26 March 2019
Line-up for Women's Candidates Tournament Announced
The event to take place in Kazan from May 29 till June 19.
Photo: BBC
FIDE announced the line-up for the Women's Candidates Tournament, which will be held in Kazan, Russia, on from May 29 till June 19, 2019.
The following players have confirmed their participation:
Kateryna Lagno (Russia, World Ch. 2018 finalist), Mariya Muzychuk (Ukraine, World Ch. 2018 semi-finalist), Alexandra Kosteniuk (Russia, World Ch. 2018 semi-finalist), Anna Muzychuk (Ukraine, by rating), Valentina Gunina (Russia, by rating), Nana Dzagnidze (Georgia, by rating), Tan Zhongyi (China, by rating), Aleksandra Goryachkina (1st replacement, by rating).
Hou Yifan was the only player to turn down the invitation to take part in this event due to her study at the University of Oxford, so the former Women's World Champion was replaced by the Russian Aleksandra Goryachkina.
Eight players will compete in a double round-robin competition that spans along three weeks, with a substantial increase in prizes: the Candidates will now have a prize fund of 200.000 €, while the finalists will play for half a million euros. That means a 150% increase compared to the previous world championship final and makes the event in Kazan the best paid all-female round- robin in history.
The organizers are the Ministry of Sports of the Republic of Tatarstan and the Russian Chess Federation.
Press release is attached.
