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Photo courtesy FIDE/Raul Martinez
The recent conclusion of the 2025 FIDE World Women’s Team Championship crowned the Russia team as champions, after a decisive victory over the underdog Azerbaijan team. Azerbaijan displayed commendable grit throughout the tournament, especially during their Pool Stage, where they secured a respectable fourth place in Group A.
China claimed the bronze medal by defeating Kazakhstan in their finals matchup, while Team USA exhibited a strong performance, pushing China to a tiebreak in the quarterfinals before being eliminated in a blitz playoff with a score of 3½–½.
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Irina Krush watches Carissa Yip’s game during the quarterfinals. (Photo courtesy FIDE/Pavel Dvorkovich)
The knockout stage of the championship featured a format that brought an interesting twist: two four-player matches were played, utilizing the “fast classic” time control of G/45 with a 30-second increment from move one. This event was part of a pilot program aimed at integrating fast classic games into classical FIDE ratings, showcasing a new era of chess competition.
In a thrilling quarterfinal encounter on Friday, Team USA delivered an emphatic 3–1 victory against China. The standout performances came from IMs Anna Sargsyan and Tatev Abrahamyan, who scored impressive wins on Boards 2 and 3, respectively.
Abrahamyan’s victory was particularly memorable, stemming from a critical error made by her 15-year-old opponent. On the other hand, Sargsyan’s performance reflected her strategic prowess, as she outmaneuvered her opponent to secure the win in a complex middlegame.
In the return match later that day, China struck back vigorously on Boards 3 and 4. However, a highlight of this encounter was IM Carissa Yip’s noted upset over former Women’s World Champion GM Hou Yifan.
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Carissa Yip’s upset of Hou Yifan in the second quarterfinal match was an individual highlight despite China’s match win. (Photo courtesy FIDE/Pavel Dvorkovich)
A 2–2 tie in the second match would have clinched a victory for Team USA, and Sargsyan appeared to have the upper hand in her game. However, as often happens in chess, the situation became complicated, resulting in an unexpected turn of events.
After a close loss, the teams moved to blitz tiebreaks, where China seized the initiative decisively. Hou got her much-anticipated revenge against Yip, putting pressure on other boards to take risks to level the match.
In the semifinals, Russia maintained their dominance, defeating China in a straight set of matches, while Azerbaijan triumphed over Kazakhstan in a blitz playoff, seeking redemption after a Pool Stage loss. The final results placed Russia and China securely in first and third place, respectively.
In an exciting turn of events, Azerbaijan’s IM Ulviyya Fataliyeva earned the individual gold medal for Board 1, finishing with a performance rating that outshone even Hou. For those interested in detailed individual performances, all medals can be found here.