FIDE Grand Swiss 2025, Day 5: A round of piece sacrifices and surprises
Iran’s Parham Maghsoodloo maintains the sole lead after a victory over Richard Rapport. Meanwhile, both Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa suffered shock defeats. In the Women’s event, Wagner and Fataliyeva joined Vaishali and Lagno at the top. The games of round five of the 2025 FIDE Grand Swiss were marked by piece sacrifices, blunders, and several even endgames thrown away. The round started with former FIDE World Champion Rustam Kasimdzhanov making the first move in the game between Abdusattorov and Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus, which ended in a late draw after the Uzbek star failed to convert a better position. Parham Maghsoodloo continues to lead the Open tournament after defeating Richard Rapport on board one in the London system. The position was largely even until the endgame, when Rapport miscalculated and lost. There were two big surprises in the results on the top boards. Playing on board two, Praggnanandhaa lost to Matthias Bluebaum in the Queen’s Pawn Opening. Playing as Black, the Indian found himself in a tense endgame and overlooked a pawn on the queenside which ended up costing him a point. That’s now a third consecutive victory for Bluebaum, who is having a great event so far. The day also saw the World Champion Gukesh D stunned by Abhimanyu Mishra. In the Giuoco Piano, Gukesh overstretched himself in the early stages of the game. Black has played 12…g4? allowing White a piece sacrifice which offered him more than sufficient compensation with 13.exd6 gxf3 14.dxc7 Qe7 15.Nf3 In the moves that followed, Mishra was not precise in executing his advantage and even allowed Gukesh to equalise. However, in another critical moment, Gukesh misplayed again: Black’s best choice was to play 36…Rd3 and force a draw with checks. Instead, Gukesh blundered with 36…Ne2?? after which he is lost as his king is in a mating net. 37.Kf1 Nf4 38.Bd4 Rf3+ 39.Ke1 Nd3+ 40.Kd2 Nxe5 41.Bxe5 Kxe5 42.Rg5+ Ke6 43.Rgxd5 And now White has a passer on the g-file in addition to the c7-pawn, which has pinned one of Black’s rooks to the eighth rank. Gukesh played on but had to resign in the end. A major early upset for the World Champion. In another exciting game, Arjun Erigaisi – playing as White – defeated Nikita Vitiugov in the Classical Line of the Catalan. Black traded her queen for two rooks, but the resulting position was slightly better for White. Disaster struck Vitiugov on move 24. Here Vitiugov blundered with 24…Rb5?? Giving up a pawn on a7 and allowing White to take the initiative. 25.Qxa7 Bd3 26.Bxf6 gxf6 Doubling Black’s pawns and then 27.Qd4! – attacking the bishop and pinning f6. 27…Bg6 28.Nd5 and White is winning. After blundering in the endgame against Maghsoodloo in round three, Alireza Firouzja had the favour returned in today’s game, as he managed to swing a drawn endgame thanks to Sam Shankland blundering in one move. It’s not easy for White to hold as Black is pressing. 47.Ke2 was the only move, but Sam had to foresee that in the line 42…d4 43.exd4 Ke4 44.b5! Kxd4 45.Kf3! Kc4 46.Ke4 Kb4 47.Kd5 Kxa4 48.Kc6! White maintains equality, reminiscent of the famous Botvinnik – Euwe endgame (Groningen, 1946). Instead, Shankland played 47.bxa5 bxa5 48.Kd4 and after 48…Kf3 he could not prevent the fall of the h2-pawn. In another surprise of the round, Marc’Andria Maurizzi defeated Vincent Keymer in the Sicilian. The position was even until the endgame when Keymer blundered in one move and lost. The Women’s event Day five saw tournament leaders Vaishali Rameshbabu and Kateryna Lagno face off on board one. In the Ruy Lopez, after three and a half hours of play, neither side found a way to tip the balance and a draw was agreed on move 35. Playing with the black pieces against Irina Bulmaga, Dinara Wagner opted for the Najdorf. After Irina’s inaccuracy on move seventeen, Dinara got an edge thanks to better coordination of her bishops and rooks. Eventually, Bulmaga miscalculated, entering an endgame with opposite-coloured bishops a pawn down which was absolutely hopeless for White. 44…b6! Black creates the second passer on the a-file. Since the passed pawns are too far apart, the opposite-coloured bishops do not rescue White. Fifteen moves down the road, Irina capitulated. 0-1 Ulviyya Fataliyeva defeated the former World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk, who blundered in the endgame, walking into a mating net. With their victories, Wagner and Fataliyeva joined Vaishali and Lagno at the top. On board two, former Women’s World Champion Antoaneta Stefanova drew with Uzbekistan’s Afruza Khamdamova in the King’s Pawn Opening. Stefanova had more initiative but could not make a tangible advantage. In other notable results on the top boards, Tan defeated Elina Danielian as Black, and Bibisara Assaubayeva prevailed over Nurgyul Salimova after snatching a pawn in the middlegame and forcing a won rook endgame. Olga Girya toppled the US Women’s Champion Carissa Yip with the black pieces. After a strong start in the first two rounds, Olga Badelka has now hit a rough patch. Following an unfortunate loss to Vaishali in round three, she made a draw with Tsolakidou in round four but lost today to Song Yuxin. The rating favourite in the Women’s event, Anna Muzychuk, scored her first victory in the tournament. Playing as White, she defeated India’s Vantika Agrawal in the Closed Sicilian. Agrawal made a blunder in a tense position: Here, Black should have continued with 29…Rb8 and then if 30.Rc7 she should have played Bb8, defending in a difficult position. Instead, she went for a rook exchange which turned out to be fatal. 29…Rxc1 30.Rxc1 Rb8 31.Rc5!! Winning a pawn as Agrawal apparently overlooked the checkmate on the eighth rank. 31…g5 32.Rxb5 Not only has White created an extra pawn on the b-file, but her centralised rook and pieces caused further chaos for Black. 1-0. Following a shocking loss in round one, Anna struggled in the tournament, with three consecutive draws. Maybe this victory will mark a turning point in her tournament. With six rounds to go,
Women’s Chess Marathon 2025 – A Summary
A month of global connection This August, the FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess led the Women’s Chess Marathon – a worldwide celebration held within FIDE Women’s Month and the 2025 Social Chess Year. Each week, a different continent became the stage for tournaments, workshops, and conversations, always in close cooperation with local organizers. Over 1,000 participants joined the Marathon worldwide, showing just how needed these initiatives are. The Marathon was not only about competition: it created safe, inspiring spaces where girls and women could feel supported, build confidence, and find role models — all while celebrating the global community that chess represents. Week 1 – Americas: Diversity and community The Marathon began in the Americas, where events highlighted how chess can build safe, supportive spaces for women and girls while celebrating the continent’s diversity. An online Arbiter’s Seminar opened the week, giving participants tools to strengthen their involvement in chess beyond the board. In the Dominican Republic, the Women’s Tournament of Santiago formed part of the Chess for Girls in a Safe Environment initiative, emphasizing the importance of protection and opportunity for young players. In Venezuela, a Women’s Chess Festival combined a rapid tournament with engaging talks and discussions. And in Puerto Rico, the regional closing event was hosted at the Casa del Ajedrez in Caguas. Its highlight was a simultaneous exhibition with the Women’s Olympic Team – WIM Danitza Vázquez Maccarini, WCM Yanira Rivera Negrón, WCM Coralys M. Alvarado Pérez, WCM Gabriela Vera, joined by guest master WFM Rinelly Comas Colón – inspiring the next generation. Together, these events showed how women’s chess in the Americas thrives when communities come together, creating opportunities not only for competition but also for learning and mentorship. Big appreciation goes to the Chess Confederation for the Americas and to our Commission members Sarai Sánchez and Francisco Cruz, whose support was invaluable. Week 2 – Africa: Meeting role models, building confidence The second week highlighted Africa, where chess became a platform for confidence, growth, and record-breaking participation in South Africa and Zambia. A special highlight of this week was the presence of WGM Dana Reizniece, Deputy Chair of the FIDE Management Board, who attended both events. Her encouragement left a strong impression on participants, many of whom were meeting a chess leader of her stature for the first time. In South Africa, the Queen’s Chess Training Workshop gathered girls for skills development, with sessions by FT Eric Takawira, FI Reuben Salimu, and Nadzeya Krauchuk. Dana Reizniece opened the event with her lecture Making it in Chess and later led a simultaneous exhibition at Louwville High School. The week concluded with a Women’s Month Blitz Tournament. Just days later in Zambia, history was made: the Rapid Women’s Chess Championship brought together 88 female players, the largest number ever for a women’s championship in the country. Here too, participants benefited from presence of Dana Reizniece, as she delivered a motivational talk that encouraged them to pursue their ambitions in chess and beyond. Special thank you to the Chess Federations of South Africa and Zambia for making these groundbreaking events possible. Week 3 – Asia & Australia: Inspiration across generations The third week of the Marathon showed how women’s chess flourishes when communities rally behind it. In Nepal, the Himalayan Chess Academy staged one of the largest women’s and girls’ tournaments in the country’s history, drawing 142 players aged between 5 and 67. The tournament also received extraordinary backing from across sports, culture, and education. Distinguished guests such as Palesha Goverdhan, bronze medalist at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, lent their support, underscoring how much potential girls and women in chess hold — and how vital it is to surround them with encouragement and recognition. Meanwhile in Australia, celebrations stretched across schools and generations. From the Korowa Anglican Girls School Zonal Tournament with 120 participants, to motivational talks by Angelica Zivanovic, and a lecture with simultaneous exhibition by WGM Julia Ryjanova, girls experienced both high-level chess and inspiring stories. The events also honoured Leonid Sandler, whose 25 years of coaching at Lauriston Girls School have left a remarkable legacy. Altogether, the Australian program blended large-scale participation with the impact of dedicated role models, creating a true celebration of women’s chess. Special thanks go to Monalisha Khamboo and Leonid Sandler, whose dedication and long-term support continue to strengthen women’s chess across the region. Week 4 – Europe: The power of women’s voices The Marathon concluded in Europe with events that emphasized the importance of women’s voices in shaping the future of chess. In Italy, the conference Power Moves: Women Shaping Chess was hosted at Campus San Francesco in Conegliano. Speakers included Anastasia Sorokina, Chair of the FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess, WGM Aleksandra Dimitrijević, IA Franca Dapiran, and Veronika Goi, moderated by Deborah Pavei. Their reflections touched on leadership, education, and inclusion in chess communities. This event was especially meaningful for our Commission because it featured Anastasia Sorokina, Chair of our Commission. A passionate advocate for girls and women in chess, she works tirelessly to make the chess world welcoming and inclusive for everyone. Part of the celebration in Italy was a Girls & Boys Blitz Team Tournament, encouraging teamwork and friendly competition and teaching about inclusion in a fun way. In Portugal, the Women’s Talks in Matosinhos followed the National Women’s Semi-Rapid Championship, won by Marta Almeida. The panel featured Susana Gonçalves (WOM member and President of Chess2All), WIM Jussara Chaves, Ana Inês Silva, Isabel Nunes, Luísa Salgueiro (Mayor of Matosinhos), and André Vögtlin, Chair of the FIDE Social Commission. His presence added particular significance to the closing event of the Marathon, linking it to the wider celebration of FIDE Women’s Month within the 2025 Social Chess Year. Special thanks to the Italian and Portuguese Chess Federations and all local partners for making these meaningful events possible. Beyond the official events While each week focused on a different continent, the Marathon reached far beyond its official program. Independent organizers joined the global celebrations and hosted their own tournaments, talks, and online activities to stand with the initiative – from Kenya to Canada. These efforts proved that when given a platform, communities are eager to create spaces where women and girls feel welcome in chess. Women’s Marathon The Women’s Marathon showed that when women and girls are given space in chess, they bring diversity, inspire new generations, and strengthen communities. From arbiters and organizers to players, coaches,