Humpy Koneru defeats Zhu Jiner, leads WGP India with two rounds to go
What a round! Excitement until the end, two decisive outcomes which have completely turned around the tournament standings, and just to top it all off—a rook and bishop vs. queen positional fortress. In a fantastic positional game, Humpy Koneru, India’s best female player in history, defeated Zhu Jiner and now leads the WGP with only two rounds to go. With games still remaining against Kashlinskaya and Salimova, it’s too early to celebrate—but she couldn’t have asked for a better situation. Meanwhile, with her crushing win over Muntunguul, Divya closed in and will have a shot for the top spot if she can to defeat Zhu Jiner in tomorrow’s game. The other three games ended in draws but not without multiple ups-and-downs. Vaishali and Alina got involved in a tactical melee in time trouble, Salimova did her best to grind down a win against a weak d-pawn without success, while Polina and Harika played a perfect 98% accuracy game. Let’s take a closer look at this afternoon’s games. Humpy Koneru 1 – 0 Zhu Jiner The ceremonial first move was performed by Mr.Harnish Raja, a prominent businessman from Pune and father of GM Harshit Raja. He played 1.c4 after Humpy indicated the move in her key game against Zhu Jiner. However, Humpy subsequently took back the pawn and opened with 1.d4! This amazing clash of styles was definitely the game of the day, and possibly even of the tournament. Trailing Zhu Jiner by half a point and playing with the white pieces, Humpy’s game plan was quite clear: solid chess, aim for a small opening advantage, and try to grind her down. Humpy was surprised in the opening: “Today she completely surprised me with the Queen’s Indian and I think I misplayed the opening with 12.Bf4 – I should have probably played 12.Rc2 and get the bishop to c1 directly.” But she pushed forward, slowly increasing her positional advantage – a totally different game than the one she played yesterday with Black. By dominating the c-file, she eventually claimed control of the c6 square and landed her knight there. Under heavy pressure, Zhu Jiner crumbled and blundered a piece in a long tactical sequence. With regard to her tournament and Grand Prix situation, Humpy didn’t want to get ahead of herself: “I just play my game and whatever happens, happens,” she said after the game. Once again, Humpy joined us in the press centre to explain her thoughts during the game. A must-watch video! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOPs3Tbz8nE Divya Deshmukh 1 – 0 Munguntuul Batkhuyag Divya scored a crushing win over Munguntuul in the quiet 4.e3 variation against the Slav. She followed up with the trendy 6.Nh4 line, aiming to get an open position with opposite-side castled kings plus the bishop pair. According to my database, Munguntuul’s 13…Rc8 (played after seven minutes of thinking time) is too slow – 13…a6 is the preferred move by GMs, with many elite games played in this line. Divya immediately launched a pawn storm on the kingside, combined with a second pawn front in the centre, pouncing on Munguntuul’s king. Things were looking very bleak for the number one female player from Mongolia at that point. Moment of the day Despite her knight being under attack, Divya went for the amazing 20.h6! sacrificing a full piece. Engines already suggest that the position is completely winning for White. Additionally, Munguntuul was running low on time, in a very difficult position to defend. There was no escape for Black – Divya played the best moves in the position, notched up the win, and joined Press Officer Michael Rahal in the media center for an interesting post-game interview, in which she discussed the main ideas of the game and speculated on tomorrow’s decisive match-up. “My score with Zhu Jiner is not that good, the last two games I have lost, but there is always time to turn it around,” Divya finished her interview on a positive note. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIBoKzaY3Ng Vaishali Rameshbabu 0.5 – 0.5 Alina Kashlinskaya While Divya played the aggressive 6.Nh4 line in the Slav defence, her Olympic team colleague Vaishali preferred something a bit slower, albeit very solid setup, based on a quick exchange of light-squared bishops. Going into the middlegame, Vaishali started pushing on the queenside and Kashlinskaya counterattacked in the centre. For more than fifteen moves they followed a 2009 game between GM’s Ilincic and Balogh, which ended in a draw. Around move twenty, although the position was symmetrical and with total equality, Vaishali started to get into serious time-trouble. Kashlinskaya sacrificed a pawn for great compensation and approaching the time control won in her opponent’s queen in exchange for a rook, a bishop and a pawn. Although the game went on for quite a few moves, the final result was very clear as White built an unbreakable fortress. Polina Shuvalova 0.5 – 0.5 Harika Dronavalli For this important game, Harika chose the ultra-solid Petroff defence. As usual, Shuvalova came to the game with excellent opening preparation, based on a couple of 2023 GM games. With a timely positional pawn sacrifice, Harika took control over the light squares, trade of major pieces and secured a comfortable draw in an opposite-side coloured bishop ending. Nurgyul Salimova 0.5 – 0.5 Salome Melia This was a high-quality game by both players, with both clocking an impressive 97.6% accuracy. Salimova had the upper hand most of the game, basically because of a constant pressure on her opponent’s isolated d-pawn. However, despite Nurgyul’s efforts, Salome’s accurate defense forced the Bulgarian to admit the equality on the position. The game was drawn on move fifty-seven. Round eight dates and pairings The eighth round of the fifth leg of the 2024/25 Women’s Grand Prix series will take place on Tuesday, April 22, at 15:00 CET local time in Pune, India. These are the pairings: Nurgyul Salimova – Salome Melia Vaishali Rameshbabu – Alina Kashlinskaya Humpy Koneru – Zhu JinerDivya Deshmukh – Munguntuul BatkhuyagPolina Shuvalova – Harika Dronavalli More information about the event, including the
Mexico to host the first Chess for Freedom Workshop and Continental Championship for Americas
The 2025 Chess for Freedom Workshop and Continental Chess Championship for Americas, organized by FIDE and Mexico Chess Federation, are scheduled to take place from May 14-18, 2025, in Mexico. The event will bring together leaders and experts from the continent to share their experiences and strategies for leveraging chess as a powerful tool for rehabilitation in correctional facilities. Attendees will have the unique opportunity to learn from diverse international perspectives. Guests and speakers of the event: Dana Reizniece, Deputy Chair of the Management Board Mikhail Korenman, Chess for Freedom project leader, Council of FIDE Social Commission Lic. Nahúm Román Mendoza Roldán, General Coordinator of Criminal Enforcement and Social Reintegration as a representative of the federal government Mr. Mukesh Ranjan Das, Indian Oil Executive Director (HR) José Carrillo Pujol, President of the Confederation of Chess for Americas Jose Manuel Barradas, the Mexico Chess Federation Others CCA’ participants from the Continent – to be registered until May 5. Attendees will discuss concepts of teaching chess to incarcerated people. Experts will share information about their national initiatives and approaches to teaching chess in prisons. Topics for workshop: Discussion on the impact of chess on inmate behavior Use of chess as a positive force for change within the prison system How to teach and implement chess programs Continental online chess championships Internet security for implement chess in correctional institutions Overview that can be implemented for individuals in custody Brief overview of existing research regarding Chess for Freedom project Corporative sponsorship for Chess for Freedom project presented by Indian Oil Executive Director (HR) Mr. Mukesh Ranjan Das In addition, participants of the workshop will visit the State Prison in Aguascalientes to watch the Continental championship matches for the American continent. Schedule of the event: May 14/15 – arrival of the participants. May 15 – Workshop training session – FIDE presentation about the Chess for Freedom project – Mexico presentation about the Chess for Freedom project in Mexico – Presentations by the invited guests sharing their experience. National Federations from Americas Continent are invited May 16 – visit to the State Prison in Aguascalientes In prison: Open dialog with the prison officials how to set up online participation from the prison. How chess program helps inmates. What are the benefits of teaching chess for the prison. In hotel: Open discussion with all participants on the implementation of the Chess for Freedom program and how to assist new countries to start the project. May 17 – Free day May 18 – departure of all participants To register, please contact Jose Baradas: barraditas@gmail.com The official hotel for the Chess for Freedom Workshop in Mexico is Hotel del Prado https://maps.app.goo.gl/kPmbjnWGdUQwXnqz6?g_st=aw
2025 Danish Championship: Jesper Thybo claims maiden title
Jesper Thybo emerged victorious at the 2025 Danish Championship, securing the gold medal with a round to spare. For many years, the coveted national title had eluded the talented 26-year-old grandmaster—he was runner-up in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024—but in 2025, Jesper finally got the monkey off his back. The 2025 Danish Championship (Masters), a 10-player round-robin tournament with classical time control, took place from April 9–17 in Svendborg, a small town that has hosted the event for nine consecutive years. This year, the Danish Chess Union placed extra emphasis on fair play. President Poul Jacobse stressed that no player should leave with a sense of injustice. There was heightened monitoring of player movement in and out of the playing hall. Jesper Thybo seized the lead in Round 4 and remained unstoppable thereafter. He finished with five consecutive victories, scoring an impressive 8 out of 9. IM Filip Boe Olsen (pictured below, right) finished 1.5 points behind Thybo, falling just half a point short of earning a GM norm. The 2022 champion, IM Martin Haubro, completed the podium with 6/9. Final standings: 1. GM Jesper Søndergaard Thybo – 8/92. IM Filip Boe Olsen – 6½3. IM Martin Haubro – 6 4. GM Sune Berg Hansen – 55. GM Bjørn Møller Ochsner – 4½6. IM Nicolai Kistrup – 47. IM Martin Percivaldi – 3½8–9. FM Viktor Haarmark Nielsen – 38–9. IM Kim Pilgaard – 310. FM Jeppe Hald Falkesgaard – 1½ Photos: Thomas Vestergård Official website: nyheder.skak.dk/