Some well-known and even famous names in women’s chess will be familiar faces in a central Armenian resort town in the next ten days or so. FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 4th tournament (Genrikh Kasparian Memorial) is opening in Jermuk today, June 24, and will last till July 5.

WGMs Lilit Mkrtchyan and Elina Danielyan will represent Armenia at the tournament that has brought together a dozen participants from seven countries, including three world champions - Georgia’s Maia Chiburdanidze, Shen Yang from China and Bulgarian Antoaneta Stefanova.

China’s Hou Yifan and Xu Yuhua, Russia’s Tatiana Kosintseva and Baira Kovanova, Sweden’s Pia Cramling, Georgia’s Nana Dzagnidze and Martha Fierro from Ecuador are among other participants of the tournament.

Among those attending the opening ceremonies were also Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and FIDE President Kirsan Illyumzhinov.

More information on the tournament and latest results are available on the leading Armenian chess portal www.armchess.am