Announcing The 2022 FIDE Chess.com Women's Speed Chess Championship
Chess.com is thrilled to announce that the 2022 Women's Speed Chess Championship has been confirmed and is set to start on May 24. The event was born from a partnership between Chess.com and FIDE and is the most important online tournament for titled women in the world. This year, fans will enjoy top women players vying for their piece of the $70,000 prize fund!
Last year, fans had the chance to appreciate the lightning-fast chess of many of the leading women of our time. Six out of the top 10 active women in the world participated, including GMs Hou Yifan, Kateryna Lagno, Lei Tingjie, Nana Dzagnidze, and Anna Muzychuk.
Other formidable players such as GM Humpy Koneru, current Women's Blitz World Champion IM Bibisara Assaubayeva, and Women's Rapid World Champion GM Alexandra Kosteniuk also joined last year's field.
With such fierce competition, not even Hou, a four-time world champion and the highest-ranked woman in the world, had an easy time. The Chinese grandmaster clinched the title only after defeating GM Harika Dronavali in the nick of time, winning the last two bullet games of the match to uneven the score.
We're more than half way through the WSCC finals and it could not be closer: GM Hou Yifan and GM Harika Dronavalli are TIED after 13 games 🤯
— Chess.com (@chesscom) July 3, 2021
Come watch! ➡️ https://t.co/kaTA3dnByP pic.twitter.com/rTiWh9Fb07
Earlier this year, FIDE declared 2022 as the Year of Women in Chess. According to FIDE's Managing Director, Dana Reizniece-Ozola, partnering with Chess.com once more to promote the Women's Speed Chess Championship is part of their effort to celebrate women in chess.
"Celebration does not mean being entertained or amused. Celebration is about appreciation," said Reizniece-Ozola. "With FIDE announcing 2022 as the Year of Women in Chess, the power of great women in chess is celebrated. And this tournament organized by Chess.com is one such event. Chess moves women forward and women move the chess world forward."
Celebration does not mean being entertained or amused. Celebration is about appreciation.
— Dana Reizniece-Ozola
With an increased prize fund and tweaks to improve the event's format, this year's Women's Speed Chess Championship promises to be the best yet. Make sure you tune in to Chess.com/TV or to our Twitch channel to catch the live broadcast with expert commentary!
What was your favorite moment of the 2021 Women's Speed Chess Championship? Let us know in the comments below!
