IM Iulija Osmak (UKR) qualified for the main event of the 2021 Women's Speed Chess Championship after defeating IM Nataliya Buksa (UKR) in an all Ukrainian final of the Qualifier IV playoff. The Qualifier IV was a 13-round Swiss tournament (3+1 time control), with the top eight finishers advancing to the knockout playoff stage.

In semifinals, Osmak whitewashed Maka Purtseladze of Georgia, whereas Nataliya Buksa bested Deysi Cori from Peru after scoring a victory in the second game (the first one was drawn).

In the final Iulija won the first game in an excellent positional style and took the lead in the mini-match. In the second encounter, Nataliya misplayed a slightly better position with White, lost a piece and threw in the towel shortly afterwards.  

The next qualifier will be on Friday, June 4 starting at 10 a.m. Pacific/19:00 CEST.

The FIDE Chess.com 2021 Women's Speed Chess Championship is an online competition for titled female players. The qualifiers for the event will happen from May 28-June 6, while the main event runs from June 10 to July 3. Players will battle for their share of a total prize fund of $66,000.

One player from each playoff qualifier will move on to the main event. There they will be joined by eight invited players: GM Humpy Koneru (IND), GM Alexandra Kosteniuk (RUS), GM Antoaneta Stefanova (BUL), GM Anna Muzychuk (UKR), GM Irina Krush (USA), GM Kateryna Lagno (RUS), GM Lei Tingjie (CHN).

Fans can follow the FIDE Chess.com Women's Speed Chess Championship by watching the live broadcast with expert commentary on Chess.com/TV and Chess.com's Twitch channel. They will also be able to enjoy the event through Chess.com's Events page (https://www.chess.com/events).

More info and a full schedule of the FIDE Chess.com Women's Speed Chess Championship can be found here.