FIDE Women’s World Cup Day 2: 15-year-old local player Kesaria Mgeladze eliminates IM Pham Le Thao Nguyen
Eleven matches will be decided tomorrow in the tie-breaks The second round in a two-game match is a nerve-racking affair for any player. A draw might involve returning tomorrow for a tie-beak but, on the other hand, one small mistake is all you need, and you’re on your way home. The seriousness of the situation was evident in the room: although most of the players were smiling and small taking before the start of the game, I couldn’t help but sense the tension and the nerves in the background. Meanwhile, top seeds continue to arrive. Although they don’t enter into the competition until July 9th, many of them prefer to travel early and fully recover from their long journeys. The top two Indians Humpy and Harika, both of the Muzychuk sisters, Chinese superstars Zhu Jiner and Lu Miaoyi, Polina Shuvalova, Alina Kaslinskaya, just to name a few, have been sighted in the venue. But let’s dive in on the chess action, which has been fast and furious. While most of the favourites scored their second win or went for a comfortable draw to secure their qualification, others who drew or even lost yesterday had to step it up to make a come-back on the scoreboard and try to force the rapid games tie-break. Qualifiers to the second round As expected, most of the rating favourites advanced to the second round where they will be paired against the top twenty-one seeds. IM Carissa Yip (pictured above, left), GM Bella Khotenashvili, WGM Anna Shukhman, IM Deimante Daulyte-Cornette, IM Aleksandra Maltsevskaya, GMs Elina Danielian, Antoaneta Stefanova, IMs Nurgyul Salimova and Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova were some of the few contenders to win both of their games. Other top players such as IM Stavroula Tsolakidou, GM Anna Ushenina (pictured below, right), IM Song Xuxin, IM Lilit Mkrtchian, GM Irina Krush, IM Mai Narva, IM Alice Lee and IM Oliwia Kiolbasa side-stepped the tiebreaks, but dropped a draw on the way. Both Alice and Irina are two of the four players from the United States of America who have travelled to Georgia in an attempt to take back the trophy. FIDE’s own top interviewer Charlize van Zyl had the chance to talk to them briefly this afternoon and get their thoughts on the event. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CS5r1RaXSHI Move of the day On the lower boards, India’s IM Padmini Rout knocked out Zhang Lanlin from China by a clear 2-0 score, with what I thought was anexcellent candidate for “Move of the Day”. The tournament of Sarajevo (2000) will always be remembered for the so-called “Tourist Trap” – Garry Kasparov crushed Sergei Movsesian with the classic 13…Rxc3! Sicilian exchange sacrifice. A classic, which all titled players know by heart. By coincidence, also on move thirteen, Padmini took just under six minutes to bid farewell to her rook. After 13…Rxc3! 14.bxc3 Qc7 15.Kb2 d5! followed by …0-0 and …Rc8 all of Black’s pieces came down on White’s castled king, ultimately forcing her opponent to resign on move 34. Finally, GM Valentina Gunina also advanced to the second round with a fine win over young CM Isabelle Ning from New Zealand. After the game, Valentina revealed how her recent health problems have had an impact on her chess. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTyucOWaDLw&t=100s Unexpected eliminations Only two – definitely a low rate for this type of event. The 15-year-old Batumi WFM Kesaria Mgeladze (pictured below) defeated Vietnam’s IM Pham Le Thao Nguyen by 1.5-0.5, mainly due to her win in game one. The other unexpected elimination was IM Deysi Cori by WIM Wang Chuqiao by 0.5-1.5. Cori has been representing Peru in Women’s Chess Olympiads since 2004 and has an outstanding career achievement list. Tomorrow afternoon’s tiebreaks With 43 tough matches, quite a few 1-1 tiebreaks were to be expected. The final result were eleven matches, which will be decided tomorrow. Possibly the most unexpected result was the encounter between Hungarian WGM Zsoka Gaal and Indian WIM Priyanka K – the rating gap between them exceeds 300 ELO points. However, Priyanka dominated her opponent today on the white side of a French Winawer, making a comeback from yesterday’s loss. The other clearly unexpected result was Mexico’s WIM Tania Miranda Rodriguez (pictured above) defeating one of Poland’s top Olympic players, IM Klaudia Kulon, with the black pieces. Other slightly unexpected tiebreaks will be the matchups between WGM Govhar Beydullayeva and WIM Anahita Zahedifar (two draws) and IM Sophie Milliet against WIM Umida Omonova (two draws). On the lower boards, where the level of play is very similar, quite a few matches ended in a tie and will also be decided tomorrow. I would highlight special attention to the matches between IM Ann Matnadze Bujiashvili and young Georgian talent WFM Anastasia Kirtadze (pictured below) (1-1) along with the encounter between WGM Alinasab Mobina and WIM Amina Kairbekova (also 1-1). For those who wish to follow the tiebreaks live, these are the basic rules – two 15/10 tie-break games will be played to decide the winner. However, if the score remains level after these two games, another set of two games will be played at 10/10, followed by two more games 5/3. If the match still remains tied after these six games, successive games of 3/2 shall be played until a result proves decisive. The full list of tiebreak matches can be found on the official website. Written by IM Michael Rahal (Batumi, Georgia) Photos: Anna Shtourman Scheduled to take place from July 6th to July 28th, the 2025 FIDE Women’s World Cup will gather together in Batumi (Georgia) the world’s best female chess players. A total of 107 players from 46 different federations are set to participate in the event, including seventeen of the current top twenty! Chess legends, seasoned professionals and emerging talents will play for the $50.000 first prize, in addition to three qualifying spots for the Candidates. The full pairings tree and day-by-day results can be found on the World Cup website.
FIDE Director for Chess Development visits Guinea to foster chess expansion
In his continued efforts to promote chess growth across Africa, Grandmaster Nigel Short, FIDE Director for Chess Development, recently visited Guinea. His trip to the West African nation is part of a larger mission to integrate more countries into the global chess family and spark interest in the game throughout the continent. During his stay in the capital city of Conakry, Short was warmly welcomed by local players and officials. He took part in chess activities, including Q&A session, a chess tournament and a simultaneous exhibition held at the British Embassy, and met with Guinea’s sports authorities from the National Olympic Committee, the Sports Ministry of the country and the Checkers and Chess Federation to discuss the country’s potential membership in FIDE. Of Africa’s 54 countries, 50 are currently FIDE members. Although Guinea has had a government-recognized Checkers and Chess Federation for over four decades, the country is still not a part of FIDE. Short’s visit aims to change that by helping Guinea become the 202nd country to join FIDE and the 51st African federation. “I still find it very hard to understand how Guinea has had a government-recognized chess (and checkers) federation for 43 years, but somehow didn’t manage to join FIDE,” Short noted. “The meetings with officials have gone well, so hopefully this will change this year.” The trip reflects FIDE’s broader commitment to chess development, particularly in underrepresented regions. Through high-profile visits, partnerships with local institutions, and ongoing support from diplomatic missions, FIDE hopes to nurture a thriving chess culture in countries like Guinea. With this promising momentum, Guinea may soon take its place on the international chess stage — opening new opportunities for its players and contributing to the ever-growing global chess community.
Chinese Championship 2025: Xiao Tong and Li Xueyi claim their first national titles
GM Xiao Tong and WGM Li Xueyi won the Open and Women’s sections of the 2025 Chinese National Championships, respectively, securing their first national titles. The 2025 edition of the Chinese Championship—held for the 17th consecutive year in Hou Yifan’s hometown of Xinghua, Jiangsu, from June 26 to July 3—adopted an 11-round Swiss system format, replacing the traditional round-robin structure. The total prize fund amounted to 500,000 RMB, with 120,000 RMB awarded to the Open champion and 80,000 RMB to the Women’s tournament winner. The Open section featured 60 players, while the Women’s section attracted 34 participants. Notably, top national players such as Ding Liren, Wei Yi, Yu Yangyi, Ju Wenjun, Zhu Jiner, and Tan Zhongyi were absent from the event. In the Open section, GM Xiao Tong (pictured above) delivered an excellent performance, scoring 8/11 (5 wins, 6 draws) to capture the title—continuing his strong form after winning the China New Stars tournament two months earlier. Four players—Kong Xiangrui, Zhang Di, Liu Yan, and Chen Yuan—tied for second place with 7.5 points, with Kong and Zhang claiming silver and bronze, respectively, on tiebreaks. Five additional players, including GM Dai Changren, finished with 7 points to round out the top 11. Final standings – Open The Women’s section saw WGM Li Xueyi score a crucial final-round victory over WIM Zhang Xiao, securing the title with an impressive 8.5/11 (6 wins, 5 draws).WGM Ni Shiqun and 15-year-old Jiang Tianyu finished just half a point behind the champion, sharing second place. Ni earned silver and Jiang claimed bronze on tiebreaks. WIM Yan Tianqi and Gao Muziyan, both with 7.5 points, placed fourth and fifth, respectively. Final standings – Women Text and photos: Liang Ziming
FIDE World Youth Championships 2025: Registration deadline approaching
FIDE and the Albanian Chess Federation invite all national chess federations to participate in the 2025 FIDE World Youth Chess Championships (U14, U16, and U18). The competitions will take place in Durrës, Albania, from October 3 (arrival) to October 16 (departure). Each national federation may register one official player in each category (Under 14, Under 16, and Under 18, Open and Girls). This totals six official players, plus one accompanying person (with a valid FIDE ID) per federation—all of whom are invited by the organizers. In addition, players who finished 1st–3rd in the 2024 World Youth Championships (U14, U16, U18), as well as gold medalists from the most recent Continental Youth Championships, earn the personal right to participate in the corresponding or a higher age category. Registration deadline: August 2, 2025 Invitation letter and regulations (PDF) FIDE World Youth Chess Championships 2025 official website:worldyouth2025.fide.com E-mail: worldyouth@fide.com
Magnus Carlsen wins GCT SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia
Magnus Carlsen emerged as the winner of the SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia, adding another title to his already impressive Grand Chess Tour collection. Notably, the World No. 1 has now won 10 out of the 12 Rapid and Blitz GCT events he has participated in. Held in Zagreb, Croatia, from June 30 to July 6, the tournament followed the same format as the Superbet Rapid & Blitz Poland and featured seven full-tour players along with three wildcards: Magnus Carlsen, Anish Giri, and local GM Ivan Šarić. Carlsen was only third after the rapid portion (10/18), but true to himself, he picked up steam in the blitz and clinched the title with a round to spare, scoring 22.5/36 overall. Runner-up Wesley So followed a similar script, though to an even greater extent. After finishing the rapid in eighth place (8/18), he delivered an excellent performance in blitz, scoring 12/18 and securing second place overall with 20/36. World Champion Gukesh D won the rapid segment with an impressive 14/18 but struggled in the blitz, ultimately finishing at the bottom. Nevertheless, it was enough for him to complete the podium, ending just half a point behind So. The Grand Chess Tour continues with the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz in Saint Louis, USA, from August 9–16. Photos: Grand Chess Tour / Lennart Ootes