FIDE Women’s World Cup Day 4: Giant-killer Kamalidenova takes down Goryachkina in the surprise of the day
Top seeds Lei Tingjie and Tan Zhongyi also get off to a good start The competition just got tougher! With the 21 top seeds officially joining the competition the battle for the Candidates is heating up. None less than 64 of the best female players from around the world started their clocks at 3pm local hour for the second round of the World Cup knockout – it can’t be a coincidence that the chessboard also has 64 squares! In less than three weeks, only two will remain, with one of them following the steps of GM’s Kosteniuk (winner in 2021) and Goryachkina (2023) – and FIDE’s media team will be here all the way to keep you in the loop! Even at this early stage of the tournament, there is no easy match-up for anyone. Many games ended in hard-fought draws, albeit none of them before move thirty – the rule threshold. Most top seeds start on the right foot Top seed and former World Championship finalist, GM Lei Tingjie, wanted nothing of the sort. After missing the previous two World Cups, she has a clear objective here to play well and qualify for the Candidates. Her fine performance in the first game of her match against 2025 American Continental Champion, WGM Candela Be Francisco Guecamburu looks like an excellent step in the right direction. After the game, Lei joined us in the media center to give us her thoughts. https://youtu.be/TLG5x1Ex07E Some other top seeds getting off to a good start this afternoon are GM Tan Zhongyi, GM Humpy Koneru, GM Nana Dzagnidze, GM Vaishali Rameshbabu, IM Polina Shuvalova, IM Yuliia Osmak, IM Divya Deshmukh and IM Teodora Injac. The surprise of the day WGM Meruert Kamalidenova is a fantastic player. Silver with Kazakhstan in the 2024 Budapest Olympiad, several times National and Asian youth champion, former World Junior Champion, Kamalidenova is a star athlete in the making. This afternoon she pulled off a brilliant first game win against one of the best female players in history, and current World Cup trophy holder, GM Aleksandra Goryachkina. After three previous losses and one draw, Kamalidenova was over the moon with the result and happily joined FIDE Press Officer IM Michael Rahal in the media center to give us her thoughts on the game. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwLoneTZxFY Two other relative surprise results of the day were FM Anastasia Avramidou holding GM Kateryna Lagno to a draw with Black along with WGM Thalia Cervantes also achieving a draw with Black against GM Mariya Muzychuk. TACTIC OF THE DAY It’s hard to call a result “surprising” when the rating difference is less than 50 points, but of course GM Anna Ushenina is a former Women’s World Champion with a rating peak of over 2500. Up to move thirty both players were performing at an extraordinarily high level with no inaccuracies but going into time trouble mistakes gradually started to creep in. At the key moment, Ushenina went for a pawn-grab with 33…Nxf2? against which Vantika uncorked a devilish tactic. Starting with 34.Qd8+ Kg7 35.Ne6+! fxe6 (35…Kh6 36.Qh4 mate) and now 36.Qc7+! forcing resignation. After the exchange, a new queen will appear on the board very soon. WIM Charlize van Zyl, FIDE’s star interviewer, caught up with Vantika just before she left the venue. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLTUvHmz6ag BLUNDER OF THE DAY The all-American game between GM Irina Krush and IM Carissa Yip was a match to watch. Yip surprised her experienced opponent in the opening with the Dutch defence – at least which was the vibe that Charlize and I felt when we saw the move being played on the board. Irina picked up the advantage early on and even sacrificed the exchange in an attempt to win. Things were looking very good but, with both players under severe time trouble, disaster struck for her. With just three moves to go to reach the time control, Irina played 38.Nh4??, resigning immediately after 38…Qxc2. Instead, 38.Qxf5 Rxf5 39.Nd4! would have left Krush with excellent drawing chances. After retreating to her room for a well-deserved rest, Carissa was kind enough to return to the venue to talk to Charlize. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSBgcsft9PU The second game of round two will be played tomorrow at 3pm in the Grand Bellagio Hotel and Convention Centre. Written by IM Michael Rahal (Batumi, Georgia) Photos: Anna Shtourman and Polina Bovina About the tournament: 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 Women’s World Cup website.
Uniting continents behind bars: 5th FIDE Intercontinental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners
As part of the Chess for Freedom project and in celebration of the FIDE Year of Social Chess, the International Chess Federation is proud to present the 5th edition of the FIDE Intercontinental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners, taking place from October 14 to 16, 2025. This special event underscores FIDE’s commitment to using chess as a force for positive change, offering hope, connection, and new perspectives to those behind bars. Since its launch, the Intercontinental Championship has become a powerful symbol of how chess can transform lives and break down barriers. Organized in collaboration with the Cook County Sheriff’s Office (Chicago, USA), the tournament gives incarcerated individuals around the world a rare opportunity to represent their institutions, demonstrate their skills, and engage in meaningful competition beyond prison walls. Teams and Composition Teams from correctional facilities across the globe are invited to participate, with each country able to register up to three teams: one representing male inmates, one for female inmates, and one for juveniles under 20 years old. Countries that hold national prison chess tournaments may be granted additional teams. In cases where needed, teams can include players from multiple facilities. Each team is composed of four players with an unlimited number of substitutes, all of whom must be incarcerated individuals. Their names and identities will remain protected unless disclosure is permitted by local laws for media purposes. Format The event will take place on Chess.com using a time control of 10 minutes plus a 5-second increment per move. On October 14, teams will compete in round-robin groups of up to eight teams, grouped by time zone to ensure fair play conditions. No two teams from the same country will be placed in the same group. The top two teams from each group will move on to the Championship Round on October 15. On October 16, the best teams from each category; men’s, women’s, and youth, will battle for the championship title, while the next two will fight for the third-place spot. To ensure integrity and fairness, strict regulations govern the event. Each site must have a secure connection and a video setup covering the playing area via Zoom. Fair play checks and oversight will be rigorously enforced throughout. Registration Participation is free of charge. Correctional facilities must complete the official registration form (forms.gle/2SbUGJCnUSP7RQrs9) and confirm their entry by emailing Tournament Organizer Mikhail Korenman (mikhail.korenman@ccsheriff.org). The registration deadline is September 14, 2025, with pairings announced on October 7 and a mandatory technical meeting scheduled for the week of September 15. Winning teams will receive special certificates and global recognition as champions of this remarkable initiative. Final standings will be determined by match points, individual scores, direct encounters, and tie-break criteria. Continental Championships Recap:Earlier this year, in May 2025, FIDE successfully introduced the inaugural Continental Online Chess Championships for Prisoners, creating a strong foundation for regional competition and connection. That milestone highlighted the growing momentum of chess as a tool for rehabilitation and reintegration. Now, the Intercontinental Championship brings together teams from all corners of the world, embodying the spirit of inclusivity and transformation that defines this FIDE Year of Social Chess. About the FIDE Year of Social Chess: 2025 has been declared the FIDE Year of Social Chess, a dedicated celebration of chess as a bridge to inclusion and community building. Throughout this year, FIDE emphasizes projects that bring chess to diverse groups, highlighting its role in promoting education, social engagement, and empowerment around the world. The Intercontinental Championship for Prisoners is a powerful example of this mission in action, offering inmates an opportunity to reconnect with society and develop life-changing skills through the game. Registration form: forms.gle/2SbUGJCnUSP7RQrs9 Tournament regulations (PDF) More info about the program: chessforfreedom.fide.com
FIDE Women’s World Cup Day 3: Umida Omonova, the rising Uzbekistani chess talent, eliminates IM Sophie Milliet
The twenty-one top seeds enter the competition tomorrow In 2021, I covered the first Women’s World Cup in Sochi. COVID was nearly over, and online rapid and blitz events had exploded during the lockdowns. Back then I wrote, “Rapid and blitz game tiebreaks are the real test for today’s modern chess player. Calculation skills become slightly less important and are at a certain level substituted by much more intuition, as the time on the clock starts running low”. Four years and two World Cups later, things haven’t changed at all. This afternoon I noticed immediately that the twenty-two players called in for the tiebreaks were very nervous and there was no small talk before the games: a lot is at stake for them. Eleven matches were not decided in the two round-one classical games and had to be fought out in a series of two rapid games – 15 minutes base time + 10 seconds increment, followed by two more rapid games – 10/10 this time – and finally two 5/3 blitz games. As in 2021, but also in 2023 in Baku, this afternoon the better players excelled, largely due to their superior intuition and faster pattern recognition. Most of the favourites only needed the first two rapid games to defeat their lower-rated opponents – eight of the eleven matches – and move on to the next round, where they will be joined by the twenty-one top seeds, including several world-class players. For IM Klaudia Kulon (pictured above), one of Poland’s best players, Batumi is her third World Cup. Advancing to the second round is an important achievement for her: she is trying to improve on her third-round best place. She didn’t expect her first-round opponent, WIM Miranda Rodriguez Tania from Mexico, to prove such a difficult challenge, although she did receive a warning from her trainer to be careful. Her 2-0 tiebreak score will definitely give her a confidence boost for the next round. She was kind enough to come to the media room and analyse her fine performance in the second tiebreak game. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Arrccj3ScmY Iran’s WGM Mobina Alinasab was also able to fast-track her qualification by taking down Kazakhstan’s WIM Amina Kairbekova 2-0. A fun fact: it’s her 4th World Cup (including the World Championship 64-player knockout) but only her first tiebreak! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dc10CKIfn84 Local youngster WFM Anastasia Kirtadze – born in 2009! – already showcased her skills in the recent European Championship: clearly it wasn’t going to be a walk in the park for her seasoned opponent IM Ann Matnadze Bujiashvili, playing for Spain but born and raised in Georgia. TACTIC OF THE DAY! Just when Matnadze was very near the draw, the following blunder practically cost her qualification. Ann played her 49…Qxd3? 50.Qxd3 Nc5+ 51.Kc4 Nxd3, but now Anastasia went 52.a6! and after 52…Ne5+ 53.Kb5! stops the defense …Nc6 and White promotes a queen. A 2-0 score secured qualification and an opportunity to be interviewed by Charlize! “I’m happy because Ann is a really strong player. I hope I win the next games too!” she declared, very content. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jlj1SfzVP8k WGM Maili-Jade Ouellet representing Canada, WGM Thalia Cervantes Landeiro playing for the USA, IM Inna Gaponenko from Ukraine, FM Anastasia Avramidou from Greece all defeated their opponent’s in hard-fought matches and will come back tomorrow as well. The most exciting match, and definitely the major upset of the round, was France’s IM Sophie Milliet elimination by WIM Umida Omonova, the rising Uzbekistani chess talent. The final result was 3.5-2.5. Exceptional in rapid and blitz time formats, at only 19, Umida is already a dominant force across formats. A contributor to Uzbekistan’s team medals in the Women’s Chess Olympiad and Asian Games, she demonstrates mental resilience and tactical sharpness under time pressure. I had the opportunity to briefly talk to her after the game. Very emotional, she said: “Today, I played very well and won in the tiebreak. Although my opponent was very strong, we prepared well. I want to thank everyone — especially my coaches and my parents”. But the upsets didn’t end there. Two matches went the full distance, down to the 5/3 blitz games. In the first one, Indian WIM Priyanka K, although currently only rated 2090, has been in the upper 2200’s most of her career and that experience helped her achieve a 5-3 memorable elimination of up-and-coming Hungarian talent WGM Zsoka Gaal. And the last match of the day to finish also proved to be memorable. Iran’s WIM Anahita Zahedifar defeated Azerbaijan’s top woman player WGM Govhar Beydullayeva by an extremely close 4.5-3.5, qualifying to the second round. Interesting second round match-ups Most of the matches in the second round will be heavily disputed – strengths are already extremely close. My picks for interesting games would be the all-American clash between the very experienced GM Irina Krush and the up-and-coming youngster IM Carissa Yip. Another good one to watch out for will be IM Alice Lee facing WGM Anna Shukhman – a 15-year-old facing a 16-year-old! Two strong Indian players will play each other, definitely not for the first time – GM Harika Dronavalli against WGM Nandhidhaa P V. Finally, I would keep an eye on the clash between experimented GM’s Antoaneta Stefanova and Elina Danielian and also GM Bella Khotenashvili against IM Nurgyul Salimova. The full list of tiebreak matches can be found on the official website. Written by IM Michael Rahal (Batumi, Georgia) Photos: Anna Shtourman and Polina Bovina About the tournament: 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 Women’s World Cup website.
FIDE announces the list of players at the 2025 Grand Swiss
The new elite players dominate the list as young stars pack the field, vying for the top spots leading to the 2026 Candidates. Scheduled to take place from September 3 to 16 in Samarkand (Uzbekistan), the strongest-ever Swiss system tournament – the FIDE Grand Swiss – returns for the fourth edition, after previous events in the Isle of Man (2019 and 2023) and Riga (2021) The Grand Swiss is one of the most significant tournaments in the chess calendar, also serving as a pathway to the Candidates tournament. The 11-round Swiss format tournament will see 172 players take part – 116 in the Open and 56 in the Women’s tournament. As per regulations, the top two qualifiers in both the Open and the Women’s competition will qualify for the 2026 Candidates tournament, where the challenger for the title of World Champion will be determined. Apart from serving as the qualifier for the Candidates, the 2025 Grand Swiss also features a notable prize fund, which has been significantly increased from the last edition. The prize fund in the Open is $625,000 (increased from $460,000 in 2023) and in the Women’s competition features a $230,000 prize fund (up from $140,000 in 2023). The Open tournament Among 116 players in the Open, 101 have qualified by rating, with the remaining spots allocated to Continental representatives, six FIDE wildcards and five are nominated from the local organiser. Photo: Rafal Oleksiewicz Young Indians headline the list of the Open competition, with Arjun Erigaisi (21; pictured above) and World Champion Gukesh D (19) seeded as the top two, while Praggnanandhaa R (19) is ranked fourth, just behind Nodirbek Abdusattorov (20). Another star youngster, 22-year-old world number eight, Alireza Firouzja is ranked fifth. The remainder of the top ten is made up of more seasoned Grandmasters – two-time world champion candidate Ian Nepomniachtchi, Anish Giri, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Levon Aronian and Vladimir Fedoseev. Further bolstering the young presence at the event are Hans Niemann (22), Vincent Keymer (20), Javokhir Sindarov (19), Nihal Sarin (20) and Awonder Liang (22), who are all among the top 20. Former candidate for the title of World Champion Boris Gelfand, as well as former Women’s World Championship challenger Aleksandra Goryachkina (pictured below) will also play in the Open, after receiving wildcard invitations. Photo: Niki Riga The rule requiring 30+ classical rated games between July 2024 and June 2025 has excluded several high-profile names, including two former world champions – Magnus Carlsen and Viswanathan Anand, as well as heavyweights who participated in previous Grand Swiss tournaments – Le Quang Liem and Peter Svidler. Although qualifying by rating, former World Champion Ding Liren will not be participating in the event. Fabiano Caruana – who played in all three previous Grand Swiss tournaments – will also not be taking part, having already secured a spot in the 2026 Candidates Tournament by winning the 2024 FIDE Circuit. The full list of participants of the Open Grand Swiss can be found here. The Women’s tournament In the Women’s Grand Swiss, 44 players have qualified by rating. Four additional players are joining them from Continental spots, four via FIDE wildcards, and another four as nominations from the local organiser. Photo: Przemek Nikiel Former Women’s World Champion Tan Zhongyi (pictured above) is the top-rated participant in the Women’s Grand Swiss, followed by seasoned elite world players – Humpy Koneru, Anna Muzychuk and Kateryna Lagno. The 2023 winner, Vaishali Rameshbabu (24) is also taking part. Lei Tingjie (who won the inaugural Women’s Grand Swiss, in 2021, in Riga), is also playing, after receiving a wildcard invite from FIDE. The Women’s Grand Swiss will also see emerging talents take part, such as world junior champion and runner-up, Divya Deshmukh (19) and Lu Miaoyi (15) and Leya Garifullina (20). The full list of participants of the Women’s Grand Swiss can be found here: Open: grandswiss2025.fide.com/open-event-participants/ Women: grandswiss2025.fide.com/women-event-participants/ About the FIDE Grand Swiss Held every two years, the FIDE Grand Swiss brings together many of the strongest chess players in the world, playing in a classical 11-round Swiss system tournament. The first Grand Swiss took place in 2019 in the Isle of Man and was won by GM Wang Hao, who scored 8/11. The 2021 edition was moved from the Isle of Man to Riga due to Covid restrictions on the island and was won by GM Alireza Firouzja in the Open and Lei Tingjie in the inaugural Women’s event. The 2023 Grand Swiss was won by India’s Vidit Gujrathi in the Open and Vaishali Rameshbabu in the Women’s competition. More information about the 2025 FIDE Grand Swiss can be found on the official website.
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
FIDE Women’s World Cup Day 1: Most of the favourites cruise through
The first game of the first round of the 2025 FIDE Women’s World Cup was played this afternoon at the outstanding Grand Bellagio Batumi Convention & Casino Hotel. Located on the new boulevard, the playing venue is just under four minutes walking distance from the beach. Both players and accompanying persons can enjoy all the amenities of a five-star hotel. At 3:00 pm sharp, the Chief Arbiter Mahdi Abdulrahim introduced Georgian Federation President AkakiIashvili and FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, who performed the ceremonial first move on board number one. Dvorkovich opted for 1.Nf3 and IM Carissa Yip, playing with White, chose to leave it on the board in her game against WFM Hannah Wilson. The rest of the games started immediately, but something was off. A quick scan of the room made it quite apparent that one of the 86 players was missing. Most of the players had arrived more than fifteen minutes before the round, to avoid delays with the fair-play scanning. IM Aleksandra Maltsevskaya (pictured below) waited patiently and finally her opponent, JanaMohamed Zaki, appeared through the door, just under the 15-minute time limit permitted to avoid forfeit. Apparently, she had taken the wrong elevator and lost her way. Although she made it on time to play her first-round game, according to the tournament regulations she will be fined with a hefty 300 USD, which will be deducted from her prize money. It’s important to take into account that the top twenty-one seeds of the will join the forty-three winners of round one for the next pairing, in three days’ time. Some of them have arrived sooner than expected: among others, I spotted 2021 cup winner Alexandra Kosteniuk, India’s Olympiad winner Vaishali and two of the three top Chinese players (Tan Zhongyi and Lei Tingjie) in the dining area. Game of the day The first game to finish was probably one of the best of the round. French IM Deimante Daulyte-Cornette played a fantastic model Sicilian with White against WIM Ahmed Wadifa. She was kind enough to pop-in to the media centre to explain what she was thinking about during the game. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ChAJ4VlsZI While I was preparing the interview, I remembered a classical Smyslov game (Smyslov – Rudakovsky, 1945; left diagram) that I have used in lessons many times. The resemblance is uncanny! As is customary in knockout-format tournaments, where chess players of unequal level face off in the early rounds, there have been a few striking surprises and upsets. Nonetheless, most of the favourites cruised through with no major difficulties. On board one, IM Carissa Yip played with an outstanding 96% accuracy to secure her first win—just shy of IM Stavroula Tsolakidou’s 97% on board two! Other contenders to pull ahead in their matches with ease were GM Bella Khotenashvili, GM Anna Ushenina and 16-year-old WGM Anna Shukhman (pictured below). The current World Junior Girls champion took down her opponent from the Philippines, WFM Ruelle Canino in a complex Ragozin, and then came along to the media centre to be interviews by yours truly, and showcase her tactical skills on the digital board. Check out the interview on YouTube and marvel at the youngster’s huge chess talent! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUHT931zyp0 Other favourites had to work hard to reap the award. Both IM Klaudia Kulon and former Women’s World Champion GM Antoaneta Stefanova were playing great for most of the game, but a small mistake in the ending could have cost them half a point if their opponents had found some unexpected fortresses. Upsetsand comebacks Being that today was only the first game of the two-game match, everyone has a chance to make a comeback tomorrow, forcing a tiebreak that will take place the day after. On board four, CM Isabelle Yixuan Ning (pictured above) was out-rated by more than 400 points! Even so, she played a solid game with no mistakes and was able to hold her opponent, GM Valentina Gunina, to a draw. https://youtu.be/96z9FT8r7Is?si=9GTtmKCkVXT-4Csh Further down on board eighteen, WFM Lala Shohradova, rated 2149, also played very solidly, clocking in a 98% accuracy score, and will force her opponent IM Vantika Agrawal to try and advance with the white pieces tomorrow. GM Irina Krush (pictured below), WGM Govhar Beydullayeva, IM Olivia Kiolbasa, IM Sophie Milliet and IM Marsel Efroimski were also all rating favourites that were only able to get a draw and must wait for the second game to try to impose their theoretical superiority. Finally, towards the lower part of the tree bracket, ratings and playing strength are much closer – and therefore to use the word “surprise” is not really a thing. In any case, IM Ann Matnadze Bujiashvili (now Spanish but originally from Telavi, Georgia) will need to win tomorrow to tie her match against local prodigy WFM Anastasia Kirtadze. Tied to the same fate and Peruvian IM Cori Deysi, who will play White against WIM Wang Chuqiao and needs to win, and IM Le Thao Nguyen Pham, who will need to bounce back from her defeat with White against local WFM Kesaria Mgeladze. The second game of the first round will begin tomorrow July 7th at 15.00 and can be followed live on our YouTube channel with expert commentary. Join us there! Written by IM Michael Rahal (Batumi, Georgia) Photos: Anna Shtourman and Andrei Anosov About the tournament: 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.