World Women's Champs Down to Star-Studded Final Eight

The Women's World Championships in Khanty-Mansiysk is down to eight players, and it's a star-studded cast.

Anna Muzychuk defeated Antoaneta Stefanova in rapid playoffs, while her sister Mariya Muzychuk advanced in the classical games against the 18-year-old Iranian Dragon slayer Alinasab
Reigning Women's World Champion Ju Wenjun is joined by 21-year-old compatriot Lei Tingjie in the final eight.
Former World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk
18-year-old Zhansaya Abumalik of Kazakhstan
19-year-old Uzbek Gulrukhbegim Tolkhijonova, who won in rapid playoff over Valentina Gunina
Grandmaster Katerina Lagno, who went all the way to blitz against Natalia Pogonina

Grandmaster Alexandra Kosteniuk, More photos on ugra2018.fide.com

Who's your pick to win it all? Check out some slashing playoff games below.

[pgn] [Event "FIDE Women's World Championship"] [Date "2018.11.11"] [White "Tokhirjonova, Gulrukhbegim"] [Black "Gunina, Valentina"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B12"] [WhiteElo "2435"] [BlackElo "2497"] [PlyCount "143"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] [WhiteTeam "Uzbekistan"] [BlackTeam "Russia"] [WhiteTeamCountry "UZB"] [BlackTeamCountry "RUS"] 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. h4 h5 5. c4 e6 6. Nc3 Ne7 7. Nge2 Nd7 8. Ng3 Bg6 9. Bg5 Qb6 10. Rc1 dxc4 11. Bxc4 O-O-O 12. Na4 Qc7 13. O-O f6 14. Be3 fxe5 15. Bxe6 Kb8 16. Qb3 exd4 17. Bxd4 Nc8 18. Rfd1 Bd6 19. Bxg7 Rhe8 20. Bh3 Bf4 21. Rxd7 Rxd7 22. Nc5 Ka8 23. Bxd7 Bxc1 24. Bxe8 Bxe8 25. Qc3 b6 26. Be5 Qe7 27. Nd3 Bh6 28. Nf5 Qe6 29. Nxh6 Qxh6 30. Qd4 Qe6 31. Bg3 Kb7 32. Qf4 c5 33. Qc7+ Ka6 34. Qxc5 bxc5 35. Nxc5+ Kb5 36. Nxe6 Bf7 37. Ng7 Nb6 38. Be5 Nc4 39. Bd4 a5 40. f3 Kc6 41. Kf2 a4 42. b3 axb3 43. axb3 Nd6 44. b4 Kb5 45. Bc5 Nc4 46. g4 hxg4 47. fxg4 Kc6 48. h5 Kd5 49. Kg3 Ke5 50. b5 Nd2 51. Ba7 Ne4+ 52. Kf3 Bd5 53. Ke3 Kf6 54. h6 Kg6 55. Nf5 Nf6 56. Kf4 Bc4 57. b6 Ba6 58. Ne7+ Kh7 59. g5 Nd7 60. Kf5 Bb7 61. Ke6 Nc5+ 62. Kf7 Ba6 63. Bb8 Bc4+ 64. Ke8 Bb5+ 65. Kd8 Ne6+ 66. Kc8 Nxg5 67. Bf4 Nf7 68. Kc7 Ba6 69. Nd5 Nh8 70. Nb4 Ng6 71. Nxa6 Nxf4 72. b7 1-0[/pgn]

[pgn] [Event "FIDE Women's World Championship"] [Date "2018.11.11"] [White "Gunina, Valentina"] [Black "Tokhirjonova, Gulrukhbegim"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E12"] [WhiteElo "2497"] [BlackElo "2435"] [PlyCount "106"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] [WhiteTeam "Russia"] [BlackTeam "Uzbekistan"] [WhiteTeamCountry "RUS"] [BlackTeamCountry "UZB"] 1. d4 e6 2. c4 b6 3. a3 Bb7 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. Qc2 d5 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. e4 Nxc3 8. bxc3 Be7 9. Nf3 O-O 10. Bd3 c5 11. h4 cxd4 12. e5 h6 13. Ng5 Qc7 14. Bd2 Qxe5+ 15. Kf1 Rd8 16. Re1 Qc7 17. Bh7+ Kf8 18. Nxf7 Qc6 19. Qg6 Qxg2+ 20. Qxg2 Bxg2+ 21. Kxg2 Kxf7 22. Be4 dxc3 23. Bxc3 Nc6 24. Bf3 Rac8 25. Bh5+ g6 26. Bg4 Rd6 27. Rh3 Rf8 28. h5 e5 29. hxg6+ Rxg6 30. f3 Bxa3 31. Kh1 Kg7 32. Bh5 Rg5 33. Bd2 Rxh5 34. Rxh5 Rxf3 35. Rg1+ Kf7 36. Rxh6 Rf6 37. Rh7+ Ke6 38. Bg5 Rg6 39. Rc7 Nd4 40. Rxa7 Nf3 41. Rg3 Rxg5 42. Rxf3 Bc5 43. Kh2 e4 44. Rh3 e3 45. Ra2 Ke5 46. Rh4 b5 47. Rc2 Bd4 48. Rc8 Bb6 49. Rb8 Bc7 50. Rb7 Bd6 51. Rh8 e2 52. Re8+ Kd4+ 53. Kh3 Re5 0-1[/pgn]

[pgn] [Event "FIDE Women's World Championship"] [Date "2018.11.11"] [White "Stefanova, Antoaneta"] [Black "Muzychuk, Anna"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D00"] [WhiteElo "2490"] [BlackElo "2564"] [PlyCount "56"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] [WhiteTeam "Bulgaria"] [BlackTeam "Ukraine"] [WhiteTeamCountry "BUL"] [BlackTeamCountry "UKR"] 1. d4 d5 2. Bf4 Nf6 3. e3 Bf5 4. c4 e6 5. Nc3 Bb4 6. Qb3 Nc6 7. a3 Bxc3+ 8. bxc3 Na5 9. Qa4+ c6 10. c5 b5 11. Qd1 Ne4 12. Rc1 g5 13. Bg3 h5 14. f3 Nxg3 15. hxg3 Nc4 16. Bxc4 bxc4 17. g4 Bd3 18. gxh5 Rb8 19. Qd2 Qa5 20. e4 f6 21. e5 Qxa3 22. exf6 Rb2 23. Qxg5 Rxg2 24. f7+ Kxf7 25. Qf4+ Kg8 26. h6 Qb2 27. Qe3 Kh7 28. Qf4 Qf2+ 0-1[/pgn]

[pgn] [Event "FIDE Women's World Championship"] [Date "2018.11.11"] [White "Galliamova, Alisa"] [Black "Lei, Tingjie"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D78"] [WhiteElo "2432"] [BlackElo "2457"] [PlyCount "116"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] [WhiteTeam "Russia"] [BlackTeam "China"] [WhiteTeamCountry "RUS"] [BlackTeamCountry "CHN"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. d4 d5 5. c4 c6 6. Qb3 O-O 7. O-O Qb6 8. Nc3 Rd8 9. Bd2 dxc4 10. Qxc4 Be6 11. Qa4 Na6 12. e4 Bg4 13. Be3 Qb4 14. Qc2 Rac8 15. a3 Qa5 16. h3 Be6 17. b4 Qc7 18. Rfd1 h6 19. Rac1 Qd7 20. Ne5 Qe8 21. Qe2 Bb3 22. Rd2 Nd7 23. f4 Nxe5 24. fxe5 Nc7 25. Rb1 Be6 26. g4 Nb5 27. Nxb5 cxb5 28. d5 Bd7 29. Bxa7 Bxe5 30. Bb6 Rc4 31. Bxd8 Qxd8 32. Rc2 Qb6+ 33. Kf1 Qf6+ 34. Kg1 Qf4 35. Rb3 Qh2+ 36. Kf2 Bd4+ 37. Kf3 g5 38. Qd3 Rxc2 39. Qxc2 Qf4+ 40. Ke2 Qf2+ 41. Kd1 Qg1+ 42. Ke2 Qxg2+ 43. Kd3 Qg1 44. Qd2 Be5 45. Kc2 Qa1 46. Rd3 Qa2+ 47. Kd1 Qb1+ 48. Ke2 Qh1 49. Rf3 Qg2+ 50. Rf2 Qxh3 51. Qd3 Bxg4+ 52. Kd2 Qxd3+ 53. Kxd3 h5 54. Ke3 f6 55. Ra2 h4 56. a4 bxa4 57. Rxa4 h3 58. Ra2 h2 0-1[/pgn]

[pgn] [Event "FIDE Women's World Championship"] [Date "2018.11.11"] [White "Abdumalik, Zhansaya"] [Black "Zawadzka, Jolanta"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B01"] [WhiteElo "2473"] [BlackElo "2407"] [PlyCount "75"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] [WhiteTeam "Kazakhstan"] [BlackTeam "Poland"] [WhiteTeamCountry "KAZ"] [BlackTeamCountry "POL"] 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qd6 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 Bg4 6. h3 Bh5 7. g4 Bg6 8. Ne5 Nbd7 9. Nc4 Qe6+ 10. Ne3 O-O-O 11. Bg2 h5 12. g5 Ne4 13. Qf3 f5 14. O-O c6 15. h4 Nxc3 16. bxc3 Nb6 17. Bh3 Qf7 18. a4 e6 19. a5 Nd5 20. Nc4 Bd6 21. Nxd6+ Rxd6 22. c4 Nc7 23. c3 Na6 24. Bf4 Rd7 25. Be5 Re8 26. Qf4 Kd8 27. c5 Qg8 28. Rfb1 Ke7 29. Rb2 Ra8 30. Rab1 Qc8 31. Bf1 Nc7 32. Rxb7 Nd5 33. Rxd7+ Qxd7 34. Qd2 f4 35. Bd3 Bxd3 36. Qxd3 Kf8 37. Qh7 Qf7 38. Rb7 1-0[/pgn]

Who's your pick to take it down? https://twitter.com/USChessWomen/status/1061753520020512768 Tune in at 5 AM ET to watch live round four games as we approach our final four. The Today in Chess broadcast: World Championship edition will also feature analysis of highlights of the Women's World Championship in Khanty-Mansiysk. The show has a new start time of 9 AM CT/10 AM ET, to coincide with the first move of Carlsen-Caruana.