FIDE Women's Grand Swiss Tournament 2023 explained

FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament 2023
Administrator:	FIDE
Format:	11-round Swiss-system tournament
Sport:	Chess
Location:	Douglas, Isle of Man
Start Date:	25 October 2023
End Date:	5 November 2023
Host:	IOM International Chess Limited, sponsored by Scheinberg family
Venue:	Villa Marina
Participants:	50
Champion:	R Vaishali
Runner-Up1:	Anna Muzychuk
3Rd Place:	Tan Zhongyi
Previous:	2021

The FIDE Women's Grand Swiss Tournament 2023 was the second edition of the FIDE Women's Grand Swiss Tournament, a chess tournament that forms part of the qualification cycle for the Women's World Chess Championship match in 2025. It was an 11-round Swiss-system tournament with 50 players competing from 25 October to 5 November 2023 in the Isle of Man. The winner and third-place finisher of the tournament (R Vaishali and Tan Zhongyi) earned the right to the play in the Women's Candidates Tournament 2024, since Anna Muzychuk, the runner-up of the tournament had already qualified for the event.^[1]

The event was held in parallel with the FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament 2023.

Format

The tournament had an 11-round Swiss format, with pairings made using the Dutch system for Swiss tournaments. The time control for each game is: 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game with an increment of 30 seconds per move starting from move 1.^[2]

Tie-breaks

Tie-breaks between players who finish on the same score were determined, in order, by the following tie-breaks:

1. Average rating of opponents, cut 1;
2. Buchholz system, cut 1;
3. Buchholz system;
4. The results of individual games between tied players;
5. Drawing of lots.

Venue and schedule

The tournament was scheduled to run from 25 October to 5 November 2023 in the Isle of Man, the original location of the previous Grand Swiss tournament. Games were played at the Royal Hall of the Villa Marina.^[3]

!Date!Event

24 October	Opening ceremony
25 October	Round 1
26 October	Round 2
27 October	Round 3
28 October	Round 4
29 October	Round 5
30 October	Round 6
31 October	Free day
1 November	Round 7
2 November	Round 8
3 November	Round 9
4 November	Round 10
5 November	Round 11
	Closing ceremony

Qualifiers

Under FIDE regulations, the initial 50 invites were distributed as follows:

• 40 qualifiers by rating - the top 40 women players in the FIDE rating list of 1 June 2023.
• 4 continental spots, each nominated by one of the four FIDE continental presidents.
• 4 players nominated by the FIDE president.
• Up to 2 players nominated by the organizer (Isle of Man International Chess Limited)

Various methods were also specified to replace a player who declined an invitation.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Anish Anand . R Vaishali qualifies for women's Candidates, close to becoming GM. . 5 November 2023.
2. Web site: . Regulations for the FIDE Women's Grand Swiss 2023. FIDE.
3. Web site: Isle of Man to host the FIDE Grand Swiss and Women’s Grand Swiss 2023 . 2023-05-02 . www.fide.com . en.