Aleksandra Goryachkina extended her winning streak with a fifth consecutive victory, this time against Munguntuul Batkhuyag. Tan Zhongyi also secured a crucial win over Nurgyul Salimova, keeping her hopes for the top spot alive. The battle between the two youngest players, Bibisara Assaubayeva and Divya Deshmukh, ended in a hard-fought draw after Assaubayeva missed a decisive continuation. Stavroula Tsolakidou and Kateryna Lagno's positional encounter concluded peacefully, while Elisabeth Paehtz and Humpy Koneru opted for an early draw to reset after challenging recent rounds.

Today was the quickest round of the tournament, with all games finishing within three and a half hours. Perhaps this sounds like a long time, but it is short in comparison to the usual 5.5-6-hour battles. It is also not surprising that since we have entered the final three rounds of the event, fatigue is most likely setting in for our players. Nevertheless, it is still crunch time, and we saw a few exciting games:

Munguntuul Batkhuyag - Aleksandra Goryachkina 0-1

Goryachkina is on a winning streak that we rarely witness in such high-level events.  After crushing Munguntuul Batkhuyag, Aleksandra secured her fifth consecutive win. Starting out as a Sicilian Sveshnikov the game was destined to show fireworks after Munguntuul neglected her kingside defense in pursuit of play on the queenside (reminiscent of yesterday's game between Lagno - Assaubayeva).

After a wonderful sacrifice, Black lured away White's only defending piece, and suddenly the black queen, knight, and kingside pawns were barreling down on the kingside. The white king, left exposed, soon found itself pinned up against the edge of the board by a pawn, as the black queen inched closer and closer. White managed to escape checkmate, but with a loss in material and the king still exposed, Munguntuul accepted her fate and resigned.

This convincing win was a testament to Goryachkina's impressive momentum. With no sign of her slowing down, it is difficult to imagine that she will be stopped in the final rounds. Still, anything can happen, and tomorrow's game will be a big indicator of her final position in the standings.

Nurgyul Salimova - Tan Zhongyi 0-1

The game started out as a gambit line of Semi-Slav Defense, where Black quickly obtained a passed pawn supported by a solid pawn chain. Salimova played aggressively, launching an attack against Tan's uncastled king, throwing all she had at her opponent. But Tan could bloodily counter each threat, and her king escaped the danger unscathed. Eventually, Salimova's queen got trapped, and she lost material.  There was nothing left to play for, and without needing the additional time given on move 40, Salimova resigned on move 39.

Bibisara Assaubayeva - Divya Deshmukh ½-½

The youngest participants of the event exited the playing hall in high spirits, discussing their game in depth. Deshmukh remarked that her opening play was terrible, a sentiment supported by Assaubayeva, who thought her opponent made strange choices at the beginning of the game. This was indeed the case, as White obtained an early advantage after Black misplayed her knight, placing it in a bad position.

Despite this edge, Bibisara later closed off her powerful fianchettoed bishop with an uncharacteristic pawn e2-24 push, allowing Divya to regain balance. The back-and-forth continued until Bibisara achieved a winning +3 position, but a critical misstep let Divya back into the game:

White had to retreat the rook with 34. Re4 (threatening Rxd4)  but instead played the pseudo-active 34.f6?? As a result, Bibisara dropped the lion's share of her advantage as after the g-pawns were traded off, the black king could join the game via the h-file. A few moves later, White's pressure dissipated completely, and the players agreed to a draw.

This was a missed chance for Assaubayeva, but in post-game remarks, both expressed their commitment to winning their remaining games.

Stavroula Tsolakidou - Kateryna Lagno ½-½

The game started as the English opening transitioning into the Neo-Catalan Defense and quickly became a positional struggle. Early piece exchanges led to an opposite-colored bishop endgame, which resulted in a balanced position. The opponents called it a draw on move 40, each satisfied with the result as they prepare for the final rounds.

Elisabeth Paehtz - Humpy Koneru ½ - ½

After tough losses in recent rounds, Paehtz and Koneru opted for a quick draw via threefold repetition on move 14. Sometimes a draw can be a strategic reset, particularly after a losing streak, and both players will be looking to bring renewed focus to their next games.

Moment of the Day

Aleksandra Goryachkina once again played a brilliant game, and her exchange sacrifice was a standout moment:

Here she played the devastating 24…Rxc4! and after 25. Bxc4, the black queen arrived on the scene with 25…Qg5. Optically, it is clear that the white king is in big trouble, and the end sure was a sight to see: 26. g3 fxg3 27.hxg3 f4!

Even though …Nf3 was always an option, but Goryachkina's eyes were set on the white king.

28. Rxe4 fxg3 29.f4 Qg4 30. Qc2 g2

This is the moment referred to previously, where White's king is pinned back to the 1st rank.

31.Be2 Qh3 32.Qd1 Qh1 + 33.Kf2 g1Q 34.Qxg1 Qxe4, and White resigned. 0-1

With only two rounds left, Goryachkina has firmly positioned herself as the tournament leader, showing no signs of slowing down. Tan Zhongyi remains within striking distance, while Assaubayeva and Tsolakidou are also eager to make their mark in the final stretch. The penultimate round tomorrow promises high-stakes matchups as players look to secure their final standings.

Standings after Round 7

Round eight pairings and dates

Round 8 of the second leg in the 2024/25 Women’s Grand Prix series starts on Thursday, November 7, 15:00 local time in Shymkent, Kazakhstan.

Round 8

Goryachkina, Aleksandra - Koneru, Humpy
Lagno, Kateryna - Paehtz, Elisabeth
Divya, Deshmukh - Tsolakidou, Stavroula
Tan, Zhongyi - Assaubayeva, Bibisara
Munguntuul, Batkhuyag - Salimova, Nurgyul

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.

Written by Charlize van Zyl 

Photos: Konstantin Chalabov and Viktoriya Abramova