna Ushenina

The tournament was played as a 64-player knockout type in Khanty Mansiysk, Russia, from 10 November to 1 December 2012. Each pairing consisted of two games, and tie-breaks at faster time controls, if necessary.

After only two wins by lower rated players in the first round, the second round saw the top three seeds all going out to players rated 150 Elo points below them, of those third seed Anna Muzychuk lost to the eventual world champion.[3] The fourth seed went out in the quarter-final. The final consisted of four games at classical time control, followed by tie-break games; in it Anna Ushenina beat former women's world champion Antoaneta Stefanova in the first set of tie-breaks. The unexpected final of two lower seeded players raised questions, if a single match knock-out system is the best way to determine the world champion.[4]

Ushenina lost her title in the Women's World Chess Championship 2013, after game seven of a ten-game match against Hou Yifan, winner of the FIDE Women's Grand Prix 2011–2012.

Participants

Players qualified to the tournament through the previous world championship, the FIDE rating list, continental championships and two FIDE president nominees. Players were seeded by their Elo ratings (November 2012 list),[5] except that defending champion Hou Yifan was the no. 1 seed.[6]

  1.  Hou Yifan (China), 2606, GM (WC)
  2.  Humpy Koneru (India), 2610, GM (WC)
  3.  Anna Muzychuk (Slovenia), 2586, GM (J10)
  4.  Zhao Xue (China), 2565, GM (WC)
  5.  Kateryna Lahno (Ukraine), 2553, GM (E11)
  6.  Nadezhda Kosintseva (Russia), 2539, GM (E10)
  7.  Viktorija Cmilyte (Lithuania), 2524, GM (E10)
  8.  Marie Sebag (France), 2521, GM (E10)
  9.  Valentina Gunina (Russia), 2517, IM (R)
  10.  Pia Cramling (Sweden), 2516, GM (E10)
  11.  Tatiana Kosintseva (Russia), 2515, GM (E10)
  12.  Dronavalli Harika (India), 2512, GM (AS11)
  13.  Bela Khotenashvili (Georgia), 2504, IM (E11)
  14.  Alexandra Kosteniuk (Russia), 2501, GM (R)
  15.  Ju Wenjun (China), 2501, WGM (Z3.5)
  16.  Antoaneta Stefanova (Bulgaria), 2491, GM (E10)
  17.  Zhu Chen (Qatar), 2491, GM (R)
  18.  Anna Zatonskih (United States), 2489, IM (Z2.1)
  19.  Natalia Pogonina (Russia), 2478, WGM (E11)
  20.  Mariya Muzychuk (Ukraine), 2476, IM (E10)
  21.  Elina Danielian (Armenia), 2476, GM (E11)
  22.  Hoang Thanh Trang (HUN), 2470, GM (E11)
  23.  Irina Krush (United States), 2470, IM (Z2.1)
  24.  Alisa Galliamova (Russia), 2468, IM (R)
  25.  Olga Girya (Russia), 2467, WGM (PN)
  26.  Huang Qian (China), 2465, WGM (Z3.5)
  27.  Lilit Mkrtchian (Armenia), 2457, IM (E11)
  28.  Lela Javakhishvili (Georgia), 2455, IM (E11)
  29.  Yelena Dembo (Greece), 2454, IM (E10)
  30.  Anna Ushenina (Ukraine), 2452, IM (R)
  31.  Natalia Zhukova (Ukraine), 2451, GM (E10)
  32.  Monika Socko (Poland), 2445, GM (E10)
  33.  Almira Skripchenko (France), 2441, IM (R)
  34.  Guo Qi (China), 2432, WGM (PN)
  35.  Deysi Cori (Peru), 2429, WGM (J11)
  36.  Nino Khurtsidze (Georgia), 2428, IM (E10)
  37.  Anastasia Bodnaruk (Russia), 2415, IM (E11)
  38.  Ketevan Arakhamia-Grant (Scotland), 2414, GM (E11)
  39.  Shen Yang (China), 2413, WGM (Z3.5)
  40.  Iweta Rajlich (Poland), 2410, IM (E10)
  41.  Ekaterina Kovalevskaya (Russia), 2409, IM (E10)
  42.  Li Ruofan (SIN), 2394, IM (Z3.3)
  43.  Evgenija Ovod (Russia), 2384, IM (E11)
  44.  Sopiko Khukhashvili (Georgia), 2383, IM (E11)
  45.  Cristina Adela Foisor (Romania), 2383, IM (E11)
  46.  Svetlana Matveeva (Russia), 2377, IM (E11)
  47.  Carolina Lujan (Argentina), 2369, IM (Z2.5)
  48.  Nastassia Ziaziulkina (Belarus), 2367, WGM (E10)
  49.  Marina Romanko (Russia), 2355, IM (E11)
  50.  Atousa Pourkashiyan (Iran), 2321, WGM (AS10)
  51.  Tatev Abrahamyan (United States), 2304, WGM (Z2.1)
  52.  Maritza Arribas Robaina (Cuba), 2273, WGM (AM)
  53.  Soumya Swaminathan (India), 2251, WGM (Z3.7)
  54.  Madina Davletbayeva (Kazakhstan), 2220, WIM (Z3.4)
  55.  Shayesteh Ghader Pour (Iran), 2219, WIM (Z3.1)
  56.  Gu Xiaobing (China), 2209, WGM (Z3.5)
  57.  Irina Berezina (Australia), 2190, IM (Z3.6)
  58.  Ingrid Aliaga Fernandez (Peru), 2175, WFM (Z2.4)
  59.  Melissa Castrillon Gomez (Colombia), 2159, WIM (Z2.3)
  60.  Mona Khaled (Egypt), 2155, WGM (AF)
  61.  Natalia Khoudgarian (Canada), 2138, WIM (Z2.2)
  62.  Amina Mezioud (Algeria), 2055, WIM (AF)
  63.  Denise Frick (South Africa), 1871, WIM (AF)
  64.  S D Ranasinghe (Sri Lanka), 1821, WIM (Z3.2)

Qualification paths

Notable non-participants

The number one woman in the world, Judit Polgár, has never competed for the women's title and did not enter this time either. Other notable absentees were: women's number six Nana Dzagnidze, 2010 finalist Ruan Lufei, and ex-champion Maia Chiburdanidze (inactive).

Format

Each pairing consisted of two games played over two days, one with white and one with black. The time controls in the classical games were 90 minutes for the first 40 moves with a 30-minute addition on move 41. In case of a tie, tiebreaks were played the next day. The format for the tie breaks was as follows:[1]

  • Two rapid games (25 minutes plus 10 second increment) were played.
  • If the score was still tied, two rapid games (10 minutes plus 10 second increment) were played.
  • If the match is tied after these two games, the opponents played two blitz games (5 minutes plus 3-second increment).
  • If the score was still tied after pair of blitz games, a single Armageddon game (white must win, black only needs to draw) would be played. White had 5 minutes, black had 4 minutes, and both players had three-second increments beginning with move 61.

Prize pool

The championship had a prize-pool of 450,000 US-Dollar. Prizes were $3,750 for first round losers, $5,500 for the second round, 8,000 for the third. Losing quarter-finalists picked up $12,000, the semi-finalists $20,000. Stefanova then got $30,000 for finishing runner-up to Ushenina, who got $60,000 prize money. It was the same distribution as in the 2010 knock-out championship.

Coverage
Antoaneta Stefanova, losing finalist

The tournament was streamed on the tournament website each day in full length. Live coverage was interrupted only for advertising breaks. The videostream was also playable on demand until the next day started. Coverage was provided in low and high definition with Grand Master commentary in three languages: English, Russian and for the first time Chinese. In the final days the broadcast was watched by several hundred thousand live viewers.[7]

Results

Final match

The final match was decided after four matches at classical time controls and two rapid tie-breaks. Anna Ushenina won the title, beating 2004 Women's World Chess champion Stefanova. Stefanova also was the reigning Women's World Rapid champion.[8]

Women's World Chess Championship Final 2012
Rating1234R1R2Total
 Antoaneta Stefanova (Bulgaria)2491 ½½01½02½
 Anna Ushenina (Ukraine)2452 ½½10½13½

Bracket

First round pairings were published on 1 November 2012.[9]

1st Round 2nd Round 3rd Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
                  
1 Hou Yifan 2
64 S Ranasinghe 0
1 Hou Yifan 1
32 M Socko 3
33 M Socko 1½
32 A Skripchenko ½
32 M Socko 0
16 A Stefanova 2
17 A Stefanova 2
48 M Romanko 0
16 A Stefanova 1½
17 Zhu Chen ½
49 Zhu Chen 2
16 N Ziaziulkina 0
16 A Stefanova 3
8 M Sebag 1
9 M Sebag 1½
56 I Berezina ½
8 M Sebag 1½
25 O Girya ½
41 O Girya 1½
24 I Rajlich ½
8 M Sebag 2
24 A Galliamova 0
25 V Gunina 2
40 Gu XB 0
9 V Gunina ½
24 A Galliamova 1½
57 A Galliamova 3
8 E Kovalevskaya 1
16 A Stefanova 1½
12 D Harika ½
5 Zhao Xue 2
60 N Khoudgarian 0
4 Zhao Xue 2½
36 N Khurtsidze 1½
37 Y Dembo ½
28 N Khurtsidze 1½
4 Zhao Xue 1½
20 M Muzychuk ½
21 B Khotenashvili 1½
44 M Arribas R 2½
52 M Arribas R ½
20 M Muzychuk 1½
53 M Muzychuk[10] 4½
12 C A Foisor 4½
4 Zhao Xue 1½
12 D Harika 2½
13 K Lahno 2
52 M Khaled 0
5 K Lahno ½
28 L Javakhishvili 1½
45 L Javakhishvili 3½
20 A Bodnaruk 2½
28 L Javakhishvili ½
12 D Harika 1½
29 D Harika 1½
36 S Soumya ½
12 D Harika 1½
21 E Danielian ½
61 E Danielian 4
4 S Khukhashvili 2
16 A Stefanova 2½
30 A Ushenina 3½
3 A Muzychuk 2
62 A Mezioud 0
3 A Muzychuk 1
30 A Ushenina 3
35 A Ushenina 1½
30 D Cori ½
30 A Ushenina 1½
19 N Pogonina ½
19 N Pogonina 3
46 S Matveeva 1
19 N Pogonina 1½
14 A Kosteniuk ½
51 A Kosteniuk 1½
14 T Abrahamyan ½
30 A Ushenina 1½
6 N Kosintseva ½
11 N Kosintseva 2
54 M Castrillon G 0
6 N Kosintseva 3½
27 L Mkrtchian 2½
43 L Mkrtchian 2
22 K Arakhamia-G 0
6 N Kosintseva 3½
11 T Kosintseva 2½
27 Hoang T T 1½
38 E Ovod ½
22 Hoang T T ½
11 T Kosintseva 1½
59 M Davletbayeva ½
6 T Kosintseva 1½
30 A Ushenina 2½
15 Ju Wenjun 1½
7 V Cmilyte 1½
58 I Aliaga F ½
7 V Cmilyte ½
26 Huang Q 1½
39 Huang Q 1½
26 Shen Yang ½
26 Huang Q 2½
23 I Krush 1½
23 Li Ruofan 3½
42 I Krush 4½
23 I Krush 3
10 P Cramling 1
55 S Ghader Pour 0
10 P Cramling 2
26 Huang Q 2½
15 Ju Wenjun 3½
15 Ju Wenjun 4
50 A Pourkashiyan 2
15 Ju Wenjun 4
18 A Zatonskih 2
47 C Lujan ½
18 A Zatonskih 1½
15 Ju Wenjun 2½
31 N Zhukova 1½
31 N Zhukova 1½
34 Guo Qi ½
31 N Zhukova 2
2 H Koneru 0
63 D Frick 0
2 H Koneru 2

References
  1. "Women's World Chess Championship regulations" (PDF). FIDE. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
  2. "Kharkiv native becomes Ukraine's first women's world chess champion". kyivpost.com. 1 December 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  3. "Favourites fall at the Women's World Championship round two". Chessbase.com. 16 November 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
  4. Dylan Loeb McClain (1 December 2012). "Underdog Takes Women's World Title". New York Times. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
  5. Top 100 Women November 2012
  6. Participants of FIDE World women's chess championship 2012
  7. "Mark Glukhovsky: Women players are very beautiful". chess2012.ugrasport.com. 30 November 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
  8. "Stefanova Wins Women's World Rapid Championship". chess.com. 6 March 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
  9. Pairings, Participants and Schedule of the WWCC 2012
  10. Played black in armageddon game
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