Batumi: Hnatyshyn cannot stop winning

by Carlos Alberto Colodro
5/31/2026 – Anastasiia Hnatyshyn crossed the halfway point of the European Women's Championship in Batumi with a perfect 6/6 score after defeating Oliwia Kiolbasa on Saturday. The 15-year-old Ukrainian WFM now leads by a full point over Ulviyya Fataliyeva, Meri Arabidze and Sabrina Vega, while a 13-player group on 4½/6 remains within range with five rounds still to play. Sunday is a rest day in the Georgian capital. | Photo: European Chess Union
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A full-point lead for the Ukrainian sensation

The European Women's Chess Championship crossed its halfway point in Batumi with Anastasiia Hnatyshyn still on a perfect score. The 15-year-old Ukrainian WFM defeated Poland's Oliwia Kiolbasa in Saturday's sixth round, moving to 6/6 and maintaining her position as the clear leader of the tournament.

Hnatyshyn's run has become the main storyline of the championship. She began the event well outside the top seeds (ranked 76th, in fact), but has now scored five consecutive upset wins and stands a full point ahead of the nearest chasers with five rounds still to play.

Three players are now tied for second place, one point behind Hnatyshyn. Ulviyya Fataliyeva of Azerbaijan, Meri Arabidze of Georgia and Sabrina Vega of Spain all won their sixth-round games and moved to 5/6. All three were among the top 20 players in the starting list.

Meri Arabidze

Meri Arabidze | Photo: European Chess Union

Sabrina Vega, Nadya Toncheva

Sabrina Vega defeated Nadya Toncheva with the black pieces | Photo: European Chess Union

Fataliyeva's win came against another of the tournament's surprise performers, Türkiye's Gulenay Aydin. The Turkish WIM had been among the closest pursuers after five rounds, but her defeat on Saturday dropped her into the large group on 4½/6. That group contains 13 players, half a point behind the trio in shared second place.

With a full point separating Hnatyshyn from her nearest challengers, the leader has created a significant margin, though the length of the 11-round tournament leaves room for further changes in the standings.

Hnatyshyn 1-0 Kiolbasa

Annotations by GM Karsten Müller

Oliwia Kiolbasa

Oliwia Kiolbasa | Photo: European Chess Union

Standings after round 6

Rk. Name Pts.  TB1 
1 Hnatyshyn, Anastasiia 6 0
2 Vega Gutierrez, Sabrina 5 0
3 Fataliyeva, Ulviyya 5 0
4 Arabidze, Meri 5 0
5 Kiolbasa, Oliwia 4,5 0
6 Aydin, Gulenay 4,5 0
7 Salimova, Nurgyul 4,5 0
8 Roebers, Eline 4,5 0
9 Zherebtsova, Alexandra 4,5 0
10 Unuk, Laura 4,5 0
11 Badelka, Olga 4,5 0
12 Ushenina, Anna 4,5 0
13 Bivol, Alina 4,5 0
14 Rakhmangulova, Anastasiya 4,5 0
15 Buksa, Nataliya 4,5 0
16 Mkrtchyan, Mariam 4,5 0
17 Kulon, Klaudia 4,5 0
18 Mirzoeva, Elmira 4 0
19 Toncheva, Nadya 4 0
20 Safarli, Josefine 4 0

...165 players

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Topics: Anastasiia Hnatyshyn, European Women's Championship 2026
Carlos Colodro is a Hispanic Philologist from Bolivia. He works as a freelance translator and writer since 2012. A lot of his work is done in chess-related texts, as the game is one of his biggest interests, along with literature and music.
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