Cairns Cup, Round 6: Humpy Koneru takes the lead

by Johannes Fischer
6/17/2025 – After the rest day following Round 5, fighting spirit returned to the Cairns Cup in Saint Louis: all five games in Round 6 ended decisively. The new tournament leader is Humpy Koneru, who won an interesting theoretical battle against Harika Dronavalli. She now leads with 4.5 points out of 6, half a point ahead of Alina Kashlinskaya, who defeated Mariya Muzychuk. | Photo: Lennart Ootes/Saint Louis Chess Club
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The top encounter of the round was the game between Humpy Koneru and Harika Dronavalli. In a double-edged opening White won the exchange but had to weaken her king. However, as the game progressed, Koneru showed why rooks are strong and won this crucial game.

Alice Lee, who had shared the lead with Dronavalli and Koneru after Round 5, was too enterprising in the opening and suffered a bitter defeat.

Tan Zhongyi and Carissa Yip also played an entertaining game. Tan had the better position out of the opening but then sacrificed two pawns. Yip responded with an exchange sacrifice of her own, which gave her strong play, a powerful attack, and ultimately the win.

Alina Kashlinskaya had White against Mariya Muzychuk and managed to get a reversed Benko Gambit, gaining several tempi in the process. However, she won the game not because of the opening, but thanks to precise tactical play and accurate calculation.

Nana Dzagnidze capitalized on a tactical mistake by Nino Batsiashvili in the endgame.

In this position Batsiashvili played 51...d4? and immediately resigned after 52.Rxe6+!. After 52...Kxe6 53.Bb3+ White picks up the rook on g8.

Results

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MoveNResultEloPlayers
1.e41,185,00854%2421---
1.d4959,51055%2434---
1.Nf3286,50356%2441---
1.c4184,83456%2442---
1.g319,89256%2427---
1.b314,60054%2428---
1.f45,95448%2377---
1.Nc33,91150%2384---
1.b41,79148%2379---
1.a31,25054%2406---
1.e31,08149%2409---
1.d396950%2378---
1.g467046%2361---
1.h446654%2382---
1.c343951%2425---
1.h328956%2420---
1.a411860%2461---
1.f310047%2427---
1.Nh39366%2506---
1.Na34762%2476---
1.e4 4 e6 6 2.d4 19 d5 6 3.Nc3 6 Nf6 11 4.Bg5 22 dxe4 13 5.Nxe4 8 Nbd7 10 6.Nf3 1:22 h6 12 7.Nxf6+ 24 Nxf6 6 8.Be3 13 Bd6 36 9.Bd3 32 0-0 1:28 10.Qe2 21 b6 1:51 11.0-0-0 1:21 Bb7 1:01 12.Kb1 2:14 Nd5 12:21 13.c4 3:28 Nb4 7:24 14.Ka1 5:08 Nxd3 34 15.Rxd3 37 Qf6 7:30 16.Bd2 12:20 Rfd8 14:11 17.Bc3 7:50 Qf5 3:17 18.Rhd1 9:57 a5 3:20 19.h3 22:59 Ba6 5:28 20.g4 1:51 Qh7 4:44 21.Nd2 2:54 b5 1:38 22.d5 6:57 bxc4 9:50 23.Re3 11 exd5 17 24.Nf3 6 Bf8 6:57 25.g5 9:48 c5 2:35 26.g6 14 Qxg6 3:11 27.Ne5 4 Qf5 2:37 28.Ng4 6:10 d4 34 29.Rg1 45 Rd6 4:23 30.Rf3 4:13 Qd5 1 31.Rf6 1:01 dxc3 1:42 32.Nxh6+ 9 Kh7 11 33.Rxd6 1:52 Bxd6 4:52 34.Nxf7 21 cxb2+ 22 35.Kb1 4 Qf5+ 29 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Tan,Z2546Kashlinskaya,A24590–12025Cairns Cup 20251.1
Koneru,H2543Dzagnidze,N25051–02025Cairns Cup 20251.2
Assaubayeva,B2509Muzychuk,M24921–02025Cairns Cup 20251.3
Lee,A2389Batsiashvili,N24621–02025Cairns Cup 20251.4
Harika,D2483Yip,C24311–02025Cairns Cup 20251.5
Dzagnidze,N2505Assaubayeva,B25091–02025Cairns Cup 20252.1
Muzychuk,M2492Lee,A23890–12025Cairns Cup 20252.2
Kashlinskaya,A2459Yip,C2431½–½2025Cairns Cup 20252.3
Tan,Z2546Koneru,H2543½–½2025Cairns Cup 20252.4
Batsiashvili,N2462Harika,D2483½–½2025Cairns Cup 20252.5
Harika,D2483Muzychuk,M2492½–½2025Cairns Cup 20253.1
Yip,C2431Batsiashvili,N24621–02025Cairns Cup 20253.2
Lee,A2389Dzagnidze,N2505½–½2025Cairns Cup 20253.3
Assaubayeva,B2509Tan,Z2546½–½2025Cairns Cup 20253.4
Koneru,H2543Kashlinskaya,A2459½–½2025Cairns Cup 20253.5
Kashlinskaya,A2459Batsiashvili,N2462½–½2025Cairns Cup 20254.1
Koneru,H2543Assaubayeva,B25091–02025Cairns Cup 20254.2
Muzychuk,M2492Yip,C24311–02025Cairns Cup 20254.3
Dzagnidze,N2505Harika,D24830–12025Cairns Cup 20254.4
Tan,Z2546Lee,A2389½–½2025Cairns Cup 20254.5
Lee,A2389Koneru,H2543½–½2025Cairns Cup 20255.1
Yip,C2431Dzagnidze,N25051–02025Cairns Cup 20255.2
Harika,D2483Tan,Z2546½–½2025Cairns Cup 20255.3
Batsiashvili,N2462Muzychuk,M2492½–½2025Cairns Cup 20255.4
Assaubayeva,B2509Kashlinskaya,A2459½–½2025Cairns Cup 20255.5
Tan,Z2546Yip,C24310–12025Cairns Cup 20256.1
Assaubayeva,B2509Lee,A23891–02025Cairns Cup 20256.2
Koneru,H2543Harika,D24831–02025Cairns Cup 20256.3
Kashlinskaya,A2459Muzychuk,M24921–02025Cairns Cup 20256.4
Dzagnidze,N2505Batsiashvili,N24621–02025Cairns Cup 20256.5

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Topics: Cairns Cup 2025
Johannes Fischer was born in 1963 in Hamburg and studied English and German literature in Frankfurt. He now lives as a writer and translator in Nürnberg. He is a FIDE-Master and regularly writes for KARL, a German chess magazine focusing on the links between culture and chess. On his own blog he regularly publishes notes on "Film, Literature and Chess".
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