Women World Chess Cup 2025: All news / Round 1 pairings

Check out Chessdom’s main page for more news and coverage from the Women’s World Cup 2025.

The qualification paths for the Women’s World Cup are detailed in the FIDE regulations and the main chess body has been updating the participants list regularly. As of yesterday, 104 of the 107 participants were known – missing only the two FIDE President Nominees and the Hong Kong nomination. FIDE announced the two FIDE President Nominees, leaving out a long list of players including 47 from the World Top 100. In the next 24 hours erratic changes were brought without official explanation , leading to confusion among the chess fans.

More than 36 hours than the required deadline by the regulations, FIDE has announced the round 1 pairings of the FIDE Women’s World Cup 2025. Games will be daily live on Chessdom

FIDE Women’s World Cup 2025 round 1 pairings

This is the third edition of the FIDE Women’s World Cup. The first one was in Sochi in 2021 and was won by Alexandra Kosteniuk. The second one was in Baku in 2023 and was won by Aleksandra Goryachkina. Now both of them will participate in the FIDE Women’s World Chess Cup 2025 in Batumi together with a strong field of world’s best players.

As the participants list was announced, multiple players from the Women Top 100 have remained out of the competition. Among them was Vaishali. Or so was the case until updates in the players list started appearing unannounced and without explanation at the official website, while random X posts by FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky brought additional confusion in the story (see the timeline here)

It was Vaishali herself who explained, “At Astana now, Came for match against Anna Shukhman for a Wild card spot for Women World cup. It seems now I qualified through Rating spot because of withdrawal of another player Reached Astana yesterday and traveling back home today” followed by a facepalm icon.

OnTheQueenside says, “Vaishali rebukes Emil’s rebuke of my tweet! FIDE really gave the final two wild cards to Begim & Vantika even when Vaishali still wasn’t qualified. Instead of just giving her one of those spots, FIDE sent her to Kazakhstan to play for the sketchy extra wild card!” And goes on to explain:

1. Anna already won a World Cup qualifier, but didn’t get a spot!
2. This is the 5th qualifier Xeniya is playing this year!
3. FIDE ruined Vashali’s birthday! (She traveled to the match, & was replaced by Xeniya)
4. FIDE removed Xeniya from Aktobe Open just to play this match.
5. If FIDE really wanted to not give this year’s World Junior Champion a World Cup spot this year, why put her in this match?
6. Xeniya had also just missed a World Cup spot at the Asian Championship by one place.
7. The World Cup regulations don’t say anything about having a wild card match. There are rules to replace any spot. Those rules weren’t followed.
8. If you’re going to have an extra wild card for no reason, just give it out. No need for a match.

The qualification paths for the Women’s World Cup are detailed in the FIDE regulations and the main chess body has been updating the participants list regularly. As of yesterday, 104 of the 107 participants were known – missing only the two FIDE President Nominees and the Hong Kong nomination. Today, FIDE announced the two FIDE President Nominees, leaving out a long list of players including 47 from the World Top 100. The only question remaining was who will play instead of the Hong Kong player.

When the news broke out, OntheQueenside exclaimed, “Vaishali is out of the World Cup!” FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky replied, “Vishali is not out” – a reply that does not coincide with the official information , thus provoking a barrage of questions from the chess community. Sutovsky added, “She makes it by rating.”

No further clarification was provided, and while the fans were wondering weather Vaishali will substitute a player based on rating criteria, or she was a choice for the Hong Kong spot based on rating, a new plot twist appeared. Josephine Heinemann discovered a broadcast on Lichess, titled “WGM Shukhman vs WGM Balabayeva Women’s World Cup Wild Card Match” (follow the games below, bringing more confusion in the mix – why were these players chosen, do they play for the Hong Kong spot or to substitute someone, or is there a wild card player problem to start with.

The confusion brought by FIDE, the lack of transparency, and the messages by the FIDE CEO lacking critical details are far from the transparency standards that are needed for the most important knockout chess event of the year. We continue to follow this developing story.

Update 14:31: Matnadze Bujiashvili, Ann (ESP) – Spain (replaces Khademalsharieh, Sarasadat)

Update 14:35:

Tang, Zoey (USA) – (replaces Pourkashiyan, Atousa)
Osmak, Yuliia (UKR) – (replaces Buksa, Nataliya)

Update 14:38 Sky Xia asked the President of Hong Kong Chess Federation Mr.KK Chan on the topic and he answered, “No one will represent Hong Kong to play, we a female player to play before, but she declined” (more news from Sky Xia here / follow on Twitter/X)

Update 16:14: The multiple updates in the FIDE Women’s World Cup participants list that were rolled out thorough the day continue. Now Vaishali R (IND) replaces Assaubayeva, Bibisara. Full story here

Update 22.06 Shukhman, Anna (FID) wins the mini match and enters the FIDE Women’s World Cup. She is listed as Nominees of the FIDE President with an asterisk next to her name, saying “An additional wild card was granted by the FIDE President due to Hong Kong’s refusal to nominate a player.”

Additionally, Zoey Tang (USA) who replaces Atousa Pourkashiyan is now replaced by Thalia Cervantes Landeiro.

Update 23.06 The official regulations state, “The pairings shall be announced not later than 14 days before the beginning of WWCup, unless the FIDE President decides otherwise due to a force majeure.” There are 13 days remaining to the start of the Women’s World Cup and no pairings are announced yet

This is the third edition of the FIDE Women’s World Cup. The first one was in Sochi in 2021 and was won by Alexandra Kosteniuk. The second one was in Baku in 2023 and was won by Aleksandra Goryachkina. Now both of them will participate in the FIDE Women’s World Chess Cup 2025 in Batumi together with a strong field of world’s best players.

Players qualified for the FIDE Women’s World Cup 2025

Women’s World Championship 2025 (1 player)
1. Muzychuk, Mariya (UKR) (Update: replaces Ju Wenjun)

Women’s World Cup 2023 (4 players)
2. Goryachkina, Aleksandra (FIDE) – semi finalist
3. Salimova, Nurgyul (BUL) – semi finalist
4. Muzychuk, Anna (UKR) – semi finalist
5. Tan Zhongyi (CHN) – semi finalist

World Junior Girls Championship 2024 (1 player)
6. Deshmukh, Divya (IND) – champion

Rating in June 25 FIDE Rating List (5 players)
7. – Lei, Tingjie (CHN)
8. – Zhu, Jiner (CHN)
9. – Koneru, Humpy (IND)
10. – Vaishali R (IND) (replaces Assaubayeva, Bibisara)
11. – Dzagnidze, Nana (GEO) (replaces Hou Yifan)

Qualifiers from the Continental events (54 players)

Africa
12. February, Jesse Nikki (RSA) – Championship 24
13. Wafa, Shrook (EGY) – Championship 25
14. Nassr, Lina (ALG) – Championship 25

Americas
15. Thalia Cervantes Landeiro (USA) – (replaces Tang, Zoey (USA) who replaces Pourkashiyan, Atousa) (info)
16.  Francisco Guecamburu, Candela Be (ARG) –  Championship 25
17. Yip, Carissa (USA) – Zone 2.1
18. Lee, Alice (USA) – Zone 2.1
19. Ouellet, Maili-Jade (CAN) – Zone 2.2
20. Miranda, Tania (MEX) – Zone 2.3.1
21. Miranda, Yerisbel (CUB) – Zone 2.3.2
22. Wilson, Hannah (BAR) – Zone 2.3.3
23. Cori, Deisy (PER) –  Zone 2.4
24. Borda, Ana Paola (ARG) – Zone 2.5

Asia
25. Song Yuxin (CHN) – Championship 25
26. Mungunzul Bat-Erdene (MGL) – Championship 25
27. Zahedifar, Anahita (IRI) – Zone 3.1
28. Ahmed, Wadifa (BAN) – Zone 3.2
29. Herfesa, Shafira Devi (INA) – Zone 3.3
30. Khamdamova, Afruza (UZB) – Zone 3.4
31. Kaliakhmet, Elnaz (KAZ) – Zone 3.4
32. Kamalidenova, Meruert (KAZ) – Zone 3.4
33. Gao Muziyan (CHN) – Zone 3.5
34. Zhang Lanlin (CHN) – Zone 3.5
35. Zhai Mo (CHN) – Zone 3.5
36. Wang Chiqiao (CHN) – Zone 3.5
37. Ryjanova, Julia (AUS) – Zone 3.6
38. Nandhidhaa P V (IND) –  Zone 3.7
39. Priyanka K (IND) –  Zone 3.7
40. Padmini Rout (IND) –  Zone 3.7
41. Kiran Manisha Mohanty (IND) –  Zone 3.7
42. Lagno, Kateryna (FIDE) – Zone 3.8
43. Charochkina, Daria (FIDE) – Zone 3.8
44. Shuvalova, Polina (FIDE) – Zone 3.8

Europe
45. Fataliyeva, Ulviyya (AZE) – Championship 24
46. Osmak, Yuliia (UKR) – Championship 24 (replaces Buksa, Nataliya) (info)
47. Javakhishvili, Lela (GEO) – Championship 24
48. Batsiashvili, Nino (GEO) – Championship 24
49. Bulmaga, Irina (BUL) – Championship 24
50. Beydullayeva, Govhar (AZE) – Championship 24
51. Toncheva, Nadya (BUL) – Championship 24
52. Tsolakidou, Stavroula (GRE) – Championship 24
53. Mkrtchian, Lilit (ARM) – Championship 24
54. Sliwicka, Alicja (POL) – Championship 24
55. Injac, Teodora (SRB) –  Championship 25
56. Narva, Mai (EST) –  Championship 25
57. Maltsevskaya, Aleksandra (POL) –  Championship 25
58. Ushenina, Anna (UKR) –  Championship 25
59. Daulyte-Cornette, Deimante (LTU) –  Championship 25
60. Mammadova, Gulnar (AZE) –  Championship 25
61. Milliet, Sophie (FRA) –  Championship 25
62. Kiolbasa, Oliwia (POL) –  Championship 25
63. Kulon, Klaudia (POL) –  Championship 25
64. Urh, Zala (SLO) –  Championship 25
65. Khotenashvili, Bella (GEO) –  Championship 25

Nominees of National Federations (to be announced by June 10) (35 players)
66. Caxita, Esperanca (ANG) – Angola
67. Campos, Maria Jose (ARG) – Argentina
68. Danielian, Elina (ARM) – Armenia
69. Zhang, Jilin (AUS) – Australia
70. Baladjayeva, Xanim (AZE) – Azerbaijan
71. Stefanova, Antoaneta (BUL) – Bulgaria
72. Li, Yunshan (CAN) – Canada
73. Lu, Miaoyi (CHN) – China
74. Wafa, Shahenda (EGY) – Egypt
75. Guichard, Pauline (FRA) – France
76. Mgeladze, Kesaria (GEO) – Georgia
77. Avramidou, Anastasia (GRE) – Greece
78. Hong Kong – listed as FIDE President Nominee
79. Gaal, Zsoka (HUN) – Hungary
80. Dronavali, Harika (IND) – India
81. Yuliana, Evi (INA) – Indonesia
82. Alinasab, Mobina (IRI) – Iran
83. Efroimski, Marsel (ISR) – Israel
84. Kairbekova Amina (KAZ) – Kazakhstan
85. Azhar, Puteri Munajjah Az-Zahraa (MAS) – Malaysia
86. Khuslen, Erdenebayar (MGL) – Mongolia
87. Ning, Isabelle Yixuan (NZL) – New Zealand
88. Contreras Huaman, Fiorella (PER) – Peru
89. Canino, Ruelle (PHI) – Philippines
90. Kashlinskaya, Alina (POL) – Poland
91. Matnadze Bujiashvili, Ann (ESP) – Spain (replaces Khademalsharieh, Sarasadat) (info)
92. Gunawardhana, Devindya Oshini (SRI) – Sri Lanka
93. Kosteniuk, Alexandra (SUI) – Switzerland
94. Antonova, Nadezhda (TJK) – Tajikistan
95. Shohradova, Lala (TKM) – Turkmenistan
96. Gaponenko, Inna (UKR) – Ukraine
97. Rouda Essa, Alserkal (UAE) – United Arab Emirates
98. Krush, Irina (USA) – United States of America
99. Omonova, Umida (UZB) – Uzbekistan
100. Pham, Le Thao Nguyen (VIE) – Vietman

Nominees of the FIDE President (2 players)
101. Tokhirjonova, Gulrukhbegim (UZB)
102. Vantika Agrawal (IND)
103* Shukhman, Anna (FID) (after a mini match)

Nominee of the Organiser (1 player)
103. Kirtadze, Anastasia (GEO)

Continental spots (4 players)
104. Mohamed Zaki Jana (EGY) – Africa
105. Ortiz Verdezoto, Anahi (ECU) – Americas
106. Gunina, Valentina (FIDE) – Asia
107. Arabidze, Meri (GEO) – Europe

Schedule of the FIDE Women’s World Cup

Each round will last three days: two for classical time limit games and a third, if necessary, for tie-breaks. Rounds 1 to 3 will run from July 6 to 14; July 9 will be a rest day; Rounds 4 to 6 will run from July 16 to 24; July 25 will be a rest day; and the final and third-place match will run from July 26 to 28.

Rules of the FIDE Women’s World Cup 2025

Each round consists of classical time limit games on the first two days, plus tie-breaks on the third day if required. The time limits will be as follows

• Two classical time limit games: 90 minutes, plus a 30-minute increment on move 40, plus a 30-second increment per move from move 1, per player.
• If the match is tied after the classical games, players will play two rapid chess games, with 25 minutes plus a 10-second increment per move, per player.
• If the match is still tied, players then will play two more rapid chess games, with 10 minutes plus a 10-second increment per move, per player.
• If the match is still tied, players then will play two blitz games, with 5 minutes plus a 3-second increment per move, per player.
• If the match is still tied, a single blitz game, with 3 minutes plus a 2-second increment per move, will be played to decide the match. A drawing of lots will determine which player plays white. If drawn, the players will switch colors and play again, until a decisive result is obtained.