In one of the most exciting events held during the match for the FIDE World Chess Championship, Kazakhstan is set to take on the world in a chess match consisting of two rapid days and one blitz day
The match will see the best Kazakhstani women competing against the top women players from around the world and will be held from April 17 to April 19 in Astana’s International Financial Centre.
The Kazakh team includes Bibisara Assaubayeva, Zhansaya Abdumalik, and Dinara Saduakassova, who have achieved great success in recent years. The world team will be led by Hou Yifan, four-time women’s world champion and once the world's youngest grandmaster, who came out of retirement for this event.
The Kazakh team includes Bibisara Assaubayeva, Zhansaya Abdumalik, and Dinara Saduakassova, who have achieved great success in recent years. The world team will be led by Hou Yifan, four-time women’s world champion and once the world's youngest grandmaster, who came out of retirement for this event.
The match format will feature eight rounds each in rapid and blitz games, with each team consisting of eight players, a combination of youth and experience as four of them fall into age groups of U20, U18, U16, and U14 age groups. The time control is 15 minutes plus 10 seconds in Rapid and three minutes plus two seconds for Blitz.
Players from the women and youth groups will meet each player from the corresponding group in the opposite team twice, with white and black. The final result will be defined by counting all the individual points together. In case of an even score, a draw will follow to determine the winner.
Players from the women and youth groups will meet each player from the corresponding group in the opposite team twice, with white and black. The final result will be defined by counting all the individual points together. In case of an even score, a draw will follow to determine the winner.
The prize fund for this event is $50,000: The winning team will receive a total prize fund of $30,000, with $20,000 equally shared by women players and $10,000 equally shared by youth players. The runners-up will receive $20,000.
The event was the brainchild of GM Darmen Sadvakasov of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation. He is a five-time national champion and a former world junior champion.
While the initial idea was to bring living former world champions together to discuss the future of chess, because of their different schedules the decision was made to make another event.
While the initial idea was to bring living former world champions together to discuss the future of chess, because of their different schedules the decision was made to make another event.
“We thought that this match would be very attractive and also give us a chance to showcase our best players”, Saduakasov said. “We are proud of our women's team. We have great players and are proud of their results”, he added.
Gulmira Dauletova, Woman GM, the Executive Director of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation is acting as the team captain for Kazakhstan.
“Our team consists of fighters. We’re in the top five in women’s chess right now and we believe that this event will help us”.
Dana Reizniece-Ozola, WGM, Deputy Chair of the Management Board of the International Chess Federation is the captain of the World team: “Our team is a combination of brains, beauty and humbleness... We know each other well and we hope to be the better team in the match”.
Reizniece-Ozola noted that while the “biggest wish” is to have a woman play in the match for the title of world champion, “to have an event for women to coincide with the match is the next best thing”.
Reizniece-Ozola noted that while the “biggest wish” is to have a woman play in the match for the title of world champion, “to have an event for women to coincide with the match is the next best thing”.
Speaking at the press conference was four-time women’s world champion, Hou Yifan, who has in recent years devoted herself to her professional work instead of chess.
“I haven’t been very active in the past couple of years. There were objective and personal reasons. I also have a lecturing job at university. However, I am also involved in chess from time to time, but mostly in China in the last couple of years” Hou Yifan said.
“We have a great team and I personally played with a lot of my team members previously. Kazakhstan has a great chess atmosphere so it will be interesting”, she added.
Bibisara Assaubayeva, one of the top Kazakh players, was asked whether the fact that the match will be played in Kazakhstan gives her team an advantage.
“It’s a home advantage to play in our country but it’s also a great responsibility to win. This is a chance to spend time together and celebrate chess. It’s great that this event is coinciding with the Match for the title of World Champion”, she said.