The quarterfinals are set: Lei Tingjie-Omonova, Dzagnidze-M.Muzychuk, Humpy-Kosteniuk, Song-Javakhishvili, Zhu Jiner-Divya, Lagno-Harika, Tan Zhongyi-Osmak and Kamalidenova-Vaishali
The World Cup tiebreaks are unforgiving. In such high-stakes, compressed formats — especially with time controls like 15+10 and 10+10 — there’s so little room for error or recovery. The story of GM Vaishali versus IM Carissa Yip stands out not just for the result, but for the emotional and psychological arc behind it.
Even though all the third-round tiebreak matches were interesting in their way, I was paying special attention to the match between India’s GM Vaishali, elite GM Praggnanandhaa’s older sister, and IM Carissa Yip, the America star that has a local camera crew following her around preparing a Netflix special on women’s chess.
Carissa Yip being followed by a Netflix crew adds another layer. The spotlight can be motivating, but also creates added pressure. Vaishali, on the other hand, might have flown under that radar, and her underdog success makes for a compelling story.
In the first two rapid games, Vaishali was completely lost—something she candidly admitted in her post-game interview. But she fought on, defending as best she possibly could, just hoping for the results to turn around. Vaishali’s ability to survive lost positions in the early rapid games shows deep psychological fortitude. In knockout formats, surviving can be just as crucial as winning.
Just like in football matches, if you keep on hitting the post, don’t be surprised if your opponent scores in the last minute – you have to get the job done. And Vaishali exactly did that.
In the first 10/10 game she played superbly. Her quote — “even though I’m not better at all, this is the best position I have had in the whole match” — is both honest and telling. It shows how players gauge hope and energy not just by the objective evaluation of position, but relative to the flow of the match. That moment, perhaps, was the turning point.
Once Vaishali won the first 10/10 game, the psychological burden flipped. Yip, who had been pressing before, now had to play catch-up under pressure — a very different psychological space.
Although she was visibly tired, Vaishali picked up her mom immediately after the game and joined us in the media center within five minutes for a short interview. She even took the time to analyze the key game for all of us.
One of the other Indian players competing this afternoon had a similar situation. After playing extremely well against GM Kateryna Lagno in the two classical games and the first three rapid games, IM Vantika Agrawal imploded in the final 10/10 game of the day, allowing Lagno to advance, as in the second round against FM Anastasia Avramidou.
Vantika’s level of play was impressive, and the heartbreak of narrowly missing out must have been very difficult to deal with. Facing someone as experienced and strong as GM Kateryna Lagno and pushing her to the limit is no small feat. Taking Lagno to the final Armageddon-style rapid game (“10/10”) shows how tightly contested the match was.
As a side-note, playing the Flank Attack against the French Defence is particularly interesting. It’s not often seen at the top level — especially in such high-stakes games — so for Lagno to deploy it not once but twice with White is bold and worthy of study.
Without a doubt, IM Song Yuxin was the underdog story of the afternoon. Her victory isn’t just a personal triumph — it’s a reminder of how deep preparation, resilience, and nerves of steel can turn the tables in elite chess. With five Chinese players in the final 16, it’s clear that the country continues to produce world-class talent at an astonishing rate.
GM Anna Muzychuk surprised her opponent with the 2.c3 Alapin Variation against the Sicilian in the first game of the match. Although she’s been a lifelong 1.e4 player, Muzychuk had rarely ventured into this line, last playing it back in 2023. The unexpected choice appeared to catch Song off guard; she mishandled the opening and quickly landed in a losing position.
Already ahead in development, Muzychuk’s 11.Qb3 followed by 12.Bf3 highlighted the weaknesses on Song’s queenside and her lack of piece play. The game was over on move 17.
Needing just a draw to clinch qualification, Muzychuk adopted a cautious strategy. For 45 moves, the game remained balanced, with a symmetrical two-rook endgame suggesting a peaceful outcome. However, chess is a merciless game — one imprecise move was all it took for Song to seize the initiative. Doubling rooks on the seventh rank, she broke through Muzychuk’s defenses and levelled the score.
In the third game, Song refined her earlier approach to the Alapin and reached a strong position. With accurate and confident play, she gradually outplayed Muzychuk to take the lead.
The fourth and final game saw Song pressing with an extra pawn in a slightly better endgame. A draw was enough to win the match, and she played sensibly to neutralize any counterplay, securing the result and the match victory.
Check out her post-game interview!
Playing for Switzerland, GM Alexandra Kosteniuk defeated IM Meri Arabidze (from Georgia) by 1.5-0.5: the only 2-game tiebreaker.
In game one, Kosteniuk got a promising advantage from the opening against the Philidor Defence but eventually the game simplified into an equal rook ending, resulting in a draw. But in game two, Kosteniuk, playing Black, unleashed her knights, causing chaos in the center and setting up a mating net to secure the win.
In her postgame interview with Charlize van Zyl, Alexandra expressed mixed feelings — she enjoys the experience, but is aware of the pressure and the risk of being eliminated at any moment.
The match between GM’s Nana Dzagnidze and Valentina Gunina was arguably the most dramatic of them all. In the first game, Gunina emerged from the opening with a clear advantage, but a series of inaccuracies allowed Dzagnidze to steer the game toward an apparent draw. Just as both players seemed to have accepted the inevitable, Gunina blundered an exchange and was forced to resign.
Determined to even the score, Gunina took a bold approach in the second game, opting for a highly risky opening in a do-or-die effort to win — and this time, her gamble paid off.
Check this out! A beautiful tactical sequence that showcases the power of a well-timed sacrifice and precise calculation. White’s king is under pressure, and the position is ripe for a tactical strike. Black’s idea is to use the knight and rook coordination to exploit weaknesses around White’s king.
Gunina played 34…Nxh4!, a stunning knight sacrifice. The goal is to open lines and unleash a tactical motif involving a fork. After 35.Rxg4 Nf3+! The point of the sacrifice! A check that drives the king into a vulnerable position. 36.Kg2 Nxe1+ picking off the rook on e1 with check, and subsequently the queen on d3, ending up with an extra piece and a won position. Nana played 35.Rxe5, but it did not help either.
Unfortunately, Gunina was unable to maintain her strong play. She blundered a full piece in an equal position in the third game and, more importantly, failed to convert a +4 advantage with extra material in the final game—despite being in a must-win situation.
The final match of the day was the very intense and closely fought encounter between GM Harika Dronavalli and IM Stavroula Tsolakidou.
In the first game, Stavroula’s missed an opportunity with 30.Qg4 followed by 31.h5 that could have given her a strong attacking position against Harika’s king. It’s always fascinating how one move can change the tide so much.
Shortly afterwards, Harika missed a win after Stavroula’s inaccuracy — that’s the drama of top-level chess, where even great players can overlook critical moves in complex positions.
GM Shyam Sundar, the Indian national team trainer, was right there to analyze and help. Having a strong coach to provide insights right after the game can frequently be invaluable.
Arriving late to the second game must have been stressful for Tsolakidou, and although Harika gained momentum, it’s impressive both players managed to keep their composure, leading to a draw.
The final 10/10 games were very intense—Stavroula’s resilience under pressure was clear, even if the final blunders were costly. Overall, this kind of high-level competition is a tremendous opportunity for growth and experience.
Charlize caught up with Harika just before she left the venue and got her thoughts.
Written by IM Michael Rahal (Batumi, Georgia)
Photos: Anna Shtourman
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.
