Women's World Cup, Round 3: Chinese favourites prevail

by André Schulz
7/14/2025 – 107 players started in the Women's World Cup, but only 32 of them made it to round three. With the exception of Aleksandra Goryachkina, the top favorites remain in the field. The top Chinese players Lei Tingjie, Zhu Jiner, and Tan Zhongyi all advanced comfortably to the fourth round without needing a tiebreak. However, players like Anna Muzychuk, Alexandra Kosteniuk, and Harika Dronavalli will have to win their tiebreaks to advance to round four. | Photos: Anna Shtourman
Your personal chess trainer. Your toughest opponent. Your strongest ally.
FRITZ 20 is more than just a chess engine – it is a training revolution for ambitious players and professionals. Whether you are taking your first steps into the world of serious chess training, or already playing at tournament level, FRITZ 20 will help you train more efficiently, intelligently and individually than ever before. 

Top favourite Lei Tingjie easily reached the fourth round of the Women's World Cup with two victories against former world champion Antoaneta Stefanova. Zhu Jiner and Mariya Muzychuk achieved the same result against Aleksandra Maltsevskaya and Bella Khotenashvili respectively.

In her game against Stefanova, Tingjie did not take any major risks, yet still built a solid, superior position against her opponent's Pirc Defence, winning the game with surprising ease.

Lei Tingjie

Tan Zhongyi, the third player in the Chinese trio of favourites, drew her first game against Irina Bulmaga. Following her victory in the second round, she will join her compatriots in the next round.

Humpy Koneru started the third round with a draw against Klaudia Kulon, then winning her second game on Sunday. The Indian player is therefore also through to the fourth round.

Meruert Kamalidenova was the standout player of the second round after eliminating one of the favourites, Aleksandra Goryachkina. The Kazakh's winning streak continues. Her first game against the strong young Russian player, Anna Shukhman, ended in a draw. However, on Sunday, Kamalidenova won her second game and also reached the fourth round.

Interview with Meruert Kamalidenova

Umida Omonova also drew against Elnaz Kaliahmet before winning the second game. With this result, Leila Javakishvili also reached round four against the slight favourite Polina Shuvalova.

Divya Deshmukh won the first game against Teodora Injac and secured her place in round four with a draw in the second game.

Interview with Divya Deshmukh

Yuliia Osmak knocked out 15-year-old Chinese prodigy Lu Miaoyi with the same result.

Five of the 16 matches will continue in the play-offs on Monday. In the match between Agrawal Vantikai and Kateryna Lagno, Agrawal took the lead and Lagno equalised on Sunday.

Agrawal and Lagno

The match between Nana Dzagnidze and Valentina Gunina followed a similar pattern. After losing the first game, the Gunina had to win and played very aggressively with White against Dzagnidze's Caro-Kann defence — with success.

Meri Arabidze drew twice against Alexandra Kosteniuk, Anna Muzychuk drew twice against Yuxin Song, Harika Dronavalli drew twice against Stavroula Tsolakidou, and Vaishali also drew twice against Carissa Yip.

3. Round (12.07.2025 - 26.07.2025)
33 GM Stefanova Antoaneta BUL 2399 0 0 0
1 GM Lei Tingjie CHN 2552 1 1 2
80 WFM Kaliakhmet Elnaz KAZ 2218 ½ 0 ½
81 WIM Omonova Umida UZB 2211 ½ 1 1½
8 GM Dzagnidze Nana GEO 2505 1 0 1
25 GM Gunina Valentina FID 2416 0 1 1
24 GM Khotenashvili Bella GEO 2418 0 0 0
9 GM Muzychuk Mariya UKR 2492 1 1 2
4 GM Koneru Humpy IND 2543 ½ 1 1½
29 IM Kulon Klaudia POL 2407 ½ 0 ½
20 IM Arabidze Meri GEO 2440 ½ ½ 1
13 GM Kosteniuk Alexandra SUI 2474 ½ ½ 1
28 IM Song Yuxin CHN 2410 ½ ½ 1
5 GM Muzychuk Anna UKR 2535 ½ ½ 1
12 IM Shuvalova Polina FID 2480 ½ 0 ½
21 IM Javakhishvili Lela GEO 2432 ½ 1 1½
2 GM Zhu Jiner CHN 2547 1 1 2
31 IM Maltsevskaya Aleksandra POL 2403 0 0 0
18 IM Injac Teodora SRB 2457 0 ½ ½
15 IM Divya Deshmukh IND 2463 1 ½ 1½
39 IM Vantika Agrawal IND 2388 1 0 1
7 GM Lagno Kateryna FID 2515 0 1 1
10 GM Dronavalli Harika IND 2483 ½ ½ 1
23 IM Tsolakidou Stavroula GRE 2428 ½ ½ 1
35 IM Bulmaga Irina ROU 2393 ½ 0 ½
3 GM Tan Zhongyi CHN 2546 ½ 1 1½
14 IM Osmak Yuliia UKR 2468 1 ½ 1½
19 IM Lu Miaoyi CHN 2452 0 ½ ½
59 IM Kamalidenova Meruert KAZ 2330 ½ 1 1½
27 WGM Shukhman Anna FID 2413 ½ 0 ½
22 IM Yip Carissa USA 2431 ½ ½ 1
11 GM Vaishali Rameshbabu IND 2481 ½ ½ 1

Games

Links

André Schulz started working for ChessBase in 1991 and is an editor of ChessBase News.