Women's World Chess Championship 2018
| Defending champion | Challenger |
 | |
 Ju Wenjun (CHN) | |
| Winner of the 2017 World Championship |
Winner of the 2015–16 Grand Prix |
| Rating: 2579 (Women's World No.2)[1] |
The Women's World Chess Championship 2018 is an upcoming match between the 2017 Women's World Chess champion and her challenger Ju Wenjun.[2] Ju Wenjun qualified by winning the FIDE Women's Grand Prix 2015–16.[3]
Competitiors
2017 knock-out World Champion
The winner of the Women's World Chess Championship 2017 has the right to defend her title in the match. The 64 player knockout tournament was initially scheduled for October 2016, but postponed due to a lack of an organizer.[4] The tournament now will be played in Teheran, Iran, from 10 to 28 February 2017.[5]
Should Ju Wenjun win the title, her challenger will be the Grand Prix runner-up Koneru Humpy.
2015/16 Grand Prix winner
The challenger qualified by winning the FIDE Women's Grand Prix 2015–16. Hou Yifan had won the first tournament but then withdrawn from the Grand Prix. After four of five tournaments the leader was Koneru Humpy with 335 points, who allready had played her three tournamnet.[6] In second place followed Ju Wenjun with 253⅓ and one event left. The final tournament was held from 11 to 31 October 2016 and Ju Wenjun won the tournament convincingly, thus overtaking Koneru Humpy.[7] Koneru Humpy thereby finished overall runner-up for the fourth time.
Future
FIDE's plan is to also hold a 64 player knock-out world championship in 2018. The organizing rights have been awarded to Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia.[2]
References
- ↑ https://ratings.fide.com/top.phtml?list=women
- 1 2 FIDE General Assembly Agenda (5.20.8)
- ↑ "FIDE Women's Grand Prix Regulations". FIDE. Retrieved 14 February 2016.
- ↑ FIDE General Assembly Agenda (5.20.7)
- ↑ "2017 Women's World Championship Awarded To Iran; Other FIDE Decisions". chess.com. 28 September 2016.
- ↑ Koneru leads Women's GP
- ↑ "Ju Wenjun is triumphant in Khanty-Mansiysk". FIDE. 1 December 2016.