Estonian chess player Mai Narva qualifies for 2027 Women's World Cup
Estonian chess player Mai Narva has qualified for the Women's World Cup after finishing 10th at the European Women's European Championship (EWCC) in Batumi, Georgia.
This was despite Narva, rated at 2,426 by the International Chess Federation or World Chess Federation (FIDE), losing her final game of the tournament to Bulgaria's Nurgyul Salimova on the final day in Batumi.
Playing black, Salimova (FIDE: 2,404) secured victory in 62 moves.
With six wins, three draws, and two losses, Narva finished on 7.5 points, placing tenth overall and claiming the final qualifying spot for the 2027 World Cup – the top 10 finishers qualified.
Of the other Estonian competitors in Batumi, Margareth Olde (FIDE: 2,194) also enjoyed a strong tournament, collecting 7.5 points from six wins, three draws, and two losses. She finished in an impressive 15th place overall, only a few spots outside qualifying for the World Cup. Monika Tsyganova (FIDE: 2,039) had a more modest event, scoring four points from three wins and two draws to finish 139th overall.
Shock winner of the EWCC title was 15-year-old Anastasia Hnatyshyn (Ukraine, FIDE: 2,207), who took victory by scoring nine points from eight wins, two draws, and one loss, and gaining 214 rating points in the process. Seeded only 76th for the tournament, the Ukrainian produced an outstanding performance and climbed into the top 20 of the women's world rankings.
Sabrina Vega (Spain, FIDE: 2,384) and Olga Badelka (FIDE: 2,392), both of whom finished on 8.5 points, were second and third, while Salimova also scored 8.5 points after beating Narva, and took fourth place overall.
The Women's World Cup takes place next February in Weissenhaus, Germany.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Kristjan Kallaste
