Women's World Blitz – Gunina on fire

Women’s World Rapid Championship Pictorial

By WGM Anastasiya Karlovich (pictures: Anastasiya Karlovich, Roman Danilenkov)

Women’s World Rapid Championship 2012 was held in Batumi, Georgia from 31 of May till 3rd of June 2012. The event was organized and conducted by the ACP and the Georgian Chess Federation and approved by FIDE. The total prize fund for the rapid championship is US $59,000. The organizers also provided the special conditions for the players with the Elo of 2500+ and nominees from all national federations. As a result 50 players from 18 chess federations took part in the tournament including five former world champions Nona Gaprindashvili, Maia Chiburdanidze, Zhu Chen, Antoaneta Stefanova, Alexandra Kosteniuk, current European champion Valentina Gunina and such strong GMs as Anna Muzychuk, Humpy Koneru, Zhao Xue, Nana Dzagnidze, Tatiana Kosintseva and others. The Blitz world championship is a 15-round Swiss played at a rate of 4 min + 2 second.

GM Robert Fontaine and his video producer Gérard Demuydt have castled from the World Championship in Moscow to the Women's Rapid and Blitz in Batumi. They are producing video reports and interviews after each round for the French chess magazine Europe Echecs. We are grateful to receive these reports and that they include interviews with players and personalities.

Impressions from the first day of the blitz, provided by Europe Echecs

Standings after eight rounds (of fifteen)

• Full cross table here

Picture gallery from the Rapid (part two)

By WGM Anastasiya Karlovich (pictures: Anastasiya Karlovich, Roman Danilenkov)

After eleven rounds of tough and uncompromised fight Bulgarian GM and former women's world champion Antoaneta Stefanova became the Women’s World Rapid Champion-2012. On the last day of the tournament she made two draws against Anna Muzychuk and Harika Dronavalli and finished the tournament half a point ahead of the closest pursuers. Russian GM Alexandra Kosteniuk is second and Indian player Humpy Koneru placed third. See full table below.

ACP President Emil Sutovskiy and Gennady Nesis follow the final round game
between GMs Harika Dronavalli and Antoaneta Stefanova

Deputy arbiter and General Secretary of ECU Sava Stoisavljevic, assistant arbiter Stephane Escafre

WIM Anastasiya Sorokina came from Australia for the event. Being an arbiter and also a player of the national team of Australia in the past, she had stopped her arbiter and chess carrier few years ago, but decided to come back in the chess world. She started with the women world championship in Batumi and hopes to be an arbiter in other women events.

David Sturua, Emil Sutovsky (standing), Evgeniy Surov and Mark Dvoretsky,
discussing the games in the press center

Blitz match between David Sturua and Merab Gagunashvili brought a lot of attention

French reporter GM Robert Fontaine prepares his great video reports for Europe Echecs

WIM Sophie Nikoladze, press attaché of Georgian Chess Federation

Players, journalist and organizers during a night-time excursion around night Batumi.
The organizers and government of Adjara prepared many interesting excursions for participants.

Batumi's famous musical fountains...

IM Lilit Mkrtchian, 2449, GMs Kateryna Lahno, 2546, and Elina Danielian, 2484, in front of...

... the Batumi Piazza, which you can explore very nicely in panorama here (very cool!)

GM Zhao Xue, 2549, Georgian IM Nino Gurieli, 2329, and WGM Huang Qian, 2417

One hour before the start of the tenth round a number of participants attended...

... a spectaculare dolphin show in the Batumi Dolphinarium

Apparently the animals are quite happy and perform their tricks with enthusiasm

Our photographer Anastasya Karlovich (and Anastasia Sorokina) at the dolphin show

Video reports from the Rapids by Europe Echecs

Press Conference with Stefanova, Kosteniuk, Humpy

Interview with Anastasia Sorokina

Remaining schedule

Links Official tournament site + ACP web site All games in zipped PGN The games are being broadcast live on the official web site and on the chess server Playchess.com. If you are not a member you can download a free Playchess client there and get immediate access. You can also use ChessBase 11 or any of our Fritz compatible chess programs.

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