The final and decisive leg of the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2015/2016 is being competed from November 18th till December 2nd at Ugra Chess Academy in Russia’s Khanty Mansiysk.
Khademalsharieh, Iran’s only representative at the prominent sportive event, held title-defender Dronavalli Harika at a precious draw in her opening encounter.
The Iranian chess player, who finished vice-champion in the second leg of the tournament held in Tehran earlier this year, is slated to take on world’s fifth best female chess athlete Alexandra Kosteniuk from Russia.
The participants of the fifth leg of the FIDE Women’s GP dubbed as Women Grand Prix Khanty Mansiysk 2016 are Ju Wenjun (2580, China), Alexandra Kosteniuk (2555, Russia), Dronavalli Harika (2543, India), Valentina Gunina (2525, Russia), Natalija Pogonina (2492, Russia), Nina Batsiashvili (2489, Gerogia), Lela Javakhishvili (2461, Georgia), Almira Skripchenko (2455, France), Olga Girya (2450, Russia), Natalia Zhukova (2448, Ukraine), Sarasadat Khademalsharieh (2435, Iran) and Bela Khotenashvili (2426, Georgia).
The players will compete in a round-robin tournament of 11 rounds. Time control gives each player 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.
The total prize fund is 60,000 euros, with 10,000 euros for the winner. A further 15,000 euros goes towards an accumulated fund for the overall best placed women.
The winner of the Women’s Grand Prix series 2015/16 will play with the Women World Champion in a 10-game match for the Women’s World Championship title.
HA/3828922