As the third leg of the 2024/25 FIDE Women’s Grand Prix series reaches its halfway mark, Round 5 saw all five games end in draws—yet the results hardly tell the full story. Despite the peaceful outcomes, the battles were anything but uneventful, with players pushing hard, missing key opportunities, and ultimately splitting the points in tense encounters. With the only rest day ahead, the tournament remains wide open, and the second half promises even more excitement.

Round 5 results:

Harika Dronavalli 1/2-1/2 Aleksandra Goryachkina
Elisabeth Paehtz 1/2-1/2 Bibisara Assaubayeva
Batkhuyag Munguntuul 1/2-1/2 Kateryna Lagno
Alexandra Kosteniuk 1/2-1/2 Sarasadat Khademalsharieh
Zhongyi Tan 1/2-1/2 Humpy Koneru

Harika Dronavalli - Aleksandra Goryachkina

Starting off with a Ruy Lopez Berlin, one of the most solid systems in chess, a draw was not a surprising result, although the game did offer excitement regardless of the opening’s reputation. A slow game unfolded, with multiple trades in the middlegame, leading to a roughly equal position. After inaccurate play by White, Black obtained an advantage, with the chance to press for a win.

At this point, Black had an opportunity to exert real pressure with 26…Na6 with the idea of 27…Nc5, which is the best square knight in this structure (26… Rd6 was also a very strong option). However, Goryachkina should have weighted the consequences of the line 27. Qb7 Nc5 28.Qxc7, in which Black sacrifices a pawn for positional compesation. Aleksandra opted for 26…Qd6 and after 27.h5 Qf6, White gave Black another chance to grab initiative with 28.Re1? by simply capturing on h5, as Qh4 was no longer a threat. Instead, 28…Qg5 balanced the game again. After further exchanges, a draw was agreed.

Goryachkina missed a few chances, but given the grueling pace of the tournament, fatigue is a factor. With the rest day ahead, both Harika and Aleksandra will look to recharge before the crucial second half.

Elisabeth Paehtz - Bibisara Assaubayeva

After suffering a dramatic loss in the previous round, Paehtz chose not to retreat into a cautious approach, but instead opted for an aggressive response to Assaubayeva’s Najdorf. White emerged from the opening with a dominant position:

Here, Paehtz played 17.Ba4?, allowing Black to escape via queenside castling. A stronger alternative would have been a queen move, followed by placing the bishop on e6, where it would dominate the board. After 17…0-0-0 18.0-0-0 Qc7 19.Bb3? Na5, White’s advantage evaporated.

Our commentators analyzed the fascinating move 19.Rd5!, a practical shot that could have led to an imbalanced fight. After 19…Ne7 20.Qb3, White would allow Black to capture the rook, gaining a dangerous initiative in return. Instead, the game equalized and ended in a threefold repetition.

Despite the missed opportunity, Paehtz’s combative approach is a promising sign for the second half. Meanwhile, Assaubayeva, who stabilized after her third-round loss to Goryachkina, will look to regain momentum.

Batkhuyag Munguntuul - Kateryna Lagno

Munguntuul has been one of the tournament’s surprises, delivering a strong performance with an undefeated streak so far.

She tested the Caro-Kann Defense, which is part of her regular repertoire, in her game against Lagno. Black managed to win a pawn, but at the cost of compromising her pawn structure. This positional imbalance allowed White to generate sufficient counterplay, ultimately leading to a draw.

For Munguntuul, this is an impressive result. She was not only the rating underdog by 184 points, but she also endured a tough previous Grand Prix leg, losing all her games with White. Now, she stands within reach of a potential GM norm, should she continue this solid run. Meanwhile, Lagno retains her tournament lead, thanks to an all-draw round.

Alexandra Kosteniuk - Sarasadat Khademalsharieh

The first game of the day to finish was the encounter between Kosteniuk and Khadem that ended in a draw. What started as an interesting line in the Queen’s Gambit Declined Exchange Variation reached this fresh position after Black’s 11…Bb4:

Commentators noted that 12.Kd2 was a slightly more accurate, whereas 12.Bd3 played by Alexandra allowed Black to get counterplay after exchanging on c3 and eventually bringing the knight to the c4 outpost. Despite the seemingly vulnerable kingside pawn structure, Black’s position remained stable, supported by the king and the open g-file. After multiple trades, the game ended in a threefold repetition.

Zhongyi Tan - Humpy Koneru

Tan, one of the pre-tournament favorites, has faced unexpected difficulties in Monaco. She entered today’s game with solid preparation in the Neo-Catalan Defense Declined, often employed by her compatriot Ding Liren. Initially, White achieved a comfortable position, but mishandled it shifting focus between the queenside and kingside, giving Koneru to arrange her pieces on optimal squares and reach a winning position.

White had already gone with the incorrect plan of pushing her kingside pawns, but here the 27.f6 does not amount to any attack as the natural 27…g6 stops everything and suddenly the white king is exposed and in danger. However, Humpy incorrectly played 27…Ng4? picking the f6-pawn but letting White off the hook. Instead, maintaining control and launching an attack on the white king was much more dangerous for White. In a post-game interview, Humpy noted that she thought she must have been better and did in fact calculate the 27…g6 variation, but was not sure about it. The game instead continued with multiple trades where Black managed to hold onto the extra pawn, resulting in a drawn knight endgame where both sides had passed pawns that did not offer any real danger. The final handshake came after 4.5 hours of play, bringing an intense game to a peaceful conclusion.

With the first half of the event behind us, the tournament heads into its only rest day, when players will enjoy an excursion in Monaco. This break comes at an ideal moment, offering a mental reset before the decisive second half of the competition.

Standings after Round 5:

1	GM	Kateryna Lagno	2515	3½
2	GM	Humpy Koneru	2523	3
3	IM	Sarasadat Khademalsharieh	2458	3
4	IM	Batkhuyag Munguntuul	2331	3
5	GM	Alexandra Kosteniuk	2484	2½
6	GM	Aleksandra Goryachkina	2546	2½
7	GM	Zhongyi Tan	2561	2
8	IM	Bibisara Assaubayeva	2492	2
9	GM	Elisabeth Paehtz	2427	2
10	GM	Harika Dronavalli	2489	1½

Round 6 pairings and dates

The fifth round of the third leg in the 2024/25 Women’s Grand Prix series starts on Monday, February 24th at 15:00 CET local time in Monte-Carlo, Monaco.

Round 6 pairings:

Aleksandra Goryachkina - Humpy Koneru
Sarasadat Khademalsharieh - Zhongyi Tan
Kateryna Lagno - Alexandra Kosteniuk
Bibisara Assaubayeva - Batkhuyag Munguntuul
Harika Dronavalli - Elisabeth Paehtz

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.

You can follow the games live and watch the action with our wonderful commentators GM Alojzije Jankovic & IM Almira Skripchenko on YouTube.

Written by Charlize van Zyl

Photos: Niki Riga