Alina Kashlinskaya claimed a hard-fought victory against India's Vaishali Rameshbabu, moving into the leading pack with 3.5 points out of six. Nana Dzagnidze missed a chance to take the sole lead after giving away a winning position against Bibisara Assaubayeva

The first leg of the 2024–2025 Women's Grand Prix is now entering its final stages, with six out of nine rounds finished.

Round six commenced with FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich making the ceremonial first move in the game between Kashlinskaya and Vaishali. In the Dzagnidze–Assaubayeva game, FIDE Vice President Mahir Mammedov from Azerbaijan, a notable supporter of chess in Georgia, was honored with making the first move.

Despite several promising positions, only one game ended decisively, while the other four resulted in draws.

Alina Kashlinskaya triumphed in a fiercely contested game against Vaishali Rameshbabu. In the King's Indian, Vaishali employed the sharp 9…b5 line, which Kashlinskaya was well-prepared for. White took control after move 15 and confidently converted her advantage. This victory puts Kashlinskaya at 3.5 points, among the tournament leaders, while Vaishali remains on two points.

Bibisara Assaubayeva once again pulled off a miraculous save, this time against Nana Dzagnidze. In a King's Indian where Dzagnidze was clearly better as early as by move 19, but she eventually faltered, allowing Assaubayeva to escape with a draw. Dzagnidze attributed her inconsistent play to her slow recovery after giving birth seven months ago, stating, "I will definitely need to sit down and revisit this." Both players now sit at 3.5 points.

Sara Khadem, playing the Morphy Defense against Mariya Muzychuk, reached a significantly better position, nearing victory. However, a critical misstep involving the exchange of queens nearly nullified her advantage. Although she continued to press in the endgame, Muzychuk skillfully countered all attempts, resulting in a draw. Mariya ends the round with 3.5 points, while Sara has two points.

Alexandra Kosteniuk and Lela Javakhishvili were the first to finish in today's round, splitting the point in a Ruy Lopez. Kosteniuk is now at three points, while Javakhishvili has 2.5 points.

The longest game of the day was between Anna Muzychuk and Stavroula Tsolakidou. Despite nearly five hours of play, neither side managed to gain a decisive advantage, leading to a drawn bishop endgame. Both players are now at 3.5 points.

Standings after Round 6

Here follows a closer look at the games of round six.

Alexandra Kosteniuk – Lela Javakhishvili

Lela Javakhishvili played the Berlin Defense against Alexandra Kosteniuk ­­and reached a comfortable position. The game ended in an early draw after a threefold repetition.

Mariya Muzychuk - Sarasadat Khademalsharieh

Sara Khadem played the Morphy Defense in the Ruy Lopez. She began pressuring the center and nearly broke through in the middlegame.

Despite being a pawn down, Black's position looked promising. White's 16.Re1? missed the opportunity to exchange queens, hoping for salvation in an inferior endgame. Sara should have taken on f3 with her bishop, followed by Rb8, but instead played 16…Qb8, allowing White to regain footing after 17.Nbd2.

Black eventually regained the pawn and achieved a better position again, but inaccuracies in execution allowed Mariya to hold, and the game ended in a draw after 55 moves.

 Alina Kashlinskaya - Vaishali Rameshbabu

This was the sharpest game of the round, with both players navigating tactical complexities from the outset. In the King's India Vaishali surprised with the 9…b5 line, which, though unexpected, was familiar to Kashlinskaya from prior preparation.

Here, Vaishali faced a difficult decision. The computer suggested 14…a6 followed by e3 at some point. Instead, she played 14…Ng4?, giving White a clear edge. Though Kashlinskaya's response wasn't perfect, she ultimately secured a significant advantage. By move 29, White was completely winning.

Vaishali made a desperate pawn push down the kingside, but the powerful centralization of White's queen ruined her hopes. Kashlinskaya maintained her composure and clinched the win, forcing Vaishali to resign four moves down the road, with a queen promotion inevitable.

Anna Muzychuk - Stavroula Tsolakidou

This game between was a prolonged struggle, with White's achieving the 2:1 pawn majority on the queenside and a promising endgame.

It looks like White missed her chance on move 37.

After 37. Nb7+ followed by 38. Nc5 Stavroula would have been doomed for an uphill battle in a highly unpleasant endgame. However, after a somewhat sluggish 37. Be2, Black got off the hook.

The game extended to 57 moves, ultimately ending in a draw.

Nana Dzagnidze - Bibisara Assaubayeva

In this matchup between two leaders of the round, Nana Dzagnidze, playing the system authored by Smyslov against King's Indian, quickly gained the upper hand, outpacing Bibisara on the clock.

The position was balanced, but White's 15.b4 began pressing the center. Black's ambitions 15…Rg8? and delayed reaction with 16.c5 Nh5? allowed White to seize the initiative.

Nana eventually sacrificed an exchange, gaining a dominant position. However, in a turn of events reminiscent of her earlier games, Nana started to err, allowing Bibisara to turn the tables.

White is clearly dominating despite being an exchange down. Here 31. Rc6 or 31. Rd1 would have kept Black on the ropes as she had no real play. Instead, Nana opted for 31. Qd1? and dropped her advantage with a couple of substandard moves. Later on, she was forced to exchange her queen for two rooks, but Black's passer on the c-file and Nana's imprecise play led to a draw.

Round seven starts on Thursday, August 22, 3 PM local time in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Round 7 pairings:

Bibisara Assaubayeva - Alexandra Kosteniuk
Stavroula Tsolakidou - Nana Dzagnidze
Vaishali Rameshbabu - Anna Muzychuk
Sarasadat Khademalsharieh - Alina Kashlinskaya
Lela Javakhishvili - Mariya Muzychuk

For more information about the event, including news, images, regulations, pairings, and games, please visit womengrandprix.fide.com/

Written by Milan Dinic

Photos: Anna Shtourman