We’re excited to announce the 2025 Women’s Speed Chess Championship (WSCC), the most exciting speed chess event for women in the world! Starting on August 4, the event will feature a $75,000 prize fund and the same thrilling format fans already know and love. With players racing to score as many points as they can with lightning-speed moves before the time runs out, fans can expect an event full of drama and plot twists.
Headlining the WSCC are the two most dominant women in chess today. Current Women’s World Champion Ju Wenjun and women’s number-one Hou Yifan are both confirmed to participate, along with 14 of the strongest women speed chess players in the world.
Current champion Ju is returning to defend her crown after a dominant run in 2024. In her inaugural WSCC participation in the current format, Ju steamrolled over the competition, even winning the Final with a three-point margin. One of the favorites to win this year’s event, Ju will try to become the first woman to win the WSCC two years in a row.
Also returning to the WSCC stage is former World Champion Hou Yifan. The highest-rated woman in the world, she’s also the only player to hold two WSCC titles. She’s now making a run to not only add another title to her resume but also to keep her status as the most successful WSCC player in history.
Six other invited players will join the event: Chinese number-three GM Lei Tingjie; Indian legend GM Koneru Humpy; 2022 WSCC champion GM Kateryna Lagno; India’s number-three GM Vaishali Rameshbabu; and American prodigies IMs Carissa Yip and Alice Lee.
To round out the 16-player field, eight women from the Titled Tuesday Grand Prix leaderboard are joining the action. Among them is the Chess Queen herself, GM Alexandra Kosteniuk. A regular top-scorer among women in Titled Tuesday tournaments, she finished this season at the top of the women’s leaderboard. This year, she’ll battle for her first WSCC title.
Another headliner among the Titled Tuesday Grand Prix leaderboard players is the always-dangerous IM Polina Shuvalova. A speed chess sensation, Shuvalova has finished at the top of the Titled Tuesday leaderboard standings for the second year in a row. In the 2024 WSCC, she overpowered almost every other participant, only losing to Ju in the Final.
The six remaining qualified players are Kosteniuk, IMs Karina Ambartsumova and Meri Arabidze, WGM Aleksandra Maltsevskaya, FM Anastasia Avramidou, and GMs Zhu Jiner and Bibisara Assaubayeva.
With a phenomenal field and its exhilarating format, the WSCC is set to be another exciting display of high-level speed chess competition. Tune in to our Twitch and YouTube channels on August 4 to enjoy the event’s live coverage.
Who do you think will win this year’s Women’s Speed Chess Championship? Let us know in the comments below.
