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Women's World Chess Championship 2006

The Women's World Chess Championship 2006 took place from March 10-27, 2006 in Ekaterinburg, Russia. For the fourth time, the championship took the form of a 64-player knock-out tournament.

The tournament was won by Xu Yuhua, who beat Alisa Galliamova in the final by 2½ to ½. Notably, Xu Yuhua was three months pregnant at the time.

Participants

Players were seeded by their Elo ratings (January 2006 list), except that defending champion Antoaneta Stefanova was the no. 1 seed.

  1. Antoaneta Stefanova (BUL), 2499, GM (WC)
  2. Humpy Koneru (IND), 2537, GM (WC)
  3. Pia Cramling (SWE), 2515, GM (E04)
  4. Alexandra Kosteniuk (RUS), 2514, GM (R)
  5. Maia Chiburdanidze (GEO), 2511, GM (WC)
  6. Xu Yuhua (CHN), 2502, WGM (R)
  7. Kateryna Lahno (UKR), 2500, IM (E05)
  8. Zhu Chen (CHN), 2482, GM (R)
  9. Nadezhda Kosintseva (RUS), 2480, IM (E05)
  10. Subbaraman Vijayalakshmi (IND), 2479, IM (Z3.2)
  11. Tatiana Kosintseva (RUS), 2479, IM (E04)
  12. Monika Soćko (POL), 2475, IM (E04)
  13. Viktorija Čmilytė (LTU), 2475, IM (E05)
  14. Zhao Xue (CHN), 2473, WGM (R)
  15. Qin Kanying (CHN), 2469, WGM (Z3.5)
  16. Alisa Galliamova (RUS), 2467, IM (R)
  17. Yelena Dembo (GRE), 2461, IM (E05)
  18. Almira Skripchenko (FRA), 2461, IM (E05)
  19. Ekaterina Kovalevskaya (RUS), 2458, IM (WC)
  20. Lilit Mkrtchian (ARM), 2453, IM (E05)
  21. Nana Dzagnidze (GEO), 2452, IM (E04)
  22. Irina Krush (USA), 2447, IM (Z2.1)
  23. Lela Javakhishvili (GEO), 2444, IM (E05)
  24. Natalia Zhukova (UKR), 2432, WGM (E04)
  25. Nino Khurtsidze (GEO), 2430, IM (E05)
  26. Svetlana Matveeva (RUS), 2428, IM (E05)
  27. Ekaterina Korbut (RUS), 2427, WGM (J04)
  28. Ketevan Arakhamia-Grant (GEO), 2426, IM (E04)
  29. Elina Danielian (ARM), 2423, IM (E05)
  30. Elisabeth Pähtz (GER), 2422, IM (J05)
  31. Elena Zaiatz (RUS), 2422, IM (E05)
  32. Iweta Radziewicz (POL), 2421, IM (E05)
  33. Tatiana Kononenko (UKR), 2417, WGM (E05)
  34. Marie Sebag (FRA), 2415, IM (E05)
  35. Peng Zhaoqin (NED), 2407, GM (E04)
  36. Cristina Adela Foisor (ROM), 2402, IM (E04)
  37. Marta Zielińska (POL), 2398, WGM (E05)
  38. Anna Ushenina (UKR), 2398, WGM (E05)
  39. Irina Vasilevich (RUS), 2386, IM (E05)
  40. Wang Yu (CHN), 2385, WGM (AS)
  41. Shen Yang (CHN), 2380 (Z3.5)
  42. Irina Slavina-Turova (RUS), 2379, IM (E04)
  43. Claudia Amura (ARG), 2366, WGM (AM)
  44. Evgenija Ovod (RUS), 2366, IM (E05)
  45. Ruan Lufei (CHN), 2361 (Z3.5)
  46. Sulennis Pina Vega (CUB), 2358, WGM (AM)
  47. Jovanka Houska (ENG), 2355, IM (E04)
  48. Carolina Luján (ARG), 2346, WGM (Z2.5)
  49. Maka Purtseladze (GEO), 2341, IM (E05)
  50. Dana Aketayeva (KAZ), 2330, WIM (Z3.4)
  51. Maria Kursova (RUS), 2319, WIM (PN)
  52. Atousa Pourkashiyan (IRI), 2319, WIM (Z3.1)
  53. Ju Wenjun (CHN), 2290 (AS)
  54. Subbaraman Meenakshi (IND), 2289, WGM (AS)
  55. Irina Berezina-Feldman (AUS), 2285, IM (Z3.6)
  56. Hou Yifan (CHN), 2269, WFM (Z3.5)
  57. Maritza Arribas (CUB), 2269, WGM (Z2.3)
  58. Karen Zapata (PER), 2218, WIM (Z2.4)
  59. Hoang Xuan Thanh Khiet (VIE), 2196, WIM (Z3.3)
  60. Ingris Rivera (COL), 2128 (AM)
  61. Natalia Khoudgarian (CAN), 2106, WIM (Z2.2)
  62. Farid Basta Sohair (EGY), 2083, WIM (AF)
  63. Tuduetso Sabure (BOT), 2072, WGM (AF)
  64. Amina Mezioud (ALG), 1978 (Z4.1)


Only two players from the top 20 were absent: Judit Polgár (ranked the no. 1 woman in the world - and 14th overall) who instead took part in the open championship events of 2005 and 2007, as well as Hoang Thanh Trang (ranked 11th).

Qualification paths

Results

Final match

Women's World Chess Championship Final 2006
1 2 3 Total
Alisa Galliamova (Russia) 0 ½ 0 ½
Xu Yuhua (China) 1 ½ 1

Bracket

1st Round 2nd Round 3rd Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
                                   
44 Evgenija Ovod 2
21 Nana Dzagnidze 4
21 Nana Dzagnidze
53 Ju Wenjun
12 Monika Soćko ½
53 Ju Wenjun
53 Ju Wenjun 2
5 Maia Chiburdanidze 4
60 Ingris Rivera ½
5 Maia Chiburdanidze
5 Maia Chiburdanidze
28 Ketevan Arakhamia-Grant ½
28 Ketevan Arakhamia-Grant
37 Marta Zielińska
5 Maia Chiburdanidze 1
13 Viktorija Čmilytė 3
36 Cristina Adela Foisor
29 Elina Danielian
29 Elina Danielian 0
4 Alexandra Kosteniuk 2
4 Alexandra Kosteniuk 2
61 Natalia Khoudgarian 0
4 Alexandra Kosteniuk ½
13 Viktorija Čmilytė
52 Atousa Pourkashiyan ½
13 Viktorija Čmilytė
13 Viktorija Čmilytė 4
45 Ruan Lufei 2
20 Lilit Mkrtchian
45 Ruan Lufei
14 Viktorija Čmilytė ½
16 Alisa Galliamova
48 Carolina Lujan
17 Yelena Dembo ½
48 Carolina Lujan 1
16 Alisa Galliamova 3
16 Alisa Galliamova
49 Maka Purtseladze ½
16 Alisa Galliamova
32 Iweta Radziewicz
64 Amina Mezioud ½
1 Antoaneta Stefanova
1 Antoaneta Stefanova 1
32 Iweta Radziewicz 3
32 Iweta Radziewicz 2
33 Tatiana Kononenko 0
16 Alisa Galliamova 2
25 Nino Khurtsidze 0
40 Wang Yu
25 Nino Khurtsidze
25 Nino Khurtsidze
57 Maritza Arribas ½
8 Zhu Chen 0
57 Maritza Arribas 2
25 Nino Khurtsidze 2
56 Hou Yifan 0
56 Hou Yifan
9 Nadezhda Kosintseva ½
56 Hou Yifan 2
24 Natalia Zhukova 0
24 Natalia Zhukova
41 Shen Yang
16 Alisa Galliamova ½
6 Xu Yuhua
42 Irina Slavina-Turova ½
23 Lela Javakhishvili
23 Lela Javakhishvili 1
10 Subbaraman Vijayalakshmi 3
10 Subbaraman Vijayalakshmi
55 Irina Berezina-Feldman ½
10 Subbaraman Vijayalakshmi ½
26 Svetlana Matveeva
58 Karen Zapata
7 Kateryna Lahno ½
58 Karen Zapata ½
26 Svetlana Matveeva
26 Svetlana Matveeva 2
39 Irina Vasilevich 0
26 Svetlana Matveeva
34 Marie Sebag ½
34 Marie Sebag
31 Elena Zaiatz ½
34 Marie Sebag 3
2 Humpy Koneru 1
2 Humpy Koneru 2
63 Tuduetso Sabure 0
34 Marie Sebag 4
15 Qin Kanying 2
50 Dana Aketayeva ½
15 Qin Kanying
15 Qin Kanying
47 Jovanka Houska
18 Almira Skripchenko ½
47 Jovanka Houska
26 Svetlana Matveeva ½
6 Xu Yuhua
46 Sulennis Pina ½
19 Ekaterina Kovalevskaya
19 Ekaterina Kovalevskaya
51 Maria Kursova ½
14 Zhao Xue ½
51 Maria Kursova
19 Ekaterina Kovalevskaya
35 Peng Zhaoqin
62 Farid Basta Sohair 0
3 Pia Cramling 2
3 Pia Cramling ½
35 Peng Zhaoqin
30 Elisabeth Pähtz 2
35 Peng Zhaoqin 4
19 Ekaterina Kovalevskaya
6 Xu Yuhua
38 Anna Ushenina 3
27 Ekaterina Korbut 1
38 Anna Ushenina ½
6 Xu Yuhua
6 Xu Yuhua
59 Hoang Xuan Thanh Khiet ½
6 Xu Yuhua
11 Tatiana Kosintseva 1
54 Subbaraman Meenakshi 0
11 Tatiana Kosintseva 2
11 Tatiana Kosintseva
22 Irina Krush ½
22 Irina Krush
43 Claudia Amura
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