Norway Chess: Anna Muzychuk says Stavanger tournament will be ‘strongest women's event'
World No 8 women's chess player Anna Muzychuk believes that the upcoming Norway Chess women's event will be the strongest women's event in the sport. Besides Muzychuk (rated 2526), the Norway Chess women's event this year will see the following players: Ju Wenjun (FIDE rating: 2580), who recently won her fourth women's world championship title; Lei Tingjie (rated 2552), who is the Women's World No 3; Humpy Koneru (rated 2543), who is women's World No.5 and a two-time World Rapid Champion; Vaishali Rameshbabu (rated 2475), a bronze medal winner at the Women's World Blitz Championship and a Olympiad gold winner; and Sara Khadem (rated 2449).
Anna, who finished as the runner-up last year in the inaugural edition of Norway Chess Women's tournament, expects a strong and unpredictable competition this year.
'I think it's the strongest women's event if we are looking at the ratings. It will be super tough. Each participant has a real chance to win it. I think it will be exciting, and I am really looking forward to it,' she said.
After a remarkable win at the prestigious Nicosia Women's Grand Prix in March, the Ukrainian Grandmaster shifted her focus completely towards the Austria Grand Prix, currently underway. While it would be her final Grand Prix of the ongoing cycle, the 35-year-old would travel a week later for the highly anticipated 2025 edition of Norway Women's Chess to compete against some of the top talents of the sport.
'It's great to have successes, but you always have to go forward and focus on the next tournaments and next goals,' Anna said.
Anna explained the challenges that come with a life in chess. 'In chess, we can see young players becoming grandmasters at the age of 12. To achieve that, you have to work a lot,' Anna said.
'Nowadays, you cannot start too late if you want to be a top level player. Every time, you have to think if you are ready to sacrifice your childhood. Whether you want to be a part of fun activities with other children or work on chess and try to achieve more. It depends on the child and also a lot on the parents because they have to be supportive,' she added.
Anna has also been quite vocal on equal rights for women over the years and also has been an advocate for growth of female players in chess. With Norway Chess providing equal pay for men and women, Anna feels it will motivate more female players to pick up the sport.
'All the participants are really thankful to the organizers of the Norway Chess for making equal price fund for both men and women. It will give additional motivation to all the girls around the world,' she said.
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