Vaishali Rameshbabu is the only winner in Round 3 of WGP Tbilisi

Indian star Vaishali Rameshbabu defeated Sara Khadem with the white pieces in a game she dominated from the very start. With all other games ending in draws, Stavroula Tsolakidou and Bibisara Assaubayeva lead with 2/3, followed by seven players at 50%, and Sara Khadem in last place with half a point.

After blundering in round one and then letting a winning position slip away in round two against Alexandra Kosteniuk, Vaishali Rameshbabu secured a victory against Sara Khadem. In a well-executed performance in the Italian Game, Vaishali quickly gained the upper hand and gradually increased the pressure until Black had no choice but to resign. With this victory, Vaishali is on 1.5 points, back in the tournament in style.

The first game to finish was between Anna Muzychuk and Alexandra Kosteniuk. In the Morphy Defense of Ruy Lopez both players castled on opposite sides, setting the stage for a potential battle. Muzychuk seemed to have a slight initiative, with Black’s queen stuck on the a7 square and potentially at risk. However, at the critical stage of the game, Muzychuk opted to exchange queens, leading to an even rook endgame.

Playing the King’s Indian against Bibisara Assaubayeva, Mariya Muzychuk made a premature pawn advance on the queenside, weakening her position. Fortunately for her, Bibisara made a few inaccuracies, handing the advantage back to Black. After a tactical sequence, White ended up with a queen against two rooks, and the game was drawn. Bibisara is on 2/3, while Mariya Muzychuk has 1.5 points.

Stavroula Tsolakidou drew with Lela Javakhishvili in the English Opening. The Greek player shares the lead with Assaubayeva, both on 2/3.

The last game of the day to finish was between Nana Dzagnidze and Alina Kashlinskaya. In the English Defense, Kashlinskaya found herself in time trouble but managed to reach the time control and secure a draw. After failing to win significantly better positions in the first two rounds and playing another long game, the pressure is on for Nana Dzagnidze.

Standings after Round 3

Here follows a closer look at the games

Anna Muzychuk – Alexandra Kosteniuk

This game was a clash between two experienced top-class players who have faced each other many times before. Heading into this match, the classical game score between them was 6:5 in favor of Anna Muzychuk, while they were even in Rapid, and Kosteniuk held the edge in the Blitz.

In the Morphy Defense of Ruy Lopez, both players castled on opposite sides of the board, setting the stage for a potential sharp showdown. Kosteniuk initiated her attack first, launching a g5-g4 pawn push on move 12, directly challenging the safety of the white king. Muzychuk responded by reinforcing the center and preparing her own counterplay on the queenside.

White just played 19.b4, exerting pressure on Black, whose queen was forced to a7. Then, something unusual happened: after 19…Bxe3, White recaptured with the queen on e3, allowing Black to exchange queens, which led to a more central position for Kosteniuk’s remaining pieces.

Kosteniuk seized the opportunity and after 20.Qxe3 Qxe3 21.fxe3 Nb6 22.Nxb6 cxb6, the game transitioned into an even rook endgame, effectively defusing the tension on the board.

Shortly afterward, the two players agreed to split the point.

In the post-game interview, Kosteniuk mentioned that she was unsure about the strength of her position and was relieved when White opted to exchange queens. She added, „I felt I could have played better in the rook endgame,“ but overall, she seemed content with her performance.

Nana Dzagnidze – Alina Kashlinskaya

Kashlinskaya played the English Defense against Nana Dzagnidze. The position after the opening was relatively balanced, with both sides having clear plans. White had slightly more space on the queenside and a strong central pawn on d5, while Black maintained solid central control and active pieces. Eventually, White’s d5-pawn was exchanged for Black’s pawn. Despite Kashlinskaya having an extra pawn, White’s pieces were more active.

Black soon returned the extra pawn to activate her pieces. After several exchanges, the game transitioned into a queen and rook endgame. Dzagnidze, significantly better on time, sought to create threats against the Black king. Despite her time trouble, Kashlinskaya defended well and posed counter-threats, ultimately securing a draw.

Bibisara Assaubayeva – Mariya Muzychuk

Despite both being top players in women’s chess, this was their first classical game against each other, as noted by commentator Keti Tsatsalashvili during the coverage in Tbilisi.

Muzychuk opted for the Gruenfeld Defense. The position remained balanced until Bibisara’s premature a-pawn advance weakened her queenside.

17.a4? This was a mistake. 17.Nf3 or 17. dxc5 would have been better, according to the engines.

17…Bc6 18.dxc5 Nxc5 19.Bxg7 Bxg2! 20.Nxg2? Again, White missed the better move 20. Kxg2, which would have kept the game more balanced.

After 20…Kxg7, Black was clearly in a better position.

Black’s pawns were better protected, and the knights were well-centralized, while White had exposed pawns on the queenside and less piece activity. Additionally, Assaubayeva was under time pressure.

However, after 21. Qd4+, Black made a critical error by weakening her pawn structure and light squares with 21…f6.

Following 22.Ngf4 Nde4? the position began turning in White’s favor. 23.Qc4 e5 24. b4 exf4 25. bxc5 Nxc5 26. Nxf4 It was White now who had a slightly better position.

After move 33, the opponents reached the following position:

The best move, according to the engines, was 34.Qb2, maintaining the tension. Instead, Bibisara opted for a tactical sequence.

34.Rxc5 bxc5 35.Ne6! Qxe6 36.cxd4, resulting in Black having two rooks for a queen. Bibisara made these moves under severe time pressure.

After a few more moves, it became clear to both players that neither side could make progress, and they agreed to a draw.

Stavroula Tsolakidou – Lela Javakhishvili

In the English Opening, Tsolakidou, playing White, gained slightly more space on the queenside and established better control over the center, but Black countered effectively. In the middlegame, both players had one weakness each, and the position remained largely even.

However, Tsolakidou was under time pressure and had to play quickly and accurately to reach the first time control. Black eventually secured a passed pawn on the c-file, but White had sufficient resources to neutralize the threat, leading to a draw.

 Vaishali Rameshbabu – Sarasadat Khademalsharieh

In the Italian Game, Vaishali, playing White, maintained a strong center, limiting the space for Black’s pieces to develop. Khadem responded with a bold pawn push on the kingside, which was a dicey venture.

Khadem just played 14…Nf4, preparing the f5 pawn advance and forcing White to respond.

After 15.Bxf4! both recaptures look almost equally unpleasant for Black but 15…gxf4 left her with no active play.

White steadily improved her position with each move, preventing Black from opening the center and applying significant pressure on the queenside.

Black has just played 28…b6?, violating one of the positional rules of chess: „Don’t advance pawns on the wing where you are weaker.“

Vaishali responded with clinical accuracy. After 29.b5! axb5 30. axb6 Rb8 31. dxc6 Bxc6 32. cxd5 Bb7 33. Bc4 d5 White broke through on the queenside.

30.Bxd5 Bxd5 35. exd5 Bb6 36. Rgc1 Rg5 37. Rc6 Nd8

Here, virtually „all roads lead to Rome“, but Vaishali found an effective exchange sacrifice to completely paralyze Black’s position: 38. Rxb6! Rxb6 39. Ra8 Rb7 40. Qc4 Rg8 41. d6 Qf7 42. Qe4 Qh7 43. Qd5 Qf7 44. Qf3 Qh7 45. Qh5 Rd7 46. Ne7 and Black resigned.

The fourth round of the first tournament in the 2024/25 Women’s Grand Prix series starts on Sunday, August 18, at 3 PM local time in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Round 4 pairings:

Alexandra Kosteniuk – Sarasadat Khademalsharieh
Lela Javakhishvili – Vaishali Rameshbabu
Mariya Muzychuk – StavroulaTsolakidou
Alina Kashlinskaya – Bibisara Assaubayeva
Anna Muzychuk – Nana Dzagnidze

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