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Replacement of Zhao Xue by Zhansaya Abdumalik
February 25, 2020
From FIDE:
Zhansaya Abdumalik will replace Zhao Xue at WGP in Lausanne
Due to the recent developments in the coronavirus crisis and the increasing travel restrictions affecting Chinese citizens, Zhao Xue won't be able to play in the Women's Grand Prix tournament in Lausanne.
Zhao Xue, 8th seed in the tournament with a 2486 rating, will be replaced by another Asian representative: the Kazakhstani Zhansaya Abdumalik (2471).
A former prodigy, Zhao dominated her generation: she won the Gold medal in the girls' U12 World Championship in 1997, the Girls' U14 World Championship, and then she went on to win the World Junior Girls Championship in Goa 2002, surpassing the local star, Humpy Koneru. She was the 24th Chinese person to achieve the GM title, in 2008.
We are very sorry that a player of this caliber will be forced to miss this tournament due to such unfortunate circumstances. We believe Zhansaya is a worthy replacement, and we are hopeful that we will be able to have Zhao Xue playing in one of our top events very soon.
The travel restrictions won't affect the World Champion Ju Wenjun, who left China several weeks ago, before the crisis worsened.
https://www.fide.com/news/375
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The Olympic Capital welcomes FIDE Women’s Grand Prix
The third leg of the Women’s Grand Prix starts on March 1 in Lausanne. This tournament ranks as one of the most prestigious chess events ever held in the Olympic Capital, alongside the final match of the FIDE KO World Championship between Anatoly Karpov and Viswanathan Anand at the start of 1998, and the Young Masters Tournaments held between 1999 and 2006.
Barely a year after moving its headquarters back to Lausanne, FIDE is staging a major event in this beautiful city on the shores of the Geneva Lake. The third and penultimate leg of the Women’s Grand Prix 2019-20 could already prove decisive in the fight for one of the two qualifying spots for the Candidates Tournament. Since each of the sixteen WGP players participate in three of the four tournaments, Lausanne is the last stop for some leading names on the leaderboard. To add some spice in the race, Humpy Koneru, dominator of the Grand Prix so far, does not take part in the third leg. Thus, all eyes will be turned on Ju Wenjun and Aleksandra Goryachkina, who will meet again two months after their fascinating match for the World Championship title. It should be noted, however, that both are pre-qualified for the next stage of the cycle and therefore out of contention for the two qualifying spots.
https://www.fide.com/news/373
February 25, 2020
From FIDE:
Zhansaya Abdumalik will replace Zhao Xue at WGP in Lausanne
Due to the recent developments in the coronavirus crisis and the increasing travel restrictions affecting Chinese citizens, Zhao Xue won't be able to play in the Women's Grand Prix tournament in Lausanne.
Zhao Xue, 8th seed in the tournament with a 2486 rating, will be replaced by another Asian representative: the Kazakhstani Zhansaya Abdumalik (2471).
A former prodigy, Zhao dominated her generation: she won the Gold medal in the girls' U12 World Championship in 1997, the Girls' U14 World Championship, and then she went on to win the World Junior Girls Championship in Goa 2002, surpassing the local star, Humpy Koneru. She was the 24th Chinese person to achieve the GM title, in 2008.
We are very sorry that a player of this caliber will be forced to miss this tournament due to such unfortunate circumstances. We believe Zhansaya is a worthy replacement, and we are hopeful that we will be able to have Zhao Xue playing in one of our top events very soon.
The travel restrictions won't affect the World Champion Ju Wenjun, who left China several weeks ago, before the crisis worsened.
https://www.fide.com/news/375
_________
The Olympic Capital welcomes FIDE Women’s Grand Prix
The third leg of the Women’s Grand Prix starts on March 1 in Lausanne. This tournament ranks as one of the most prestigious chess events ever held in the Olympic Capital, alongside the final match of the FIDE KO World Championship between Anatoly Karpov and Viswanathan Anand at the start of 1998, and the Young Masters Tournaments held between 1999 and 2006.
Barely a year after moving its headquarters back to Lausanne, FIDE is staging a major event in this beautiful city on the shores of the Geneva Lake. The third and penultimate leg of the Women’s Grand Prix 2019-20 could already prove decisive in the fight for one of the two qualifying spots for the Candidates Tournament. Since each of the sixteen WGP players participate in three of the four tournaments, Lausanne is the last stop for some leading names on the leaderboard. To add some spice in the race, Humpy Koneru, dominator of the Grand Prix so far, does not take part in the third leg. Thus, all eyes will be turned on Ju Wenjun and Aleksandra Goryachkina, who will meet again two months after their fascinating match for the World Championship title. It should be noted, however, that both are pre-qualified for the next stage of the cycle and therefore out of contention for the two qualifying spots.
https://www.fide.com/news/373