Tan, entering the tournament as defending champion and first seed, had a rough start. In a well-known variation of the French Defense, she might have forgotten her preparation and after a dubious novelty soon found herself in a losing position. Kashlinskaya capitalized on the advantage without much difficulty.

Tan, Zhongyi2546

0–1

Kashlinskaya, Alina2459

5th Cairns Cup 2025 Saint Louis USA10.06.2025[Johannes Fischer]

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 dxe4 5.Nxe4 Nbd7 6.Nf3 h6 7.Nxf6+ Nxf6 8.Be3 Bd6 9.Bd3 0-0 10.Qe2 b6 11.0-0-0 Bb7 12.Kb1 Nd5

13.c4? This move is a novelty, but it is also a mistake. 13.Bc1 leads to an equal position. 13...Nb4! Black does not take the dark-squared bishop but instead trades the light-squared one. 14.Ka1 Nxd3 15.Rxd3 Qf6 16.Bd2 Rfd8 17.Bc3 Qf5 18.Rhd1 a5 19.h3 Ba6 The exchange of the light-squared bishop weakened the white squares, and White never manages to recover from that during the game. 20.g4 Qh7 21.Nd2 b5 22.d5 After just 21 moves, Black is winning. With this pawn push, White tries to swindle her opponent. After 22.Bxa5 bxc4 23.Rc3 Rdb8 Black gets a very strong attack, for example: 24.Qe1 Rb5 25.Nxc4 Bb7 and the white position collapses. 22...bxc4 23.Re3 exd5 24.Nf3 Black is two pawns up and White can only hope that Black blunders. Bf8 25.g5 c5 26.g6 In search of swindling chances, White sacrifices another pawn. Qxg6 27.Ne5 Qf5 28.Ng4 d4 29.Rg1 With the threat of 30.Nxh6+ followed by winning the queen. Rd6 30.Rf3 Qd5 31.Rf6

This looks more dangerous than it is. Kashlinskaya keeps her nerve and stays in control. 31...dxc3 32.Nxh6+ Kh7 33.Rxd6 Bxd6 34.Nxf7 cxb2+ 35.Kb1 Qf5+ 0–1

Alice Lee’s game was less turbulent. In a line of the Queen’s Gambit, she reached a rook endgame with an extra pawn after an inaccuracy by her opponent, Nino Batsiashvili. Although the position was objectively drawn, Batsiashvili was unable to hold it.

Lee, Alice2389

1–0

Batsiashvili, Nino2462

5th Cairns Cup 2025 Saint Louis USA10.06.2025[Johannes Fischer]

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bf4 c5 6.dxc5 Bxc5 7.e3 Nc6 8.Be2 dxc4 9.Qxd8+ Nxd8 10.Bxc4 Bb4 11.Rc1 Ne4 12.Be5 Nc6 13.Bb5 Bd7 14.0-0 Nxc3 15.Bxc3 Bxc3 16.Rxc3 Ke7 17.Bxc6 Bxc6 18.Ne5

18...Rhc8?! The wrong rook. Better was 18...Rac8 19.Rfc1 Bd7 20.Nxd7 After 20.Rc7 Black maintains equality with Rhd8 20...Rxc3 21.Rxc3 Kxd7 and Black has solved all problems. In the game Black lands in a rook endgame a pawn down that should be a draw with best play, but still offers White good winning chances. 19.Rfc1 Kf6 19...Bd7? After 20.Rc7 Rxc7 21.Rxc7 Kd6 22.Rxd7+ Kxe5 23.Rxf7 White is winning. 20.Nxc6 Rxc6 21.Rxc6 bxc6 22.Rxc6 Rd8 23.Rc1

White is a pawn up. The engines evaluate the rook endgame as drawn, but in practice Black has to hold. In the game Batsiashvili failed to do so. 23...Rd2 24.Rb1 g5 25.g4 Ke5 26.Kg2 f5 27.h3 Ke4 28.a4 f4 29.exf4 gxf4 30.b4 e5 31.a5 a6 32.b5 axb5 33.Rb4+ Kd5 34.Rxb5+ Kd6 35.Kf3 Ke6 36.a6 Rd3+ 37.Kg2 Ra3 38.Rb6+ Kd5 39.Rf6 Ke4 40.Rd6 Ra1 41.Rf6 Ra2 42.g5 Kd5 43.h4 e4 44.Rf5+ Kd6 45.Rxf4 Ke5 46.Rf7 Rxa6 47.Rxh7 Kf5 48.Rh6 Ra2 49.Rh8 e3 50.Rf8+ Kg4 51.g6 Ra7 52.fxe3 Rg7 53.Rf3 Kxh4 54.Rg3 Kh5 55.Kf3 Kh6 56.Kf4 Rg8 57.g7 Kh7 58.Kf5 Rb8 59.g8Q+ Rxg8 60.Rxg8 Kxg8 61.Ke6 1–0

Bibisara Assaubayeva won quickly against Mariya Muzychuk in a sharp line of the Caro-Kann Defense, taking advantage of Muzychuk’s failure to bring her king to safety.

Humpy Koneru and Nana Dzagnidze played a sharp and dynamic game, with chances for both sides. In the end, it was Koneru who had the better of it.

The longest game of the day was between Harika Dronavalli and Carissa Yip. After 118 moves Dronavalli won in a rook endgame.

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