We’re excited to announce the qualification path for this year’s most exciting blitz and bullet online event for women. With a $75,000 prize fund, the Women’s Speed Chess Championship starts on July 6—but the excitement begins much earlier for fans and players!
Of the 16 players competing, eight will qualify through the Spring Split of the Titled Tuesday Grand Prix. This means that every single Titled Tuesday event from March 3 to May 26 can make all the difference.
The Women’s Speed Chess Championship qualification system rewards players who consistently play at the highest level of speed chess. In 2025, the same system allowed fans to enjoy the presence of star players like IM Polina Shuvalova, GMs Bibisara Assaubayeva, Alexandra Kosteniuk, and more.
This year’s Women’s Speed Chess Championship will feature the same format that has won over the hearts of the chess world. Players will compete in a single-elimination knockout where only the fastest and sharpest can survive. Matches will feature three segments, each with its own match clock and time control. At the end of the match, the player with the most cumulative points wins.
Last year, Women’s World Champion GM Ju Wenjun made history by defeating the world’s number-one woman GM Hou Yifan. The battle between the two titans was a close one, with two out of the three segments ending in ties. But fortunately for the world champion, the two-point lead she had built in the 5+1 portion was more than enough to grant her the title.
With that result, Ju became the first player in the Women’s Speed Chess Championship’s seven-year history to win two events in a row.
Who do you want to see in this year’s Women’s Speed Chess Championship? Let us know in the comments below!
