Tbilisi kicks off 2024/25 FIDE Women’s Grand Prix season

From 14 to 25 of August, the Georgian capital will be host to the first of six tournaments where 20 top women players from around the world will compete, shaping the future of female chess

There is no better place than Georgia to launch the new season of the Women’s Grand Prix. As the birthplace of chess legends like former Women’s World Champions Nona Gaprindashvili (the first woman to be awarded the title of Grandmaster) and Maia Chiburdanidze, as well as three-time Soviet Women’s Champion Nana Alexandria, Georgia holds a revered place in chess history. The country continues to produce world-class talent, including Nana Dzagnidze, Nino Batsiashvili, Lela Javakhishvili, and Bella Khotenashvili, making it a fitting host for this landmark event.

“We are delighted that this event will start in Georgia, given the country’s rich chess legacy,” said FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich.

“FIDE has made women’s chess one of its priorities, and the updated Women’s Grand Prix series is an opportunity to further raise awareness of women’s chess, hopefully getting more female players and more sponsors involved”.

The 2024/25 WGP series introduces several key changes, including an increase in participants from 16 to 20, an expansion from four to six tournaments, and a larger prize fund of 120,000 euros. Each player will compete in three of the six tournaments, earning points based on their standings in each event. The top two players in the series will secure spots in the 2026 FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament.

The Tbilisi tournament

The tournament in Tbilisi will take place at the Biltmore Tbilisi Hotel – the first glass skyscraper in Georgia and the highest hotel in the Caucasus Region. This inaugural event features a strong lineup, including two former Women’s World Champions—Alexandra Kosteniuk, winner of the Munich leg in the 2022/23 series, and Mariya Muzychuk—alongside some of the most promising players in the chess world today.

First round and time control

The first round starts on Thursday, 3 PM local time in Tbilisi. The time control will be 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with an increment of 30 seconds per move starting from move one.

The regulations of the event can be found here.

For more information, including live games and broadcast, visit the event website: https://womengrandprix.fide.com/