The third time is a charm for IM Bibisara Assaubayeva (Kazakhstan) who qualified for the Main Event of the 2021 Women’s Speed Chess Championship on her third try. Previously she reached semis in both Qualifiers I and II but did not manage to make it farther. The Qualifier III was a marathon 21-round Swiss tournament (1+1 time control), with the top eight finishers advancing to the knockout playoff stage.
In semis, Bibisara faced Deysi Cori (Peru) whereas Daria Voit (Russia) took on Padmini Rout (India). The Russian WGM whitewashed her Indian opponent but in the second match it came down to the wire. After convincingly winning the first game Assaubayeva suffered a painful defeat in the second but braced up and pulled off the third one to advance into the final.
The first game of the final ended in a draw as neither player was able to tip the balance in her favour but in the second one, Bibisara completely outplayed Daria with black pieces and deservedly earned a spot in the Main Event of the 2021 Women’s Speed Chess Championship.
The next qualifier will be on Thursday, June 3, starting at 7 a.m. Pacific/16:00 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.