Zitat von Conrad Schormann am 6. Mai 2025, 8:39 Uhr

https://twitter.com/FIDE_chess/status/1919497276952641634

https://twitter.com/EmilSutovsky/status/1919626963620093985

Polka, wine and chess: Women’s Grand Prix finale opens in Austria

• Monday, 05 May 2025
• UTC +1 20:48

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The final tournament of the 2024/2025 Women’s Grand Prix opened in Grosslobming with polka music, Austrian wine, and players dressed in traditional clothing.

It is not often that an elite chess tournament takes place in the grounds of a small castle and that the opening ceremony starts with a brass band, fine wine and players wearing local traditional dresses. But in Grosslobming, Austria, the final leg of the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix began with exactly that.

Michael Stöttinger, the mastermind of the event and the president of the Austrian Chess Federation, was determined to have an opening that reflected the precision and flair often associated with the German-speaking country: creative, measured, well-planned and meticulously executed.

As guests toasted “Prost!” the Kleinlobming Music Association struck up polkas and Styrian folk songs. The southern state of Styria, often called Austria’s “Green Heart,” stretches from the Alps to the sunlit hills near the Slovenian border and is famed for its crisp white wines.

“This is a great event for Austria and for women’s chess, and we are delighted to be the hosts. This is the first major event we’re organising as we want to bring chess closer to the Austrian public and do more to promote the game,” Michael Stöttinger said.

He also made a point about the link between promoting chess in general and women’s chess in particular: “If you make an advertisement for women’s chess, it’s like making an advertisement for Coca-Cola Light. You always transport open chess [into it]. This was also one of the reasons why we asked to organise a women’s chess event, and I’m very grateful to FIDE for their trust”.

Speaking on behalf of FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, the delegate and Chair of the Appeals Committee Sava Stoisavljevic (pictured below, second from the right) welcomed the players and reflected on the 2024/25 Grand Prix season:

“As one of several women in senior positions within FIDE, I am pleased to see the organisation recognising the importance of women’s chess and offering greater support and visibility to women players. But – speaking also as a woman – I know there is still work to be done. Over the past ten months, the Women’s Grand Prix has travelled the world, promoting chess but also highlighting the vital role women play in our sport. From Georgia to Kazakhstan, Monaco, Cyprus and India, the presence and performance of these players have powerfully underscored their impact at the highest levels of chess”.

The tournament is being held in the southern Austrian municipality of Grosslobming, on the grounds of a 19th-century manor near the Red Bull Ring Formula One circuit.

The final, sixth leg of the Women’s Grand Prix will determine not only the winner of the series but also the top two qualifiers for the 2026 Women’s Candidates.

The first round starts on Tuesday, May 6 at 3 PM local time.

Round 1 pairings:

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Lela Javakhishvili – Nana Dzagnidze
Vaishali Rameshbabu – Nurgyul Salimova
Mariya Muzychuk – Anna Muzychuk
Zhu Jiner – Tan Zhongyi
Olga Badelka – Alexandra Kosteniuk

Written by Milan Dinic

Photos: Przemysław Nikiel

Zitat von Conrad Schormann am 7. Mai 2025, 9:12 Uhr

2025-05-06   WGP Austria: Badelka, Vaishali and Tan start with wins Round one saw a fiery start to the final leg of the 2024/2025 FIDE Women’s Grand Prix. IM Olga Badelka upset the former World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk, Vaishali capitalised on Salimova’s time trouble and Tan emerged victorious as Black against Zhu in a marathon five-and-a-half-hour game. A strong start for the host country as Olga Badelka, representing Austria, defeated former World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk. Despite being lower-rated and under time pressure, Badelka held her nerve and turned the tables in a sharp battle. One of the event’s favorites, Zhu Jiner, was under pressure and defended for a long time against Tan. Though both players missed chances in a complicated position, Zhu eventually cracked in a bishop vs rook endgame. Vaishali edged out Salimova in a balanced game, where better time management and control over the dark squares proved decisive. The Muzychuk sisters drew quickly in a short game. By contrast, Lela Javakhishvili and Nana Dzagnidze of Georgia fought for over five hours before agreeing to a draw in a grueling, evenly contested game. The tension at the start The small G’Schlössl Murtal in the southern Austrian hills was abuzz with tension as ten chess players arrived for the first round in the final battle of the Women’s Grand Prix.

After clearing the Fair Play checks—which ensured no phones or electronic devices were brought in—the players took their seats. The venue, a picturesque orangery nestled in a tranquil park, offered a calming view as they settled in for round one. At 3 p.m. sharp, Chief Arbiter Gerhard Bertagnolli of Italy signalled the start of play. The President of the Austrian Chess Federation, Michael Stöttinger, made the ceremonial first move in the game between Austria’s Olga Badelka and former Women’s World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk. As the clocks began to tick, the final leg of a six-tournament campaign was officially underway. But this Austrian stage will not be like the others. Instead, it will be the final verdict of the 2024/25 FIDE Women’s Grand Prix. Here’s a closer look at the games from round one. Olga Badelka vs Alexandra Kosteniuk, 1-0 The most exciting game of the round was played between the home player IM Olga Badelka (who commanded the white pieces) and GM Alexandra Koteniuk, representing Switzerland. Badelka chose the sharp Marshall Gambit in the Triangle Slav, signalling her intent to play for complications. In this well-known position, Kosteniuk has just snatched the g2-pawn with 9…Qxg2, which is considered to be very risky for Black. Unsurprisingly, the evaluation bar raced up for White immediately. The engine recommended the cold-blooded 10.Qd2—inviting Black to take the rook on h1 and walk into a likely ambush. Another well-known line starts with 10.Bf3 and also promises an advantage for White. However, Badelka played the more natural-looking 10.Qd6. After 10…Bd7 11.Bf3 Qg5 12.Rd1 0-0-0 Badelka, down two pawns, was compelled to keep pressing. The opponents traded errors in a very complicated position at this stage. Eventually, Kosteniuk grabbed her third extra pawn — emerging with a clear material advantage and a healthy lead on the clock. Badelka tried her last chance, throwing everything in, playing for time and trying to stay in the game. Somewhat surprisingly, it worked out for her! The last critical position emerged on move 35. Black is clearly better, but has to decide how to deal with her g7-pawn. Kosteniuk played 35…g6? (instead of the much stronger 35…g5!) which marked the beginning of her collapse. After 36.Qxh6 Rd4? 37.Qf8 Rd8? 38.h6 the tables have turned completely: White has advanced her h-pawn, regained the initiative and, within easy reach of move 40, escaped time trouble. The rest was a smooth sail for Badelka who won on move 43. The game was a fortunate break for the young Austrian IM. Despite being the underdog and in time trouble, she followed the cardinal rule: keep playing, don’t blunder, and survive to move 40. In the end, it was Kosteniuk who misplayed it all and lost. In the post-game interview, Badelka said she was “tired, excited and stressed” at the same time, noting that staying focused on the position and just wanting to “survive” kept her going. With just 25 points in the WGP, Badelka is not in contention for the top overall places. However, this victory is a welcome start for this event—not just for her, but also for Austria, as one of their own opens the tournament with a win on home soil. Vaishali Rameshbabu vs Nurgyul Salimova, 1-0 Roughly 10 minutes before Badelka sealed her win, India’s Vaishali Rameshbabu defeated Bulgaria’s Nurgyul Salimova.

The youngest player in the tournament, 21-year-old Salimova, opted for the Caro-Kann and the opponents quickly entered uncharted waters.  Vaishali grabbed advantage early on but played somewhat sluggishly, and with a timely move 14…c5, Black equalised. By move 19, the queens were off the board, but White had a slight edge thanks to a knight vs a “bad” bishop. At some point Salimova should have temporarily sacrificed her b3-pawn to activate her pieces, but she opted for a passive approach, allowing Vaishali to gradually take control. White is now winning. Soon, Vaishali captured the b3-pawn. With two queenside runners, it was a matter of technique—one Salimova didn’t care to test. She resigned on move 35. A great start for the Indian superstar in her third tournament of the year. Zhu Jiner vs Tan Zhongyi, 0-1 The longest game of the day – lasting five and a half hours – was played between one of the favourites Zhu Jiner, and former World Champion Tan Zhongyi. In the Classical Ruy Lopez, the opponents waged a protracted positional battle in a balanced game. A characteristic of this opening, but near the time control it turned into a real rollercoaster. The position is about equal, but both have to be very careful. 38.Nd6?? A serious mistake, handing Black a decisive advantage. After 38…Bxd6 39.Rxb5 Rxb5 40.exd6 Black emerged an exchange up, with a runner on the a-file and controls the main files. However, the former World Champion Tan did not demonstrate the necessary accuracy. She first lost the central pawn and then gave up her a-passer. Zhu stayed in the game, defended, but her position was still beyond repair. Things changed drastically on move 71 when Tan dropped her advantage completely and the position became equal. With queens exchanged, the game reached a bishop vs rook endgame—White holding three pawns to Black’s two. Zhu sensibly gave up a pawn to build a fortress, but after the final mistake on move 87 it collapsed. White should have kept her king on f2 and f3, controlling the critical e3-square and moving her bishop along the long diagonal. Instead, Zhu played 87.Bf3?? allowing Black’s king to penetrate to e3 after 87…Rc2+ 88.Kg1 (88.Be2 Ke4!) Ke3! The rest was an easy ride for Black. After some preparation, Tan played g6-g5 and forced White’s resignation due to the imminent loss of her g3-pawn.  Lela Javakhishvili vs Nana Dzagnidze,  ½–½   In the Reti, Javakhishvili gained a slight edge early on, but after the queens came off on move 15, a long and difficult fight lay ahead for both sides. The players tested each other with subtle traps, but neither blinked. By move 35 they entered a roughly equal rook endgame. After losing her a-passer, Javakhishvili found herself defending a 3–4 rook endgame but was up to the challenge and the two agreed upon splitting a point on move 70. A long day for both seasoned Georgian players. Mariya Muzychuk vs Anna Muzychuk,  ½–½  In a brief encounter, Mariya Muzychuk drew with her sister Anna in the Closed Catalan. This outcome was expected, as whenever they play together in events, as the two Ukrainians are always paired with one another. Still, the stakes are higher for Mariya, who retains an outside shot at the Grand Prix title. The former Women’s World Champion has a mathematical chance to win the Grand Prix series if she delivers a stellar performance and claims sole first place. Asked about whether this impact her approach to the event, Anna said: “I think it’s best to focus on the games and play your best and see how things stand in the end. Then I might change my strategy”. Standings after Round 1 Round two starts on Wednesday, 7th May at 3PM CET. Round 2 pairings: Nana Dzagnidze – Alexandra Kosteniuk Tan Zhongyi – Olga Badelka Anna Muzychuk – Zhu Jiner Nurgyul Salimova – Mariya Muzychuk Lela Javakhishvili – Rameshbabu Vaishali Written by Milan Dinic Photos: Przemysław Nikiel

Zitat von Conrad Schormann am 8. Mai 2025, 9:36 Uhr

FIDE WGP Austria: Vaishali and Tan take the lead in a round full of comebacks and collapses Playing with black pieces, Indian superstar Vaishali Ramesbabu defeated Lela Javakhishvili. Tan Zhongyi staged a second straight comeback, defeating Olga Badelka. In a direct clash between two top contestants, Anna Muzychuk defeated Zhu Jiner and is now in sole third place, on 1.5 points.

Round two of the final leg of the 2024/2025 FIDE Women’s Grand Prix (WGP) again saw sudden swings across the boards. Vaishali Rameshbabu delivered the round’s steadiest performance, keeping a strong grip on the game after surprising Javakhishvili with a Reverse Grunfeld. Vaishali steadily increased her pressure on White. Despite putting up stiff resistance, Javakhishvili finally broke and surrendered after 39 moves. In the second decisive game of the day, Tan Zhongyi had a lucky break against the young Austrian representative, Olga Badelka. Despite playing with the white pieces, the former Women’s World Champion erred early on in the game and exposed herself to a devastating attack. Luckily for her, Badelka hesitated at the critical moment. Despite being low on time, Tan managed to turn the tables on Badelka and emerge victorious. It’s the second game in a row (after defeating compatriot Zhu Jiner in round one) that Tan managed to make a comeback from an inferiour position. The longest game of the day, lasting five hours, was played between former Women’s World Champion Anna Muzychuk and Zhu Jiner. This was an early duel between the top two contestants in the event, who have a chance to win the tournament and the overall Grand Prix. Zhu surprised Muzychuk in the Ruy Lopez but faltered in the middlegame. Despite mutual inaccuracies, Muzychuk capitalised on a late mistake to win a key game. The Ukrainian is now in third place with 1.5 points, while Zhu is in sole last, as the only player with no points after two rounds. It was another frustrating round for Dzagnidze, who, as in round one, built up pressure before squandering it. In the English Opening, Nana (playing as White) gained an advantage, and then misplayed and threw it all away. Kosteniuk also had her chances, but – like Nana – also threw them out of the window. Nana is now on one point, while Kosteniuk is on half. Mariya Muzychuk held a slight edge against Nurgyul Salimova on the black side of the Sicilian Rossolimo but chose not to press in the opponent’s time trouble, settling for a draw. Here’s a closer look at the round-two games: Nana Dzagnidze – Alexandra Kosteniuk, ½-½ Following a shocking loss on the opening day of the tournament, former Women’s World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk faced Nana Dzagnidze. In the English Opening, Dzagnidze handled the position with greater accuracy and soon held a slight edge. As the game went on, she took full control of the center and gained dangerous initiative.

White’s pieces were more coordinated and active. Black needed counterplay and found it in an exchange sacrifice, although it did not offer sufficient compensation. 20…Rxf4 21.gxf4 Nd4 22.Nxd4 Qxd4 23.Be4 – the first imprecision by White. 23.Rae1 was better. To make things even worse, few moves down the road Dzagnidze made an error and gave up her advantage. 27.d4?? Entering a sequence after which Black got dangerous counterplay. 27…Qxf4 28.Bxh7 Nxh7 29.dxc5 Qg4! Now Black is asking questions around the white king and will soon activate her c8 bishop, posing serious threats. Nana defended herself the only way she could. Soon, the queens were off the board and the position was even. But Kosteniuk started to err again, allowing Dzagnidze a second chance – which the Georgian took. Move by move, Dzagnidze’s position improved—until she stood on the verge of victory. But now Nana returned the favour and let it slip: Nana should have proceeded with 66.Rf7+ Kd6 67.h5. Instead, she first pushed the h-pawn 66.h5??, throwing a lifeline to Kosteniuk. 67…Ne4+! The point is that after 68.Rxe4 Bxe4 69.hxg6 Rg1+ 70.Kf4 Bxg6! White wins a piece but Black trades the rooks and is right on time to eliminate White’s last pawn – 69…Bxg6 70.Rxg6 Rxg6 71.Nxg6 b5 72.cxb5 Kb6. Neither player was happy with the way they played this game. Tan Zhongyi – Olga Badelka, 1-0 This was a clash between two winners from day one. Former World Champion Tan was up against Austria’s Olga Badelka who made a comeback on day one against Alexandra Kosteniuk. There was psychological play from move one, as both sides spent a long time thinking how to respond to lines which they were surely prepared for. In the French Defence, both sides played reasonably well until the following position: After five minutes of thinking Tan blundered with 15.Qd2?? White was now lost after 15…Rxf3! (a common motif in this position) 16.gxf3 Qxh2+ 17.Kf1 Nce5. However, Badelka missed this golden opportunity and opted for the insipid 15…Bd7? Tan sank into deep thought, spending 21 minutes before playing 16.h3. Badelka now took on f3: 16…Rxf3 17.hxg4 Rf4, but it was not nearly as strong as on the previous move.   In subsequent play, the evaluation changed several times as the opponents traded inaccuracies and eventually reached the last critical position of the game.   Tan won a pawn and reactivated her pieces. Badelka was now under pressure. She paused again — and then made a catastrophic blunder. Instead of going for a secure line with 38…g6 39.Rf4 a3 40.c4 g5, Badelka made a fatal error: 38…a3?? overlooking the threat of mate. After 39.Ne7+ Black had to give up an exchange to avoid being mated on the h-file (39…Kh8/h7 40.Rh5#) 39…Rxe7 40.Rxe7. Tan reached the first time control and smoothly converted her material advantage 16 moves later. Anna Muzychuk – Zhu Jiner, 1-0 This was the heavyweight clash of the round. Two favourites for the event and the Grand Prix title squared off in round two. Unlike Anna Muzychuk, who had an easy first day with a quick draw against her sister, Zhu lost her game in round one after defending a very weak position against Tan for more than five and a half hours. In the Ruy Lopez, Zhu surprised Anna with the move 5…Nxe4. In the post-game interview, Anna confessed that this wasn’t the line she prepared for. She spent more time on the clock than Zhu, but stayed composed. But in the middlegame, it was Zhu who faltered, trading her a6 pawn to White’s c4-pawn. Black’s position looked very shaky at this point. However, Anna’s conversion was far from ideal. First, she prematurely traded the queens and then exchanged her knight for the light-squared bishop, significantly improving Black’s pawn structure. The resulting endgame was slightly better for White, as she had clearer plans. Unfortunately for Zhu, she missed a critical moment of the game and one natural-looking, but passive move cost her dearly. 38…Rb6? 39.Ke3! Ke6 40.Kd2 Kd6 41.f5. Just after three moves played White is in full control. Anna is pressing ahead towards the centre and preparing her a- and b-pawns for an advance. Black’s position is hopeless. Anna’s only problem was time. “I said to myself that, despite the time trouble, I had to play here,” Anna said after the game. However, in time trouble her advantage completely evaporated, and the position was a draw. Despite the position being even, the two kept on playing. The final act of this drama came on move 84. Zhu cracked here with 84…Na3??, allowing White to bring her king to d6, winning the second pawn, and bagging the game. Nurgyul Salimova – Mariya Muzychuk, ½-½ In the Rossolimo Attack of the Sicilian, Muzychuk had surprised Salimova and gained an early advantage. As the game progressed, the Ukrainian kept building up pressure. By move 21, she had won a pawn on a2, but at the cost of transposing into a position with the opposite-colored bishops. Most likely, Mariya should have manoeuvred a bit more, waiting for a better chance. A pawn down, having to defend, Salimova now had another problem to deal with – time. She was increasingly falling behind on the clock. To her credit, Salimova regrouped, coordinated her pieces, and defended successfully. Despite having the time advantage, Muzychuk had no better option than a threefold repetition. A draw was called on move 35. Lela Javakhishvili – Vaishali Rameshbabu, 0-1 In the Reverse Grunfeld, Vaishali surprised the seasoned Georgian player by choosing a line she has not played before. The opponents followed the game Amin – Van Foreest (2022) up to move 14, when the Indian introduced a strong and logical novelty, recommended by engines – 14…Bf5. White’s reaction was far from optimal, as just a few moves later she was pushed onto the back foot. However, Vaishali returned the favour soon. With 23.e4, White tried to break free from the pressure. Vaishali erroneously took on e4 and opened space for simplifications. Instead, a better option was to play 23…Be6. The position became equal again, but it was Lela who erred the last. 31.Rb1? missing a nice tactic 31…Nc1! After 32.Qf5 Qe2 33.Kg1 Re5 34.Qd7 Qc2 35.Bd2 Qxb1 36.Rxc1 Bb3 Black emerged an exchange up and in full control of the position. A few moves later, Javakhishvili resigned. Round three starts on Thursday, May 8 at 3PM CET. Round 3 pairings: Vaishali Rameshbabu – Nana Dzagnidze Mariya Muzychuk – Lela Javakhishvili Zhu Jiner – Nurgyul Salimova Olga Badelka – Anna Muzychuk Alexandra Kosteniuk – Tan Zhongyi Written by Milan Dinic Photos: Przemysław Nikiel

Zitat von Conrad Schormann am 9. Mai 2025, 17:32 Uhr

2025-05-08 FIDE WGP Austria: Anna Muzychuk and Vaishali share the lead after Round 3 It was a decisive day in Austria, with four of five games ending in victory. Anna Muzychuk defeated Olga Badelka with black pieces, joining Vaishali in shared first after the Indian comfortably drew with Nana Dzagnidze. Alexandra Kosteniuk stopped Tan Zhongyi with a confident performance, while Zhu Jiner bounced back from the bottom, defeating Nurgyul Salimova. Mariya Muzychuk had a poor showing against Lela Javakhishvili and lost.

Tension and drama defined the third day of the final (sixth) leg of the 2024/2025 FIDE Women’s Grand Prix. Three of the five games featured opposite-side castling – often a sign that both sides are ready for a fight. The first to score was Lela Javakhishvili from Georgia, who extended her unbeaten streak in classical chess against the onetime Women’s World Champion, Mariya Muzychuk. The younger Muzychuk sister had a shaky showing. In the Giuoco Piano, a line Mariya usually handles with precision – she faltered, allowing Black to seize the initiative and settle into a comfortable position. By move 20, Muzychuk’s pieces were uncoordinated and vulnerable to tactical threats. She soon lost a pawn and was down to under three minutes by move 25. Lela had a winning advantage, which she went on to convert without much difficulty. In the post-game analysis, Lela expressed surprise at some of Mariya’s choices, noting that she may be an uncomfortable opponent for the Ukrainian. (According to the chessgames.com database, Javakhishvili has beaten Mariya Muzychuk four times, with seven draws and no losses in classical games.) This win was a crucial bounce-back for Javakhishvili after her round-two loss to Vaishali. She now stands at 1.5/3. With two draws and a loss, Mariya Muzychuk has one point. India’s Vaishali Rameshbabu continued her strong performance. She surprised Nana Dzagnidze with an early queen capture on d4 in the Sicilian. After a complex middlegame, the position simplified into an even endgame, with Black exerting pressure in the center. A draw was agreed on move 40 following a threefold repetition. With 2.5/3, Vaishali maintains her excellent form and shares first place. After two frustrating draws marred by missed opportunities, Nana finally had a shorter, less taxing game, finishing day three with 1.5 points.

Olga Badelka chose an unusual approach in her game against Anna Muzychuk, starting with the 1.Nf3. However, the position transposed into a rare line of the Sicilian with b3. Despite the surprise, Badelka emerged slightly worse from the opening. Still, she played bravely, looking for chances and nearly equalized, but a slip in the middlegame handed Muzychuk the initiative that gradually grew as the game progressed. The Ukrainian eventually ended a pawn up in the centre. Despite the fact that losing that pawn gave White space to counter, Badelka missed her chances. The two transitioned to an endgame with minor pieces where Black had an extra pawn and a commanding position. Staying calm, Anna completely dominated in the endgame, claiming victory on move 50. This put Anna Muzychuk in shared first place – a place where she needs to be if she is to stand a chance to win the 2024/2025 FIDE Women’s Grand Prix season and qualify for the Candidates. Badelka is on one out of three, having suffered two consecuitive losses. The last two games to finish, both culminated in a queen endgame. The clash of former Women’s World Champions, Kosteniuk and Tan, progressed rapidly. In the classical line of the Queen’s Gambit Exchanged, neither player gained a clear edge. However, following exchanges in the center, Black lost her way. In this position, Tan has just put her rook on e5, to prevent Qd5 and an exchange of queens (the reserved 23…Qf8 with the same idea is much better). The move played by Tan allowed Alexandra to pin the  knight and increase her control over the center, getting the upper hand. 24.Rc1! Rce8 25.Qd4 The knight is hanging and doesn’t have a good place to go. Tan chose the lesser of two evils – 25…Nd3 – giving up a pawn to avoid entering a passive position. Further exchanges followed, and the two ended up in a queen endgame where Kosteniuk was a pawn up and had a better structure. Soon, she collected another pawn. But Tan wasn’t giving up, despite being completely lost. As Kosteniuk noted after the game, “the queen endgames are very hard to win” given chances of overlooking perpetual checks or even losing the queen if you miss an attack via a line or a diagonal. Despite a bit of shaky play towards the end, Kosteniuk kept her cool and converted her advantage into a full point. A great achievement by Kosteniuk (now on 1.5/3) who came back by defeating one of the leaders and the highest-rated player in the event. However, another tough task lies ahead for Kosteniuk as she will be playing as Black in round four against one of the leaders – Anna Muzychuk. The last game to finish was one between Zhu Jiner and Nurgyul Salimova. In one of the main lines in the Petroff, Zhu castled long, opposite to her opponent, signaling she was ready for a fight. Soon, Zhu sacrificed a pawn to launch an attack on the kingside which lead to a very sharp position.  Here Zhu played 24.Nxc5 – attacking the queen but leaving two pieces hanging. Nurgyul found the best move 24…Qf7 to which the Chinese player reacted with 25.Ne4. If 25…gxf4 White takes the pawn on h4 and is threatening mate on h8, leading Black into a very uncomfortable position. Instead, 25…Rxe4! (25…Qa2 was another interesting option), sacrificing a rook for a very dangerous knight and also opening the space for Black to mount her own attack. 26.fxe4 Qa2 27.b3! Preventing Nc4. 27…Rc8 28.Rd3 – Very precisely played by Zhu. Now, however, instead of the only move maintaining the balance, namely 28…d5! Salimova made a fatal mistake, taking the bishop with 28…gxf4? After 29.Qxh4 White is winning. Zhu ended with three pawns for a knight but a dominating position on the board, which she carefully proceeded to convert into victory. This game was a crucial moment for Zhu, who – together with Muzychuk – is in the race for winning the Grand Prix series. Having suffered two losses, she had to come back into the tournament if she wants to have a shot for the top position. With half a point after three games, Salimova is in sole last place. Augarten porcelain horses to crown the chess champions Before the start of the round, Michael Stöttinger, President of the Austrian Chess Federation, presented the trophies that will be awarded to the winners. Crafted by Augarten, one of Austria’s most renowned fine china producers, the hand-made and hand-painted trophies take the form of a horse and have a total value of €10,000. “Augarten is a signature product of Austria, and horses are perfect to symbolise power and speed. The knight is dynamic and unpredictable – even a master can overlook a fork! That’s why we chose the famous Augarten horses to become our trophies,” said Stöttinger. Founded in 1718, Augarten is one of the oldest porcelain manufacturers in Europe, with its own bespoke coat of arms. The company has produced porcelain for all Austrian state dinners, as well as for embassies and the offices of the President and Chancellor of Austria.  Round four starts on Friday, May 9, at 3PM CET. Round 4 pairings: Nana Dzagnidze  – Tan Zhongyi Anna Muzychuk – Alexandra Kosteniuk Nurgyul Salimova – Olga Badelka Lela Javakhishvili – Zhu Jiner Vaishali Rameshbabu – Mariya Muzychuk Written by Milan Dinic Photos: Przemysław Nikiel

Zitat von Conrad Schormann am 11. Mai 2025, 12:31 Uhr

2025-05-10 FIDE WGP Austria: A hat-trick for Zhu Jiner after stunning Vaishali Rameshbabu Zhu Jiner scores her third straight win. Muzychuk holds lead despite missed chance. Bulgaria’s Nurgyul Salimova clinches her first victory, stunning Alexandra Kosteniuk in just 25 moves. Round five marked the halfway point of the final tournament in the 2024/2025 FIDE Women’s Grand Prix. Anna Muzychuk remains in sole lead on 4/5, despite missing a chance with the black pieces against Tan Zhongyi. Zhu Jiner caught up with Vaishali Rameshbabu on 3/5 after a sharp victory, while Nana Dzagnidze also joined the tie for second following a draw with Mariya Muzychuk. Lela Javakhishvili outplayed Olga Badelka and now shares 2.5 points with Tan. Bulgaria’s Nurgyul Salimova fought back from a weaker position against Kosteniuk to score her first victory. Both now sit on 1.5/5.

After four days of rain and overcast skies, the sun finally broke through over the Austrian highlands surrounding G’Schlössl Murtal. The usual silence of the chess hall was broken by the birdsong in the background, making it seem the games were being played in a park rather than indoors. The main two matchups were between the tournament leader Anna Muzychuk and former World Champion Tan Zhongyi, as well as, the duel between Zhu Jiner and Vaishali Rameshbabu. Zhu Jiner and Anna Muzychuk are the only two who have a chance to win the overall WGP Series. To qualify for the Candidates and win the WGM season, Anna needs to be in sole first place in Austria. This means getting every point she can, including against Tan. In the Giuoco Piano, in which Muzychuk played as Black, things were calm until she suddenly got a sizable advantage in a complicated middlegame. This was the best position Black got in the game before she spilled the beans. The best choice for Black was to centralise the knight with 18…Ne5! attacking the queen. This forces White to take the knight and leave Black dominating the centre, or to remove her queen from the attack, opening space for the d-pawn to further penetrate White’s defences. Instead, after seven minutes of thinking, Anna played 18…d5? However, after 19.cxd4 Nxe4 20.Bxd5 Nb4? (20…Nxg3 with a slightly better position for Black) 21.Qb3 Nxd5 22.Nxe4 Bxe4 23.Qxd5! forcing the exchange of queens, 23…Bxd5 24.Rxe7 White emerged slightly better. The game continued and was the last to finish with a draw. Anna Muzychuk left the playing area clearly angry with herself for missing an opportunity. Despite this, she maintained her sole lead with 4/5, a point ahead of the rest.

After a poor start with two defeats, Zhu Jiner bounced back with two victories. In round five, she was facing Vaishali Rameshbabu, who has, until this game, had two victories and two draws. The young Indian hope surprised her opponents in three out of four games played, building an image of a very uncomfortable player. In the Four Knights of Sicilian Defence, she was surprised by Zhu and spent a lot of time thinking, entering time trouble early in the game. Despite losing a pawn, Vaishali managed to hold by move 30, and then all fell apart. In time trouble, instead of 30…gxf5 Vaishali played 30…Qc2?? Allowing White to exchange the queens and enter a winning rook endgame. 31.Qxc2 Rxc2 32.f6! sealing off the black king. 32…h5 33.Rd1 Re2 34.Rd8+! And now White has penetrated Black’s back ranks. 34…Kh7 35.Rf8 Rxe5 36.Rxf7+ Kh6 37.Rxa7 Zhu has two more pawns and a runner on the a-file and nothing can stop that. An excellent performance by Zhu. After starting with two losses, she scored three consecutive victories – a great feat in a field of strong players. This game was the first major setback for Vaishali in Austria, as she remains on 3/5. In the second game with the Queen’s Gambit Declined, Women’s World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk surprised her opponent, Nurgyul Salimova, by playing 1.d4. The former women’s world champion managed to gain the upper hand after an early break in the centre. By move 15, White gained an extra pawn and had a significant advantage. Black just lost a pawn defending the king’s fortress. In this sharp position, instead of 16.0-0! (intending to meet 16…Nxd5 with 17.Rd1), Alexandra played the natural but errouneous 16.Be4, which allowed Black counterplay with 16…f5 17.Bd3 Qxd5? regaining the lost pawn but 17…c4! was much stronger. 18.Rb1? Ra5 and now after 18…c4! 19.Be2 f4! 20.Qd1 Qa5+ 21.Kf1 the tables have completely turned: Black has space and initiative, threatening White from the centre, while Kosteniuk’s pieces are pushed back and pinned, the rook on h1 trapped, and the king not fully secure. The former Women’s World Champion tried to resist but resigned on move 25. This was the shortest game in the tournament so far, ending in a victory. This was the first win for Nurgyul Salimova in the tournament, after one draw and three defeats. Clearly pleased, in the post-game interview, she noted that thanks to the sunny weather, she “already felt positive vibes” even before the game. Austria’s Olga Badelka started losing her way in the early stages of the Queen’s Gambit Declined against Georgian Lela Javakhishvili. Playing as White, Olga pressed on the kingside, but Lela made sure she was in time to react and hold everything under control. By move 22, Black was dominating. It was obvious Javakhishvili was at ease with her position and performance – she spent a lot of time outside, enjoying the park in which the playing venue is located, while Badelka was glued to her seat for most of the game. On move 32, Black correctly sacrificed an exchange, which was the shortest way to victory. Badelka resigned on move 42, after nearly three hours of play. With 2.5 points, Javakhishvili is on 50%, while Austria’s Badelka has two victories and three losses. Mariya Muzychuk and Nana Dzagnidze drew in the Sicilian. Surprised by 7.c3 in the Moscow Variation, Dzagnidze ended up with doubled pawns on the e-file, but generated enough counterplay to hold a draw. She remains unbeaten with one win and four draws; Mariya Muzychuk is on two points, still winless. In the interview after the game, Mariya – a top world player and former Women’s World Champion – noted that the field was very strong and confessed that she wasn’t “feeling this tournament”. Standings after Round 5: Vishy Anand: Pool effect to lift women’s chess Former World Champion and the Deputy President of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), who arrived at the event today, shared his thoughts about women’s chess. “This event has been very exciting, as has the whole Grand Prix,” Anand noted. He pointed out that any plan for women’s chess has to take the long-term into account. “We need to have circuits like the Grand Prix that showcase the best players, but also the World Rapid and Blitz Championships, the World Cup, the Grand Swiss, and FIDE needs to continue increasing the prize funds. In fact, we need a pool effect. We need young girls to say, ‘that [chess] looks like an exciting career’”. The five-time World Champion and current official also pointed out the importance FIDE is giving to women’s chess: “One of the commitments President Arkady Dvorkovich has made is that we have to stay on course and keep working on women’s chess, and I think the plan is going well”. When asked about how far off the world is from seeing another Judit Polgar, the former World Champion responded: “She was one of a kind”, adding that “Judit had this dominance and showed she was able to climb as high as number seven in the ranking list, and do that for many years, becoming a household name for chess. And that is something which is still a long way off. But having said that, I believe that this dual approach is important: we need a thriving women’s circuit where they get the opportunities, but they also need to compete in the Open tournament [format] as that’s the easiest way to improve their game”. Round six starts on Sunday, May 11, at 3PM CET  Round 6 pairings: Nana Dzagnidze – Anna Muzychuk Nurgyul Salimova – Tan Zhongyi Lela Javakhishvili – Alexandra Kosteniuk Vaishali Rameshbabu – Olga Badelka Mariya Muzychuk – Zhu Jiner Written by Milan Dinic Photos: Przemysław Nikiel