FIDE WGP Monaco R02: Positional battles on all boards
The second round of the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix featured tense positional battles across the boards, with most games concluding in calm draws. However, a dramatic turn of events unfolded in the game between Sarasadat Khademalsharieh and Harika Dronavalli, where a single blunder cost Black a crucial half-point. As this is still the early phase of the tournament and the first major FIDE event of the year, players are gradually finding their footing in the intense competition. Despite this, today’s round showcased exciting chess, unpredictable moments, and hard-fought games. Aleksandra Goryachkina – Alexandra Kosteniuk: ½-½ After suffering losses in the first round, both players entered this game under pressure, as a second defeat could significantly impact their confidence. Determined to improve on her previous game, Kosteniuk came well-prepared in a French Winawer, blitzing out her opening moves and entering a position she had previously played with White. However, Goryachkina deviated from known theory by move 10, leading to an imbalanced position with White saddled with doubled isolated pawns on the queenside. This structural weakness was compensated by a safe king and active piece play. After sacrificing a pawn, which was soon returned, White suddenly seized the initiative and launched a dangerous attack. At this moment, White needed to undermine Black’s pawn structure with 26.c4, but instead, 26.Re5 was played. This allowed Black to neutralize all danger by simplifying into a rook-and-pawn endgame. Despite White’s continued efforts, the game ended in a draw after 69 moves. Zhongyi Tan – Batkhuyag Munguntuul: ½-½ An intense battle filled with sacrifices unfolded in the game between Zhongyi Tan and Batkhuyag Munguntuul. The players tested a solid King’s Indian Attack in the Keres Variation, which gradually evolved into a strategic battle. After sacrificing a pawn, Tan demonstrated excellent piece maneuvering, obtaining a dominant position with a decisive material advantage. With two pawns up, White’s victory seemed inevitable, but an error in judgment cost her dearly. Munguntuul seized the opportunity to equalize immediately. Here, White had two good options, 44.Ng7 and less strong 44.f5, both maintaining the winning edge. Instead, 44.Nc7? allowed 44…Kd7, forcing White to give up the knight. With Black’s knight counterbalancing White’s three extra pawns, the game was eventually drawn on move 68. Humpy Koneru – Elisabeth Paehtz: ½-½ Elite round-robin tournaments often feature long-standing rivalries, and this was the case for Humpy Koneru and Elisabeth Paehtz, who have faced each other numerous times. Humpy entered the round with a slim historical edge (+1). Paehtz, playing Black, opted for a rare line of the Queen’s Gambit Accepted instead of her more usual King’s Indian. Playing with confidence, the German GM solved all her opening problems and then grabbed the initiative in the ending. Although Black dictated play for most of the game, precise conversion was required to capitalize on the advantage. Humpy defended resourcefully, simplifying the position and steering the game toward a draw. Sarasadat Khademalsharieh – Harika Dronavalli: 1-0 One decisive mistake, played with just 30 seconds left on the clock, determined the outcome of today’s clash between Sarasadat Khademalsharieh and Harika Dronavalli. The game was predominantly a positional battle, which appeared to be heading for a draw. However, Sara held a practical advantage—more time on the clock in an equal but tricky position, with a rook and bishop against a rook and knight. Despite being a pawn down, White had a dangerous passed pawn on the a-file that would eventually secure victory. Here, Black had multiple defensive resources, including the simple 38…Rxa7, neutralizing White’s threats. Instead, Dronavalli hurriedly played 38…Nxe5??, allowing 39.Rd8+!, forcing immediate resignation. Black was compelled to capture the rook, after which White’s pawn would promote unhindered. This unfortunate second consecutive loss for Dronavalli means the next round will be crucial for her to reverse the trend. Fortunately, the tournament is still in its early stages, leaving ample opportunity for a comeback. Kateryna Lagno – Bibisara Assaubayeva: ½-½ The encounter between the experienced Lagno and the young Grand Prix leader Assaubayeva featured a King’s Indian Defense, known for its dynamic and complex positions. However, Black misplayed early by advancing her f-pawn prematurely—an idea common in the KID but ill-timed in this instance. Lagno however, shifted focus to the queenside but lost her earlier advantage with a premature b3-b4 push. With multiple trades simplifying the position, the game reached a dead-drawn endgame featuring opposite-colored bishops, concluding in a natural draw. The third round of the Women’s Grand Prix continues with players looking to solidify their positions in the standings. Will Harika Dronavalli bounce back from two losses? Can Sarasadat Khademalsharieh continue her strong form? Stay tuned for more high-level action. Standings after Round 2: 1-4. Humpy Koneru, Kateryna Lagno, Sarasadat Khademalsharieh and Batkhuyag Munguntuul – 1.5; 5-7. Bibisara Assaubayeva, Elisabeth Paehtz and Tan Zhongyi – 1; 8-9. Alexandra Kosteniuk and Aleksandra Goryachkina – 0.5; 10. Harika Dronavalli – 0. Round 3 pairings and dates The third round of the third leg in the 2024/25 Women’s Grand Prix series starts on Thursday, February 20th at 15:00 CET local time in Monte-Carlo, Monaco. Round 3 pairings: Bibisara Assaubayeva – Aleksandra GoryachkinaHarika Dronavalli – Kateryna LagnoElisabeth Paehtz – Sarasadat KhademalshariehBatkhuyag Munguntuul – Humpy KoneruAlexandra Kosteniuk – Tan Zhongyi More information about the event, including the regulations and details of the pairings, as well as live games can be found on the official website: womengrandprix.fide.com. You can follow the games live and watch the action with our wonderful commentators GM Alojzije Jankovic & IM Almira Skripchenko on YouTube. Written by Charlize van Zyl Photos: Niki Riga
FIDE World Senior Championship 2025: Registration now open
All FIDE member federations are invited to participate in the 2025 World Senior Individual Chess Championships, which will take place in Gallipoli, Puglia, Italy, from October 20 (arrival) to November 2 (departure). The championships will feature four categories: Open and Women’s sections for 50+ and 65+ age groups. Players must have reached the respective age of 50 or 65 by December 31, 2025. The top three players from each category of the previous World Senior Championships have a personal right to participate. Additionally, the top three players from each category of the previous year’s Continental Senior Individual Championships are also qualified. Their places cannot be substituted. The total prize fund for all categories is €43,000. The registration deadline is September 1, 2025. As part of the event, several side activities will be organized, including two FIDE-rated blitz tournaments. Invitation letter, regulations, accommodation, prizes (PDF) The official website for the FIDE World Senior Chess Championships will be launched soon: worldsenior2025.fide.com E-mail: worldsenior@fide.com
Three victories mark Round 1 of FIDE Women’s Grand Prix in Monaco
Sparks flew across all five boards in the first round of the third leg of the Women’s Grand Prix in Monaco, with three players—Kateryna Lagno, Humpy Koneru, and Batkhuyag Munguntuul—emerging victorious. Their strong performances set the tone for what promises to be a fiercely competitive event. The third leg of the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2024-25 kicked off at 15:00in the elegant Novotel Monte-Carlo. This event is one of the strongest in the series, with titans of women’s chess battling it out – including leg 2 winner Aleksandra Goryachkina, and the overall leader in the standings, Bibisara Assaubayeva. Unsurprisingly, the level of play in the first round was noted by commentators GM Alojzije Jankovic & IM Almira Skripchenko as being “extremely high” with complex position emerging across all five boards. Time trouble became a common thread throughout the games, where blunders were made in critical positions, leading to upsets and three decisive outcomes. Let’s take a closer look. Round 1 results: Kateryna Lagno 1-0 Aleksandra GoryachkinaBibisara Assaubayeva 1/2-1/2 Sarasadat KhademalshariehHarika Dronavalli 0-1 Humpy KoneruElisabeth Paehtz 1/2-1/2 Zhongyi TanBatkhuyag Munguntuul 1-0 Alexandra Kosteniuk Kateryna Lagno 1-0 Aleksandra Goryachkina Fresh off her undefeated victory in the second leg of the Grand Prix in Shymkent, Goryachkina entered the event as a tournament favorite. However, her opponent, Kateryna Lagno, came out swinging right off the bat and played a brilliant game, outplaying her opponent to score a full point. Lagno was well-prepared in a Two Knight Defense sideline, putting Black in a 30minute time deficit by move 8. Despite not seeming too comfortable out of the opening, Goryachkina held her own, navigating through unchartered waters. By move 12, multiple exchanges, including that of the queens, had taken place, leaving Black with an isolated e-pawn and slightly inferior position. Nevertheless, the few pieces on the board did not mean that play was over, in fact, a positional battle ensued which revolved around Black’s weak pawn structure. Eventually, White obtained an advantage thanks to her more active rooks, but this quickly subsided as Black managed to steady her position to reach equality. But then, as we saw a few times this round, Goryachkina fell victim to time trouble and erred on move 39 – playing a seemingly practical move capturing White’s f-pawn when it was important to instead find a clever maneuver – something that could easily be overlooked in time trouble. Lagno capitalized on this mistake and executed the endgame flawlessly, taking down the tournament favorite. Bibisara Assaubayeva 1/2-1/2 Sarasadat Khademalsharieh As the current leader of the Grand Prix standings, Bibisara has the toughest task in this event – to extend her lead as much as possible, as this is her third and final leg. Her first game against Spain’s Sara Khadem started as a timid English, which quickly departed from known theory after move 9. In a joint interview, both players admitted that they were unsure about the opening, where Bibisara expressed dissatisfaction with her play. Staying true to her style, Assaubayeva created an imbalanced position which gave Black a slight advantage according to the engine, but practically it was not easy to navigate but rather quite scary in fact. Both players made a few dubious decisions, which led to a complicated position where Black held a sizable advantage. But after an incorrect trade in which she exchanged her strongest piece the light-squared bishop for the knight, Black lost the advantage and after multiple trades, the game ended in a draw. The result could have been better for both players, particularly for Sara, as she lost the opportunity to take down a very strong opponent. However, she remained in high spirits it was a day of celebration as her son, who is with her in Monaco, turned three today! Harika Dronavalli 0-1 Humpy Koneru The all-India clash was one of the most exciting boards to watch, with both players coming off their incredible 2024 successes surely full of confidence. Harika was part of the gold-medal-winning Indian team at the 2024 Chess Olympiad, and this is her first leg in the WGP series. Her compatriot, Humpy, on the other hand, ended off the year by winning the FIDE Women’s Rapid World Championship. Humpy has been a fixture in the WGP series, winning gold and silver in various legs. The game started as a Four Knights Ruy Lopez and all seemed calm for the most part, particularly after multiple trades steering the game to a balanced endgame. But Harika was clearly pushing, even refusing a three-fold repetition, finding herself in a position with an isolated e-passer and more piece activity. Both players were playing with minutes left in their clock as they approached move 40, but interestingly, it was on the 41st move that Harika opted for the incorrect plan after spending 13 minutes. In the situation of coming out of a time scramble, it is often difficult to compose one’s thoughts and remain calm. The advice is usually to relax after the additional time is granted and to take time to reassess the position. But there is always a danger of spending too much time on a move, which could lead to clouded thought and misjudgments. Perhaps this was Harika’s case, as Humpy grabbed a sizable advantage. This advantage soon dissipated as Humpy opted for a passive continuation instead of pushing for attack with her active rooks, king blocking White’s passer and pawn majority on the kingside. Both players found themselves in time trouble again, exchanging inaccuracies, though it was Black who held the superior position. Harika, likely believing in her position with the passed pawn, once again refused a repetition – a critical error that Humpy responded to by finding the correct plan and eventually picking up White’s passer. After five hours of play, Humpy finally emerged victorious. Elisabeth Paehtz 1/2-1/2 Tan Zhongyi The first Petroff of the day was seen on board 4, quickly becoming a dynamic game after opposite-sides castling. White opted for a structure in which Black had an isolated