Women’s Grand Prix Tbilisi R5: The day of surprising twists

Three of the five games saw wild twists and turns, with players trading advantages, sometimes move by move. Nana Dzagnidze emerged victorious against Alexandra Kosteniuk after catching a lucky break following a daring line she chose. Vaishali Rameshbabu suffered a defeat at the hands of Mariya Muzychuk despite having a significantly better position earlier in the game. Stavroula Tsolakidou and Alina Kashlinskaya traded advantages throughout their endgame, ultimately finishing in a draw. With five rounds completed and four remaining, four players lead with three points each

It was an unusual day at the Women’s Grand Prix in Georgia. Typically, players are less ambitious in their play before the rest day, as one experienced chess pundit noted before the round. This seemed to be the case initially, as most games saw rapid opening play, and the first game to finish, between Bibisara Assaubayeva and Anna Muzychuk, ended in a peaceful draw.

However, as the day progressed, unexpected storms erupted on the remaining boards.

The most anticipated matchup of the round was between Georgia’s Nana Dzagnidze and former Women’s World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk. After spending considerable time in the opening, Dzagnidze opted for a risky line in the Nimzo-Indian Defense, sacrificing a bishop. Initially, this appeared to be a miscalculation: Kosteniuk, playing rapidly, seemed to be in preparation, while Dzagnidze was using up her time. However, a series of mistakes from Kosteniuk completely turned the game around, putting Dzagnidze in a winning position.

Kosteniuk tried to emulate Dzagnidze’s miraculous escape against Anna Muzychuk in round four but found no such salvation this time. After misplaying advantageous positions in the earlier rounds, fortune finally favored Dzagnidze, who won the game and secured a spot among the leaders with three points. Kosteniuk, missing her chance to take sole lead, finished the first half of the tournament at 50%.

A similar story unfolded in the game between Vaishali Rameshbabu and Mariya Muzychuk. In the Italian Game, both players ventured into a sharp position where Vaishali emerged with a significant advantage. However, in just a few moves, the game slipped away from her. She underestimated Black’s kingside threats and launched an attack that backfired, leading to a lost position. With this victory, Mariya Muzychuk joined the leading pack with three points, while Vaishali remains on two.

The game between Stavroula Tsolakidou and Alina Kashlinskaya saw the most dramatic shifts of the day. In the Ruy Lopez, Kashlinskaya found herself in trouble during a complex middlegame and ended up in a worse position. However, as the game transitioned to an ending, Tsolakidou lost her grip, and Kashlinskaya found herself with a winning chance. Unfortunately for Kashlinskaya, she missed several opportunities to secure the win, and the game eventually ended in a draw. This was enough to keep Tsolakidou among the leaders with three points, while Kashlinskaya sits at 2.5 out of five.

Round five also saw Sara Khadem win her first game of the tournament. Playing in the Exchange Variation of the Queen’s Gambit Declined, Khadem capitalized on a blunder by four-time Georgian Women’s Champion Lela Javakhishvili on move 19. Khadem played accurately thereafter, not allowing her opponent any chances to salvage a draw. This victory marks Khadem’s first in the event, though she still finds herself in last place with 1.5 points. Having been out of competitive play for more than six months, some rustiness is to be expected. Lela Javakhishvili remains on two points.

With five of nine rounds played, the players will have a rest day on Tuesday before the games resume on Wednesday, August 21.

Standings after Round 5

Here follows a closer look at the games of round five of the Women’s Grand Prix in Tbilisi:

Nana Dzagnidze – Alexandra Kosteniuk

This was the derby of the round. In the Nimzo-Indian, Nana spent a significant amount of time in the opening, deliberating whether to go for a line involving a piece sacrifice.

At first glance, the position looks like a typical opening setup without much excitement. However, the main line here for White involves taking on d5, leading to a sharp game: 8.cxd5 Bxf1 9.dxe6 Ba6 10.exf7+ Kxf7 11.e4. This results in a very sharp position where White has two pawns for a piece and an attack on the black king. Other options for White include 8.b3 and 8.Qf3.

After 20 minutes of contemplation, Nana decided on 8.cxd5, directly entering the piece sacrifice line.

8. cxd5 Bxf1 9.dxe6 Ba6 10.exf7+ Kxf7

Here, both 11.e4 and 11. Qb3+ continuations have been tested extensively, with the former option being considered slightly better for White. 11…Ke8 12.Ne6 According to engines, the position is now equal. Kosteniuk played very quickly, indicating this was likely part of her preparation. From here, things started to deteriorate for Nana.

12…Qd7 13.Ng7+ Kd8 White has three pawns for a piece, but the computer evaluates the position as significantly better for Black.

14.e4 Nc6 15.Be3 Na5 Here, 15…Ng4 was the engine’s first choice. 16.Qc2

At this point, Kosteniuk made two consecutive mistakes.

16…Bxa3? The first one. Alexandra should have played either 16…Kc8 or 16…Ng4 with a slightly better position.

17.Nf5 Bb4? The second mistake. Here, Kosteniuk should have played 17…Bxb2 18.Qxb2 Nxe4 19.Nxe4 Qxf5 20.Qc2 Qd5 21.f3, with the position being roughly equal.

Now, White got a chance to activate her pieces and turn the tables.

18.Bg5 Rf8 19.e5 Black needed to either move her king to safety or open the c6-vent for the king. Instead, Kosteniuk made a critical error.

19…Qe6?? Again, 19…Kc8 was a better choice, although Black’s position is no joy.

White is now completely winning.

20.Ne3! Be7 21.exf6 Bxf6 22.Bxf6+ Rxf6 23.b4 Nc4 24.Rxa6

Not only has White regained the bishop, but she is also a knight up. Kosteniuk continued to play, hoping to find a perpetual check. Unfortunately for her, Dzagnidze played accurately and recovered the time lost in the opening. Kosteniuk resigned on move 43.

Bibisara Assaubayeva – Anna Muzychuk

In the Queen’s Gambit Declined, Black started with an isolated pawn in the center. The game remained fairly balanced, with both players moving quickly, particularly Assaubayeva. By the middlegame, White won the isolated pawn on d5, while Black captured the pawn on b2. Shortly after, most of the heavy pieces were exchanged, resulting in an even position that led to a threefold repetition after 26 moves, ending the game in a draw.

Stavroula Tsolakidou – Alina Kashlinskaya

In the Ruy Lopez, Kashlinskaya opted for the Morphy Defense. A complicated position developed, and Stavroula spent a significant amount of time in the opening, indicating she might have been surprised by Kashlinskaya’s choice.

After clashes in the center and a series of calculated exchanges the opponents reached the following position.

Here, White could have played 24.Bc3 or 24. Rae1 emerging with an extra pawn in a drawish endgame with opposite-colored bishops, but Tsolakidou preferred an endings with a rook and a pawn against two Black’s minor pieces with 24. Rc5

White was slightly better, but ten moves later, Tsolakidou went too far:

Instead of 35. Rg8 with a balanced position she ventured upon 35.g4, sacrificing her f3-pawn.

35…Be2 36. Rh8 Bxf3 37. Rxh7 Ke6! leading White into a trap.

38.Rh6+? Ke5 Now Black was completely winning, with White’s king exposed to a threat of mate and Black’s f-pawn ready to advance. However, precise play was required.

In the ensuing moves, both players made inaccuracies, trading advantages, but Alina was the last one to err.

 49…Nd3? Alina should have played 49…Ng4!

50.Rxe4! Simplifying the position for a draw.

51…Kxe4 52.a6 f2 53.a7 a8=Q+ 54.Ke3 Qg2 55.Qxg2+ and after Kxg2, Black didn’t have enough material to checkmate White.

Vaishali Rameshbabu – Mariya Muzychuk

In the Italian Game with an early g7-g5 by Black, the players reached a complicated and sharp position, in which White grabbed the imitative.

Black is slightly worse but after 23…Rxa6 the position remains complicated. Mariya, however, played 23…c6? and after 24.axb7 (24.f5 was even stronger) Qxb7 25.Bxe6 fxe6 26.cxd4 Bxd4 27.Rab1 Qg7 28.Ndf3 Bc5 29.Ng5 e5 30.h4 Ng6 31.Ne6 Qe7 32.f5 Bxg1 33.Rxg1 Kd7 found herself on the brink of defeat.

Surprizingly, at this point, the game began to shift rapidly in Black’s favor. Struggling with time, Vaishali made several errors, culminating in four moves down the road.

36.Rb7+?? White should have played 36.Qd3 with still having an advantage. This exchange sacrifice for just a couple of checks led to a losing position.

36…Nxb7 37.Rxb7+ Ke8 38.Rb1 Kf7 With the black king safe, Vaishali realized her blunder. She briefly left the board for a breather before returning to make a few more moves and then resigned.

39.Rf1 Qg4 40.Rf2 Rab8 41.Qd3 Rb4 White resigned, giving Mariya Muzychuk a significant win.

Sarasadat Khademalsharieh – Lela Javakhishvili

The players opted for the Exchange Variation of the Queen’s Gambit Declined. The position remained even until move 19, when Black made a mistake.

Black was slightly behind in developed, and her king was more exposed. Javakhishvili should have played 19…Ne4 with a slightly inferior but defendable position. Instead, she blundered with 19…Ng4? Which failed to 20.Bxb8! Raxb8 21.Qg3! Nf6 22.Bxg6! fxg6 23.Qxg6+ Kf8 24.f4 and White was winning.

The rest was a smooth sail for Sarasadat, who confidently converted her advantage into a full point.

Tuesday is the rest day at the tournament. The sixth round starts on Wednesday, August 21, 3PM local time in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Round six pairings

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

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