The final, eleventh round of the third leg of the Women’s Grand Prix cycle ended with all three tournament leaders drawing their games and finishing on six points. Aleksandra Goryachkina was awarded first place for having better tiebreaks.

As per tournament regulations, all prize money and WGP points were divided equally among the players with an equal final score. This means that Goryahckina, Assaubayeva and Zhu all got 12,333 euros and 133 points each.

How the final round unfolded

The first one to finish, after around two hours and 45 minutes of play, was China’s Zhu Jiner. Playing as Black against Nino Batsiashvili, the position was even and after forced exchanges of heavy pieces, the two agreed to split a point. With this draw, Zhu reached her third GM norm (having collected the first two in the previous two tournaments of the Women’s Grand Prix – in Astana and Munich). China and the world now have a new Grandmaster – Zhu Jiner.

Just a few minutes after Zhu, Aleksandra Goryachkina – the other of the three favourites – drew as White with India’s top player and world number two, Humpy Koneru. In the Queen’s gambit accepted, both sides played precisely. It was a balanced game, ending in an even position.

Some 15 minutes later, Bibisara Assaubayeva (one of the three leaders) agreed to split a point with Kateryna Lagno. In the Reverse Benoni, Assaubayeva had slightly more initiative, but it was overall even. With this tournament in New Delhi, Bibisara Assaubayeva also achieved her second Grandmaster norm.

After more than five hours of play, Polina Shuvalova beat Harika Dronavalli in the Ruy Lopez, while Vaishali Rameshbabu lost a drawn-rook endgame to Nana Dzagnidze.

The final standings of the third leg of the Women’s Grand Prix in New Delhi:

The overall standings in the Women’s Grand Prix 2022/2023 series

With a total of 308 points, China’s Zhu Jiner is currently in the lead in the overall standings of the Women’s Grand Prix. She is followed by Aleksandra Goryachkina, who is on 263 points, while Alexandra Koteniuk (who skipped New Delhi) is in third place on 250, closely followed by Kateryna Lagno, who is on 245 points.

Zhu’s lead is, however, only symbolic. New Delhi was her third and final appearance in this edition of the WGP cycle. (In the previous events, she secured a third-place finish in Astana, earning 110 points, and fetched another 65 points in Munich.) She will be overtaken after the next and final leg of the Women’s Grand Prix, where top favourites such as Goryachkina, Kosteniuk and Lagno will take part. Still, New Delhi will be a memorable tournament for Zhu as in this event she has also secured her third Grandmaster norm.

With this victory in New Delhi, Aleksandra Goryachkina now has 263 points and is currently in second place in the overall standings. Goryachkina came in second in the first tournament in Astana (where she collected 130 points), and first place in New Delhi got her additional 133 points. As this was her second tournament in this WGP cycle, Goryachkina is due to play in the fourth and final leg, which will take place in Cyprus in May. This makes her a very strong contender for the winner of the 2022/2023 edition of the Women’s Grand Prix.

The event in Delhi was also the second tournament in the WGP cycle for Bibisara Assaubayeva. Having collected just 30 points in Astana in the first tournament, second place in New Delhi and 133 points boosted her place in the overall standings, as well as her chances to reach one of the top places in this edition of the WGP.

The tournament in New Delhi was the third in a series of four which make up the Women’s Grand Prix (WGP). Altogether 16 players are taking part in the series, with each participating in three of the four tournaments. The two players who score the greatest number of cumulative points in the series shall qualify for the FIDE Women Candidates Tournament 2023-24. 

The next and final event in the Women’s Grand Prix cycle will be held in Cyprus between the 15th and 28th of May.

Round 11 Games Recap

Bibisara Assaubayeva – Kateryna Lagno

Kateryna Lagno is the more senior player of the two – both in experience and titles won but also in the overall score: the two have played 25 games – and Lagno leads 12:4.

Once again, in a game where Bibisara was playing with white pieces, we saw the Reverse Benoni. Both sides fought for control of the dark squares in the centre. On move 11 Lagno deviated from the book theory and introduced a novelty 11…Rb8 and reached equality.

However, instead of slow manoeuvring Kateryna came up with an interesting pawn push 17…b5, sacrificing a pawn for control over the d5-square. Bibisara opted for a reserved 18.b3, but chess engines suggest that 18.d5! exd5 19.cxb5 is much more unpleasant for Black.

As played, White emerged slightly better thanks to some space advantage, but with just a single weakness in her camp Lagno had no problem holding her ground. Soon the two went for a threefold repetition.

With this draw, Bibisara finished the tournament with six points and shared first place.

Vaishali Rameshbabu – Nana Dzagnidze

Out of the six games the two have played, Nana has won four and Vaishali two.

In a rare variation of the Caro–Kann, following known lines, Dzagnidze went for a forced exchange of queens at the price of some falling slightly behind in development.

However, even this White’s tiny advantage gradually evaporated, and the two were heading to a draw in an equal endgame. Unfortunately for Vaishali, she started losing control over the position until she made a fatal blunder.

Black is slightly better, but White has to demonstrate accuracy. However, after 50.g5?? (50.c5+ was called for) Nana was simply winning. 50…fxg5 51.fxg5 Rc3 52. Kd4 e5+! 53. Ke4 b3 and Black’s b-pawn will cost White the rook. 

This was the only victory for Dzagnidze in this tournament. She finished with 3,5 points. With this defeat, Vaishali ended the tournament in New Delhi in last place, with just two points. During this event, the young Indian player – who joined at the last minute as a replacement – showed great courage and talent. The tournament in New Delhi will be an important learning curve in her career.

 Nino Batsiashvili – Zhu Jiner

Nino Batsiashvili had a tough tournament in Delhi, and it seems that only in the final rounds she found her element. On the other hand, Zhu Jiner was consistent throughout, not suffering a single defeat.

Nino and Zhu played three times, with two draws and one victory for Zhu. The Chinese player was a slight favourite in this match.

Following 1.d4 by Nino, Zhu opted for the flexible Nimzo-Indian Defence, which was a novelty in her repertoire at top events. After exchanges, the two converted into the Ragozin Defence.

By castling long, Nino has just introduced a novelty. After 13…Qe7 14.Bd3 Bc6 she played 15.f4, planning to push the g- and h-pawns next. A provocative approach, giving up a pawn for the initiative.

Black accepted the sacrifice, but Zhu then decided to avoid sharp lines and returned the pawn to trade the queens, steering to an even position.

Batsiashvili tested Zhu a bit longer and even sacrificed an exchange, but it all came down to a drawish opposite-coloured bishop endgame in which the two called it a day. 

Zhu finished the tournament with six points, having suffered no defeats.

Aleksandra Goryachkina – Humpy Koneru

This was a game between two experienced heavyweights in women’s chess. The two are currently tied for second place in the newest FIDE rating list. Both have played seven games so far, with each winning two, and three games ending in a draw.

Humpy went for the Queen’s gambit accepted in which Aleksandra opted for a line with an early queens exchange. White had a tiny edge throughout the game but it was not enough to turn it into something tangible.

It was a pretty balanced game where both sides played within the limits of their positions and did not try to push hard. By move 29 they transitioned into a rook and bishop endgame. Black had a weak pawn on c6 but defended it well with a more active king and pieces. Goryachkina went for a threefold repetition.

A draw was enough for Goryachkina to end up in the shared first place, with two other players on six points.

Harika Dronavalli – Polina Shuvalova

Out of the six games the two have played so far, both Harika and Polina have an equal number of victories – three each.

This was only the third time in the tournament that Harika played as White, so she was looking to use her chances. 

In the Anti-Marshall of Ruy Lopez Harika essayed 8.Bd2 line but did not achieve much. 

Here Black struck in the centre with 15…d5. Harika opted to take on e5 with her knight and ended up in an inferior position, while a better option was dxe5 with Bf4. Shuvalova had two bishops and a clear plan of pressuring the e5-pawn and activating rooks, which she started implementing.

Unfortunately for White, she did not demonstrate accuracy in defence and Black gradually took control of the game. Shuvalova won a pawn but was significantly worse on time at some point.

Dronavalli continued to err and soon allowed Black to advance on the kingside and put her rooks on White’s second rank. Although Polina’s conversion was not ideal, she eventually transposed into a bishop vs. knight endgame with two extra pawns.

Just past six in the afternoon in New Delhi, Harika Dronavalli resigned. This was the last game of the Women’s Grand Prix in New Delhi.

“Chess is coming back to India”

The closing ceremony of the Women’s Grand Prix in New Delhi marked the end of a two-week event which made history in India.

The Women’s Grand Prix in India wrapped up with a closing ceremony at the Leela Hotel in New Delhi. The event brought together chess players, fans, officials, and government representatives to celebrate what many are calling a milestone for Indian chess.

Dr. Sanjay Kapur, President of the All India Chess Federation, thanked the organizers and players for their hard work, noting that the tournament started with hiccups but ended on a high note. He went on to say that the return of chess to India is a significant development for the country and predicted that in five to six years, India will become the number one chess nation in the world. The audience erupted in applause.

“Chess coming back to India is a great thing for all Indians… This is a land of chess and chess coming back to its home. Many more players will come [from India]. Five-six years from today, we will be the number one chess nation in the world… We hope that chess will be played in every home in India, and that is our plan”, Dr Kapur said.

Jagadish Mitra, Senior Strategic Advisor at Tech Mahindra and the key sponsor of chess in India, also announced further support for the game.

“We have been committed to promoting chess in India for some time now, and we are delighted to continue doing that. In June, we will be sponsoring the Global Chess League (GCL), further demonstrating our dedication to this wonderful game not just in India but across the globe.”

One of the highlights of the evening was the speech of Mrs Sonal Goel, a high-ranking official of the Indian Administrative Service. Goel praised the importance of chess in personal and social development, but her following sentence brought the most applause from the audience and signalled what place chess is set to have in Indian society.

“Chess belongs to India and we are all committed to ensuring that our young generation has an interest in chess as they do in cricket”, Goel said to which the audience erupted with huge applause.

Finally, all participants of the Women’s Grand Prix, including the top players in the event – Aleksandra Goryachkina, Bibisara Assaubayeva, and Ju Jiner – took to the stage to receive their awards. Wearing a vibrant red dress, Aleksandra Goryachkina beamed with joy as she was presented with a colossal trophy and medal by a group of esteemed Indian dignitaries.

In 2016, Zhu Jiner won the World Youth Chess Championship in the G14 age category. In 2017, she was third in the Asian Zone 3.5 after Zhai Mo and Ni Shiqun, and qualified for the Women’s World Chess Championship 2018. That same year, she was awarded the FIDE Woman International Master (WIM) title. In 2018, Zhu Jiner won the bronze medal at the Women’s China Rapid Chess Championship.

Results of Round 10:

Kateryna Lagno – Harika Dronavalli, ½ – ½ 
Polina Shuvalova – Aleksandra Goryachkina, ½ – ½
Humpy Koneru – Nino Batsiashvili – ½ – ½ 
Zhu Jiner – Vaishali Rameshbabu – 1 – 0

Nana Dzagnidze and Bibisara Assaubayeva had a rest day.

FIDE Women Grand Prix New Delhi so far: Report round 1 / Report round 2 / Report round 3 / Report round 4 / Report round 5 / Report round 6 / Report round 7 / Report round 8 / Report round 9

Parallel: FIDE Women Candidates Chess 2023 / Report round 1 / Report round 2 / Report round 3 / Report round 4

Starting soon: Nepo – Ding 2023 game 1 LIVE , part of the World Chess Championship 2023

The 10th round of the Women’s Grand Prix in New Delhi started quietly with quick draws. Aleksandra Goryachkina was happy to split a point as Black against Polina Shuvalova after White decided to repeat moves in the early stages of the Catalan. It seems that Shuvalova has given up hope, while for Goryachkina a draw was enough to reach a shared first place ahead of the final round.

The second quick game of the day was between Katerina Lagno and Harika Dronavalli. In the Berlin of the Ruy Lopez, the two went for a drawish exchange line and reached an even pawn endgame. Lagno now has 4½ points while Dronavalli is on 3½.

The only decisive outcome of the day was produced in the game between China’s Zhu Jinerand India’s Vaishali Rameshbabu. Despite getting a solid position in the Benoni, Vaishali misplayed in the middlegame, and Zhu had no problem winning. This was a critical victory for Zhu as she now has 5½ points and has reached shared first place with Assaubayeva and Goryachkina.

Humpy Koneru (playing as White) had a solid chance against Nino Batsiashvili in the Ragozin but failed to convert. Black had some initiative after the opening but could not find the best way forward, handing the advantage over to White. Despite creating a free-runner on the queenside, Humpy did not manage to convert this into a winning advantage and the game ended in a draw.

Nana Dzagnidze and Bibisara Assaubayeva had a rest day today.

In the final, 11th round, Assaubayeva faces a tough challenge against Kateryna Lagno, Goryachkina is up against Indian heavyweight Humpy Koneru, and Zhu Jiner plays as black against Nino Batsiashvili. Zhu has one more thing at stake – if she draws or wins her game in the last round, she will become a Grandmaster! With everything in the air and the closing ceremony scheduled to start at 7 PM local time on Thursday, the final round will start at 1 PM.

Here follows a closer look at the games of the penultimate round of the Women’s Grand Prix in New Delhi.

Kateryna Lagno – Harika Dronavalli

This was a game between two very closely matched opponents who know each other well. Lagno and Harika have played 44 games so far, and the score is 11 wins for Lagno and 12 for Harika. It was the third consecutive game in which Lagno was playing as Black, due to two other players dropping out of the tournament after the pairing has already been made.

This was a quick and largely uneventful game. Harika opted for the Berlin, and the opponents reproduced several well-known drawn games (Yang Wen – Li Di, Tari – Grischuk, to name a few) without making a single original move. As they reached the 30th move, after just over an hour of play, the two decided to draw.

Polina Shuvalova – Aleksandra Goryachkina

The two have played 16 games so far. Two wins for Polina and five for Goryachkina.

This was the first game of the day to finish, and it lasted just under half an hour. In the Catalan, Shuvalova offered to repeat moves as early as move 11, while Goriachkina had no objection. A draw was agreed on move 15. 

Shuvalova has four points, but with this game she is suggesting that she just wants the tournament to finish so she can move on. Goryachkina, on the other hand, has everything to play for and was satisfied with a draw as Black.

Humpy Koneru – Nino Batsiashvili

The two have played only five games until now. Humpy leads 3:1 with one draw.

The game progressed very slowly – both sides spent a lot of time in the opening. In a sharp line of the Ragozin, playing with white pieces, Humpy managed to come out of the opening in a slightly better position. On move 11, Black had to choose between so-called hanging pawns and an isolated pawn. Unlike Haik Martyrosyan in his game with Pragg, Nino opted for the former, and a fresh position emerged on the board. 

Nino decided to push d5-d4. After a series of logical moves, Black decided to voluntarily give up her c5-pawn for more activity but did not get sufficient compensation.

Now Nino made an error. White was already a pawn up and had a solid position, so Black needed to play more actively if she wanted to do something with her initiative. The best option was 19…Qg5, pressuring e3 and g2 squares and activating her queen, or 19…Ne5, x-raying White’s queen down the c-file.

Nino instead played 19…a5? and White now has a considerable advantage. 20.Bf5 and 21.Rd1, with then placing the rook on d7 was a path to victory. Humpy instead played20.Qb3? and retained just a slight edge.

An exchange of pieces on the queenside followed, and White ended with a free runner on the b-file, which was not that easy to advance.

After 30.Rb7 Rxb7 31.Nxb7 Qe4 White gave up her b-pawn 32.Nd6 Qb1+ 33.Kh2 Nb4 34.Qc4. Humpy had a slightly better position, but with all the pawns on the kingside, it was not enough for victory.

After four hours of play, the players agreed to split a point.

Zhu Jiner – Vaishali Rameshbabu

Despite both Zhu and Vaishali belonging to similar age groups (Zhu is 20, Rameshbabu is 21), the two have met only three times until this duel in New Delhi. In their previous matches, Zhu scored two victories and one game ended in a draw.

Zhu opened with 1.d4, and Black went for a rare version of the Benoni defence. Vaishali got a decent position out of the opening, but she started misplaying in the transition to the middlegame.

The position is equal. Both sides have castled, and both have achieved decent development. White has more control of the centre but Black holds the e-file with the rook and has counterplay.

The most logical continuation for Black was to proceed with developing the queenside with either 10…Bf5, 10…Nbd7 or 10…Na6 even. Vaishali instead chooses the line with 10…Ne4.

After 11.Nxe4 Rxe4 12.Bd3 Re8 13.Bg5 Bf6 14.Qd2 Nd7 White was better: Zhu kept her control of the centre, all the pieces had been developed, the bishops were well coordinated, and the rooks connected. Black, on the other hand, still had to develop her queenside.

Zhu continued with a side pawn advace 15.h4, which has become a trend lately. Vaishali responded with a counter-attack on White’s centre with 15…b5 but after 16.b3 bxc4 17.bxc4 erred with 17…Ba6? The bishop is attacking the c4-pawn, but there doesn’t seem to be any immediate danger for White on that side. Black should have instead played 17…Ne5 or 17…Bxf6, to ease off the pressure on the kingside.

A few more moves and exchanges down the road (each of them worsening Black’s position), White emerged clearly better.

Here Vaishali offered to exchange queens, to immediately stifle White’s initiative, but Zhu – understandably – refused. Black proceeded with sending her queen to White’s back rank and checking the white king, hoping to get some chances, but this sortie quickly backfired.

After Vaishali gave all the checks, there was nothing else she could do at this stage to protect her kingside weaknesses. White now had everything ready to launch a mating attack.

28.Re8 Nb2 29.Ne4 Nxc4 30.Nf6+ Kg7 31.Qe7 and Black resigned 1-0

Zhu now has 5½ points and is in the shared first place, alongside Bibisara Assaubayeva and Aleksandra Goryachkina. Vaishali is still on two points, with four draws and no victories in the event.

Standings after Round 10:

Round 11 of the third leg of the Women’s Grand Prix will take place on Wednesday, 5th April at 1 PM local time. 

The pairings of Round 11 (final round) are:

Bibisara Assaubayeva – Kateryna Lagno
Vaishali Rameshbabu – Nana Dzagnidze
Nino Batsiashvili – Zhu Jiner
Aleksandra Goryachkina – Humpy Koneru
Harika Dronavalli – Polina Shuvalova

The Women’s Grand Prix in New Delhi entered its decisive phase as Round Nine unfolded, with players gearing up for the final push in the remaining days of the tournament. Here are the results of today’s games:

Bibisara Assaubayeva – Nana Dzagnidze, ½ – ½
Vaishali Rameshbabu – Humpy Koneru, ½ – ½
Nino Batsiashvili – Polina Shuvalova, 1 – 0
Aleksandra Goryachkina – Harika Dronavalli. 1 – 0

Kateryna Lagno and Zhu Jiner had a rest day.

FIDE Women Grand Prix New Delhi so far: Report round 1 / Report round 2 / Report round 3 / Report round 4 / Report round 5 / Report round 6 / Report round 7 / Report round 8

Parallel: FIDE Women Candidates Chess 2023 / Report round 1 / Report round 2 / Report round 3 / Report round 4

Starting soon: Nepo – Ding 2023 game 1 LIVE , part of the World Chess Championship 2023

With just two rounds to go, Bibisara Assaubayeva is in the lead with 5½ points. After eight consecutive games (she was free on day one), Assaubayeva will not play in the tenth round as she has another rest day. She is closely followed by Aleksandra Goryachkina, who is in second place after today’s victory. Ju Jiner (who had a rest day today) is on 4½ points.

In today’s round, Bibisara Assaubayeva drew in the Neo-Catalan against Nana Dzagnidze. Assaubayeva, playing as White, had more initiative but couldn’t find a way to convert it into a decisive advantage. In the end, both were happy with a draw. 

In another Catalan, Aleksandra Goryachina defeated India’s Harika Dronavalli. The Indian player had more initiative but misplayed in the middlegame and ended up with two pawns down. Despite putting up fierce resistance, Goryachkina brought her opponent to defeat after just over four hours of play.

Round Nine was lucky for Nino Batsiashvili, who scored her first victory in the tournament. In the Nimzo-Indian, playing as White against Polina Shuvalova, she took advantage of Black’s mistakes in the middlegame and won.

Compatriots Vaishali Rameshbabu and Humpy Koneru had a peaceful debate in the Ruy Lopez and agreed to split a point after 31 moves.

Here follows a closer look at the games of Round Nine:

Bibisara Assaubayeva – Nana Dzagnidze

Before this game, the two played five games in total. The small number of games is probably because the two belong to different generations. Bibisara has three victories, while Nana has only one, with one game ending in a draw.

In the Neo-Catalan accepted, Bibisara deviated from the played lines on move nine, castling her king (other previously played lines include 0-0, Nxd7 or Na3) and got a tiny edge thanks to two bishops. The first important moment happened on move 17. 

In the post-game interview, Dzagnidze said that she ‘wasn’t sure’ about the 17…f5 move, as it opens some weaknesses in Black’s camp. The game proceeded with a lot of positional regrouping around the centre, hoping to advance.

However, it seemed that Black was the side which had to wait and react to White’s actions. Assaubayeva opted to exchange dark-squared bishops and prepare a d3-d4 push through the centre. 

After several inaccuracies by Nana, Bibisara obtained a serious advantage. She had isolated d4-pawn, but this factor was outweighed by her serious pressure in the centre and on Black’s downward e6-pawn. 

Dzagnidze tried to wriggle out by 33…Rxd4, and it worked, but only because Bibisara wasn’t precise. She took on e6 with her knight when it was better to play 34.Bc6 first and then take on e6 with a rook. Playing 34.Nxe6 straight away Bibisara overlooked 34…Rd1!, which allowed Black to exchange some pieces and simplify the position.

White was still better, but by move 37, her advantage dissipated, and the two soon agreed to draw.

With this draw, Bibisara Assaubayeva is still at the top, with 5½/9, while Dzagnidze has 2½ points.

Vaishali Rameshbabu – Humpy Koneru

This was another Indian clash. Out of 14 games played, Vaishali has three victories, while Humpy has six.

In a rare line of the Ruy Lopez, the two quickly exchanged central pawns and the queens, heading towards an endgame in which Vaishali exerted some pressure on the queenside.

The best option for White was 17.Na5, to probing Black’s weakness and hampering her development. Instead, Harika opted for 17.Be3, allowing Black to activate her c8-bishop.

It led to an equal position, and the two soon agreed to draw. A fourth draw for Vaishali, who now has two points, while Koneru has 3½ points.

Nino Batsiashvili – Polina Shuvalova

The two have played four times so far, and Nino has two victories while Polina has one.

In the Nimzo-Indian defence, the two entered the Saemisch variation and followed the footsteps of Salem and Moussard (Dubai 2021) up to move ten, where Nino deviated with a very aggressive but questionable 10.f3-f4?! 

White has an impressive pawn center but has to be careful of overstretching, as it can easily become a weakness. Polina hastily castled (10…cxd4 11.cxd4 h5 looks stronger), and a very sharp game was on. 

Shuvalova spent significantly more time in the opening, suggesting that she was surprised by White’s preparation. Still, she countered well by timely chipping away at White’s center by b7-b5 and got a potentially very strong connected c and d pawns. 

Black is clearly better here. Chess engines suggest 20…Rae8, but Polina preferred 20…Ne7 and then launched operations on the “wrong” flank and allowed White to push the b-pawn to b6, giving her some advantage. It was the start of Shuvalova’s fall. She made several inaccuracies in a row and found herself in a very dangerous position. 

Black needed to move her queen away from the pinned c-file and suffer after 27…Qf6 28.Nxf5 Qxf5 29.Be5. Shuvalova instead decided to take on d4, ending in a net of pins on the c5 pawn.

White could have won on the spot on move thirty with 30.b7!, but Batsiashvili opted for 30.Qc3 and left some chances for Black. Still, Nino preserved a large part of her advantage.

Shuvalova’s best option was to exchange her knight for the bishop on e5 but she played 33…d4? instead, further weakening her central pawns.

The rest of the game was a walk in the park for White as her passers advanced much faster. Shuvalova soon resigned.

It is the first victory for Nino Batsiashvili in the tournament, who lost an overwhelming position in the eighth round. She played seven games so far in New Delhi and is now on 2½ points. Shuvalova remains on 3½.

Aleksandra Goryachkina – Harika Dronavalli

Out of 13 games played, Goryachkina has four victories, while Harika has two.

The two tested a long theoretical line Catalan, in which White sacrifices an exchange for a bishop and a pawn and gets sufficient compensation. Up to move 23 (!), the opponents reproduced the game Makarian – Hovhanessyan (2021), but Harika’s second original move was a serious inaccuracy. 

With 24…a4? Harika created a weak pawn in her camp. After 25.Bf3 Rc5? (better was 25…h4) 26.Bb4 Rc2 27.Bc3 White emerged clearly better, threatening to capture Black’s c2 rook.

Harika’s only option was 27…Bc5, with the idea of taking the bishop on c3 and capturing the White’s a3-pawn. She instead played 27…Rd8, offering an exchange and hoping to create an escape path for her c-2 rook on White’s first rank, but Aleksandra saw through this and just played 28.Ra1! By this moment, Goryachkina had half an hour, while Harika had just over 15 minutes.

Ultimately, Black had to give up her rook and exchange it for White’s c3-bishop and headed in a hopeless opposite-coloured bishops endgame two pawns down. 

Dronavalli fought on, but Goryachkina was precise: she advanced her c-pawn as far as she could before trading it in for Black’s pawns on the kingside. As soon as White’s pawn mass on the kingside set in motion, Dronavalli threw in the towel. 

Goryachkina now has five points, just half a point behind the leader, Bibisara Assaubayeva.

Standings after Round 9

Round 10 of the third leg of the Women’s Grand Prix will take place on Tuesday, 4th April at 3 PM local time. 

Round 10 pairings:

Kateryna Lagno – Harika Dronavalli
Polina Shuvalova – Aleksandra Goryachkina
Humpy Koneru – Nino Batsiashvili
Zhu Jiner – Vaishali Rameshbabu

Nana Dzagnidze and Bibisara Assaubayeva have a rest day.

Round 7 saw two decisive outcomes and two draws. It was a relatively short round, with the last game finishing after three and a half hours of play.

Round 7 results:

Nana Dzagnidze – Kateryna Lagno, 0 – 1
Bibisara Assaubayeva – Humpy Koneru, ½ – ½
Vaishali Rameshbabu – Harika Dronavalli – ½ – ½
Nino Batsiashvili – Aleksandra Goryachkina – 0 – 1

In the seventh round of the Women’s Grand Prix in New Delhi, Bibisara Assaubayeva made her first draw of the event against Humpy Koneru, playing the Reversed Benoni. Although Assaubayeva had a better position, she couldn’t find a path to victory. Despite this, the player from Kazakhstan still leads the tournament with 4,5 out of 6 points. Koneru has three points.

Meanwhile, Aleksandra Goryachkina took another step towards the top, capitalizing on a blunder by Nino Batsiashvili in Veresov. Kateryna Lagno also had a successful match against Nana Dzagnidze, taking advantage of Nana’s misplay in the Bogo-Indian to secure a win. Lagno and Goryachkina both have 3,5 points, but Goryachkina has one game more.

The Indian derby between Harika Dronavalli and Vaishali Rameshbaby, ended in a draw. Vaishali has 1,5 points while Harika has two.

Here follows a more detailed look at the games of Round Seven in the Women’s Grand Prix:

Nana Dzagnidze – Kateryna Lagno

In the huge number of games the two have played, Lagno leads by a significant margin.

Nana forgot her moves in the opening and spent a lot of time in a rare line of the Bogo-Indian. Kateryna sacrificed a pawn early on and got some compensation but hardly more. On her fourteenth move, however, Dzagnidze made a serious mistake.

Here White should play 14.a3, but Nana forgot the line and played 14.f4? allowing Black to create a strong pawn centre and obtain a serious space advantage, which Kateryna used to align her pieces for the attack.

After due preparation, Black started her onslaught on the white king. Nana had just one way to stay in the game for a while by putting her rook on f1, to protect and control the f4 square. Instead, she played 23.Qc2?, allowing Black to open the g-file with deadly threats.

23…gxf4 24.gxf4 Qh4 – White has no escape. The final portion of the game turned into a hunt for the White’s king that ended on move 29. Leaving the playing hall, Nana Dzagnidze briefly commented that “one can’t play when they forget or don’t know the lines”. Despite a challenging tournament, Nana Dzagnidze is maintaining a courageous demeanour and refraining from displaying any overtly negative emotions.

Lagno now has four points, while Dzagnidze is on two.

Bibisara Assaubayeva – Humpy Koneru

This was the first classical game between Assaubayeva and Koneru. So far, they have played 23 Blitz games with an even head-to-head record.

Just like in the encounter between Assaubayeva and Dronavalli, the game saw the Reversed Benoni and, again, White emerged clearly better in the opening. 

In the post-game analysis, Koneru explained that here she misplayed the line – she should have continued with 10…c6 but played 10…Re8. Bibisara had an extra pawn with no visible compensation for Black.

On move 16, White had a chance to increase her advantage by grabbing the b7-pawn but Assaubayeva opted for a safer approach.

Little by little, Koneru coordinated her pieces and countered by pushing the a-pawn and then activating her kingside pieces, to force exchanges and blunt White’s edge.

Despite not finding the best moves, White had a better position for most of the game, although to Koneru’s credit, she put up a stubborn resistance. In the end, as both reached time trouble, it all turned around as Assaubayeva handed her advantage to Black. Sensing the moment, Assaubayeva made a good practical decision by offering a draw in the following position after 37.f3

Koneru was better here: Black just needs to realign her heavy pieces on the kingside and put pressure on White’s centre. However, Humpy was not in the mood to continue, and the two agreed to split a point.

This is the first draw for Bibisara Assaubayeva who now has 4,5 points out of six games. Humpy Koneru has three points.

Vaishali Rameshbabu – Harika Dronavalli

In the Indian duel between Vaishali and Harika, out of 17 games played between the two, Vaishali won nine, and Harika won eight.

In the Open variation of the Ruy Lopez, the opponents tested a rare line and quickly stepped off the beaten track. Both played quite logical natural moves keeping position in balance. Following exchanges and simplifications, the two reached an even rook endgame and called it a day.

Dronavalli is on two points while Rameshbaby is on 1,5.

Nino Batsiashvili – Aleksandra Goryachkina

Out of the total of 13 games the two have played so far, Nino has two wins and Goryachkina has four.

In the Veresov with 3.Bf4, the two entered unchartered waters as early as move six. Batsiashvili went for an unusual move 6.Nh3 but after natural 6…Bb4 played by Goryachkina, Black was already slightly better. A more logical move was 6.h4, heading into a sharp position.

After Nino closed the centre on move eight, Aleksandra got a very good version of advanced Karo-Cann with a couple of White’s pieces misplaced. 

White’s uncastled king is exposed, and the centre is hanging by a thread. White should have proceeded with 13.dxc5 to remove the c5 pawn, countering Black on the left flank and centre. Instead, 13.b4 played in the game was premature and, costly.

After the game, Nino explained that the occasional noise coming from another part of the hotel affected her concentration, and she misplayed.

After 13…cxb4, instead of taking 14.axb4 and continuing resistance in a worse position, Nino played 14.Nb5? – a well-known idea in the French Defence, that just doesn’t work here. 

It failed to 14…Bxc2! 15.Qxc2 b3+ 16.Qd2 Bxd2 17.Bxd2 Aleksandra Goryachkina traded in two bishops for a queen and two pawns.

The rest was unnecessary. Batsiashvili continued to struggle but quickly realized the futility of her attempts.

Standings after Round 7:

The eighth round of the third leg of the Women’s Grand Prix will take place on Sunday, 2nd April at 3 PM local time. 

Round 8 pairings: 

Kateryna Lagno – Aleksandra Goryachkina
Harika Dronavalli – Nino Batsiashvili
Polina Shuvalova – Vaishali Ramehsbabu
Zhu Jiner – Bibisara Assaubayeva

Nana Dzagnidze and Humpy Koneru have a rest day. 

As the Women’s Grand Prix tournament in New Delhi reached its halfway point, Round Six brought an electrifying array of games to the forefront. With all four boards featuring sharp and skilful play, it’s a surprise that just one game finished with a decisive result.

Round 6 results:

Kateryna Lagno – Nino Bastiashvili, ½ – ½
Aleksandra Goryachkina – Vaishali Rameshbabu, ½ – ½
Polina Shuvalova – Bibisara Assaubayeva, 0 – 1
Zhu Jiner – Nana Dzagnidze, ½ – ½ 

Bibisara Assaubayeva is the biggest winner of the day overturning a lost position against Polina Shuvalova. Assaubayeva got into trouble early on, after forgetting the opening. Shuvalova missed several good chances to seal the victory and, in the end, lost.

Assaubayeva is the only player in New Delhi who had decisive results in all of her games so far.

In a second surprise of the day, Zhu dropped a huge advantage against Nana Dzagnidze following Black’s misplay in the Najdorf.

Despite achieving better positions, Kateryna Lagno and Aleksandra Goryachkina could not find the right way forward and ended up drawing their games.

Zhu Jiner and Bibisara Assaubayeva are now joint leaders with four points, though the latter has played one game less.

Here follows a more detailed look at the games of Round Six.

Kateryna Lagno – Nino Batsiashvili

Out of four games the two have played until New Delhi, Lagno won three and Batsiashvili one.

In a rare line of the Archangel variation in the Ruy Lopez, Nino seemed to be uncomfortable. Lagno went for a strike in the centre with 8.d4 and got the upper hand.

However, Kateryna couldn’t find the best way forward and started spending significantly more time. Instead of 18.Bf4, attacking the e5 knight and opening the path for the a1 rook to get involved in the game, White went with 18.Bg5. Batsiashvili responded resourcefully, exchanging her passive pieces for White’s attacking pieces, erasing White’s advantage.

After exchanges and simplifications, this was now an even rook and bishop endgame. It did not take too long for the opponents to shake hands and split a point, right after reaching the time control.

The two players spent some time after the game discussing and analysing the positions. In the post-game interview, Lagno pointed out that Batsiashvili did not know the opening line well. “I had a better position but I couldn’t find the right way forward,” Lagno said.

Kateryna Lagno now has 2,5 points out of five games, while Batsiashvili is on 1,5.

Aleksandra Goryachkina – Vaishali Rameshbabu

Goryachkina and Vaishali have played seven games so far. Somewhat surprisingly, the young rising star from India leads with three victories and four draws against the current World number two player!

Their eighth game saw a popular line of the Gruenfeld Defence, extensively tested on the highest level. The opponents followed the encounter between Anish Giri and Ding Liren up to move 17 when the Indian deviated with 17…f6 and grabbed White’s e4-pawn.

Aleksandra got more than sufficient compensation but stumbled at a critical moment. Goryachkina spent nearly 40 minutes(!) thinking but instead of 20.Bd7 followed by 21.Rc7 with considerable pressure, she played 21.Qe3, which wasn’t the best choice. This allowed Black to relieve the tension with a timely 20…e5 and activate her pieces, leading to an even position.

The two played on, but the evaluation of the position was not changing: White had sufficient compensation for a pawn but hardly more. A draw by perpetual came as a logical outcome. In a post-game interview, Goryachkina said that she felt that she was better but that she couldn’t find the right move forward.

Goryachkina now has 2,5 points out of four games played, while Vaishali has one point with the same number of games.

Polina Shuvalova – Bibisara Assaubayeva

Facing the King’s Indian Defence on the white side, Shuvalova opted for a very sharp Four pawns attack and, after advancing her kingside and central pawns, got a clear advantage.

Still, White had to put her king to safety – 12.0-0, which was the most natural and strong continuation. After 12.exd6 Nb6 White was still better, but overambitious 13.f5 led to an unclear position.  

Bibisara immediately returned the favour by 13…exd5 and after 14.Bf4 Nc4 15.Bxc4 dxc4 White was in command again. 

However, instead of natural 16.Qd2 Ng8 17.0-0-0 with a crushing attack, Polina played 16.f6? giving up a pawn and dropping her advantage. Black’s reaction was far from optimal, and Polina obtained a decisive advantage one more time. 

The pendulum kept swinging as Shuvalova missed another opportunity to seal the deal. Instead of 20.Nd5 (or 20.Rxe8 Qxe8 21.Nd5) she opted for 20.Ng5? and after 20…Rf8 21.Qd5, the position was equal.

White’s woes did not end there. Black already achieved some counter-play in a roughly even position, but here Polina made a step into the abyss: 24.Kg3?? After 24…Bb7 25.Rh2 h6 26.h4 Qd7 27.Nce4 h5 Black was completely winning. Three moves later, Shuvalova threw in the towel.

A great misfortune for Polina Shuvalova, and a lucky break for Bibisara Assaubayeva.

Assaubayeva now has four points out of five games, while Shuvalova is on 2,5 and is bye on day seven.

Zhu Jiner – Nana Dzagnidze

Up to this round, Zhu has one victory and two draws with Nana Dzagnidze.

The opponents tested a very sharp line of the Najdorf Sicilian, in which White missed a chance to sacrifice a piece for a dangerous initiative

Zhu opted for 11.Bb3, but a stronger move was 11.Bxe6 fxe6 12.Nxe6 with excellent positional compensation and continuous pressure. The Chinese player went for a more cautious approach and still came out with a preferable position.

White is better: she has two strong knights in the centre, threatening to take on g5 and then press on the f7 and d8 squares, endangering Black’s weak king. Dzagnidze’s best option was to play 16…Be7 to guard the d8-square and try and move her king to safety. Instead, she blundered with 16…Nxb3? After 17.axb3, there is no escape for Black.

However, at this point, the Chinese player lost the thread: after 17…Be7, Zhu played 18.Nd6 immediately, instead of increasing pressure with 18.Rhf1. After 18…Bxd6 19.exd6 Qxd6 White is still much better, but instead of 20.Nxb5, she erred with 20.Nxe6?. As a result, White’s advantage completely melted.

Nana found the resourceful move 22…Bb7! returning material but securing her king and reaching an equal position. Eleven moves down the road, a draw was agreed upon. 

A missed chance for Zhu and a lucky break for Dzagnidze. Zhu now has four points, while Dzagnidze has two out of six.

Standings after Round 6:

The seventh round of the third leg of the Women’s Grand Prix will take place on Saturday, 1st April at 3 PM local time.

Round 7 pairings:

Nana Dzagnidze – Kateryna Lagno
Bibisara Assaubayeva – Humpy Koneru
Vaishali Rameshbabu – Harika Dronavalli
Nino Batsiashvili – Aleksandra Goryachkina

Zhu Jiner and Polina Shuvalova have a rest day.

Assaubayeva had a lucky break after Nino Batsiashvili made a blunder in an even position and lost. Assaubayeva now shares first place with Alexandra Goryachkina who is also on two points, but who had a free point today as she wasn’t playing. The two will be facing each other in the fourth round.

Kateryna Lagno and Harika Dronavalli both surprised their opponents in today’s round but that wasn’t good enough for a victory. While Lagno, playing as Black, had more chances and initiative after some imprecisions from her opponent Humpy Koneru, it wasn’t enough. On the other hand, Harika was happy to draw with her friend and well-known competitor Nana Dzagnidze having surprised her with the opening choice.

The longest game of the day was between Zhu Jiner of China and Polina Shuvalova. Following a dynamic game, the two ended in a drawn rook endgame which lasted until the 87th move.

Here follows a recap of today’s games.

Humpy Koneru – Kateryna Lagno

Humpy and Lagno have played 39 games until now, and all have been Gruenfield or Benoni. However, in this game, Lagno decided to go for the Semi-Tarrasch line of the Queen’s gambit declined, surprising her opponent. “I felt that she was surprised”, said Lagno afterwards.

Following the opening, the two reached the following position.

Here Humpy opted to open the centre, probably somewhat prematurely: 11.e4 dxe4, and White immediately pressed on: 12.d5 Bc3 13.dxe6 Bxd2 14.Qxd2. However, after 14…Ne5! 15.Qf4 and Black emerged slightly better, threatening to put her knight on d3, which could be fatal for White.

Harika decided to give up the e6 pawn but after 16.Rfd1 Qxe6 17.Bxf6 Qxf6 18.Qxe4 had to switch to defence as Black enjoyed some edge because of the stronger knight and an extra pawn.

Black’s chances of putting more pressure were hanging on keeping the e5-knight which protected the c4-pawn. Lagno decided to plant the knight on d3, where it was immediately traded. Although White could not take the d3-pawn immediately due to the weakness of her b2-pawn, Humpy made a couple of consolidating moves first and only after that restored the material balance with a completely even position. More exchanges followed, leading to a drawn queen’s endgame.

Both are now on 1,5 out of three.

 Zhu Jiner – Polina Shuvalova

Zhu offered to battle in the Italian Game, but Shuvalova opted for the quieter line with the bishop on e7 (known as the Hungarian Defence) with an early d7-d5. On move 12, White struck in the centre and decided to play with the isolated d-pawn, which Black zeroed in on immediately. 

In the subsequent maneuvering play, both opponents traded slight inaccuracies in a roughly equal position, but it was Shuvalova who made a serious one first.

After 22…Be7? (22…c5 was a much better alternative). White is much better: she can exchange the bishops and then centralise the queen on d4 and continue with the advance on the kingside.

Instead, Zhu decided to avoid the exchange with 23.Bg3? thus allowing breathing space for Black.

In a dynamic position that emerged, Zhu pressured on the right flank while Shuvalova was countering on the queenside. Black had to be more cautious as White pushed, but Shuvalova demonstrated good calculation, steering to an endgame despite being down a pawn.

As soon as the queenside pawns were exchanged, Black was out of trouble. Still, Zhu tested her opponent in a drawn three-vs-two paws on one side rook endgame for another 46 moves. Having finally exhausted all options, the two agreed to split a point after four and a half hours of play.

Both Zhu and Shuvalova are on 1,5 points after the first three rounds.

Nana Dzagnidze – Harika Dronavalli

The game began with a surprise: As Nana confessed later, Harika’s second move 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6, was something she didn’t expect. “We are friends, and we played many games together, but Harika never ceases to surprise with her openings,” said Nana in the post-game interview.

The two followed the main moves of the exchange variation of the Slav Defence, which does not offer much for White. The game was mostly calm, with a flicker of excitement seen after White’s 18th move.

White just played 18.e4 aiming to make a push through the centre. Dronavalli responded with 18…Re8. Here Dzagnidze opted for innocuous 19.Rc2, while a stronger move was 19.Rfd1, building up the pressure on the centre.

However, Nana did not feel she had achieved much and was overall not happy with her position. With this in mind, she soon offered a move repetition. Dronavalli was comfortable with a draw as Black, so the two called it a day after 25 moves and two and a half hours of play.

Both Dzagnidze and Dronavalli are now on 1,5 points after three rounds.

Bibisara Assaubayeva – Nino Batsiashvili

Bibisara Assaubayeva scored her second consecutive victory in the Women’s Grand Prix in New Delhi, having defeated Nino Basiashvili. Assaubayeva has now extended her lead against Batsiashvili to 4:1.

In a popular line of Tarrasch Defence tested extensively over the last few years on the highest level, Black sacrificed a pawn but got sufficient compensation. The two soon headed into an endgame, and that’s when things took an unpleasant turn for Nino.

White has an extra pawn on a4, but Black has more activity and can pose some threats to the king. The position was equal until this moment when Batsiashvili made a terrible blunder Rxa4?? Bibisara naturally responded with 31.Nc5, winning an exchange.

To make things even worse, Batsiashvili played 31…f6, weakening the seventh rank, which made her position absolutely hopeless. The rest was a smooth sail of Bibisara, who easily converted her extra material.

Batsiashvili now has 1,5 points, while Assaubayeva has two victories from two games played so far.

Standings after the third round:

Bibisara Assaubayeva – 2 points
Alexandra Goryachkina – 2 points
Harika Dronavalli – 1,5 points
Nino Batsiashvili – 1,5 points
Zhu Jiner – 1,5 points
Nana Dzagnidze – 1,5 points
Polina Shuvalova – 1,5 points
Humpy Koneru – 1,5 points
Kateryna Lagno – 1 point
Vaishali Rameshbabu – 1 point

The fourth round of the third leg of the Women’s Grand Prix will take place on Wednesday, 29th March, at 3 PM local time.

Round 4 pairings:

Kateryna Lagno – Vaishali Rameshbabu
Aleksandra Goryachkina – Bibisara Assaubayeva
Polina Shuvalova – Nana Dzagnidze
Humpy Koneru – Zhu Jiner

Harika Dronavalli and Nino Batsiashvili are free.

The warm weather of New Delhi at 32 degrees Celsius could not deter the players from their game, as they battled it out in the second round of the Women’s Grand Prix. Amidst the blazing sun, the playing hall provided much-needed relief with its cool and tranquil atmosphere. While three games ended with a draw (two of them after around an hour of play) one ended in a victory.

Vaishali Rameshbabu – Bibisara Assaubayeva: First victory in the tournament

This was the first game played in the tournament to end with a decisive result. Following a rest day in Round One, Bibisara Assaubayeva claimed a victory in her first game in New Delhi. 

After Vaishali’s 1.e4 с5 2.Nf3 g6 Vaishali (not Assaubayeva) opted for the Alapin variation of the Sicilian Defence with 3.c3. After several standard moves, the Indian IM had to make a decision, shaping up the pawn structure.



She opted for 8.cxd4 instead of 8.Nbxd4 – creating an isolated pawn in her camp but hoping for some dynamic play. However, it did not work out for Vaishali. After a couple of inaccuracies on her part, Black gradually traded the majority of minor pieces and put serious pressure on the isolated d4-pawn.

By this point, Vaishali was getting into more dangerous time trouble. For a while, however, she managed to find solid moves to keep her in play, although in an inferior position. However, it is difficult to keep finding good moves when your time is measured in seconds and not even minutes. Also, playing against the two-time Women’s World Champion in Blitz games doesn’t help.

In the course of the rest of the game, given her severe time trouble, Vaishali managed to trade her isolated pawn to Black’s e7-pawn and simplified the position but ended up significantly worse.


After 30…Rb4 31.Ra7 Rxb3 32.Rxa6 Rxb2 33.Rb6 b4 Black emerged with an advanced and well-protected runner on the b-file.

Here Vaishali made her final and – as it turned out, deadly – mistake. Instead of placing her knight on a4, attacking the rook and controlling the b2 square, she put her knight on b5 after directly in the line of her rook on b6. After that, she was completely lost.

Assaubayeva then brought in her knight to protect and then advance the b-pawn, and she confidently carried on giving her opponent no quarter. After four hours of play – most of which the Indian player spent in desperate time trouble – Bibisara Assaubayeva became the first player to win in New Delhi. Assaubayeva now has one point, as does Vaishali.

Aleksandra Goryachkina – Nana Dzagnidze: A quick draw

After just an hour of play, in a lively position that emerged from so-called Anti-Meran system, the players decided to go for a repetition and call it a day. The game lasted just 20 moves, with 15 of them being the reproduction of an earlier game Goryachkina – Dronavalli (2021), which also ended in a draw. Black deviated on move 15, but it did not change the evaluation of the position as roughly equal.

Since it’s still early days in New Delhi and given that the opponents have one more chance in the fourth tournament, the two decided to take it slower today. Both Goryachkina and Dzagnidze are now on one out of two.

Harika Dronavalli – Zhu Jiner: The long way to a draw

This was the last game to finish in New Delhi, following four and a half hours of play.

Surprisingly, this is the first game the two have met over the board, despite both being among the top women’s chess. The reason for this is that they belong to different generations (Harika was born in 1991 and Zhu in 2002), so they mostly played in different age categories in junior and youth events.



Harika opened with her standard move – 1.Nf3 and after 1…d5 2.c4 e6 3.cd5 ed5, the two went for a popular line in the exchange variation of the Queen’s Gambit Declined that has been tested at the highest level many times. Harika went for a standard minority attack on the queenside and, after exchanges in the center, the two reached the following position:

White is slightly better but doesn’t pose any serious threats. After Harika straightforwardly traded all the rooks along the c-file, the game transpired into a knight endgame where Black had a remote b-passer. It seemed that only Zhu had a chance to play for a win but with precise play, White is fine. Harika did just that, and the game ended in a draw. Both have one point after two rounds.

Polina Shuvalova – Humpy Koneru: A simple draw

It was the second relatively quick draw of the day. After 19 moves and an hour and a half of play, the two split a point. Humpy Konery played the Queen’s Gambit Accepted which was a surprise as she had employed this opening on just a handful of occasions before. Shuvalova opted for a trendy 7.b3 line that has become very popular lately.

Here White has a minimal advantage, but Shuvalova dropped even this slight edge after taking the black night on c6, enabling her opponent to activate the white-squared bishop on a8-h1 diagonal.

After 12.Nc6 Bc6 13. Ne5 Bd5 – Black got the bishop to a better square and offered an exchange for White’s strong c4-bishop. Shuvalova refused and played 14.Bd3. Black had no real problems in this position and was holding her ground confidently. After 14…Bd6 they two followed a three-fold repetition. With two draws in the first two rounds, both players now have a point each.

The third round of the third leg of the Women’s Grand Prix will take place on Tuesday, 28th March, at 3 PM local time.

Round 3 parings:

Humpy Koneru – Kateryna Lagno
Zhu Jiner – Polina Shuvalova
Nana Dzagnidze – Harika Dronavalli
Bibisara Assaubayeva – Nino Batsiashvili
Aleksandra Goryachkina and Vaishali Rameshbabu are free.

Bharat Singh Chauhan, Chairman of FIDE’s Advisory Board and Secretary of the All India Chess Federation, made the ceremonial first move in the game between Koneru Humpy and Harika Dronavalli in the inaugural round of the New Delhi Women’s Grand Prix.

“This is a huge event for women’s chess and chess in India. We should all look at the broader picture and acknowledge all the efforts made to organise this event and to help boost women’s chess both in India and globally. It’s not easy to find sponsors today given the global situation, but we and FIDE are committed”, Bharat Singh said.

The round started at 3 PM local time, as planned. Shortly before the round, Elisabeth Paehtz sent a letter to FIDE announcing her decision to withdraw from the tournament.

Save for a relatively peaceful draw between the top two Indian players, all other games were fought to (an almost bitter) end.

Polina Shuvalova –Kateryna Lagno: Sharp meets aggressive

Polina Shuvalova and Kateryna Lagno drew their game after much tension on the board and time trouble.

Following 1.d4, Lagno played the King’s Indian Defence. Shuvalova opted for a sharp line, advancing her pawn on h4, to which Lagno responded by offering a pawn sacrifice a la Benko Gambit and then opening the centre. White went for a breakthrough in the center and exchanged the queens hoping that Black’s weaker pawn structure would provide opportunities for an initiative. However, Lagno had enough play for her pieces. Instead of waiting for Shuvalova to probe Black’s weaknesses, Lagno also played actively and aggressively.

Still, White had some pressure but on move 20, Polina opted for a tempting but not so-strong 20.Nfg5, allowing Kateryna to get sufficient counterplay, bringing her rook to the second rank. Both players ended up in time trouble. After massive exchanges in the centre and on the queenside, the position was even, and the two agreed to draw their game.

In the post-game interview, both players said they were happy with the start and optimistic about their tournament.

Humpy Koneru – Harika Dronavalli: A peaceful draw

The Indian derby between Humpy Konery and Harika Dronavalli ended in a peaceful draw. Dronavalli opted for the Gruenfeld Defence, which, as she said, “might have been a surprise” for her opponent. Humpy went for a lesser-known line but did not achieve much. As the game progressed, both players centralized their pieces and then initiated massive exchanges. After transpiring into an equal rook endgame, the Indian GMs agreed on a draw after 31 moves.

Zhu Jiner – Aleksandra Goryachkina: A missed chance for Zhu

Zhu Jiner missed a huge chance to settle a score with Aleksandra Goryachkina, who defeated her in Astana as Black, in the first leg of the Grand Prix. 

It was a duel between two leaders of the ongoing Women’s Grand Prix series. Zhu currently holds the second position in the overall standings. However, emerging from Astana with a commendable second-place finish, Goryackhina has secured her status as a top contender for the top of the Grand Prix cycle. Notably, this is only her second tournament in the cycle, adding a thrilling element of unpredictability to the competition.

Following 2.e4 by Zhu, the two quickly entered the Berlin defence of Ruy Lopez, a popular line among the chess elite. Zhu went straight for an exchange path, leading to a typical Berlin endgame. An interesting choice given Goryachkina is well-known for her excellence in endgames. Black was confidently holding her ground up to a certain point but closer to the time control Aleksandra made a severe mistake taking the rook on f7.

Аfter 39…Kxf7? (39…Bxe5!) 40.Bxh6 White has a much better bishop endgame thanks to a remote passer on the kingside, which she imminently creates. 

Indeed, several moves down the road, Zhu got a dominating position and was winning. With her back against the wall, Goryachkina resisted, and eventually, it paid off, but not without some help from her opponent.

In this position, instead of 60.Be5 (60.g7 also looks very strong) followed by pushing her g-pawn and then moving in with the king on the queenside pawns, Zhu missed Black’s only defensive idea and carelessly played 60.Kf4? allowing Aleksandra to get off the hook by 60…bxc4 61. bxc4 Bd4!

Finally, after more than five hours of play, the two agreed to a draw.

Nana Dzagnidze – Nino Batsiashvili: Ups and downs

Nana and Nino are two members of the highly successful Georgian women’s team. Between them, Nana has a better score, but in an event such as the Grand Prix, that might not mean anything.

Batsiashvili, who generally plays the Queen’s Indian Defence, today went for the Queen’s Gambit Declined, hoping to surprise her opponent. Dzagnidze preferred the Catalan – which generally gives white a small initiative in most cases. The two found themselves on an uncharted territory by move 14 and ended up in a position with the opposite-coloured bishops. 

The first breaking point of the game occurred on move 30. 

In time pressure Batsiashvili played 30…Rb5? directly forcing her to give up her queen.

However, after 31. Rd2 Qd2 32. Bd2 Rd2 Nana returned the favour and now she was the one to blunder. 

Dzagnidze opted for 33.Rxc5?, which enabled Black to exchange a pair of rooks and then collect two pawns on the second file. In time trouble, Dzagnidze ended up giving all her pawns on the kingside in an attempt to open up the black king for checks. 

Now it was Batsiashvili who had the upper hand, having reached the time control and achieving a seizable advantage. However, in time trouble, she couldn’t find the right setup, and eventually, the two agreed on a draw after move repetition.

In the post-game interview, both players were asked to comment on how they deal with such huge ups and downs which happen in a game. The answer both gave: “You just play on because you have to, and that’s it”.

The second round of the third leg of the Women’s Grand Prix is due to start on Monday, 27th March, at 3 PM local time.

Round 2 parings:

Vaishali Rameshbabu – Bibisara Assaubayeva 

Aleksandra Goryachkina – Nana Dzagnidze

Harika Dronavalli – Zhu Jiner

Polina Shuvalova – Humpy Koneru

Kateryna Lagno and Nino Batsiashvili have a free day.