The penultimate round of the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix in Monaco delivered a dramatic spectacle, with four out of five games ending decisively. Goryachkina, Tan, Munguntuul, and Harika all scored victories, setting the stage for a thrilling final round. Three players now share the tournament lead, ensuring an exciting finish.
On a lighter note, Bibisara Assaubayeva celebrated her 21st birthday today, receiving chocolates and flowers from the organizers as a thoughtful gift before her game.
Virginie Cotta, the General Secretary of Société des Bains de Mer, made the ceremonial first move on her board. Also present today was the Berezovsky chess family—mother Svetlana and daughter Fiorina—who represented Monaco at the FIDE Olympiad last year. It was a pleasure to catch up with them at the event.
As the tournament nears its conclusion, fatigue is naturally setting in. Some players opted to conserve their energy, while others fought fiercely for every point. As always, the round featured high-level chess and intense battles across the boards.
Round 8 results:
Aleksandra Goryachkina 1-0 Sarasadat Khademalsharieh
Kateryna Lagno 1/2-1/2 Humpy Koneru
Bibisara Assaubayeva 0-1 Zhongyi Tan
Harika Dronavalli 1-0 Alexandra Kosteniuk
Elisabeth Paehtz 0-1 Batkhuyag Munguntuul
Aleksandra Goryachkina – Sarasadat Khademalsharieh
As often happens towards the end of a tournament, fatigue took its toll on Khadem, who suffered her third consecutive loss. Sarasadat played somewhat passively again, though she still sought to create counterplay, staying true to her fighting spirit. Goryachkina, however, capitalized on her opponent’s weaknesses and demonstrated her trademark consistency, even in the latter stages of the event.
Emerging from a closed Ruy Lopez, the game was slow and positional—an environment in which Goryachkina has thrived throughout the tournament. White built up a comfortable position and gradually improved her pieces as Black struggled to generate play. Khadem’s game unraveled as she allowed unnecessary activity, dropped a pawn without compensation, and overlooked tactical nuances, ultimately ceding full control. In a completely lost position, she resigned on move 50.
With this victory, Goryachkina joins Lagno and Munguntuul in the lead, setting up a high-stakes final-round encounter against the latter.
Kateryna Lagno – Humpy Koneru
After a grueling six-hour battle against Zhongyi Tan in the previous round, Lagno opted for a quick draw against Humpy Koneru. Leading the standings by half a point, with Koneru trailing just behind, the decision was pragmatic as she looks to maintain her position heading into the final round.
Bibisara Assaubayeva – Tan Zhongyi
Unfortunately for Assaubayeva, Tan had no birthday presents to offer over the board. Playing a closed Ruy Lopez, White made a few questionable decisions, allowing Black to dictate the pace of the game. Despite occasional chances to escape, Assaubayeva remained on the back foot, and Tan secured a commanding advantage.
The game reached a critical moment after 37…Nxg2, where White’s best option was the dynamic 38.Qxg2 f4 39.Rxe5 Rxe5 40.Rxe5 Rxg3, followed by sacrificing the queen with 41.Rxd5. This would have given White practical chances in a queen vs. rook-and-knight endgame.
Instead, White captured on e5 immediately, allowing 38…Nxe1, after which the position was completely lost. The game concluded with 39.Rxd5 Kg8 40.Nxf5 Qa8—Black’s queen attacking the rook and the threat 41…Qa2+ sealed White’s fate.
Harika Dronavalli – Alexandra Kosteniuk
Dronavalli has steadily regained confidence after her rocky start, and today she finally notched her first win of the event.
The game, a King’s Indian Attack with both sides fianchettoing on the kingside, quickly turned sharp as White aggressively advanced on the queenside. The players reached a middlegame with opposite-colored bishops, where White had a far-advanced but isolated c-pawn.
Kosteniuk faced an important decision here. A retreat with 25…Bb6 was the safer choice, but she opted for the more natural 25…e5, which, while seemingly strengthening the bishop, but slightly exposed her king exposed. The situation worsened for Black after the pseudo-active 26…f5, opening position even more.
A decisive moment came when Kosteniuk moved her king forward 28…Kf6? only to retreat immediately after 29.Bd5 Kg7. Again after the reserved 29…Bb6 Black would have been just slightly worse. Not only did this misstep cost Alexandra a couple of tempi, but she also spent 10 minutes deliberating over the move, leaving herself in time trouble.
As played, Dronavalli seized the moment with the spectacular 30.Rxd4!, a thematic sacrifice exploiting Black’s open king. White continued with precise play, dismantling Black’s kingside defenses and clinching a much-needed victory.
Elisabeth Paehtz – Batkhuyag Munguntuul
This was undoubtedly the game of the round, as underdog Munguntuul struck at a crucial moment to join the leaders.
The game, a Semi-Slav, quickly veered off mainline theory, and Paehtz initially seemed to have the upper hand with an active position and a dominant outpost knight on d6.
The tide shifted when Paehtz played 27.Ne4 (27.Rd1 was a more natural and stronger option), allowing Black’s rook to establish itself on d5, equalizing. After 28.a5 Munguntuul upset the balance with an interesting practical sacrifice 28…Bxe5! The engines may not fully agree with this move but it presented White with some problems.
Paehtz’s biggest mistake came here. White needed to play 33.Rg1 to ensure back-rank safety, but instead, she played 33.Re1? allowing 33…Qc3! After 34.Qxc3 bxc3 35.Rec1 c2 36.h3, it was too late, and 36…Rd1 sealed her fate.
Though Paehtz briefly created counterplay with a passed a-pawn, Munguntuul remained composed, converting her kingside pawn two-pawn advantage into a well-earned victory. This incredible performance places her among the tournament leaders—an impressive feat in what is shaping up to be the best event of her career.
With three players—Lagno, Goryachkina, and Munguntuul—now sharing the lead, the final round of the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix in Monte-Carlo promises a dramatic showdown. Don’t miss the action—tune in for the final round and witness history unfold!
Standings after Round 8:
Kateryna Lagno – 5
Batkhuyag Munguntuul – 5
Aleksandra Goryachkina – 5
Humpy Koneru – 4.5
Tan Zhongyi – 4.5
Alexandra Kosteniuk – 3.5
Harika Dronavalli – 3.5
Bibisara Assaubayeva – 3
Sarasadat Khademalsharieh – 3
Elisabeth Paehtz – 3
Round 9 pairings and dates
The ninth and final round of the third leg in the 2024/25 Women’s Grand Prix series starts on Thursday, February 27th at 15:00 CET local time in Monte-Carlo, Monaco.
Round 9 pairings:
Batkhuyag Munguntuul – Aleksandra Goryachkina
Alexandra Kosteniuk – Elisabeth Paehtz
Tan Zhongyi – Harika Dronavalli
Humpy Koneru – Bibisara Assaubayeva
Sarasadat Khademalsharieh – Kateryna Lagno
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
