Chess Femme News

Chess Notes (The Boston Globe at Boston.com)

By Harold Dondis and Patrick Wolff
August 21, 2010
Patrick Wolff's column analyzes Iryna Zenyuk's 8th round game against Irina Krush at the U.S. Women's Chess Championship. 

Leonard Barden on Chess (guardian.co.uk)
Saturday 21 August 2010
Chess still struggling to capture imagination of the masses in China
Barden talks about the ascent of Chinese chess players to the elite level in the past 30 years, including GM Hou Yifan who convincingly won the latest Women's Grand Prix in Ulaanbaatan, and briefly analyzes a game from the China v. Russia teach match (in which China spanked Russia, particularly the Russian male players fell flat) between chess femmes Bodnaruk and Tan. 

In conjunction with the national French championships, there were many other tournaments hosted by the French Chess Federation, including this one exclusively for "up and coming" female chessplayers:

Championnat de France - Accession Féminine

Belfort
August 10 - 20, 2010

Moyenne : 1985 Pays Elo 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Pts NV

1 mf SASU-DUCSOARA Andreea-Teodora 2227 1 ½ 1 1 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 1 10 9
2 ff CHOISY Mathilde 2168 0 ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 9,5 9
3 ff BENMESBAH Natacha 2165 ½ ½ 0 1 0 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 7,5 6
4 ff HAUSSERNOT Cecile 1992 0 0 1 0 ½ 1 1 0 1 1 1 6,5 6
5 RIGOLOT Lucie 1902 0 0 0 1 ½ ½ 0 1 1 1 1 6 5
6 NEUHAUSER Salome 2054 0 0 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 0 ½ 1 6 4
7 ARMAS Lara-Maria 1988 ½ 0 0 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1 6 4
8 VINCKIER Delphine 1830 0 0 ½ 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 3,5 3
9 BISMUTH Lea 1935 0 0 0 1 0 0 ½ 1 0 0 1 3,5 3
10 GERTOSIO-SERENA Sophie 1810 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 ½ ½ 3 2
11 GRIGGIO Julie 1795 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 1 ½ ½ 2,5 1
12 BONVALOT Isabelle 1952 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 ½ ½ 2 1

As for the French Women's Chess Championship, final standings:

85th ch-FRA w Belfort (FRA), 10-20 viii 2010 cat. IV (2333)

1 2 3 4 5 6

1. Skripchenko, Almira m FRA 2458 * * ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 7½ 2500
2. Milliet, Sophie m FRA 2367 ½ ½ * * 0 ½ ½ 1 1 0 1 1 6 2397
3. Leconte, Maria wg FRA 2337 0 ½ 1 ½ * * ½ ½ 0 1 1 ½ 5½ 2367
4. Collas, Silvia m FRA 2333 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ * * ½ 1 ½ ½ 5 2332
5. Guichard, Pauline wm FRA 2320 0 0 0 1 1 0 ½ 0 * * ½ 1 4 2263
6. Roumegous, Marina wm FRA 2181 0 0 0 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 * * 2 2123

Judit Polgar sighting:

Arctic Securities Chess Stars 2010

Mark Crowther - Tuesday 10th August 2010

The Arctic Securities Chess Stars tournament takes place in Kristiansund 28th-30th August 2010. Magnus Carlsen, Viswanathan Anand, Judit Polgar and Jon Ludvig Hammer play in a two stage event. Double Round Robin between the four players followed by finals and 3rd-4th placed playoff on the Monday. 20 minutes + 10 seconds a move.

Arctic Securities Chess Stars 2010 (Kristiansund NOR)
Sat 28th Aug 2010 - Mon 30th Aug 2010 - Official Site

Arctic Stars Prelim (4 players 6 Rds DRR Indiv TC:20m+10spm(1))
Arctic Stars 3rd-4th (2 players 4 Rds Match Indiv TC:20m+10spm(1))
Arctic Stars Final (2 players 4 Rds Match Indiv TC:20m+10spm(1))

2009 French Women's Chess Championship

I saw the announcement today at Chessdom.com: The French Women Chess Championship 2009 (National féminin 2009) will take place in Nimes, the south of France, from 10th to 22nd of August 2009. Jean-Claude Moingt (President of the French Chess Federation) first announced the news on Chess & Strategy in November 2008, now details are available. There will be 6 participants in a double round robin. It is a change from last year when 12 players competed in the event. This year's contenders for the French title are: IM Almira Skripchenko 2449, IM Sophie Millet 2379, WGM Maria Leconte 2334, IM Silvia Collas 2316, WFM Nino Maisuradze 2261, WFM Pauline Guichard 2257 Average ELO: 2332,7