FIDE President Congratulates Alexandra Kosteniuk, Valentina Gunina at Special Function in Moscow

A special ceremonial felicitation ceremony was held in Moscow on May 8 to congratulate Women's World Blitz Chess Champion Valentina Gunina and Women's World Rapid Chess Vice-Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk. Chess Queen Kosteniuk missed the gold in the Rapid by half a point and a medal, also by half a point, in the Blitz. FIDE president, officials of the Moscow Sports Committee and Moscow Chess Federation felicitated both the talented chess players. The Women's World Rapid and Blitz Championships held in Batumi (Georgia) on June 1-5. Valentina Gunina has recently grown as a strong chess player with creative chess ideas. 

The 12th Women's World Chess Champion, Alexandra Kosteniuk, has always been known for her non-compromising, very attacking, and entertaining chess games since she was a kid. Kosteniuk's Chess Blog is also the #1 chess blog in the United States and her Chess Queen blog is her personal 'diary' that gives fans an insight into the life of a world chess champion.

Fide president Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, Moscow Chess Federation president Vladimir Palikhata and first deputy chairman of Moscow Sports Committee Nikolay Gulyaev congratulated the chess players.

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World Chess Rapid Winners Stefanova, Kosteniuk, Koneru Press Conference Video

Former women's world chess champion Antoaneta Stefanova has just won the Women's World Rapid Chess Championship in Batumi, Georgia. Another former women's world chess champion Alexandra Kosteniuk won the silver medal. India's best woman chess player ever Koneru Humpy won the bronze. Here is the press conference video of the three super women chess players.





The women's world chess championship in blitz has also begun at Batumi. You can watch the second day's play live at the official website from India time 4.30 pm.

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Humpy Wins Bronze at Batumi Women's World Rapid Chess Championship 2012; Harika Creditable Sixth

Congrats to Humpy
for winning bronze

Bulgaria's former women's world chess champion has won the Batumi Women's World Rapid Championship with another former women's world chess champion, Alexandra Kosteniuk, winning the silver. India's Koneru Humpy, the challenger to the women's world chess champion title, finished a creditable third. India's other player, Harika Dronavalli, finished with a great show at sixth place.

The Women’s World Rapid and Blitz Championship 2012 was held from May 30 to June 6 at the Sheraton Hotel, Batumi, Georgia. It was an 11 rounds Swiss tournament with time control 25 mins + 10 sec per move. Every woman chess player with an elo of 2500+ in one of the official FIDE rating lists as well as all former World Chess Champions and Olympic Chess Champions had the right to participate in the Championship.

Final Standings

1		GM	Stefanova Antoaneta	BUL	2518	8.5	61.5
2		GM	Kosteniuk Alexandra	RUS	2457	8.0	61.5
3		GM	Koneru Humpy	IND	2589	8.0	60.5
4		GM	Lahno Kateryna	UKR	2546	8.0	57.5
5		GM	Muzychuk Anna	SLO	2598	7.5	59.5
6		GM	Harika Dronavalli	IND	2508	7.5	53.0
7		GM	Dzagnidze Nana	GEO	2547	7.0	53.0
8		GM	Cramling Pia	SWE	2478	6.5	57.5
9		GM	Zhao Xue	CHN	2549	6.5	56.0
10		WGM	Guo Qi	CHN	2360	6.5	56.0
11		IM	Paehtz Elisabeth	GER	2491	6.5	54.5
12		WGM	Tan Zhongyi	CHN	2430	6.5	54.0
13		IM	Javakhishvili Lela	GEO	2449	6.5	52.0
14		GM	Zhukova Natalia	UKR	2442	6.5	52.0
15		GM	Zhu Chen	QAT	2491	6.5	52.0
16		GM	Kosintseva Tatiana	RUS	2532	6.5	48.0
17		WGM	Huang Qian	CHN	2417	6.0	62.5
18		IM	Khurtsidze Nino	GEO	2456	6.0	58.5
19			Wang Jue	CHN	2364	6.0	55.5
20		IM	Gunina Valentina	RUS	2530	6.0	54.5
21		IM	Mkrtchian Lilit	ARM	2449	6.0	51.0
22		IM	Ushenina Anna	UKR	2454	5.5	52.0
23		GM	Arakhamia-Grant Ketevan	SCO	2426	5.5	51.0
24		WGM	Batsiashvili Nino	GEO	2436	5.5	50.0
25		IM	Melia Salome	GEO	2410	5.5	46.0
26		WGM	Pogonina Natalija	RUS	2447	5.5	46.0
27		GM	Danielian Elina	ARM	2484	5.5	45.0
28		IM	Khukhashvili Sopiko	GEO	2414	5.5	43.0
29		IM	Gvetadze Sofio	GEO	2338	5.0	53.0
30		IM	Muzychuk Mariya	UKR	2456	5.0	51.0
31		GM	Chiburdanidze Maia	GEO	2500	5.0	49.5
32		WGM	Cori T Deysi	PER	2386	5.0	47.5
33		WGM	Ding Yixin	CHN	2353	5.0	45.0
34		IM	Purtseladze Maka	GEO	2348	5.0	44.0
35		IM	Krush Irina	USA	2457	5.0	43.0
36		IM	Lomineishvili Maia	GEO	2366	5.0	41.5
37		IM	Kovalevskaya Ekaterina	RUS	2417	4.5	48.5
38		GM	Socko Monika	POL	2484	4.5	48.0
39		WGM	Mammadova Gulnar	AZE	2345	4.5	47.5
40		IM	Matnadze Ana	ESP	2446	4.5	44.0
41		WIM	Mikadze Miranda	GEO	2323	4.5	41.5
42		WIM	Arabidze Meri	GEO	2351	4.5	41.0
43		WGM	Charkhalashvili Inga	GEO	2334	4.5	41.0
44		WIM	Janjghava Natia	GEO	2306	4.0	42.0
45		IM	Klinova Masha	ISR	2318	3.5	46.0
46		IM	Khotenashvili Bela	GEO	2500	3.5	44.5
47		IM	Gurieli Nino	GEO	2329	3.5	40.5
48		WIM	Umudova Nargiz	AZE	2231	3.0	39.5
49		WIM	Bezgodova Svetlana	RUS	2120	2.5	44.5
50		GM	Gaprindashvili Nona	GEO	2356	2.0	39.0

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Batumi Rapid Women's World Chess Championship: Humpy Just Half Point Behind Huang, Cramling

The first three rounds of the World Women's Chess Rapid Championship 2012 being held in Batumi were completed on Thursday. The strong competition includes top seed Anna Muzychuk, European women's chess champion Valentina Gunina, women's world chess championship finalist Koneru Humpy, European women's chess silver medalist Tatiana Kosintseva, former women's world chess champions Antoaneta Stefanova and Alexandra Kosteniuk, US women's chess champion Irina Krush, and Armenia's leading player Elina Danielian. 

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