FIDE WGP Shymkent: Goryachkina clinches victory

The second leg of the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2024/2025 concluded in Shymkent, Kazakhstan, with Aleksandra Goryachkina emerging as the undisputed winner. Dominating the tournament from start to finish, Goryachkina only needed a draw in the final round to secure the title, which she confidently achieved.

Here’s how the final round unfolded:

Nurgyul Salimova – Aleksandra Goryachkina ½-½

Aleksandra Goryachkina has been dominating this event, so much so that she only needed a draw in the final round to secure the tournament victory. This what came from her game against Nurgyul Salimova, an excellent result for the rising young star (particularly in terms of rating) who scored her first win yesterday.

In the London System, the game was mostly uneventful with both players playing solidly, trading off into an endgame in which White had just a slight edge. Happy with the half point, Goryachkina offered a draw on move 42, and the tournament crown was in her hands.

Goryachkina made her mark in her first leg of the series so far, and will play the next two in Monaco and Cyprus. Whether she will assert the same dominance there is something to be seen, but for now, she has secured important grand prix points for the overall standings.

Salimova has only recently entered the realm of women’s elite after reaching the finals in the 2023 FIDE Women’s World Cup where she lost to her today’s opponent, Goryachkina, but cemented herself as one of the best by achieving silver. This was her Grand Prix debut, and where others fatigued towards the end, she picked up momentum, showcasing her ability to endure these tough tournaments. We will see her at the Austrian and Indian Grand Prix legs next year.

Bibisara Assaubayeva – Munguntuul Batkhuyag ½-½

Assaubayeva, who had been mostly consistent throughout the event, was not in her top form today, which, coupled with a position that did not give her any sort of attacking potential, resulted in her drawing her final game to Munguntuul Batkhuyag.

The game saw the Reti opening and by move 9 the opponents stepped into an uncharted territory. Munguntuul had chances to incorporate more dynamism into the game, but instead chose quieter moves, perhaps the best choice considering Assaubayeva’s aggressive style. By move 26, Black was a pawn up, but in a position where her pieces had no play, and after a few repeated moves, the game was drawn.

We will see both players once again in the next grand prix in Monaco.

Elisabeth Paehtz – Divya Deshmukh ½-½

In this game, we saw a Caro-Kann, a rare sight in this tournament. The specific variation played is not very popular nowadays, and by move 7 they reached a position that had not been played before. Deshmukh, achieving an early slight advantage, was clearly the one driving the game – executing threats, refusing unfavorable trades, and playing for the initiative after giving up a pawn. 

In the mutual time trouble, both players managed to parry each other’s threats, but followed incorrect plans. As a result, Black allowed White to activate her rooks at some point and take over the h-file. There was an opportunity for Paehtz to sacrifice a piece for a dangerous kingside attack, but playing with mere minutes, she decided to forgo this unclear plan. Eventually, her active h-file rooks secured a draw by perpetual.

This was Divya’s debut at the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix, after what has already been an extremely successful year with her winning the World Junior Girls Championships, and securing double gold at the Olympiad. She has definitely shown that she is a player to watch in this series. We will see her in the Cyprus and Indian legs.

Although Paehtz has remarked that her career is not what it used to be, she will continue to compete at the highest level, and we will see her in the next two legs in Monaco and Cyprus.

Humpy Koneru – Kateryna Lagno ½-½

The game between Koneru and Lagno ended within the hour. Both players had a tough event and were not vying for places in the standings, leading to a fast-paced game with many consecutive trades, which eventually lead to a completely equal endgame and resulted in a draw.

This tournament might not have seen the best of both players, but they still remain in the top ranks of women’s chess, and with two more Grand Prix legs each, we will be sure to see exciting performances coming up. Both will play in the Monaco and Indian legs.

Stavroula Tsolakidou – Tan Zhongyi 0-1

Tan Zhongyi has been one of the best players in this event, competing with Goryachking for the top spot to the very and. The Chinese GM finished off her successful tournament with a 22-move miniature against the Greek talent Stavroula Tsolakidou.

Tsolakidou once again found herself spending a considerable amount of time in the opening after entering an inferior position with her pieces placed awkwardly. By move ten, Black was already slightly better, and from this point things went from bad to worse in the moves that would follow.

In this position, it was crucial for White to play 12.g4 in order to obtain some play in the center after 12…Nxg4 13.dxe4.

Instead, Tsolakidou erred with 12.Nc2? and after 12…Qd7, Tan took full control over the position. Black did not play with 100% accuracy, but well enough to maintain her advantage throughout. After a few trades in the center, Tan arranged her rooks in the center d8 and e8, controlling the central files. Tsolakidou collapsed shortly after and threw in the towel on move 22 facing heavy material losses caused by the black knight’s fine maneuver:

Tan has also had a successful year, winning the FIDE Women’s Candidates, allowing her to challenge Ju Wenjun for the crown next year. For now, Tan is not too concerned about that and saying in an interview that she is just enjoying playing chess. It will be interesting to see if she will continue this performance in her upcoming Grand Prix legs in Monaco and Austria.

Tsolakidou has also been consistent in this series, although the final round result did not reflect her strong overall performance. With one more leg to play, she has secured important grand prix points. Stavroula’s final appearance will be at the Cyprus leg.

Final standings:

FIDE WGP standings after two legs:

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