After 10 days and nine rounds of play, Alina Kashlinskaya – playing for Poland - secured first place with a victory against Ukraine's Mariya Muzychuk in the final round, finishing with six points. Second place went to Kazakhstan's Bibisara Assaubayeva, who ended with five points. Three players shared third place, with Greece's Stavroula Tsolakidou emerging on top due to superior tiebreaks

The first in a series of six tournaments in the new edition of the Women's Grand Prix concluded in Tbilisi with high drama, as the winner was decided in the final game of the tournament. Apart from Assaubayeva, Kashlinskaya was the only other player entering the final round with five points.

In the decisive match, Kashlinskaya faced Mariya Muzychuk, who was trailing by half a point. From the onset, it was clear that this would be a tough contest. Playing the Ruy Lopez, both sides were cautious in the early stages, resulting in an even position. Kashlinskaya offered Muzychuk a chance to head for a draw with the Zaitsev variation, but Muzychuk chose to fight on. This decision backfired, and by move 32, Muzychuk was significantly weaker; by move 39, she was completely lost.

With this victory, Kashlinskaya also secured the leading position in the WGP series, with 130 points. Assaubayeva is in close second with 105.

Kashlinskaya: 'My 10-month-old helped me win'

"I am so happy to win this tournament. I played a decent game and won," said Kashlinskaya in an interview immediately after the game.

Kashlinskaya mentioned that she typically doesn't follow other games during the round, even those crucial to her standing. "But somehow, in this game [between the other leader of the round – Bibisara Assaubayeva and Vaishali Rameshbabu], I decided to check it out. I saw that Vaishali was in time trouble and that the position was in Bibisara's style, so in my head, I understood she would win this game, so I was surprised when it was a draw."

Kashlinskaya was the only player in the tournament accompanied by her child – 10-month-old Anthony, who was often seen with Alina and her mother at the hotel restaurant. When asked whether the presence of her toddler was more of a help or a hindrance to her game, Kashlinskaya quickly responded: "Well, you see the results. He helped a lot."

"I will definitely bring him with me to the next tournament," she added, noting that her son even has chess pieces hanging from his pram, suggesting that his future may be connected to chess.

When asked if she would encourage other chess moms to bring their children to events, Kashlinskaya said: "Of course. Again, my result speaks for itself. And for motherhood, it is important to be with the baby as much as possible." FIDE has launched the project ChessMom to encourage players with small children to take them to the forthcoming Olympiad in Budapest.

Assaubayeva second, Tsolakidou third

Bibisara Assaubayeva played as Black against Vaishali Rameshbabu. Given Vaishali's shaky performance in the event, this match presented a significant opportunity for the Kazakhstani player. Despite quickly equalizing in the Sicilian, Bibisara neither pressed the position nor created any substantial chances, leading to a draw after 22 moves.

Assaubayeva explained after the game that her thoughts were still on her round-eight match, where she failed to convert a completely winning position against Tsolakidou. With 5.5 out of nine points, Assaubayeva awaited the outcome of the game between Mariya Muzychuk and Alina Kashlinskaya to determine whether she had secured first place. Vaishali, meanwhile, acknowledged that this was not her best tournament, noting that she needs to improve her time management, among other areas.

Stavroula Tsolakidou, playing as White, drew with Alexandra Kosteniuk in the English Opening. Despite having an almost winning position a couple of times, Tsolakidou managed only a draw. Still, with 5.5 points and no defeats in her first appearance at the Women's Grand Prix, this was a significant success for the Greek player. Kosteniuk finished on four points.

In the final round, Nana Dzagnidze played as Black against Sara Khadem. Dzagnidze, one of the tournament favorites, often squandered advantages and lost games where she had the upper hand. Meanwhile, Khadem, having not competed in tournaments for the past six months, struggled with her matchups in Tbilisi.

In their Nimzo-Indian game, Dzagnidze gained a winning position early on but let her advantage slip. Fortunately for her, Khadem made a blunder that led directly to a lost rook endgame. Dzagnidze finished in a solid fourth place, with 5/9, which she described as "a fair result," though she noted, "looking at my games, it could have been seven out of nine." Khadem ended the tournament in last place with 2.5 points.

Anna Muzychuk drew as Black with Lela Javakhishvili. In the Indian Game, neither side created any chances nor offered any significant opportunities, resulting in a calm draw after 40 moves. Javakhishvili finished the tournament with five points, while Lela ended on 3.5 out of nine.

FIDE WGP Standigns

Here follows a closer look at the games from round nine:

Stavroula Tsolakidou – Alexandra Kosteniuk

This was a crucial game for Tsolakidou, as she was just half a point behind the two leaders. Stavroula played the English Opening, and the game started well for her – her pieces were more active, and she had the initiative on the board.

In the middlegame, Stavroula had a better position but misplayed it.

Here White could have obtain a decisive advantage with energetic 23.e5! but opted for a sluggish 23.Qe3.

Still, the Greek got two more chances to seal the deal but missed the opportunities. The second miss was particularly bitter.

After Kosteniuk's 41…Qb5?? White could have won with 42.Qxh5 Qxb3 43.Qg4+ Kf8 44.Qc8+ Kg7 45.Qd7+ Kh6.

Instead, Stavroula played 42.Qe6??, allowing Black to pick up a pawn and exposing her king to perpetual checks.

Vaishali Rameshbabu - Bibisara Assaubayeva

Vaishali Rameshbabu faced the top favorite of the round, Bibisara Assaubayeva, who was tied for first place with five points after eight rounds. Playing the Najdorf in Sicilian, Assaubayeva quickly managed to equalize.

Vaishali prepared a kingside push, but Black effectively neutralized White's threats.

14…b5 Black now counterattacks on the queenside. It is important to note that White did not manage to take control over the d5-square, which is critical in this system.  15.a3 Nb6 16.Rfd1 Black now had a chance to strike in the center with 16…d5, followed by 17…Rxc3 with a good initiative for an exchange, but Bibisara decided to play it safe and opted for the more neutral 16…h6.

Neither side had significant chances for the rest of the game. As Vaishali entered time trouble, she offered a repetition of moves, which Assaubayeva accepted.

Sarasadat Khademalsharieh - Nana Dzagnidze

Nana played the Nimzo-Indian against Khadem, and by move 20, she was winning.

20...Rd2 21.Bc3 Rc2 22.f3 Rxc3 23.fxe4 Re8 24.Nc6 Qe6, and White's pawns are hanging across the board.

However, as in several rounds in Tbilisi, Nana did not demonstrate precision. Instead, she played 20...Rfd8and immediately lost a significant portion of her edge.

21.f3 Bc2 22.e4 Ba4 23.Bc3, and the position became roughly even.

Throughout the Women's Grand Prix in Tbilisi, Nana often misplayed better positions, losing her advantage. But in this game, luck turned in her favor as her opponent made a critical blunder.

28.h4 Re7 29.Qxd7 Bxd7 30.Red1 Rxd1+ 31.Rxd1 Kf7 32.g4 offered White a chance to hold a draw.

But then Sara played 28.f4??, blundering not only a pawn but also any hope of avoiding a completely lost endgame.

28…Rxe4! 29.Qxd7 Rxe1+ 30.Rxe1 Bxd7 31.Bc3 Be6. The weaker party often has good drawing chances in such endgames with the opposite-coloured bishops, but this is not the case, as White's queenside pawns are too weak. 32.a4 Bxc4 33.Bxf6 gxf6 34.Rxc4, and Black soon collected another pawn and won.

Lela Javakhishvili - Anna Muzychuk

The four-time Georgian champion entered the final round with three points, while Anna Muzychuk, with 4.5 points, had more at stake as she aimed for a top placement. In the Indian Game, neither player made the most precise moves, resulting in neither gaining a significant advantage throughout.

After a series of exchanges, the game transitioned to a balanced queen endgame. Muzychuk attempted to create opportunities, but Lela held her ground, despite later revealing in an interview that she wasn't feeling well. The game concluded on move 40, following a threefold repetition.

Mariya Muzychuk – Alina Kashlinskaya

Apart from Assaubayeva, Kashlinskaya was the only other player in the tournament who was on five points, while Mariya Muzychuk was half a point behind. From the onset it was clear that this will be a very tough game. Kashlinskaya opted for the Murphy Defense in the Ruy Lopez and gradually outmanoeuvred her opponent.

Black is clearly better, but White still has some defensive resources. Mariya, however, played 35.g4? which became the last straw. After 35.Qd7 36.Kg3 Bc5 Black controls the d-file, has a strong bishop and is well aligned for an attack on the exposed white king.

37.R1e2 Rd3 38.Qc2 Qd5 39.Kg2 Rxe5!!

White refused to resign for another 12 moves, but Kashlinskaya was confident – winning the game and the tournament.

About the Women's Grand Prix 2024/2025 series

The FIDE Women's Grand Prix is a prestigious series of six tournaments exclusively for women chess players. The top two finishers in the cycle earn spots in the Candidates Tournament, which determines the challenger for the World Championship title.

This event is a key component of FIDE's efforts to promote women's chess globally. In the 2024/2025 series, twenty players will participate, each competing in three of the six tournaments, with ten players featured in each tournament.

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