Xu Yuhua Qualifies for 2007 World Cup

China's women world champion qualifies for men's World Cup in Russia 11:14, October 20, 2007 Women's 2006 world chess champion Xu Yuhua of China has qualified for the men's World Chess Cup alongside with other seven Chinese, according to the International Chess Federation (FIDE) website on Friday. The Chinese qualifiers are Xu, Bu Xiangzhi, Wang Yue, Zhang Penxiang, Wang Hao, Zhao Jun, Wen Yang and Ahou Jianchao. World Cup 2007, slated in Khanty-Mansiysk from 23rd of November to 18th of December, will feature 128 chess players from 38 countries and regions having qualified from zonal and continental events, the FIDE stated. Best chess players from Asia, Oceania, Europe, Americas and Africa have qualified for the tournament, including former World Chess Championship Mexico-2007 contenders Levon Aronian of Armenia and Russians Peter Svidler and Alexander Grischuk. According to the FIDE's general statistics, China has 16 men chess grandmasters including Xu, 10 women grandmasters, seven international masters, 10 FIDE masters and five women Fide masters. FIDE still has three wildcards for this event and it will later decide on the passes receivers. Source:Xinhua

2007 World Cup News

According to the People's Daily Online, Women's World Chess Championship Xu Yuhua will compete in November at the World Cup: World Chess Federation's (FIDE) women's world champion Xu Yuhua of China will face world's 128 strongest chess players in the World Cup in November, FIDE deputy arbiter Dr. Gendengin Altanoch told Xinhua on Sunday. "Women's world chess champion Xu Yuhua obtained her champion title at the Women's World Chess Championship at Ekaterimburgo, Russia, by defeating Russian native Alisa Galiamova (2467 FIDE ranking)," Altanoch said. Xu, besides being a women's Grand Master of chess, is a law graduate, living southern China. She learned chess at the age of six. Xu, 29, with more than 2502 FIDE rating, obtained her current title by defeating Galiamova 3-0 in a four-game match and Galiamova decided to forfeit the fourth game since Xu's advantage was decisive. "Vishwanathan "Vishy" Anand, current World Chess Championship Mexico-2007 contender and highest FIDE-rated player, has won the World Cup twice, once in Shenyang, China (2000) and another in Hyderabad, India (2002)," chess reporter from India, Vijay Kumar, covering the World Chess Championship Mexico-2007 said on Sunday. Xu is the third Chinese citizen to become women's world chess champion. Xie Jun was the first, two times world champion in 1991-1996 and 1999-2001, while Zhu Chen was the second in 2001-2004. The first women's world champion had been Vera Menchik from England in 1927-1944, but she died in 2nd-World-War German bomb attack in London in 1944. "There have been a total of nine women chess world champions," Mexico's men chess Olympic team captain FIDE Master Alfonso Ferriz Carrasquedo told Xinhua on Sunday. "The other women champions include Ludmilla Rudenko (1950-1953) of the former Soviet Union (USSR), soviet player Elisabeth Bikova (1953-1956, 1958-1962), soviet player Olga Rubzowa (1956-1958), soviet Nona Gaprindashvili (1962-1968), soviet Maya Chiburdanidze (1978-1991), the last of the soviet women's domain toppled by Chinese chess Grand Master Xie Jun, Ferriz said. Hungarian Susan Polgar (1996-1999), Zhu Chen (China), Bulgarian native Antoaneta Stefanova (2004-2006) and current champion Xu Yuhua have also held that title, Ferriz added. Men's FIDE World Chess Championship Mexico-2007 is being played in Mexico City.

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