Reigning Champion Eliminated In Women's World Championship

The knock-out format of the Women's World Chess Championship in Nalchik claimed the reigning champion as it's highest profile victim in the second round.

Xu Yuhua (pictured) lost the first game of her match to Svetlana Matveeva of Russia and failed to recover in the second game, losing the match 0.5-1.5.

Katerine Rohonyan of the US, conqueror of Natalia Zhukova of the Ukraine in the first round, was also a casualty in the second, losing in the rapid tie-break to another Ukranian - Inna Gaponenko.

Further exits were made by Anna Zakonskih and Victorija Climyte who lost to the Kosintseva sisters, Tatjana and Nadezhda respectively.

Antoaneta Stefanova survived tie-breaks to go through to the third round, where she joins Koneru Humpy and Alexandra Kosteniuk who both had byes.

However the brightest star so far is undoubtedly Hou Yifan who has won all four of her games.  Can anyone stop the 14-year old prodigy from China?

The draw for round 3: