8/16/2026 – All the games in round five ended in draws. As a result, Tan Zhongyi (4/5) maintains her one-point lead at the top of the standings. Alice Lee, Stavroula Tsolakidou, Bibisara Assaubayeva and Divya Deshmukh follow on 3 points. Playing white against Stavroula Tsolakidou, Alexandra Kosteniuk scored her first half-point. Humpy Koneru and Candidates Tournament winner Vaishali Rameshbabu have yet to score a win. | Photo: Crystal Fuller / Saint Louis Chess Club
new: Fritz 20
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YOUR PERSONAL CHESS COACH - Whether you’re taking your first steps into the world of club chess, or already playing at a tournament level: with FRITZ, you can train more efficiently, intelligently and with a more personalised approach than ever before. FRITZ is more than just a chess engine – it’s a training revolution! Whether you’re taking your first steps into the world of club chess, or already playing at a tournament level: with FRITZ, you can train more efficiently, intelligently and with a more personalised approach than ever before.
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Role reversal between Tan and Vaishali
Comparing the Cairns Cup standings after round five with the final standings of the 2026 Women's Candidates Tournament, it seems as though former women's world champion Tan Zhongyi and Candidates winner Vaishali Rameshbabu have swapped roles. Tan Zhongyi remains unbeaten so far. After three wins and a draw, she added another draw on Friday evening. Vaishali Rameshbabu, meanwhile, is still without a win, with round five bringing her third draw. At the Women's Candidates Tournament, Vaishali lost to only one player and otherwise remained unbeaten, while Tan Zhongyi recorded just one win in fourteen rounds and otherwise either lost or drew.
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.
Vaishali Rameshbabu and Humpy Koneru have yet to score a win at the event in Saint Louis | Photo: Crystal Fuller
Standings after round 5
Weekend begins with five draws
All five games at the Cairns Cup ended in draws on Friday evening. For Tan Zhongyi, this meant retaining her lead. For Alexandra Kosteniuk, it meant scoring her first half-point of the tournament. Kosteniuk had white against Stavroula Tsolakidou.
Grandmaster Dr. Karsten Müller, one of the world’s leading endgame experts, guides you step by step through everything you need to know in this second volume. Picture this: you’ve outplayed your opponent move by move, you’re clearly better – and then the endgame slips into a draw, simply because you lacked the crucial theoretical knowledge. That is exactly where this course comes in. Without solid endgame skills, there’s no way forward. Rook endgames are most essential: they occur more often than any other type of endgame, and often make the difference between victory and half a point. If you master them, you’ll confidently convert your advantages into wins!
Free video sample: Introduction
Free video sample: Bodycheck
Alexandra Kosteniuk vs Stavroula Tsolakidou | Photo: Crystal Fuller
Round 5 results
Alexandra Kosteniuk ½ - ½ Stavroula Tsolakidou
The game between Kosteniuk and Tsolakidou lasted 52 moves. In the final position, Kosteniuk had three far-advanced connected passed pawns on the queenside, but also a vulnerable king. She forced Tsolakidou into a draw by threefold repetition; otherwise, she could have exchanged queens and won. Without the queen exchange, she could also have tried to push her queenside pawns further, but in that scenario the black queen would be able to attack the white king while also threatening the key pawns. A draw would still have been White's best outcome in that case.
Martina GerdtsMartina Gerdts studied Portuguese and Spanish linguistics and nowadays teaches language classes and writes about chess and languages. Having started playing chess for a tournament trip to Paris, she is now active not only as a player but in a diverse range of activities connected to chess. This includes among others teaching chess classes, writing about chess and being active as an arbiter.
8/19/2026 – The Cairns Cup, one of the strongest women's tournaments in the circuit, is being held at the renowned Saint Louis Chess Club from 10 to 20 August. It is a 10-player single round-robin with a classical time control. The contenders battle for a share of the $250,000 prize fund. Bibisara Assaubayeva, Anna Muzychuk and Humpy Koneru head the strong field. Follow the games live starting at 19.00 CEST (13.00 ET, 22.30 IST) | Photo: Lennart Ootes
8/9/2026 – One of the world's strongest women's super-tournaments returns to Saint Louis this summer as the 2026 Cairns Cup welcomes ten of the world's top women chess players to compete for a $250,000 prize fund - one of the largest in women's chess. The tournament will take place on 10-19 August at the recently expanded Saint Louis Chess Club (STLCC), where it will run alongside the prestigious Sinquefield Cup, creating one of the world's premier showcases of elite chess. | Photo: Saint Louis Chess Club
‘New ideas in the Najdorf – a Power Play 18 Update’ aims to complement Daniel King’s popular DVD from last year ‘The Sicilian Najdorf - a repertoire for Black’. Such a dynamic and popular opening as the Najdorf is developing the whole time. On this download, Daniel King updates lines that were included on his DVD but also responds to viewers’ requests, considering lines that he omitted from his original repertoire. The lines examined on this update are:
• 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 a6 6 h3 e5 7 Nde2
• 5….a6 6 Bc4 in combination with the English Attack (Be3, f3 etc)
• 5…a6 6 Be3 and the …a5 variation
• 5…a6 6 Be2 and 9 Re1
• 5 f3 (instead of 5 Nc3)
It isn’t necessary to have seen the original Najdorf DVD to understand the lines examined here – but it would help as they form part of a complete repertoire.
YOUR PERSONAL CHESS COACH - Whether you’re taking your first steps into the world of club chess, or already playing at a tournament level: with FRITZ, you can train more efficiently, intelligently and with a more personalised approach than ever before.
“Attack with Qh5!!” – Tactical training with Oliver Reeh, “6…g5 – nothing ventured, nothing …” – Le Quang Liem comments on one of his victories in Biel, “Grischuk’s stroke of genius” – Petra Papp reveals a surprise in the Sicilian Kan Variation, and much
YOUR PERSONAL CHESS COACH - Whether you’re taking your first steps into the world of club chess, or already playing at a tournament level: with FRITZ, you can train more efficiently, intelligently and with a more personalised approach than ever before.
While tactics decide the game in concrete moments, strategy guides the entire battle. Understanding how to improve your pieces, create weaknesses, execute maneuvers, and steer the game toward favorable structures is what defines strong players.
The Italian Four Knights is the ideal choice. It combines the solid foundation of classical openings like the Ruy Lopez or the Italian Game with an active, initiative-driven style of play.
IM Andrew Martin shows why this 19th-century opening weapon still is a fantastic choice for club players. The Evans produces exciting chess and teaches the art of attack.
IM Andrew Martin complements his Evans Gambit course with a simple and attacking repertoire against all of blacks sidelines after 1.e4 e5.
€34.90
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