The 2006 Women's World Chess Championship

I was curious about what’s going on, if anything, with respect to the Women’s World Chess Championship. The "other" event that no one calls the "men’s" championship has been so much in the chess news lately, what with FIDE doing yet another change of the rules or whatever so that Topalov will be able to play – well someone – it’s all very confusing to me, even after I read through the posts at the Daily Dirt on the subject. So the guys who are playing in Mexico City in a few months now are basically just playing for a check and not the right to play – well – whoever? Something like that. The Mexico City sponsors should pull their money out and tell FIDE to go shove it while also taking them to Court for breach of contract. But that won’t ever happen, folks, too much money’s already changed hands for that! FIDE has a Women’s World Chess Championship listed on its 2008 calendar but no dates or venue have been penciled in yet – perhaps sponsorship is a problem, or perhaps 2008 will be the year FIDE pulls the plug on the separate Women’s Championship once and for all. I seem to have contracted amnesia when it comes to who the current Women’s World Chess Champion is! The last one I remember is Stefanova, but the actual Champion is Xu Yuhua of China, who won the event in Ekaterinburg in 2006 – yes you’re going WHO? Thing is, through April, 2007 she hasn’t played a single FIDE rated game since she won the Championship! I didn’t remember who she was/is either! Not a good sign. I dug up some old gossip at Mig’s Daily Dirt to the effect of press reports that she was pregnant during the 2006 event and she was 30 at the time. Subsequent reports confirmed the birth of a son on August 23, 2006. Certainly 31-32 isn’t old for a chessplayer (Judit Polgar is the same age), but perhaps the demands of motherhood and the fact that she’s won the Championship once may mean that personal inclination and the possibility that the Chinese government wants the women’s crown to pass to a younger player (such as 13 year old Hou Yifan) may be coinciding. My guess is that Xu won’t be defending her title, although how one can defend in a knock-out event is beyond me!!! Unless she starts playing soon and training real hard (or is already doing so behind the scenes), it doesn't seem likely she'd be in chessly shape to compete. I wonder if she made any money through endorsements at home in China? Xu WON the 2007 China Laureus Award for best "non-Olympic" sportsperson title on May 12, 2007 at the Chinese Laureus Sports Awards held in Changsha, Hunan Province. The article incorrectly states that she has won several world chess championships; she has only won one title, that in 2006. However, she won the Women's World Cup in 2000 and 2002, so perhaps that is what was meant. Mark Weeks has a website entirely devoted to the world chess championships (regular and women’s). Here is a list of women’s champions: 2006 Ekaterinburg (Xu Yuhua 1st) 2004 Elista (Stefanova 1st) 2001 Moscow (Zhu Chen 1st) 2000 New Delhi (Xie Jun 1st) 1995-99 Kishinev Groningen Xie Jun - Z.Polgar (forfeit) 1993-96 Jakarta Tilburg Z.Polgar - Xie Jun 1991-93 Subotica Shanghai Xie Jun - Ioseliani 1990-91 Azov Borzomi Xie Jun - Chiburdanidze 1987-88 Smederevska Palanka Chaltubo Chiburdanidze - Ioseliani 1985-86 Havana Malmo Chiburdanidze - Akhmilovskaya 1982-84 Bad Kissingen Matches Chiburdanidze - Levitina 1979-81 Alicante Matches Chiburdanidze - Alexandria 1976-78 Roosendaal Matches Chiburdanidze - Gaprindashvili 1973-75 Menorca Matches Gaprindashvili - Alexandria 1971-72 Ohrid Matches Gaprindashvili - Kushnir 1967-69 Subotica Gaprindashvili - Kushnir 1964-65 Sukhumi Gaprindashvili - Kushnir 1961-62 Vrnjacka Banja Gaprindashvili - Bikova 1959-60 Plovdiv Bikova - Zvorikina 1958 Bikova - Rubtsova 1955-56 Moscow Moscow (3 players; Rubtsova 1st) 1952-53 Moscow Bikova - Rudenko 1949/50 Moscow (Rudenko 1st) 1939 Buenos Aires Menchik 1st 1937 Stockholm Menchik 1st 1937 Semmering Menchik - Graf 1935 Warsaw Menchik 1st 1934 Rotterdam Menchik - Graf 1933 Folkestone Menchik 1st 1931 Prague Menchik 1st 1930 Hamburg Menchik 1st 1927 London Menchik 1st