The Ukrainian women's chess team has announced its lineup for the upcoming World Team Championship, taking place from November 18 to 23 in Linares, Spain. This information was shared on the official channels of the Ukrainian Chess Federation.
Team members include:
- Yulia Osymak (Kyiv, 2464);
- Anna Ushenina (Kharkiv, 2407);
- Natalia Buks (Lviv, 2400);
- Natalia Zhukova (Odesa, 2305);
- Bozhena Pidbudna (Kyiv, 2295);
- Anastasia Hnatishyn (Lviv, 2191).
The team will be coached by grandmasters Mykhailo Brodskiy and Mykhailo Oleksienko. The delegation will be led by the first vice-president of the Ukrainian Chess Federation, Volodymyr Kovalchuk.
It is surprising to see the absence of Inna Gaponenko, an experienced grandmaster who has long represented the "blue and yellow". Notably, she was part of the team that won gold at the 2006 Chess Olympiad.
A total of 12 teams will compete in the World Team Championship.
11 participants have already been confirmed: Georgia, France, Kazakhstan, USA, China, Ukraine, Peru, Egypt, India, Spain, and the FIDE team (Russian Federation).
The first stage will consist of a round-robin tournament with 6 teams. The top 4 will advance to the playoffs, where the competition will continue in an Olympic format.
The final participant will be determined in a match between the teams of Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, scheduled for October 31 and November 1.
