Following the second round, four players are tied for first place with 1½/2 scores at the Monaco stage of the Women's Grand Prix. The three players who had claimed victories on Tuesday drew their games in round two, though Batkhuyag Munguntuul barely escaped with a draw against Tan Zhongyi. They were joined by the winner of the one decisive game on Wednesday, Sara Khadem, who got the better of Harika Dronavalli with the white pieces.
In the decisive game, the contenders reached a rook and bishop against rook and knight endgame by move 30. Khadem was a pawn down after 30...Nxh2+, but she also had a passer on the a-file and the more flexible minor piece in an open position.
Importantly, Khadem also had an advantage on the clock at that point, as she had 11 minutes to Harika's 4 with ten moves to go before reaching the time control.
In the next seven moves, Harika found precise manoeuvres to deal with White's a-passer, which soon reached the seventh rank. However, a single blunder, played with 32 seconds on the clock, decided the game in Khadem's favour: 38...Nxe5 faltered immediately to 39.Rd8+
The pawn will promote after the forcing 39...Rxd8 40.Bxd8 Kxd8 41.a8Q+. None of this appeared on the board, as Harika resigned after seeing the white rook on d8.
In the diagrammed position, Black can keep the balance with the forcing 38...Rxa7, though even the simple 38...g6 or 38...h6 are also enough to keep the game going. It is not easy for White to find a way to break through without a piece capable of controlling the light squares, while Black can begin to push her kingside pawns to create counterplay.
Sara Khadem | Photo: Niki Riga
Two other players had strong chances of catching up with the leaders: Aleksandra Goryachkina and Tan Zhongyi.
Goryachkina advanced her h-pawn against Alexandra Kosteniuk's French Defence but failed to find the most accurate continuation at a critical juncture.
Instead of 26.Re5, Goryachkina could have played 26.c4, where both 26...Qxde6 27.Qxd8+ and 26...dxc4 27.Rxe4 would have allowed White to maintain the pressure.
Kosteniuk capitalised on this inaccuracy, beginning with 26...Qd6, and successfully neutralised her opponent's initiative. The game concluded with a 52-move draw, as Kosteniuk held firm in a slightly inferior rook endgame.
Aleksandra Goryachkina facing Alexandra Kosteniuk | Photo: Niki Riga
Meanwhile, Tan was unable to convert a two-pawn advantage in a rook and knight endgame against co-leader Munguntuul. On move 43, shortly after gaining 30 extra minutes on the clock, the Chinese GM miscalculated with 43.Ne6+ instead of the stronger 43.Nf5
Despite this, she continued pressing against her lower-rated opponent until move 68. Eventually, Tan had to settle for a simplified position with a rook and three pawns against a rook and knight, but there was no way to break through in the end.
Munguntuul's resilient defence secured her a half point against the tournament's top seed, allowing her to remain among the leaders in the standings.
Batkhuyag Munguntuul | Photo: Niki Riga
