Goryachkina scores 7/9, obtains convincing victory in Shymkent

by Carlos Alberto Colodro
11/9/2024 – Aleksandra Goryachkina triumphed at the Shymkent Women's Grand Prix, clinching first place with a remarkable 7/9 score, finishing just ahead of top seed Tan Zhongyi. Goryachkina's performance included five consecutive wins, which positioned her as the clear leader going into the final round. Tan finished in sole second, while Kazakhstan's Bibisara Assaubayeva tied for third with Stavroula Tsolakidou, placing Assaubayeva atop the overall series standings. | Photo: Konstantin Chalabov

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A 5-game winning streak

Aleksandra Goryachkina claimed a convincing victory in Shymkent at the second leg of the 2024/25 Women's Grand Prix series. Scoring 7/9, she finished in clear first place, a half point ahead of top seed Tan Zhongyi, who secured second place. Goryachkina demonstrated remarkable consistency, securing five wins and four draws, and her five consecutive victories from rounds 4 to 8 showcased her good form in the event.

In the final round, Goryachkina entered with a full-point lead over Tan, both scheduled to play with the black pieces on Saturday. Tan, facing Stavroula Tsolakidou, clinched a quick 22-move victory, meaning that any misstep from Goryachkina could force a playoff. However, Goryachkina managed to secure the result she needed, drawing her game against Nurgyul Salimova after a 42-move struggle. This outcome sealed her tournament victory without the need for a tiebreak.

With her exceptional performance in Kazakhstan, Goryachkina gained 17.7 rating points and climbed to fourth place in the women's live ratings, becoming the highest-rated non-Chinese player in the ranking. Currently, the top positions in the women's rankings are held by Hou Yifan, Ju Wenjun, Tan Zhongyi, and Lei Tingjie. Tan, who earned 10 rating points herself, now trails Ju by just two points, adding anticipation to their upcoming match for the Women's World Championship next year.

Tan's final-round victory marked the only decisive game of the day, resulting in Tsolakidou and Bibisara Assaubayeva tying for third place with 5/9 points. Interestingly, Tsolakidou and Assaubayeva are the only players who participated in both the Tbilisi and Shymkent events, the first two legs of the Women's Grand Prix. Assaubayeva's strong results in both tournaments place her atop the series standings, after finishing in sole second place in Georgia and now tied for third here in Kazakhstan.

The next Grand Prix leg is set to take place in Monaco in February 2025, where Goryachkina, Tan, and Assaubayeva are all registered to compete.

Shymkent Women's Grand Prix 2024

The podium | Photo: Konstantin Chalabov

Shymkent Women's Grand Prix 2024

Bibisara Assaubayeva takes a selfie with most of the participants | Photo: Konstantin Chalabov

Tsolakidou 0 - 1 Tan

Analysis by André Schulz

Tan Zhongyi

Tan Zhongyi | Photo: Konstantin Chalabov

Munguntuul 0 - 1 Goryachkina (round 8)

Analysis by André Schulz

Aleksandra Goryachkina

Aleksandra Goryachkina | Photo: Konstantin Chalabov

Final standings

All games

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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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