Three winners on day one
The Cairns Cup began on Monday in Saint Louis with three decisive games, as Tan Zhongyi, Divya Deshmukh and Alice Lee all opened with victories. Defending champion Carissa Yip was among the players to suffer an early setback, losing to 2024 winner Tan, while the remaining two encounters ended in draws.
The ten-player single round-robin is being staged alongside the Sinquefield Cup at the Saint Louis Chess Club. The field includes several of the world's leading female players, with Bibisara Assaubayeva entering as the highest seed. The tournament uses a time control of 90 minutes for the first 40 moves followed by 30 minutes for the remainder, with a 30-second increment from move one.
Round 1 results
Tan's meeting with Yip brought together the champions of the previous two editions. Playing white, Tan obtained the more active position and at one stage gave up an exchange, although a subsequent pawn sacrifice allowed Yip to restore the balance.
The position was approximately level as the American entered severe time trouble, but 35...Qf8?? was a decisive tactical error.
The Leningrad Dutch Defence is a dynamic and aggressive opening choice for Black, perfect for players who want to add some adventure and spice to their repertoire.Tan replied with 36.Qe6+, after which Yip resigned immediately, since 36...Rf7 fails to 37.Nh6+, losing a rook. Despite White's dangerous-looking position, Black could have kept the balance with 35...Qf7, and after 36.Nh6+, both queens are under attack.
Tan Zhongyi facing Carissa Yip | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Deshmukh collected a full point with black in the all-Indian encounter against Vaishali Rameshbabu. After emerging comfortably from the opening, Deshmukh began to exert pressure against White's isolated d-pawn and gradually improved the placement of her pieces. Vaishali's position became increasingly difficult as time ran short, with Black gaining control of the d-file before converting the advantage.
Vaishali Rameshbabu | Photo: Lennart Ootes
The longest of the three decisive games saw Lee defeat Alexandra Kosteniuk in a rook ending. The position remained balanced for much of the contest, but Kosteniuk, operating with very little time, went wrong with 55...Kf6?
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Lee immediately advanced her c-pawn and supported it with her king, eventually forcing it deep into Black's position. Kosteniuk resigned on move 65.
Alice Lee versus Alexandra Kosteniuk | Photo: Austin Fuller
Humpy Koneru came closest to adding a fourth decisive result. She built a substantial advantage against Stavroula Tsolakidou but failed to preserve it after making an inaccurate decision on move 39 in time trouble. Tsolakidou recovered and held the resulting ending, with the game eventually finishing after 61 moves.
Anna Muzychuk and Assaubayeva shared the point in the other draw, which remained balanced throughout.
The King‘s Indian Attack is a universal opening: easy to learn, flexible, and rich in both tactical and positional opportunities.
The playing hall during the first round | Photo: Austin Fuller
Standings after round 1
All games
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