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.
The podium | Photo: Konstantin Chalabov
Bibisara Assaubayeva takes a selfie with most of the participants | Photo: Konstantin Chalabov
Analysis by André Schulz
Tan Zhongyi | Photo: Konstantin Chalabov
Analysis by André Schulz
Aleksandra Goryachkina | Photo: Konstantin Chalabov
