A display of light and sound inaugurates the fifth leg of 2024-2025 FIDE WGP in Pune
The fifth leg of the 2024–25 FIDE Women’s Grand Prix kicked off this evening in the lush gardens of Amanora The Fern Hotel in Pune, India. Organized jointly by the Maharashtra Chess Association and the International Chess Federation (FIDE), the tournament runs from April 14 to 23 and is one of six events that will determine the two players who qualify for the Women’s Candidates Tournament. The opening ceremony began at 7:45 PM on a magnificent stage constructed specially for the event. Surrounding the ceremony, the preparations for a three-day Indian wedding added a notable sensation of joy and harmony to the event. The lively master of ceremonies, Chaitanya J. Rathi, opened the event a wonderful introduction, highlighting Pune’s status as a hub of Indian sports, notably in chess and badminton. He praised the recent successes of India’s top players and extended heartfelt thanks to the event’s sponsors. Immediately afterwards, he invited the President of the All Indian Chess Federation, Nitin Narang, to the stage, as well as all the other dignitaries and sponsors. Soon afterwards, he invited Nitin Narang, President of the All India Chess Federation, along with other dignitaries and sponsors, to the stage. After receiving traditional Pune flower bouquets, they performed the lamp-lighting ceremony—a fixture in many Indian households. The diya’s warm, glowing flame symbolizes enlightenment, prosperity, knowledge, and wisdom. The ceremony continued with traditional Indian dances and a video tribute to Lord Ganesha, the revered Hindu deity known as the remover of obstacles and the god of wisdom, good fortune, and new beginnings. The chairperson of the organizing committee, Parineeta Fuke, then took the stage. In a moving speech, she confirmed that “this event is a celebration of skill and strategy, but also a shining example of sporting excellence.” Praising all of the players, she continued: “We are proud of four of the finest Indian players competing here. You are an inspiration to countless young girls around the country.” Amidst the applauses, the attendants were treated an amazing inspirational video prepared by the Maharashtra Chess Federation, which included a screen presentation of all the players. The chief arbiter, Ivan Syrovy, representing FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, welcomed all the participants to the penultimate leg of the WGP cycle, and expressed his deep gratefulness to the Indian hosts for their warm welcome. Then it was time for the second stage act – Team Kalayan performed a classical Indian dance with fusion inspired by the game of chess, in which the audience had to decided which pieces were on display. The night’s highlight followed: the ten participating players were welcomed on stage, each receiving mementos, flowers, and the iconic Puneri Pagdi, a traditional hat symbolizing honor and pride. Nitin Narang, AICF President, reminded everybody: “The queens have always ruled the board – we celebrate today the power, creativity and brilliance of women in chess, here in India, the birthplace of the game.” The event concluded with the ceremonial first move, performed collectively by the players and dignitaries, followed by the national anthems of FIDE and India. The first round is scheduled for April 14, at 3:00 PM local time. Round 1 pairings: Munguntuul Batkhuyag – Salome MeliaZhu Jiner – Dronavalli HarikaKashlinskaya Alina – Shuvalova PolinaSalimova Nurgyul – Divya DeshmukhVaishali Rameshbabu – Koneru Humpy Written by Michael Rahal Official website: womengrandprix.fide.com/
FIDE World Cadet & Youth Rapid & Blitz Championship 2025 kicks off in Rhodes, Greece
The World Cadet & Youth Rapid & Blitz Chess Championship 2025, organized by FIDE and the Hellenic Chess Federation, has officially commenced at the Palace Hotel in Rhodes. Over 430 players, including 64 titled players from 48 countries, are participating in the rapid and blitz events. Both competitions are 11-round Swiss tournaments, played over three days for rapid and two days for blitz, respectively. The youngest participant is 6-year-old Hangeldi Muradov (rated 1479) from Turkmenistan. The open section in U18, U16, U14, U12, U10, U8 categories are led by: IM Artiom Stribuk (FID), IM Artem Uskov (FID), IM Khuong Duy Dau (VIE), Bassam El Zein (FRA), Xuan Phuong Nguyen (VIE) and Adinur Adilbek (KAZ), respectfully. Top seeds U18, U16, U14, U12, U10, U8 in the Girls section are: WFM Kseniya Norman (FID), FM Iren Lyutsinger (FID), WFM Aiaru Altynbek (KAZ), WCM Alisa Genrietta Yunker (FID), WCM Sharvaanica, A S (IND), Anna Charyyeva (TKM). The event opened with a technical meeting led by Chief Arbiter IA Marco Biagioli, followed by the opening ceremony hosted by IA Marco Biagioli, Ozgur Solakoglu (FIDE Delegate and Appeals Committee Member), and Theodoros Tsorbatzoglou (ECU Secretary General and Chief of the Appeals Committee). Stay tuned for the news from the FIDE World Cadet & Youth Rapid and Blitz Championships 2025. Live broadcasts are available on Chess.com. Results can be found on Chess-Results.com. Official website: wcyrb2025.com/ Photos: Mark Livshitz
Game 7 turns dramatic: Ju Wenjun capitalizes to lead 5-2
After a two-day break, the FIDE Women’s World Championship Match resumed with Game 7 in its second host city, Chongqing—and what a dramatic game it was. It looked as though Tan Zhongyi was on track to repeat her 2018 feat by claiming victory in the first game of the second half, but under immense time pressure, she first allowed her advantage to slip into equality and then made a critical error that left her in a completely lost position. Ju Wenjun converted with precision, extending her lead in the match to 5–2. The ceremonial first moves were made by Xu Yuhua, General Secretary of the Chinese Chess Association (and, of course, the 11th Women’s World Chess Champion), and Wu Hui, Member of the Standing Committee of the Chongqing Fuling District Committee. The moment before the game began was tense. As the 60-second timer on the clock counted down, the hall fell completely silent. Both players were locked in deep focus, their eyes fixed on the board. One could almost feel the pressure in the air. While both players face the shared weight of a World Championship match, their circumstances differ greatly. Tan Zhongyi, the challenger, began the second half trailing by two points—a significant deficit that will require her to take risks in the remaining games to try and level the score. Ju Wenjun, the reigning World Champion, holds the lead, but also bears the pressure of maintaining it. We’ve now left her home turf, which seemed to favor her, so the question becomes: Can she keep up her momentum on Tan’s home ground? Of the first six games, four ended decisively—a rare occurrence at the World Championship level. And with so much at stake for both players, that trend of decisive results may well continue. Once again, the opening was a Sicilian—in fact, every game with Ju as White and Tan as Black has featured the Sicilian, while every game with the reverse colors has seen an English Opening. Though this repetition might seem monotonous, the variations have been different. In today’s game, we saw a Rossolimo, setting the stage for an imbalanced, fighting battle. Both players appeared well-prepared, with Ju achieving another Maroczy Bind setup, her pawns on e4 and c4. Tan responded confidently, blitzing out moves from a line previously played by her second, Jeffrey Xiong, against Wesley So in 2020. While Xiong lost that game with the Black pieces, Tan deviated with 9…Be7 instead of 9…Bc4. Interestingly, neither player was aware of that earlier game. Overall, Tan has shown superior opening preparation throughout the match, and today was no exception—until Ju steered the game out of theory and into uncharted territory. An interesting observation: Tan spent more time in the opening than in any of the previous games. In the post-game press conference, she admitted this was a deliberate attempt to find variations that would give her winning chances right from the opening. Ironically, that approach eventually led to the fateful time trouble. Still, it was Black who seemed more comfortable, maintaining an edge through much of the opening and middlegame. She even secured an extra pawn, and with the bishop pair on the board, her position looked promising. However, failing to capitalize on key moments, Tan eventually allowed the position to equalize, until, under time pressure, she committed the most critical error of the game: Black had multiple options in this position, such as 35…Kg7 and 35…Rb4, and needed to realize that the c6-pawn could not be protected due to …Bb7, activating her worst-placed piece. Instead, Tan erred by first playing 35…Bb7?, stubbornly holding onto the pawn. This was met with 36.Bc5!, forcing the dark-squared bishops trade; otherwise, White’s knight would jump to d6. After 36…Bxc5 37.Nxc5, the tables turned and White now had a monster knight versus a miserable bishop. Tan could have tried to resist with the 37…a4 push, but this opportunity was missed. Instead her bishop became locked up on a8, with the key effectively thrown away. White soon collected the h-pawn, then the a-pawn, and played the remainder of the game essentially a piece up due to Black’s bad bishop. This game was expected to unfold differently—even this report was originally written with a focus on positional nuances and critical decisions from both sides. But ultimately, Tan’s 35…Bb7 became the game’s defining moment. Despite playing well and gaining an advantage with the Black pieces, that one move overshadowed everything else. In chess, it’s often said that the loser is the one who makes the last mistake, and today, that was Tan Zhongyi. Ju Wenjun now leads the match 5-2 and needs only 1.5 points from the remaining five games to retain her title. Game 8 will take place tomorrow, April 14, at 15:00 local time, with Tan Zhongyi having the white pieces. FACT SHEET, Game 7, FIDE Women’s World Championship 2025: White: Ju WenjunBlack: Tan ZhongyiResult: 1-0Opening: Sicilian RossolimoGame length: 47 movesMatch score: 5-2 (in favour of Ju Wenjun) Follow FIDE’s social media channels for updates, tune into YouTube for live commentary and coverage, and visit the official match website for more information. Written by Charlize van Zyl Photos: Anna Shtourman Official website: womenworldchampionship2025.fide.com/ About the Match The 2025 FIDE Women’s World Chess Championship match between Ju Wenjun and Tan Zhongyi follows a 12-game format. The first player to score 6.5 points will be declared the winner. The time control for each game is 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with an increment of 30 seconds per move starting from move 1. If the match is tied at 6-6 after all 12 games, a tiebreak will determine the champion. The tiebreak procedure involves a series of rapid and, if necessary, blitz games to ensure a decisive outcome.