Women grand prix

This week,we are celebrating the centenary of International Women`s Day held every March 8 since 1911.

It is just fitting that our topic this week is about the Fide Women Grand Prix, a series of six events held from 2009-2011 to determine the challenger to the world champion.

18 top world players had been selected to compete in these tournaments. Each player agreed and contracted to participate in exactly 4 of these tournaments.

The winner of each leg takes home 6,500 euros out of a prize fund of 40,000 euros and the overall winner of the series will win a further 15,000 euros.

This is the first time that such a series was organized and is a significant development for Women chess. The introduction of the Grand Prix series meant that there will be a World Championship contest annually now from 2010.

In 2010,The Champion was Hou Yifan of China who won the Knockout tournament held in Turkey.

The winner of the Grand Prix series will play the Women World Champion in the third quarter of 2011 in a ten game match for the Women’s World Championship title.
The first Women GP was held in March 2009 in Istanbul and was won by Humpy Koneru. The second, in September-October 2009 in Nanjing, was won by Xu Yuhua. Tatiana Kosintseva won the third, in March 2010 in Nalchik and Nana Dzagnidze the fourth in June-July 2010 in Jermuk. Hou Yifan won the fifth tournament in Ulaanbaatar.
The sixth tournament has just concluded in Doha,Qatar last week and was won by Koneru Humpy.
Since the overall winner of the Grand Prix was Hou Yifan then the Challenger rights will go to the second placed overall in the Grand Prix, which, in this case,is Koneru Humpy.

Thus, Hou Yifan and Koneru Humpy of India will play in the third quarter of 2011 in a ten game match for the Women’s World Championship title.

Miyoko Watai An Icelandic court said last week that Miyoko Watai, the widow of former world chess champion Bobby Fischer, should inherit his estimated $2 million estate, which has been in dispute since his death in 2008.

Claimants to this big amount of money are Fischer`s nephews, Alexander and Nicolas Targ, children of Bobby Fischer`s late sister,Joan Fischer Targ.

Another claimant is Jinky Young,The Filipina girl, whose mother , Marilyn Young, says she is the daughter of Fischer. However a DNA Test showed that Jinky is not the biological daughter of Bobby.

"It is completely ruled out" that Jinky Young can be the biological daughter of the former World Champion.
Miyoko Watai of Japan had claimed before the court she was Fischer's wife and heir while two of the chess master's nephews and Jinky, thru her mother, had questioned the legitimacy of the marriage.
In 2009 Iceland's Supreme Court overturned a municipal court decision that Watai was the rightful heir, saying definite proof of the marriage had not been made available.
However Reykjavík District Court’s verdict has concluded that the “document submitted by Watai confirmed that she and Fischer were legally married on September 6, 2004. She is said to have submitted sufficient proof to that account at the time of his death and is therefore his legal heir. Watai is a pharmacist and the chairperson of the Japanese Chess Association. She said she and Fischer met in Japan in 1973.”
The nephews' lawyer said they would appeal the court ruling.
Sammy Estimo, Jinky`s Filipino Laywer, sent me a text message that they would also appeal to the Icelandic Supreme Court.
However, sources in Iceland said that the appeal is without merit or chance.
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