Pairings are up for the first round of the Women's World Chess Championship to be held in Kanty-Mansiysk, Siberia, from  November 9-December 3. Three Americans made the field of 64 invitees. Here are their first round pairings:
 
IM Anna Zatonskih (2489, USA) vs. IM Carolina Lujan (2369, Argentina)
IM Irina Krush (2470, USA) vs. IM Ruofan Li (2394, Singapore)
GM Alexandra Kosteniuk (2501, Russia) vs. WGM Tatev Abrahamyan (2304, USA)
 
In case you're wondering, they are not pairing by splitting the field in half and then playing the top half vs the bottom half in rating order, like a USCF tournament does. If they did that, you would get #1 vs. #33, #2 vs. #34, etc. They are pairing more like the draw in a tennis tournament, so that you get #1 vs. #64, #2 vs. #63, etc.
 
Zatonskih and Krush will be favored to win round one. Abrahamyan obviously will have a tough test in the former Women's World Champion. Any of the three who win figure to be paired up in round two. Krush and Zatonskih are both in the top half of the field (Anna is seeded #18, Irina #23), but neither is in the top quarter. Should Abrahamyan somehow get by Kosteniuk she will most likely be the lowest rated player left in the field. Good luck to all three.

-Scott Parker