The unexpected final of two lower-seeded players led to questions regarding whether a single-match knock-out system is the best way to determine the world champion.

Players were seeded by their Elo ratings (November 2012 list),[5] except that defending champion Hou Yifan was the no.

[6] The number one woman in the world, Judit Polgár, has never competed for the women's title and did not enter this time either.

Other notable absentees were: women's number six Nana Dzagnidze, 2010 finalist Ruan Lufei, and ex-champion Maia Chiburdanidze (inactive).

Coverage was provided in low and high definition with Grand Master commentary in three languages: English, Russian and for the first time Chinese.

Anna Ushenina won the title, beating 2004 Women's World Chess champion Stefanova.