The FIDE Women’s World Cup kicked off in Batumi, Georgia, bringing together 107 of the world’s top female chess players. For the first time ever, Turkmenistan is represented by 19-year-old national team leader and FIDE Woman Master Lala Shokhradova, with a rating of 2135.

Shokhradova earned her spot thanks to the Turkmen women’s team’s victory in category C at the 45th World Chess Olympiad 2024 in Budapest.

The knockout tournament features seven rounds of classical games followed by tiebreaks if needed. In the first round, Lala faces Indian International Master Agraval Vantika (rating 2388).

The World Cup winner will receive $50,000 and a spot in the Candidates Tournament for the World Championship.

The FIDE Men’s World Cup will be held from October 31 to November 27, 2025, where Turkmenistan will be represented by international grandmaster Saparmurat Atabayev, who qualified following the men’s team’s success at the 2024 Olympiad.