Russian Players Win FIDE World Women’s Team Championship
Our congratulations!
The FIDE World Women’s Team Championship finished in Sitges, Spain. The Russian players defeated India in the final match (2.5-1.5, 3-1) to become the world champions.
Team CFR was represented by Aleksandra Goryachkina, Alexandra Kosteniuk, Kateryna Lagno, Polina Shuvalova, and Alina Kashlinskaya. The team captain is Sergei Rublevsky, coaches - Evgeniy Najer and Konstantin Sakaev.
Andrey Filatov, President of the Chess Federation of Russia, Head coach of the Russian national men's chess team:
- My congratulations to our outstanding chess players and coaches on this confident victory at the World Women’s Team Championship and to all the Russian chess fans and amateurs on this magnificent achievement! The Russian athletes, who have recently won the second FIDE Online Olympiad as members of the national team, once again confirmed their highest class and a professional level of the country’s chess school, having won gold medals so convincingly. Bravo!
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This year, the event was held in a new format; all matches were played in rapid. The twelve teams were divided into two pools of approximately equal strength. Four top teams from each pool (round-robin event of five rounds) qualified to the knockout playoff. In the knockout, each duel consisted of two matches and the tie was broken by blitz matches.
On their way toward victory, the Russians won all the matches. Team CFR competed with France, Azerbaijan, India, Armenia, and Spain in the qualifying group. Having won the pool in advance, the Russian players crushed FIDE Americas in the quarterfinals. Team Ukraine was defeated in the semi-final.
All members of Team CFR gained individual medals. Alexandra Kosteniuk, Kateryna Lagno, and Alina Kashlinskaya won gold medals on boards 2, 3, and 5 respectively, while Aleksandra Goryachkina and Polina Shuvalova took silver on boards 1 and 4.
General partner of the Chess Federation of Russia is PhosAgro.
