Women's World Chess Championship 2010 begins in Antakya, Turkey

Chess news and chess trivia blog (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2010

Antakya Chorus of Civilizations performing at the

opening ceremony of the Women's World Chess Championship 2010.

Turkish players Kubra Ozturk and Betul Yildiz with

their coach Adrian Mikhalchishin.

Hoang Thanh Trang and Humpy Koneru at the opening ceremony.

Hello Everyone,

A beautiful December day - partly cloudy with 23 degrees Centigrade - is here and the Women's World Chess Championship 2010 has begun in Antakya, Turkey.

The opening ceremony was held in the nice Hotel Anemon and was attended by President of the Turkish Chess Federation Ali Nihat Yazici, the governor of Hatay M.Celalettin Lekesiz and the mayor of Antakya Lutfu Savas who welcomed the participants.

After the official ceremony, Antakya Choir of Civilizations sang prayers of different religions of the world. You can check the official website here for more updates, live broadcast of games and super photos. Live video is available here.

You can follow the live streaming on your iPhone here.

The 2010 Women World Championship, organized by the Turkish Chess Federation, is taking place from December 2-25 in Antakya, Hatay, Turkey. Antakya is the seat of the Hatay Province in southern Turkey, near the border with Syria. It is located on the banks of the Orontes River, approximately 22 km (14 mi) inland from the Mediterranean.

Time control

The time control 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 from move one. If the scores are level after the regular games, after a new drawing of colours, two tie break games will be played. The time control is 25 minutes on the clock for each player with an addition of 10 seconds after each move. If the scores are level after the rapid games, then, after a new drawing of colours, two five-minute games will be played with the addition of 10 seconds after each move.

If the score is still level after the blitz games, the players will play one sudden death game. The player with the white pieces shall receive 5 minutes, the player with the black pieces shall receive 4 minutes whereupon, after the 60th move, both players shall receive an increment of 3 seconds from move 61. The winner qualifies for the next round. In case of a draw the player with the black pieces qualifies for the next round.

Prize money

1st round: 32 losers get 3,750 USD

2nd round: 16 losers get 5,500 USD

3rd round: 8 losers get 8,000 USD

4th round: 4 losers get 12,000 USD

5th round: 2 losers get 20,000 USD

6th round: 1 loser gets 30,000 USD

Women’s World Champion gets 60,000 USD

You can find more details about the schedule here. Also, find an excellent preview report at www.chessvibes.com. Find a very nice photo report at www.chessdom.com.

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's

www.chessblog.com

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