Watch 16 Top Players Compete in One of the Strongest Events in Women's Chess
NEW YORK, AUGUST 1 — Chess.com is excited to announce the 2024 edition of the Julius Baer Women's Speed Chess Championship (WSCC). This year's event will feature an expanded field of 16 of the strongest women chess players in the world, including the current Women's World Champion, all competing for a $75,000 prize fund. The Julius Baer WSCC is Chess.com's premier chess event for women.
The event starts on August 12, with titled women from across the globe participating in four Play-in events. The winner of each Play-in will qualify for the coveted Main Event, which kicks off on August 22 and runs through September 5.
"The 2024 Julius Baer Women's Speed Chess Championship showcases the incredible talent and competitive spirit of women in chess," said Erik Allebest, CEO of Chess.com. "Julius Baer's continued support has been instrumental in making this championship a reality, and we appreciate their leadership in helping to ensure that chess is for everyone."
Among the confirmed players for the Main Event is four-time World Champion GM Ju Wenjun. Ju is the second-highest rated woman in the world across all time controls and one of the favorites to win it all.
The chess community can also look forward to watching GM Kateryna Lagno. The three-time women's World Blitz Champion will be looking to repeat her 2021 Women's Speed Chess Championship performance, when she defeated the former Women's World Champion Hou Yifan to win the event.
Also confirmed to play is the star from India, GM Vaishali Rameshbabu. Her meteoric rise has led her to the 2023 Candidates Tournament, and recent victories propelled her to the top 10 of women's worldwide. Can momentum help her win her first Women's Speed Chess Championship title?
"We are delighted to continue supporting the Women's Speed Chess Championship, empowering women, and contributing to a more diverse, equitable, and vibrant chess scene," said Antje Hembd, Head Global Brand Partnerships & Sponsoring at Julius Baer. "Women, like in the chess world, are still underrepresented in senior management in our industry. This is why our commitment to Diversity & Inclusion and our focus on fostering a caring and inclusive environment is integral to our corporate strategy and culture at Julius Baer."
The Main Event features the format fans know and love, with the players competing across three different time controls: 5+1, 3+1, and 1+1. The match will be broadcast on Chess.com/TV as well as Chess.com's YouTube and Twitch channels.
This is the second consecutive year that Swiss private bank Julius Baer has presented the WSCC, continuing their strong support of women's chess. Julius Baer was also a founding partner of Chess.com's premier event, the Champions Chess Tour, presenting the Julius Baer Generation Cup since 2020.
Tune in for the usual (and unusual) brilliancies, drama, and swindles that the Speed Chess Championship series provides.
About Julius Baer
Julius Baer is the leading Swiss wealth management group and a premium brand in this global sector, with a focus on servicing and advising sophisticated private clients. At the end of June 2024, assets under management amounted to CHF 474 billion. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd., the renowned Swiss private bank with origins dating back to 1890, is the principal operating company of Julius Baer Group Ltd., whose shares are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (ticker symbol: BAER) and are included in the Swiss Leader Index (SLI), comprising the 30 largest and most liquid Swiss stocks.
Julius Baer is present in around 25 countries and 60 locations. Headquartered in Zurich, we have offices in key locations including Bangkok, Dubai, Dublin, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hong Kong, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Mexico City, Milan, Monaco, Mumbai, Santiago de Chile, São Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore, Tel Aviv, and Tokyo. Our client-centric approach, our objective advice based on the Julius Baer open product platform, our solid financial base and our entrepreneurial management culture make us the international reference in wealth management. For more information, visit our website at www.juliusbaer.com.
About Chess.com
Chess.com is the world's largest chess site with a community of more than 150 million members from around the world playing more than 10 million games every day. Chess.com organizes and broadcasts the world's biggest chess events featuring multi-million-dollar prize funds captivating millions of viewers. Chess.com is the 114th ranked site on the internet. In June 2023, Chess.com was named one of TIME's 100 Most Influential Companies.
