26 November 2022

Russian Players Enter Field of FIDE Women's Candidates Tournament

Pool B begins in Khiva on 28 November.

Photo: Fulvio Spada
Photo: Fulvio Spada

Pool B of the FIDE Women's Candidates Tournament will be held in Khiva, Uzbekistan, from 28 November to 11 December. The event will feature the Russians Aleksandra Goryachkina, Alexandra Kosteniuk, Kateryna Lagno, and Tan Zhongyi from China. The Russian players will compete under the FIDE flag. 

The tournament is a knock-out event with four-game matches plus tie-breaks, if needed. The winner of Pool B advances to the Final, which will be held in the first quarter of 2023, where she will face Lei Tingjie (China), who won Pool A in Monaco. 

Quarterfinal pairings:

Aleksandra Goryachkina - Alexandra Kosteniuk
Kateryna Lagno - Tan Zhongyi.

The match days: 

29-30 November, 2-3, 4 December - tie-break, if needed, 6-7, 9-10, 11 December - tie-break, if needed. The games will start at 1 PM Moscow time; the tie-break on 11 December is scheduled for 12 PM Moscow time. 

The total prize fund is 250,000 euros. The winner will get 60,000 euros and qualify for the match against the reigning Women's World Champion Ju Wenjun (China).