30 June 2012

Camera in Russian Chess Girls’ ‘Locker Room’! (More Photos’ Link Updated)
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012

Hi everyone,

That’s the Russian team for the Russia vs China
special chess match beginning on July 1 in
St Petersburg. Can you name all of them – the chess girls and their head coach?

The Russian men’s and women’s chess teams are all set for the special Russia versus China chess match from July 1-9, 2012 in St Petersburg, Russia.

This is a traditional chess team match between the two countries that has been taking place from 2001 in every year of the Chess Olympiad. The 2012 team chess match will be a practice friendly between both the men’s and women’s chess teams of both the countries before the Istanbul Chess Olympiad.

Each team will consist of six people – 5 players and 1 captain.

The tournament format is each plays each (Scheveningen), total 5 rounds of classical chess from the 2nd to 6th of July, additional two rounds of rapid chess will be played on the 7th and 8th.

Men’s chess teams

Russia
Evgeny Tomashevsky (2738)
Dmitry Jakovenko (2736)
Ian Nepomniachtchi (2716)
Nikita Vitiugov (2703)
Maxim Matlakov (2668)

China
Wang Hao (2738)
Li Chao B (2703)
Wang Yue (2690)
Ding Liren (2679)
Yu Yangui (2626)

Women’s chess teams

Russia
Valentina Gunina (2530)
Alexandra Kosteniuk (2457)
Natalia Pogonina (2447)
Olga Girya (2414)
Baira Kovanova (2391)

China
Zhao Xue (2549)
Ju Wenjun (2529)
Shen Yang (2419)
Huang Qian (2417)
Ding Yixin (2353)



Lots of more photos of the Russian women’s team having fun in the beautiful sunshine of Peterhof park now at www.chessqueen.com. 


From Alexandra Kosteniuk’s
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal blog at
www.chessqueen.com