Kazan Chess Grand Prix for Women starts on June 9

Apart from the 7th Mikhail Tal Chess Memorial that begins today, we have another big chess event beginning in Kazan, Russia from June 9. It is the Women’s Chess Grand Prix – fourth in the series of the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2011-2012. Twelve top women chess players of the world are taking part in the round robin event including the current Women’s World Chess Champion Hou Yifan of China.

Yifan has already won the first and second legs of the event in Rostov and Rostov and Shenzhen. Yifan did not play in the third leg in Nalchik which was won by by Zhao Xue. Two other former Women’s World Chess Champions Antoaneta Stefanova and Alexandra Kosteniuk – are also taking part in the the chess event. Slovakia’s Anna Muzychuk is the second seed. India’s Koneru Humpy – the challenger to the women’s world chess title – would be participating as well.

Women’s World Chess Champion Hou Yifan of China top seed in Kazan Women’s Chess Grand Prix – 4th stage

Participants

1 Hou Yifan GM CHN 26232 Anna Muzychuk GM SLO 25983 Humpy Koneru GM IND 25894 Kateryna Lahno GM UKR 25465 Tatiana Kosintseva GM RUS 25326 Nadezhda Kosintseva GM RUS 25287 Antoaneta Stefanova GM BUL 2518

8 Viktorija Cmilyte GM LTU 25085 Elina Danielian GM ARM 24846 Alisa Galliamova WGM RUS 2484 (nominee of Kazan)8 Alexandra Kosteniuk GM RUS 245712 Betul Cemre Yildiz WGM TUR 2333

The FIDE Women’s Chess Grand Prix is a series of high-profile chess tournaments that are being organised by FIDE and Global Chess. The series includes six stages organised over two years across the world with three stages every year.

The winner of each stage in the chess grand prix wins 6,500 euros out of the total prize fund of 40,000 euros and winner of the series wins another 15,000 euros.