Monaco GP: Munguntuul and Goryachkina catch Lagno in the lead

by Carlos Alberto Colodro
2/27/2025 – Four decisive games in round eight of the Monaco Women's Grand Prix had a major impact on the tournament standings. Kateryna Lagno, the sole leader going into the round, drew her game, allowing Batkhuyag Munguntuul and Aleksandra Goryachkina to catch up after scoring key victories. Tan Zhongyi also won, keeping her title chances alive. With only one round remaining, three players share the lead, while two others remain within striking distance. | Photo: FIDE / Niki Riga

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Three co-leaders, one round to go

Four decisive results in round eight had a significant impact on the fight for the title at the Women's Grand Prix in Monaco. Kateryna Lagno, who entered the round as sole leader, signed a 21-move draw with Humpy Koneru, allowing two players to catch up with her after securing crucial victories on Wednesday. Batkhuyag Munguntuul and Aleksandra Goryachkina are now tied for first place with Lagno after defeating Elisabeth Paehtz and Sara Khadem, respectively.

Tan Zhongyi also scored a full point in the penultimate round, keeping her chances of winning the title alive after beating Bibisara Assaubayeva with the black pieces. Tan is now tied for fourth place with Humpy, just half a point behind the co-leaders.

The other winner of the day was Harika Dronavalli, who executed a well-timed exchange sacrifice to defeat Alexandra Kosteniuk.

In what was her third win of the event - following a first-round loss against Lagno - Goryachkina outplayed Khadem positionally in a Ruy Lopez. Already enjoying a clear middlegame advantage, Goryachkina found a precise combination to open lines on the kingside.

39.Nf5+ Bxf5 (39...gxf5 40.Qxh5 is also winning for White) 40.exf5 Nf4 41.Qf3 Nxd3 42.Qxd3 Qd7 43.Rc6 Reb8 44.fxg6 fxg6 45.Bb2, with the dark-squared bishop emerging as a strong attacking piece.

The breaking f2-f4 followed two moves later. Goryachkina efficiently converted her advantage into a 50-move win.

In the final round, co-leaders Munguntuul and Goryachkina will face each other, while Lagno will play black against Khadem. Both Humpy and Tan will have the white pieces against Assaubayeva and Harika, respectively.

Aleksandra Goryachkina, Sara Khadem

Aleksandra Goryachkina v. Sara Khadem | Photo: Niki Riga

Paehtz 0 - 1 Munguntuul

Batkhuyag Munguntuul

Batkhuyag Munguntuul, the lowest-rated player in the field, is now sharing the lead with two of the strongest women players in the world | Photo: Niki Riga

Dronavalli 1 - 0 Kosteniuk

Harika Dronavalli

Harika Dronavalli | Photo: Niki Riga

Round 8 results

Standings

All games

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Topics: Aleksandra Goryachkina, Batkhuyag Munguntuul, Harika Dronavalli, Tan Zhongyi, Women's Grand Prix 2024/25
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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Monaco GP: Tan and Goryachkina grab full points

2/25/2025 – Round six of the Monaco Women's Grand Prix saw two decisive games, as Aleksandra Goryachkina and Tan Zhongyi (pictured) claimed victories to shake up the standings. Sole leader Kateryna Lagno held a quick draw to maintain her lead, while Humpy Koneru and Sara Khadem suffered defeats. Goryachkina's endgame technique allowed her to overcome Humpy, while Khadem faltered in a difficult defensive position against Tan. With three rounds remaining, Goryachkina and Batkhuyag Munguntuul now trail Lagno by just half a point. | Photo: FIDE / Niki Riga
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Monaco GP: Kosteniuk and Goryachkina score

2/20/2025 – The third round of the Monaco Women's Grand Prix saw all four co-leaders hold their positions at the top of the standings after drawing their games. Batkhuyag Munguntuul and Humpy Koneru split the point in the only direct clash between frontrunners, while Sara Khadem and Kateryna Lagno secured safe draws with the black pieces. Meanwhile, Aleksandra Goryachkina and Alexandra Kosteniuk bounced back from first-round losses with victories over Bibisara Assaubayeva and Tan Zhongyi. | Photo: FIDE / Niki Riga
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Video

60m The Two Knights

This entry into the 60 minutes series concentrates on the Modern variation of the Italian game where White opens the centre early : 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nf6 4 d4 exd4 5 e5!. This line can be reached by various move orders, most frequently from the Scotch 3 d4 exd4 4 Bc4. It's a sharp variation and Grandmasters such as Evgeny Sveshnikov have used it frequently,with very good results. It's a perfect line for club players to adopt which is relatively easy to learn and which contains many traps. All the main responses are covered here, including 5...d5, 5...Ng4 and 5...Ne4 and the conclusion is that is is difficult for Black to equalize in a straightforward way. Problems are being posed, which over the board might prove tough to solve.