The fifth leg of the 2024-25 FIDE Women’s Grand Prix, organized by the Maharashtra Chess Association and the International Chess Federation, is set to take place in Pune, India, from April 13-24.
Ten of the world’s leading female players will meet once again to determine who will qualify for the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament. With only two events to go (India and Austria) the Grand Prix is reaching its peak – several players are still in contention for the two qualifying spots.
Previously spelled Poona, Pune is the second-largest city in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai and, with more than seven million residents, it’s the seventh most populous metropolitan area in India.
Of the utmost historical importance, Pune was the seat of the Peshwas, the Prime Ministers of the Maratha Empire in the 18th century. Consistently ranked among India’s most livable cities, Pune is also a major IT and automobile hub.
About the Event
The Women’s Grand Prix Series 2024–25 features 20 players, with each player participating in three of the six tournaments. Each event is a 10-player round-robin, where participants earn points based on their final standings. The series winner is determined by the total cumulative points earned across all three tournaments played.
Prize Fund: €80,000 per event, with an additional €120,000 distributed among the top 10 finishers in the overall standings.
Qualification:The top two players from the series will qualify for the 2026 FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament.
Candidates Qualification Status
After four out of five legs completed, Aleksandra Goryachkina is leading the Grand Prix standings. She has already played her three selected events, totalling 308 points.
Thanks to her first place in both the Shymkent and Monaco legs, along with an excellent shared 3rd in Cyprus, everything seems to point towards her qualification.
Nevertheless, the second spot is up for grabs, with several players in reach–five of them will be competing in Pune.
The line-up
With India holding the Men’s World Championship title and securing double Olympic gold in Budapest, the country’s chess is booming. It stands to reason that all four of India’s top female players – Humpy, Harika, Vaishali and Divya – are set to participate in Pune, with their eyes set on that second spot. The Olympic team is in action!
They will be joined by Zhu Jiner, fresh off her shared first in Cyprus, and Alina Kashlinskaya, who triumphed in the Tbilisi inaugural event. Both of them are in clear contention for qualification, having scored 100+ points in their first event.
Nurgyul Salimova will also compete in India, seeking to improve on her eighth-place finish in Shymkent and prepare for the final event in Austria.
Batkhuyag Munguntuul returns to the series for her third event. Having shared first in Monaco, she might have an outside chance to qualify in the case of an outstanding performance.
Finally, Salome Melia and Polina Shuvalova will make their debut in the 2024-205 season, replacing Lela Javakhishvili and Kateryna Lagno, who have withdrawn from the event. With her ambitious and uncompromising playing style, Shuvalova was one of the most entertaining players of the previous cycle..
Venue
The tournament will take place at the Amanora The Fern Hotel. Located in Amanora Park, the venue is reasonably close to important landmarks and business centres.
Its central location makes it suitable for both business and leisure travellers, featuring meeting and banquet facilities that accommodate up to 600 people.
Schedule and Round 1 Pairings
The first round is scheduled for April 14th at 3:00 PM local time.
Munguntuul Batkhuyag – Salome Melia
Zhu Jiner – Harika Dronavalli
Alina Kashlinskaya – Polina Shuvalova
Nurgyul Salimova – Divya Deshmukh
Vaishali Rameshbabu – Humpy Koneru
You can follow the games live with expert commentary and read daily reports on womengrandprix.fide.com/ along with exciting videos and photos of the action.
