| Competition: | Women's World Chess Championship 2018 |
| Governing Body: | FIDE |
| Venue: | Yugra Chess Academy |
| Location: | Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia |
| Dates: | 2–23 November 2018 |
| Competitors: | 64 |
| Champion: |  Ju Wenjun |
| Previous: | 2018 match |
| Next: | 2020 |
The Women's World Chess Championship 2018 was a knock-out tournament to crown a new women's world champion in chess. It was the second world championship held in 2018, after Ju Wenjun had defeated Tan Zhongyi to win the title in May 2018. The tournament was played as a 64-player knockout type from 2 to 23 November in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia.
Ju Wenjun won the tournament, and so retained the Women's World Championship.
The remaining three semi-finalists qualified for the 2019 Candidates Tournament, which decided the challenger for the 2020 World Championship.[1]
The schedule of the tournament:
The total prize fund was $450,000.[2]
| Round | Players | Prize money (in $) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1 | 60,000 | |
| Runner-up | 1 | 30,000 | |
| Semi-finals | 2 | 20,000 | |
| Quarter-finals | 4 | 12,000 | |
| Round of 16 | 8 | 8,000 | |
| Round of 32 | 16 | 5,500 | |
| Round of 64 | 32 | 3,750 |
The time control was 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, and then 30 minutes for the rest of the game; plus a 30-second increment per move starting from move 1.[3]
In the event of a tie after the regular games, the following tie breaks were used, in order:
The 64 participating players are:[4]
Format is player name, FIDE title, current Elo (October 2018), qualification path (see below). The winner's name is shaded.
Ju Wenjun, GM, 2561 (R)
Humpy Koneru, GM, 2557 (PN)
Kateryna Lagno, GM, 2556 (E17)
Anna Muzychuk, GM, 2555 (WC) Alexandra Kosteniuk, GM, 2551 (WC) Aleksandra Goryachkina, GM, 2536 (E16) Mariya Muzychuk, GM, 2533 (E17) Tan Zhongyi, GM, 2527 (WC) Valentina Gunina, GM, 2525 (R)
Nana Dzagnidze, GM, 2509 (E16) Dronavalli Harika, GM, 2500 (WC) Natalija Pogonina, WGM, 2485 (E17)
Zhansaya Abdumalik, IM, 2482 (J17) Nino Batsiashvili, GM, 2482 (PN) Olga Girya, WGM, 2479 (R) Zhao Xue, GM, 2478 (R) Lela Javakhishvili, IM, 2475 (E16) Dinara Saduakassova, IM, 2470 (J16) Bela Khotenashvili, GM, 2469 (E16) Lei Tingjie, GM, 2468 (R)
Monika Socko, GM, 2451 (E17) Anna Ushenina, GM, 2451 (E16) Alina Kashlinskaya, IM, 2447 (E17)
Ekaterina Atalik, IM, 2445 (E16) Alisa Galliamova, IM, 2432 (E17) Ni Shiqun, WGM, 2427 (Z3.5) Anastasia Bodnaruk, IM, 2423 (E16)
Hoang Thanh Trang, GM, 2423 (E17) Jolanta Zawadzka, WGM, 2421 (E16)
Irina Krush, GM, 2417 (Z2.1) Inna Gaponenko, IM, 2409 (E17) Marina Nechaeva, IM, 2409 (E17)
Elina Danielian, GM, 2409 (E17)
Sabrina Vega, IM, 2404 (E16) Natalia Zhukova, GM, 2403 (E17) Guliskhan Nakhbayeva, WGM, 2394 (AS17)
Deysi Cori, WGM, 2391 (AM16)
Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova, WGM, 2385 (Z3.4) Lilit Mkrtchian, IM, 2384 (E16)
Yuliya Shvayger, IM, 2375 (E16) Anita Gara, IM, 2370 (E17) Ana Matnadze, IM, 2362 (E16) Zhu Jin'er, WIM, 2360 (Z3.5)
Carolina Luján, IM, 2359 (Z2.5) Zhai Mo, WGM, 2351 (Z3.5) Padmini Rout, IM, 2338 (Z3.7) Bhakti Kulkarni, CM, 2314 (AS16) Sabina-Francesca Foisor, WGM, 2311 (Z2.1) Sopiko Khukhashvili, IM, 2301 (E16)
Yerisbel Miranda Llanes, WIM, 2239 (AM17) Ingrid Aliaga Fernández, WIM, 2194 (AM17) Sun Fanghui, WIM, 2183 (Z3.5)
Shahenda Wafa, WGM, 2148 (AF)
Maili-Jade Ouellet, WIM, 2122 (Z2.2)
Kathryn Hardegen, WFM, 1832 (Z3.6)The final is the only match of the tournament which consists of four classical games. Those are played on consecutive days with a rest day between the semi-final tie-breaks and match 1. Eventual tie-breaks are scheduled for 23 November, in the same manner as the whole tournament (two rapid games of 25+10, i.e. 25 minutes for the whole game plus a 10-second increment, the two rapid games of 10+10, two blitz games of 5+3 and an armageddon decider).
Top seed Ju Wenjun, the reigning women's world champion and current women's rapid world champion, advanced to the final without playing a tie-break. Her opponent Kateryna Lagno played three tie-breaks including one armageddon game against Natalia Pogonina in the third round.
Before the final, both had played each other five times at classical time control with all games ending in a draw.[5]
| Classical games | Tie-breaks | Total | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seed | Player | Rating | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | ||
| 1 | align=left | 2561 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 5 | |
| 3 | align=left | 2556 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
Player positions were determined by the October FIDE rating list.[6] No. 1 plays no. 64, 2 plays 63, and so on.