Women’s World Team Championship: Shuvalova shines, Azerbaijan stuns, the final is set
Team FIDE outlast China as Azerbaijan survives a heart-stopping tiebreak against Kazakhstan. The penultimate day of the Women’s World Team Championship delivered exactly the drama one expects from a tournament of this calibre. Team FIDE moved confidently into the final after overcoming China in two tight 2.5–1.5 matches, driven once again by the unstoppable form of Polina Shuvalova. On the other side of the hall, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan battled deep into the tiebreaks, producing a roller-coaster duel that ended with Azerbaijan’s well-earned blitz tiebreaker victory. It was a day marked by courage, precision, and the fine margins that so often define knockout chess. With these results, the final line-up is confirmed: Final: FIDE Team vs Azerbaijan Third-place match: Kazakhstan vs China Let’s look at how the afternoon unfolded in greater detail in each pool. The gong ceremony to open each of the rounds was performed by Akaki Iashvili, FIDE Special Tasks Director and Mahir Mammedov, FIDE Vice President. With two 2.5–1.5 victories, Team FIDE secured their spot in the final, overcoming a very tenacious Chinese squad, one blending youthful fire on the middle boards with deep experience at the top. Once again, IM Polina Shuvalova (2472) proved to be the team’s driving force, scoring two superb victories against the talented IM Lu Miaoyi (2440). With a perfect 6/6 so far, Shuvalova is all but guaranteed the board-one gold medal, and she may well be on the verge of reclaiming her 2500 rating. China certainly had their chances. GM Hou Yifan (2620) showcased her enduring class by defeating GM Aleksandra Goryachkina (2540), reminding everyone that her strength, despite a reduced competitive schedule, remains unquestionable. And in the first match, the narrative could have shifted dramatically. On board two, with Black, IM Song Yuxin (2448) had played an outstanding game against GM Kateryna Lagno (2517) and achieved a winning position. Black enjoyed an extra pawn, superior piece coordination, and the engines evaluated the position at roughly +4. At this critical moment, victory was within reach had Song chosen 40…f4!, advancing her kingside majority and cutting communication between the rook on h6 and the bishop on c1. She may have feared the reply 41.Rb6, but after 41…Rc7, Black keeps the b7 pawn defended and can continue calmly with ideas such as …Ne1–d3 or …Ng5–h3, maintaining full control. Instead, Song opted for 40…Rc6?, allowing Lagno counterplay. After 41.Rxc6 bxc6 42.c4 f4 43.b5!, White created a passed pawn just in time, forcing a draw a few moves later. A near miss for China, and a crucial half-point saved for team FIDE, in a match where every moment mattered. In the other semi-final match, team Azerbaijan edged out team Kazakhstan in one of the most thrilling tiebreaks I have witnessed live in a very long time. The final 3–1 score in the four-game blitz match was achieved with plenty of sweat and emotion, but it was fully deserved. Much like in football, when a team fails to convert its chances during regular play, a last-minute strike can dramatically reverse the outcome. Kazakhstan had one foot in the final, but after missing their key opportunities, momentum slipped away, and even the introduction of GM Bibisara Assaubayeva (2513) for the blitz (despite her feeling unwell throughout the day) wasn’t enough to overcome the energy and determination of the Azerbaijani squad. https://youtu.be/iybv–ejxfY?si=TAe-vhMve37UN8m7 In the classical portion, both teams had real chances to score a win in the first match, but in the end, all four games were drawn. Kazakhstan’s WIM Elnaz Kaliakhmet (2274) played a superb positional game against IM Gulnar Mammadova (2338), handling the queenless middlegame and ensuing endgame with great finesse. Her control of the position, especially with the rook anchored on the seventh rank, looked promising, and from my seat directly behind her, I found myself instinctively searching for the ideal route to bring the bishop to d5 to convert the advantage. Then came 43.Nf6+, a move that would have been a brilliant finishing touch, if not for the simple refutation 43…Nxf6 44.gxf6 Rf1+!, after which Black regains the f6 pawn and equalizes. A more accurate and patient choice was 43.Ne3!, preparing 44.Bd5+ and the devastating 45.Rf7!. In that line, White’s threats multiply rapidly, and converting the advantage would have been only a matter of time. A heart-breaking miss for Kaliakhmet, and one of several moments where Kazakhstan’s path to the final slipped away at the last possible moment. The second classical set left Kazakhstan’s third board (and team captain) heartbroken. With 1.5-1.5 on the scoreboard, spectators were already sensing that Kazakhstan would prevail without a tiebreak. In this position, 55.f4! is a clear win, picking up the pawn on g5 and basically forcing resignation. WIM Zarina Nurgaliyeva (2310) chose 55.Rb8, which also is winning, but let’s continue. A few moves later, already with the pawn on b7, things are not so simple. The only way to win now is to play 60.Kh2! and now if 60…Kg7 then White can play 61.Rd8! Rxb7 62.Rd4 picking up the g-pawn with an easy technical win with the two connected passed pawns. Alternatively, if 60… Rb2 we use triangulation to transfer the turn to the opponent with 61.Kg1 Rb1+ 62.Kg2 and the position is zugzwang. Now, if Black moves the king to g7, then we pick up the g-pawn as before, and if Black waits with 62…Rb2 then 63.Kf1! and we head out into the open with the king with a winning ending. Not so easy! Unfortunately, Nurgaliyeva chose precisely this moment to play 60.f4?, which is now a big mistake as after 60…gxf3 61.Kxf3 Kg7! this is a theoretical drawn position as there is no way to make clear progress. The final and third-place playoff will start on November 23 at 11:30 AM local time, two hours before the usual starting time. According to the regulations, each duel consists of two matches with the same time control as the qualifying stage: 45 minutes per player for the entire game, plus a 30-second increment per move starting from
FIDE World Cup 2025 semifinals: Game 2 ends in deadlock as tiebreaks await
The second classical games of the semifinals followed a familiar script in Goa. Once again, deep preparation shaped both encounters, long early thinks filled the hall, and the positions that emerged were rich but balanced. And once again, neither game produced a winner. With two more draws on the board, all semifinal spots will now be decided in tomorrow’s tiebreaks. The ceremonial first moves were made by Mr. Sanjay Dhivre, IRS (Indian Revenue Service), Additional Commissioner of Income Tax, and Mrs. Bhagyahree Dhivare, IAS (Indian Administrative Service), CEO of the Election Commission Nagaland on board two. The first result arrived from the all-Uzbek clash between Javokhir Sindarov and Nodirbek Yakubboev. Their game featured subtle opening nuances before resolving into a level endgame on move 31. For two players who know each other exceptionally well and entered a line offering limited winning chances, the early handshake felt natural. The second game, between Andrey Esipenko and Wei Yi, carried more tension. The Chinese grandmaster had been outprepared and slightly outplayed in their first game. When I ran into him at dinner last night, I asked him about it, and he admitted he was “lucky” to escape with a draw. So it was concerning to see a similar storyline developing today when Esipenko, now with the white pieces, produced specific preparation and reached a slightly better position. He even had a moment where he could have pressed for more, but the chance passed. Wei stayed solid under pressure and steered the game to safety. With nearly a full month of play behind them, hours of preparation each day, and the physical and mental strain of the World Cup at its peak, fatigue is becoming a real presence for the final four. Today might have reflected exactly that. Here is how the games unfolded. Semifinals Game 2 results: Andrey Esipenko ½-½ Wei Yi Javokhir Sindarov ½-½ Nodirbek Yakubboev Andrey Esipenko (2693) vs Wei Yi (2752) Today’s game began with the Nimzowitsch Attack in the Petrov. Esipenko showed clear preparation in older theoretical paths, choosing 7.Bf4 (a line popular in the early 2000s) instead of the more modern 7.Be3. Wei Yi appeared surprised and paused for several minutes before replying. Despite having played this structure before, including a 2016 game against Wesley So, he clearly expected something different. This once again highlighted the strong preparation from Esipenko and his second, David Paravyan, who have been working effectively here in Goa (reportedly in between lobster dinners). Another notable moment arrived a few moves later when Esipenko played the rarer 10.Be2, spending around twelve minutes before committing. It raised the question of whether he had left his preparation or was digging deep to recall his lines, but in either case, it was another surprise. Later in the game, a critical moment arose, one that required calculation and understanding rather than automatic moves. In a position where White could press slightly, Esipenko chose a safer continuation instead of the line that offered the most practical chances. Here, the direct 20.f4 would have stopped Black from playing …g5 and left the h-pawn as a long-term target. It was not a winning attempt, but it was the kind of position where White makes Black solve problems under pressure. In a knockout setting, it would have been an attractive practical try. Instead, Esipenko chose 20.f3, allowing 20…g5. Both players developed naturally on the only open e-file. Wei tripled his heavy pieces lining up an “Alekhine’s gun” formation, but all rooks were eventually exchanged on the same file, easing Black’s defensive task. With the position equalised, the players began to repeat moves. Wei was low on time, and Esipenko played on briefly to push him to move forty, but no progress was possible. A second repetition confirmed the draw. Javokhir Sindarov (2721) vs Nodirbek Yakubboev (2689) The young Uzbek teammates agreed to a draw on move 31 in an objectively level endgame, but the opening phase contained several important subtleties. The game began with the Four Knights Spanish, the same opening Sindarov faced as Black in his second game against José Martínez in the quarterfinals, where the players followed a forcing drawing line. Today’s game started similarly but deviated early: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5. Here, Yakubboev visibly hesitated, reaching for his knight before pausing and finally committing to the Rubinstein Variation with 4…Nd4. Perhaps he recalled Sindarov’s previous game and preferred to avoid that exact path, but he went ahead with the move nonetheless. This time, White deviated with 5.Nxd4 instead of 5.Bc4. The resulting structure is known for being solid for White but lacking major winning prospects, making it an interesting choice from Sindarov, who is usually more ambitious with the White pieces. A key moment soon appeared, demanding long calculation from both players. Here, Black’s main theoretical choice is 9…0-0, willingly giving up the pawn because after 10.Bxd7 Bxd7 11.Qxd7 Rae8, Black has threats such as …Qxf2 and ample compensation through piece activity and pressure. However, with elimination on the line, the semifinalists have generally been choosing safer continuations. This may explain Yakubboev’s decision to play 9…c6 instead, keeping the pawn. But this was not ideal, as it allowed White to build some initiative with 10.Qe2+ Qe7 11.Qh5!. The point is that capturing the bishop with 11…cxb5, is met by 12.Bg5 with a heavy pressure along the e-file – a type of dynamic position that suits Sindarov well. After thinking for nearly 30 minutes, Sindarov instead played the immediate 10.Qh5. This nuanced move-order shift gave Black slightly more room to reorganize. Yakubboev gradually solved his development issues, exchanged pieces, and steered the game into a balanced endgame that led to the eventual draw. One might label this 99%-accuracy duel as a “stale draw,” but a closer look reveals several important moments. Still, taking this match to tiebreaks by teammates and close friends is understandable, if not expected. But tomorrow, only one of them will progress, and with faster time controls, the depth of preparation and sensitivity