The first leg of the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix was concluded in Rostov with a convincing win by the Women World Champion, 17 year old Hou Yifan of China. In the presence of two other former Women World Champions and the world’s leading female players she dominated the field from the outset setting a blistering pace which made it hard for the other contestants to catch up. Second place was also clinched in an exciting last round by GM Lahno of Ukraine who was the only player to defeat GM Yifan in their direct encounter.
Rating statistics FIDE (in start number order)
| No. |
| Name | FED | Fide-No. | IRtg | W | n | We | W-We | K | Rtg+/- | Ra | Rp |
| 1 | GM | Stefanova, Antoaneta | BUL | 2902257 | 2524 | 5.0 | 11 | 5.44 | -0.44 | 10 | -4 | 2527 | 2491 |
| 2 | GM | Koneru, Humpy | IND | 5008123 | 2614 | 5.5 | 11 | 6.92 | -1.42 | 10 | -14 | 2519 | 2519 |
| 3 | IM | Galliamova, Alisa | RUS | 4129725 | 2492 | 5.5 | 11 | 4.94 | 0.56 | 10 | 6 | 2530 | 2530 |
| 4 | GM | Kosteniuk, Alexandra | RUS | 4128125 | 2497 | 3.0 | 11 | 5.02 | -2.02 | 10 | -20 | 2529 | 2354 |
| 5 | IM | Muzychuk, Anna | SLO | 14111330 | 2538 | 6.5 | 11 | 5.68 | 0.82 | 10 | 8 | 2526 | 2591 |
| 6 | GM | Kosintseva, Nadezhda | RUS | 4134974 | 2560 | 6.0 | 11 | 6.03 | -0.03 | 10 | 0 | 2524 | 2560 |
| 7 | GM | Danielian, Elina | ARM | 13300210 | 2521 | 5.0 | 11 | 5.41 | -0.41 | 10 | -4 | 2527 | 2491 |
| 8 | IM | Kovalevskaya, Ekaterina | RUS | 4116704 | 2427 | 3.5 | 11 | 3.88 | -0.38 | 10 | -4 | 2536 | 2403 |
| 9 | GM | Kosintseva, Tatiana | RUS | 4133471 | 2557 | 6.5 | 11 | 6.01 | 0.49 | 10 | 5 | 2524 | 2589 |
| 10 | GM | Lahno, Kateryna | UKR | 14109336 | 2536 | 7.0 | 11 | 5.66 | 1.34 | 10 | 13 | 2526 | 2628 |
| 11 | GM | Hou, Yifan | CHN | 8602980 | 2575 | 8.0 | 11 | 6.30 | 1.70 | 10 | 17 | 2522 | 2697 |
| 12 | WGM | Ruan, Lufei | CHN | 8602727 | 2479 | 4.5 | 11 | 4.71 | -0.21 | 10 | -2 | 2531 | 2466 |
With this result Hou Yifan has increased her rating and get close again to 2600 whilst top rated woman Humpy Koneru lost 14 points and hence the gap between these two players who will be facing off for the World Championship title in November 2011 in Tirana, Albania is very small now. IM Ana Muzychuk, also got her third GM-norm in this event but she commented that she is still some games short of the overall number required for the title. No doubt that with such results it will only be a matter of time before IM Muzychuk earns this prestigious title. Also WGM Ruan Lufei from China and finalist in the last Women’s World Championship in Hatay, Turkey earned an IM norm. The overall ranking points and results in tie break order are as follow :
| Rk |
| Name | Rtg | FED | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Pts | SB | Rp | GP Pts |
| 1 | GM | Hou Yifan | 2575 | CHN | * | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 8 | 40.00 | 2697 | 160 |
| 2 | GM | Lahno Kateryna | 2536 | UKR | 1 | * | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 7 | 38.75 | 2628 | 130 |
| 3 | IM | Muzychuk Anna | 2538 | SLO | 0 | 1 | * | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 6½ | 34.25 | 2591 | 100 |
| 4 | GM | Kosintseva Tatiana | 2557 | RUS | ½ | ½ | ½ | * | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 6½ | 33.50 | 2589 | 100 |
| 5 | GM | Kosintseva Nadezhda | 2560 | RUS | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | * | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 6 | 29.75 | 2560 | 80 |
| 6 | GM | Koneru Humpy | 2614 | IND | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | * | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5½ | 28.25 | 2519 | 65 |
| 7 | IM | Galliamova Alisa | 2492 | RUS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | * | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 5½ | 26.75 | 2530 | 65 |
| 8 | GM | Stefanova Antoaneta | 2524 | BUL | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | * | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 5 | 25.25 | 2491 | 45 |
| 9 | GM | Danielian Elina | 2521 | ARM | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | * | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 24.25 | 2491 | 45 |
| 10 | WGM | Ruan Lufei | 2479 | CHN | ½ | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | * | ½ | ½ | 4½ | 24.75 | 2466 | 30 |
| 11 | IM | Kovalevskaya Ekaterina | 2427 | RUS | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | * | 1 | 3½ | 17.50 | 2403 | 20 |
| 12 | GM | Kosteniuk Alexandra | 2497 | RUS | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | * | 3 | 17.50 | 2354 | 10 |
The games were hard fought and in total there were only 32 draws (48%), 21 wins for white and 13 wins for black. In the closing ceremony, FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov augured the contestants good luck for the next leg which is being organized by the Chinese Chess Association and Shenzhen Media Group in Shenzhen in early September.
Official web-site
View the Photo Gallery from the closing ceremony here
