5/9/2025 – Anna Muzychuk and Vaishali Rameshbabu now share the lead in the final leg of the Women's Grand Prix after a day marked by four decisive results. Muzychuk secured a crucial win over Olga Badelka with the black pieces, while Vaishali maintained her unbeaten record with a draw against Nana Dzagnidze. Alexandra Kosteniuk halted Tan Zhongyi's winning streak, and Zhu Jiner bounced back from two losses to defeat Nurgyul Salimova. Mariya Muzychuk struggled against Lela Javakhishvili and lost. | Photo: Przemysław Nikiel
Winning starts with what you know
The new version 18 offers completely new possibilities for chess training and analysis: playing style analysis, search for strategic themes, access to 6 billion Lichess games, player preparation by matching Lichess games, download Chess.com games with built-in API, built-in cloud engine and much more.
Winning starts with what you know The new version 18 offers completely new possibilities for chess training and analysis: playing style analysis, search for strategic themes, access to 6 billion Lichess games, player preparation by matching Lichess games, download Chess.com games with built-in API, built-in cloud engine and much more.
This course will enhance your understanding of the King’s Indian Defence. Perfect for anyone looking to improve their opening strategy, reduce mistakes, and develop a winning game plan.
€39.90
Four decisive results
By Milan Dinic, FIDE's Press Officer
It was a decisive day in Austria, with four of five games ending in victory. Anna Muzychuk defeated Olga Badelka with the black pieces, joining Vaishali Rameshbabu in shared first after the Indian comfortably drew with Nana Dzagnidze. Alexandra Kosteniuk stopped Tan Zhongyi with a confident performance, while Zhu Jiner bounced back from the bottom, defeating Nurgyul Salimova. Mariya Muzychuk had a poor showing against Lela Javakhishvili and lost.
Tension and drama defined the third day of the final (sixth) leg of the 2024/2025 FIDE Women's Grand Prix. Three of the five games featured opposite-side castling – often a sign that both sides are ready for a fight.
The King‘s Indian Attack is a universal opening: easy to learn, flexible, and rich in both tactical and positional opportunities.
Round three underway in Grosslobming | Photo: Lennart Ootes
The first to score was Lela Javakhishvili from Georgia, who extended her unbeaten streak in classical chess against the onetime women's world champion Mariya Muzychuk.
The younger Muzychuk sister had a shaky showing. In the Giuoco Piano, a line Mariya usually handles with precision, she faltered, allowing Black to seize the initiative and settle into a comfortable position.
By move 20, Muzychuk's pieces were uncoordinated and vulnerable to tactical threats. She soon lost a pawn and was down to under three minutes by move 25. Lela had a winning advantage, which she went on to convert without much difficulty.
In the post-game analysis, Lela expressed surprise at some of Mariya's choices, noting that she may be an uncomfortable opponent for the Ukrainian. (According to the chessgames.com database, Javakhishvili has beaten Mariya Muzychuk four times, with seven draws and no losses in classical games).
This win was a crucial bounce-back for Javakhishvili after her round-two loss to Vaishali. She now stands at 1½/3. With two draws and a loss, Mariya Muzychuk has 1 point.
Lela Javakhishvili | Photo: Lennart Ootes
India's Vaishali Rameshbabu continued her strong performance. She surprised Nana Dzagnidze with an early queen capture on d4 in the Sicilian. After a complex middlegame, the position simplified into an even endgame, with Black exerting pressure in the centre. A draw was agreed on move 40 following a threefold repetition.
With 2½/3, Vaishali maintains her excellent form and shares first place. After two frustrating draws marred by missed opportunities, Nana finally had a shorter, less taxing game, finishing day three with 1½ points.
In a total of 6 chapters, we look at the following aspects: the right decision based on tactical factors, decisions in exchanges and moves, complex and psychological decisions in longer games and in defence.
Nana Dzagnidze | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Olga Badelka chose an unusual approach in her game against Anna Muzychuk, starting with the 1.Nf3. However, the position transposed into a rare line of the Sicilian with b3. Despite the surprise, Badelka emerged slightly worse from the opening. Still, she played bravely, looking for chances and nearly equalised, but a slip in the middlegame handed Muzychuk the initiative, which gradually grew as the game progressed.
The Ukrainian eventually ended a pawn up in the centre. Despite the fact that losing that pawn gave White space to counter, Badelka missed her chances. The two transitioned to an endgame with minor pieces where Black had an extra pawn and a commanding position. Staying calm, Anna completely dominated in the endgame, claiming victory on move 50.
Badelka v. A. Muzychuk
Badelka decided to call it a day in this position
This put Anna Muzychuk in shared first place – a place where she needs to be if she is to stand a chance to win the 2024/2025 FIDE Women's Grand Prix season and qualify for the Candidates. Badelka is on 1 out of 3, having suffered two consecutive losses.
The last two games to finish, both culminated in a queen endgame.
The clash of former women's world champions Kosteniuk and Tan progressed rapidly. In the classical line of the Queen's Gambit Exchanged, neither player gained a clear edge. However, following exchanges in the centre, Black lost her way.
Kosteniuk v. Tan
In this position, Tan has just placed her rook on e5, to prevent Qd5 and a trade of queens (the reserved 23…Qf8 with the same idea is much better). The move played by Tan allowed Alexandra to pin the knight and increase her control over the centre, getting the upper hand.
24.Rc1! Rce8 25.Qd4 The knight is hanging and doesn't have a good place to go.
Tan chose the lesser of two evils – 25…Nd3 – giving up a pawn to avoid entering a passive position.
Further exchanges followed, and the two ended up in a queen endgame where Kosteniuk was a pawn up and had a better structure. Soon, she collected another pawn. But Tan wasn't giving up, despite being completely lost.
In this video course, experts (Pelletier, Marin, Müller and Reeh) examine the games of Judit Polgar. Let them show you which openings Polgar chose to play, where her strength in middlegames were, or how she outplayed her opponents in the endgame.
As Kosteniuk noted after the game, "queen endgames are very hard to win", given the chances of overlooking perpetual checks or even losing the queen if you miss an attack via a line or a diagonal. Despite a bit of shaky play towards the end, Kosteniuk kept her cool and converted her advantage into a full point.
A great achievement by Kosteniuk (now on 1½/3) who came back by defeating one of the leaders and the highest-rated player in the event. However, another tough task lies ahead as she will be playing as Black in round four against one of the leaders, Anna Muzychuk.
Alexandra Kosteniuk and Tan Zhongyi | Photo: Lennart Ootes
The last game to finish was the one between Zhu Jiner and Nurgyul Salimova.
In one of the main lines in the Petroff, Zhu castled long, opposite to her opponent, signalling she was ready for a fight. Soon, Zhu sacrificed a pawn to launch an attack on the kingside which lead to a very sharp position.
Zhu v. Salimova
Here Zhu played 24.Nxc5 – attacking the queen but leaving two pieces hanging. Nurgyul found the best move 24…Qf7 to which the Chinese reacted with 25.Ne4. If 25…gxf4 White takes the pawn on h4 and is threatening mate on h8, leading Black into a very uncomfortable position. Instead, 25…Rxe4! was played (25…Qa2 was another interesting option), sacrificing a rook for a very dangerous knight and creating space for Black to mount her own attack.
26.fxe4 Qa2 27.b3! Preventing Nc4.
27…Rc8 28.Rd3 Very precisely played by Zhu.
Now, however, instead of the only move maintaining the balance, namely 28…d5!, Salimova made a fatal mistake, taking the bishop with 28…gxf4?. After 29.Qxh4 White is winning.
Zhu ended with three pawns for a knight and a dominating position on the board, which she carefully proceeded to convert into victory.
This game was a crucial moment for Zhu, who – together with Anna Muzychuk – is in the race for winning the Grand Prix series. Having suffered two losses, she had to come back into the tournament if she wanted to have a shot at the top position.
With ½ point after 3 games, Salimova is in sole last place.
Zhu Jiner | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Augarten porcelain horses to crown the chess champions
Before the start of the round, Michael Stöttinger, President of the Austrian Chess Federation, presented the trophies that will be awarded to the winners. Crafted by Augarten, one of Austria's most renowned fine china producers, the hand-made and hand-painted trophies take the form of a horse and have a total value of €10,000. Stöttinger said:
Augarten is a signature product of Austria, and horses are perfect to symbolise power and speed. The knight is dynamic and unpredictable – even a master can overlook a fork! That's why we chose the famous Augarten horses to become our trophies.
The course is designed to provide a deep yet practical repertoire for Black, balancing solid foundations with aggressive counterplay. The Classical Sicilian has stood the test of time as one of the most principled and fighting defences against 1.e4. With its rich history spanning world championship matches and modern elite tournaments, this opening remains a favourite among players who seek a dynamic, counterattacking approach without venturing into extreme theoretical battles like the Najdorf or Sveshnikov.
Free video sample: Introduction
Free video sample: 6.h3
Founded in 1718, Augarten is one of the oldest porcelain manufacturers in Europe, with its own bespoke coat of arms. The company has produced porcelain for all Austrian state dinners, as well as for embassies and the offices of the President and Chancellor of Austria.
Milan DinicMilan Dinic is the Press Officer of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), responsible for managing media relations and overseeing communications for the global chess governing body. With a background in journalism and public relations, he has extensive experience in reporting on international events and promoting chess initiatives worldwide.
4/23/2025 – Humpy Koneru narrowly escaped defeat against Alina Kashlinskaya in round eight of the Women's Grand Prix in Pune, salvaging a draw that keeps her tied for the lead with Zhu Jiner. Zhu delivered a strong recovery from Monday's loss, defeating Divya Deshmukh in a sharp game. The remaining games also featured tense moments, including a 116-move battle and a missed win in time trouble. | Photo: Abhilash Shinde
3/25/2025 – Anna Muzychuk emerged as the winner of the Cyprus Women's Grand Prix, securing victory after a tense final round in which all games ended in draws. Tied with Zhu Jiner on 6/9, Muzychuk claimed the title based on tiebreak criteria, while the prize money and Grand Prix points were shared. The tournament concluded with several dramatic moments, including missed winning opportunities for Zhu and Olga Badelka. | Photos: Mark Livshitz
On this 60 mins video we are going to concentrate on a simple, very solid idea in the main line Scandinavian, which even Magnus Carlsen has used to win games. Black focusses on making his life easy in the opening and forces White to work very hard to get advantage – but it is doubtful if White can get an advantage. Club players are always on the lookout for effective, time-saving solutions and here we have just that. Accompany FIDE Senior Trainer and IM Andrew Martin on this 60 mins video. You can learn a new opening system in 60 mins and start to play it with confidence on the very same day!
Ruy Lopez Powerbase 2025 is a database and contains a total of 12092 games from Mega 2025 and the Correspondence Database 2024, of which 1276 are annotated.
In this 60 Minutes, Andrew Martin guides you through all the key ideas you need to know to play with confidence. Whether you’re looking to surprise your opponents, or simply want a straightforward weapon against e5, the Centre Attack has you covered.
Videos by Mihail Marin: Najdorf Variation with 6.f4 and Nico Zwirs: Italian ‘giucco pianissimo’. ‘Lucky bag’ with 45 analyses by Edouard, Ftacnik, Gupta, Pelletier and others. Update service with over 50,000 new games for your database!
This video course provides a comprehensive and practical White repertoire in the Ruy Lopez! Through instructive model games and in-depth theoretical explanations, you will learn how to confidently handle both main lines and sidelines.
€49.90
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