6/23/2024 – Tan Zhongyi signed a quick draw with Alexandra Kosteniuk to become the outright winner of the Cairns Cup in Saint Louis. The Chinese star finished the event with an undefeated 6/9 score. In the one decisive game of the final round, Anna Muzychuk defeated Alice Lee to secure sole second place. This was Muzychuk’s second win in a row, after having collected seven draws in the first seven rounds of the event. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

6/22/2024 – The Cairns Cup is taking place on June 13-24 at the World Chess Hall of Fame. Tan Zhongyi, Mariya Muzychuk and Nana Dzagnidze are the top seeds in the 10-player single round robin with a classical time control. The event features one of the strongest female fields, as they compete for a total prize fund of $200,000. | Follow the action live starting at 20.00 CEST (14.00 ET, 23.30 IST)

6/22/2024 – Tan Zhongyi has a 1-point lead going into the final round of the Cairns Cup in Saint Louis. Alexandra Kosteniuk, who stood in sole second place before Friday’s eighth round, was defeated by Anna Muzychuk. This crucial result left five players tied for second place a full point behind the leader: Anna and Mariya Muzychuk, Kosteniuk, Nana Dzagnidze and Harika Dronavalli. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

6/21/2024 – Four games ended decisively in round 7 of the Cairns Cup, with Tan Zhongyi keeping the lead thanks to a victory over Elisabeth Paehtz and Alexandra Kosteniuk climbing to sole second place after beating Anna Zatonskih. Nana Dzagnidze and Mariya Muzychuk also scored full points, and are now tied for third place with Harika Dronavalli, who barely escaped with a draw against Anna Muzychuk. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

6/20/2024 – Alexandra Kosteniuk was the only player to score a full point in round 6 of the Cairns Cup. Kosteniuk’s win over Mariya Muzychuk left her tied for second place with Harika Dronavalli, as they stand a half point behind sole leader Tan Zhongyi. In the one decisive game of the round, Muzychuk blundered in a materially balanced minor-piece endgame. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

6/18/2024 – All five games ended drawn in round 5 of the Cairns Cup, with Alice Lee (pictured) and Alexandra Kosteniuk escaping with half points from clearly inferior positions, against Nana Dzagnidze and Irina Krush, respectively. The results left Tan Zhongyi as the sole leader with four rounds to go. Mariya Muzychuk and Harika Dronavalli are tied for second place a half point back. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

6/17/2024 – Tan Zhongyi, the top seed in Saint Louis, grabbed the sole lead at the Cairns Cup after beating Anna Zatonskih’s French Defence in round 4. Second place is shared between Mariya Muzychuk and Harika Dronavalli, who both drew on Sunday. The second decisive game of the day saw Alice Lee getting the better of Alexandra Kosteniuk. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

6/15/2024 – Two decisive results in round 2 left four players tied for first place at the Cairns Cup in Saint Louis, with Harika Dronavalli and Nana Dzagnidze joining Mariya Muzychuk and Tan Zhongyi at the top of the standings. While Harika got the better of Alexandra Kosteniuk, Dzagnidze inflicted a second consecutive loss on defending champion Anna Zatonskih. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

6/14/2024 – The 2024 Cairns Cup kicked off yesterday in St. Louis. Three World Champions take part in the strong women's tournament, and all three won in the first round. Chess legend Nona Gaprindashvili opened the tournament as guest of honour. | Photos: St. Louis Chess Club/ Lennart Ootes

6/9/2024 – The Cairns Cup, an elite-level female chess tournament created by the Saint Louis Chess Club, returns this June and will feature ten of the world’s best female chess players. The ten-player round robin tournament will be hosted at the World Chess Hall of Fame from June 12 to 23. The top seeds are Tan Zhongyi, Mariya Muzychuk and Nana Dzagidze, while rising star Alice Lee and defending champion Anna Zatonskih (pictured) are also included in the field. | Photo: Crystal Fuller