The first round of the Pune Women’s Grand Prix was one of the most exciting afternoons of chess I have ever witnessed, with four of the five games ending in a decisive result.
As if this alone weren’t enough to make the entire chess community stop in its tracks and follow the games, a wedding in the gardens of the hotel added a spicy touch to the event.
Indian weddings are vibrant celebrations, often spanning several days and featuring a variety of rituals and ceremonies rooted in tradition and cultural significance. These typically include pre-wedding events, the main ceremony, and post-wedding festivities—dances, music, and a lot of food—which, unfortunately, collided with the end of the round.
At one point, due to the loud music, Chief Arbiter Ivan Syrovy, ably assisted by Deputy Arbiter Deepti Shidore, decided to suspend the games for about ten minutes. All the players took it well, although some certainly struggled to stay focused.
The ceremonial first moves were performed in the game between Munguntuul Batkhuyag and Salome Melia. Aditya Deshpande, Director of City Corporation—the company that manages the Amanora The Fern complex—opened the game for White, while Dr. Parineeta Fuke, Chairperson of the Organising Committee, responded for Black.
Let’s take a closer look at the five games.
Zhu Jiner 1-0 Harika Dronavalli
In the past, most of the games between these two players had ended in draws. Harika tried to surprise her opponent in a very rare side-line of the French defence, and lead her into an unknown position.
But Zhu Jiner was up to the challenge. “I wasn’t sure in the opening but she played very solid. She made some mistakes in the middlegame and gave me some chances to win,” said the Chinese GM after the game.
Indeed, it was a very tricky situation but most likely 26…gxh5 instead of the correct 26…Qd7 was the decisive mistake, allowing Zhu Jiner to crash through.
“Harika is a very solid player. We have played many times and it’s always a draw, so I am happy to have won the first game,” Zhu Jiner concluded in her post-game interview.
Alina Kashlinskaya 0-1 Polina Shuvalova
After a hiatus from the WGP cycle, Polina Shuvalova returned with a great first round result, defeating Alina Kashlinskaya and notching up her first win towards what might be her second GM norm.
“I had to cancel some other tournaments to come here (Shuvalova replaces Kateryna Lagno in Pune) but it’s a great opportunity to play a strong tournament with good prizes,” were her first words after the game.
Although the middlegame proved very tense, Shuvalova kept her calm and finished off her opponent with a simple but effective sacrifice to promote her passed c-pawn.
“I was definitely having some trouble out of the opening, but my opponent missed her chance to consolidate an advantage. Approaching time trouble, she made a decisive mistake that gave me excellent chances to win the game,” explained Shuvalova in her post-game interview.
Vaishali Rameshbabu ½-½ Humpy Koneru
Due to fair play reasons, players from the same federation are paired in the first rounds to avoid misunderstandings at the end of the tournament.
The all-Indian bout between Vaishali and Koneru was a hard-fought battle in a slow Italian game, in which the recently-crowned World Rapid Champion had to grind down a draw in 53 moves from a queenless middlegame into a very slightly worse endgame.
The 99% accuracy displayed by both players clearly indicate their fantastic state of form, with no errors or inaccuracies in this game. We can certainly expect the same amount of fighting spirit for the rest of the event.
Nurgyul Salimova 0-1 Divya Deshmukh.
Living in Nagpur, a small city in the northeast of the State of Maharashtra, the Indian star was full of joy for playing so near to her home. “I have actually never been to Pune. I feel great playing here and it’s definitely a huge motivation for me. It has been a while since I played in India and I was so happy for only having to take one flight instead of two or three,” Divya explained enthusiastically after the game.
Salimova went for a modern computer variation of the London system, with a quick h4 and Rh3, that looked a quite aggressive setup at first glance. However, at a certain point it didn’t seem that her pieces were fully coordinated.
“It was a tough game, but I think I could have finished it a lot smoother. I decided to go all-out and this time it worked,” said Divya. Certainly, it was a game of interesting tactics and imbalances, combined with quite a few mistakes and blunders, eventually falling on the side of the Indian prodigy.
With regard to the small annoyance of the wedding, Divya understood that these things happen. “It’s my mistake that I lost focus – the wedding music was surprisingly very loud – but it was tough for everyone.”
Munguntuul Batkhuyag 1-0 Salome Melia
The final game to finish ended in a dramatic way. Playing with Black, Georgian IM Salome Melia went for the fashionable Kalashnikov Sicilian and equalized comfortably out of the opening.
She started to pile up the pressure and even achieved a decisive advantage, according to the computer, around move thirty.
However, under severe time trouble, she miscalculated a sequence of exchanges, and ended up a pawn down in a very drawable ending.
And then the following happened!
Moment of the Day
I was actually watching the game very closely at this moment and noticed that 78…Nc6! would pick up the a5 pawn and, even a piece down, the ending would be an easy draw as long as White isn’t able to trap the knight somehow.
But down to her last thirty seconds, Salome calculated the line quickly, wasn’t totally sure and instead played the natural 78…Kxg7? restoring material balance.
However, after the very precise 79.Bb7! the knight was out of moves and a further attack with 80.Kc3 forced the knight to the corner. Eventually, Munguntuul not only picked up the a6 pawn but also ended up trapping the knight and winning the game.
Immediately after resigning, both players analyzed the position after 78…Nc6 and agreed that, although it wasn’t easy, the game would most likely have ended in a draw.
Round 2 pairings and dates
The second round of the fifth leg in the 2024/25 Women’s Grand Prix series starts on Tuesday, April 15, at 15:00 CET local time in Pune, India.
Salome Melia – Humpy Koneru
Divya Deshmukh – Vaishali Rameshbabu
Polina Shuvalova – Nurgyul Salimova
Harika Dronavalli – Alina Kashlinskaya
Munguntuul Batkhuyag – Zhu Jiner
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.
You can follow the games with expert commentary on FIDE’s YouTube channel.
Written by IM Michael Rahal
Photos: Abhilash Shinde
