FIDE Grand Swiss 2025, Round 10: A five-way race in the Open ahead of the final round
With draws on the top five boards in the Open, five players enter the final day in shared first place on 7/10. Vincent Keymer missed a chance against Bluebaum to take the sole lead, while Vaishali Rameshbabu staged a remarkable comeback in the Women’s tournament to reach the top. With just one more round to go, the race for the top two places leading to the 2026 Candidates is wide open in both tournaments. Of the five in contention in the Open – Firouzja and Giri have previously played in the Candidates, while Keymer, Bluebaum and Nimann have not. The penultimate round in an open Swiss System tournament is always tricky – while playing for a win is always the goal, a loss can cost you dearly and eject you from the top positions. That is why some players opt for a cautious approach, avoiding too much risk. However, the five draws on the top boards were not all uneventful and none was quick. The board one duel between two classical heavyweights, Alireza Firouzja and Anish Giri, ended in a draw. Playing the French line of the Sicilian, the two made just 17 moves in two hours, agreeing to split a point after a threefold repetition. Both likely calculated it was better not to force but, instead, see how things pan out on other boards, leaving tomorrow’s final round for a decisive push. Things were dramatically different on board two, where European Champion Matthias Bluebaum found himself in serious trouble against Vincent Keymer, who had the white pieces. Playing a rare line on the black side of the Reti, Bluebaum soon came under serious pressure. The opponents reached the first critical position as early as on move 21. One of White’s pieces should jump to g5, but which one? Keymer made a wrong choice here playing 21.Bg5?! Instead – after 21.Ng5! Bxg5 22.Bxg5 f5 23.Qxe8 Rfxe8 24.Be3 the resulting endgame is virtually winning for White. As played, Black avoided the worst with 21…f6 22.Qxe8 Rxe8. The endgame saw both sides go through ups and downs, but eventually Keymer achieved the decisive advantage, only to let it slip away with just one move. Instead of the solid 54.Ne4, Keymer went for the hasty 54.Rh7??, missing an important tactical subtlety. 54…Nxg3!! If 55.Kxg3 then 55…Rd3+. Keymer tried 55.Rh6+ Kf7 56.Nb1 Rb2 57.Kxg3 Rxb1 and now it’s a draw. A lucky escape for Bluebaum, who enters the final day as one of the leaders. On board three, Chinese Grandmaster Yu Yangyi had a better position as White against Arjun Erigaisi at some point, but the game ended in a draw. Abhimanyu Mishra drew as White against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, with neither side getting much going in the game. Playing on board four, Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusatorrov was in trouble against Nihal Sarin on the black side of the Sicilian Rossolimo. The situation is extremely dangerous for Black, as his bishops have limited space while White’s pieces are very well coordinated. White had an almost straightforward win here with 18.exf6 Bxf6 19.Be3 Qb5 20.Nc5 e5 21.Ne4 Be7 22.b4 Be6 23.Rxd8+ Bxd8 24.Nd6 Qd5 25.Nxf7 Kxf7. Instead, Sarin played 18.Be3 first but after 18…Qc7 19.Bc5 Bd8 20.Bxe7 Qxe7 21.Rxd8 Qxd8 22.exf6 Rxf6 Black’s position is no fun, but he is out of the woods. Eventually, Abdusatorrov reached a draw on move 53. All six players finished the day on 6.5/10. The tournament’s top-rated player, R Praggnanandhaa, had his chances of reaching some of the top places, but his hopes were completely shattered today. He lost to Hans Niemann following time trouble in a very sharp game. Playing the Sicilian, Praggnanandhaa started to lose control in the middlegame and by move 33, he was in serious trouble. According to Niemann, who analysed the game in the FIDE broadcast, this was the critical moment of the game. Black played the reactive 25…Rc7. Instead, according to the US Grandmaster, he should have proceeded with 25…Rc1+ and after 26.Qxc1 Qxb4 27.a3 with an unclear position. Chess engines, however, question this recommendation as after the simple 27.Rxe8+! Bxe8 28.Qc8 Black is completely lost. A couple of moves later, the two had reached the following position: White is winning, but he has to avoid many pitfalls. However, after 34…Qf1?? played by Pragg, Black is doomed. 34…Qc5 offered more hope. The rest was smooth sailing for Hans. 35.Qe3 Bb5 36.Re4! After doubling along the e-file White penetrates to Black’s camp. 36…Kh8 37.Qd4 Kg7 38.Rf4 and Praggnanandhaa resigned. The victory propelled Niemann to a shared 2-4th place, a step away from reaching the Candidates for the first time in his career. Praggnanandhaa is on 5.5/10. Asked about his expectations for the final game, Niemann said he hoped to play “someone who needs a win as well”, alluding to the view that if White plays for a draw from the opening, at this level, it is difficult for the other side to get much more. In the final round Niemann will be up against Anish Giri and a draw might leave both of them without one of the two spots leading in the Candidates. Ukrainian Vasyl Ivanchuk was declared the player of the day in the Open following a tactical finish against Jonas Bjerre. 45…Qf4+! 46.Kg2 Qe4+ 47.Kh2 Rxe3 48.fxe3 Qxe3 49.Qb1 e4 50.Ng2 Qf2 After a few more moves in which White just delayed the inevitable, Bjerre resigned. World Champion Gukesh D finally ended his six-game-long winless run. Playing as White, he defeated Armenia’s Gabriel Sargissian in the Italian Game. With one round remaining, Gukesh is only on 5/10. The Women’s event Vaishali Rameshbabu struck back today to reach the lead again. She was the only winner among the top boards in round ten. Playing with the white pieces against former Women’s World Champion Mariya Muzychuk, Vaishali recovered from a lost position, following time trouble. Black is a pawn up, has more active pieces and initiative across the board. But Muzychuk squandered her advantage and allowed Vaishali to equalise. 30…Bxc2? Giving up one of
FIDE Grand Swiss 2025, Round 9: Four share lead in the Open as Lagno clings to top spot in the Women’s tournament
Matthias Bluebaum, Alireza Firouzja, Vincent Keymer and Anish Giri lead after nine rounds in the Open, all on 6.5/9. Lagno still leads in the Women’s event with 7/9 after narrowly escaping defeat against Bibisara Assaubayeva. It was a gruelling day in the 2025 FIDE Grand Swiss, with several top games in the Open section lasting more than six hours. Alireza Firouzja, playing as Black, overpowered Nihal Sarin in the Sicilian Alapin after a long struggle. Sarin, joint leader at the start of the day, had a very good position early in the game, but misplayed it. White has just correctly sacrificed a knight and now has a menacing position. After the natural 17.Nd6+ Kd7 18.f4 Qf6 19.f5! gxf5 20.Bxd5 Black is in serious trouble. But Sarin opted for a much weaker continuation 17.f4 Qf6 18.Qe2 (18.Nd6+ is not nearly as efficient here as the f7-pawn is protected) Nfe7 19.g4? Again, missing Nd6+ which promised a better position. 19…Qh4 White is a piece down, but has strong compensation. In subsequent play, Firouzja returned the extra piece, transposing into a complicated endgame. The position was tense but even up until White’s 37th move. White has two runners – on the b- and c-file, but his king is exposed and Black’s centralised rook and knight are well coordinated. White should have proceeded with 37.Be2 with the idea of getting it to c4 and outflanking Black. But Sarin played 37.Bf3?? which failed to 37…Re5! All of a sudden, White is losing his c5-pawn as his dark-squared bishop has no safe square on the g1-a7 diagonal. After 38.Bd2 Rxc5 39.Kh1 Rc2 40.Be3 Rh8 41.Bg1 Rh4 not only is Black a pawn up, but his pieces are much more active. But now it was Firouzja’s turn to err. As the game went on, he struggled to convert his advantage and – at one point – allowed Sarin to come close to being equal. Eventually, Firouzja found a way to advance pawns (after White’s crucial mistake on move 60) – but this took 82 moves and seven hours of play. Parham Maghsoodloo, who was the leader from round three to round six, lost again today, his second defeat in a row. Playing as White in the Reti, he fell to Germany’s number one, Vincent Keymer. The game saw several sharp tactical twists and turns. The first critical moment occurred on move 22. White has just given up a d4-pawn. The best move was 22.Rad1, but Maghsoodloo played with the wrong rook – 22.Rfd1 and now Black has a Zwischenzug – 22…Bg5! 23.Bg3 Bf6 With this subtle bishop maneuver Black obtained the decisive advantage. After 24.Bf4 Kb8 25.Rd3 Ka8 26.Rad1 Rg5!! There was no escape for White. Keymer was not flawless in the conversion but emerged victorious after 70 moves and nearly seven hours. On board two, Uzbekistan’s favourite Nodirbek Abdusatorrov split a point with the other tournament co-leader (and European Champion) Matthias Bluebaum. A draw was agreed after 39 moves, as neither side gained an edge following the King’s Pawn Opening. On board four, Anish Giri defeated Jorden van Foreest in the Queen’s Gambit Declined. Playing as Black, van Foreest held until the endgame, where he cracked under pressure and lost. On board five, Niemann and Mishra split a point after a long battle in a bishop endgame where White (Niemann) had an extra pawn and tried every way possible to force Mishra to err, but without success. Arjun Erigaisi prevailed over the American Sam Sevian, again joining the group of players half a point behind the leaders. The same goes for Maxime Vachier-Lagrave who beat Türkiye’s Erdogmus with a nice finish. After losing to Keymer in round eight, Vidit today defeated Sargsyan and is on 5/9. Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Yakubboev scored a beautiful victory as White against Anton Demchenko, in a very sharp line of the Queen’s Gambit Accepted. The opponents followed the game Melkumyan – Stevic (2019) up to move 12 when Anton tried a natural but erroneous move with catastrophic consequences for Black. Instead of 12..Ne6 with a slightly inferior position Demchenko played 12…Qe7? 13.Nf5! Bxf5 14.exf5 Kd8 15.Rac1 and Black is completely paralyzed as his king can find no comfort in the center open for White’s heavy pieces. After 23 moves, Demchenko resigned in the following position: World Champion Gukesh D made another draw today, against Armenian Robert Hovhannisyan. On several occasions, Gukesh had more chances but allowed them all to slip. After nine rounds, the World Champion has only two victories. In a notable result of the day, in the duel of the two former world champion candidates (albeit in different categories), Alexandra Goryachkina defeated Boris Gelfand in 41 moves. The Women’s event Kateryna Lagno narrowly held onto her lead in round nine of the Women’s Grand Swiss, escaping defeat against Bibisara Assaubayeva. Meanwhile, Irina Krush and Tan Zhongyi scored important wins, tightening the race at the top. Lagno, leading the tournament, saved a lost position against Bibisara Assaubayeva on board one. With the white pieces, she gained a slight initiative out of the King’s Indian, but from move 19 Lagno made several subpar moves and lost a pawn. After reaching the first time control, Assaubayeva was on the brink of victory. Unfortunately for her, she threw it all away in just one move in the following position. Black should have just proceeded with advancing her pawn and collecting the f2-pawn. For example: 43…c3! 44.Rc6 Kd7 45.Rc4 Rxf2 46.Rxc2 Ne2! 47.Ra3 f4 and Black’s pawns are much faster. Instead, Bibisara played 42…Kf8? which allowed White to save her skin with the timely bishop sacrifice – 43.Bxc4! and after 43…Rxc4 44.Rf6+ Ke7 45.Rxf5 now White just pushed pawns, traded the rooks and forced a draw due to insufficient material. A very lucky escape for Lagno, allowing her to still cling on to the leading position in the tournament. After her first loss in round eight, Vaishali Rameshbabu held Song Yuxin to a draw in a balanced encounter. Both now sit on 6.5/9. On board
FIDE Grand Swiss 2025, Round 8: A day of draws in the Open, as Lagno takes the lead in the Women’s tournament
Round eight saw just one victory among the top boards – with Keymer defeating the 2023 Grand Swiss winner Vidit. A different story unfolded in the women’s tournament where Vaishali Rameshbabu was knocked out of the lead after losing to Bibisara Assaubayeva. On board two, Kateryna Lagno crashed Mariya Muzychuk, taking a half-point lead in the tournament. Among the top ten boards in the Open section, eight finished in a draw. While many were mostly calm, some saw a sharp fight. On board one, the two tournament leaders from round seven – Matthias Bluebaum and Nihal Sarin – had a peaceful draw in the Queen’s Gambit Accepted, in just 21 moves and under an hour and 20 minutes of play. Of the seven players trailing the leaders on five points – all but one drew. Firouzja split a point with Niemann in the Ruy Lopez on board two, while Abdusattorov drew as Black against Mishra. Despite finishing in a draw, the game between Parham Maghsoodloo and Anish Giri saw a lot of intense action on the board. This was the position reached by move 21, in the English Opening: Black had just placed his bishop on d5, effectively taking the white rook on d6 captive. After 22.Bh3 Rc7 24.cxd5 Ke7 25.dxe6 Kxe6 Black emerged an exchange up, but it’s not so easy to convert, as White’s bishop had a lot of open space and his rook is also very active. After some precise maneuvers, the two eventually reached the following position: 49.Rg8! The only move! If 49…Rxg8 then 50.Bd5+ followed by the queen promotion after hxg8. 49…Rf8 50.Bg6+ Ke7 51.Kd5 Rf6 And now everything simplifies into a clean draw: 52.h8=Q Rxh8 53.Rxh8 Rxg6 54.Rh7+ Kd8 55.Rxb7. The only winner among the top boards was Vincent Keymer, who defeated Vidit in the Berlin Defence of Ruy Lopez. Vidit – who is defending his 2023 Grand Swiss crown – blundered his position in one move, in a drawn pawn endgame. Black should have played 43…Kd5! With the idea of creating a sufficient counterplay on the queenside in case of 44.Kf3 Kd4 45.Kg4 Kc3. Instead, Vidit faltered with 43…c6? after which Black’s position is beyond repair. After 44.c4! Kf5 45.Kf3 Kf6 46.Ke4 Ke6 47.d4! White went on to clear the queenside for his a-runner and won. This victory pushed Keymer into the group of eight players trailing Sarin and Bluebaum by half a point. Another joiner is Jorden van Foreest, who defeated Shakhriyar Mamedyarov. Turkish youngster Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus continued with his impressive performance, this time beating the seasoned Levon Aronian in the French. White is already better here thanks to his strong knight on g6. Despite being in time trouble, Erdogmus played a great move here – 33.Re4! attacking the d4-pawn. Black cannot take the rook with the knight because of checkmate 34.Rc8+ Rf8 35.Rxf8+ Kh7 36.Rh8#. Aronian played 33…e5 and after 34.Rxe5 White is winning. The d4-pawn fell pretty soon afterwards and White was confident in securing his victory. Erdogmus is now on 5/8, while Aronian is on four points. World Champion Gukesh D managed to end his losing streak by securing a draw as White. Playing on the penultimate board against Divya Deshmukh (who this summer won the Women’s World Cup), Gukesh was not his best self, as he missed chances and struggled. The Women’s event A big shift occurred in the Women’s Grand Swiss, as Bibisara Assaubayeva handed Vaishali Rameshbabu her first loss in the tournament. The position was even until move 25, when Vaishali lost her way. 25…Rad8? Overlooking the e5-pawn. Instead, 25…Nd5! would have maintained equality. 26.Nxe5 If 26…Rxd3 27.Rxc6 bxc6 28.Nxd3 and White would have been two pawns up. Vaishali struggled to find the right plan and spent the following moves shuffling pieces on the board, eventually trapping the knight and queen in a pin. Black is completely paralyzed and cannot effectively prevent the deadly 35.e4. Vaishali tried with 34…Rd6 but after 35.e4 Qd7 36.Qd2 Nf4+ 37.Qxf4 Rxd4 38.Rc7 Rexe4 39.Rxd7 and Black is a piece down. Assaubayeva is now on 6/8, together with Vaishali and Yuxing Song who also won today. While Vaishali faltered, the runner-up from round seven, Kateryna Lagno, used her chance to score and emerge as the tournament leader. Lagno defeated the former Women’s World Champion Mariya Muzychuk in the Anti-Meran. Playing as White, Lagno steadily coordinated her pieces and maintained initiative thanks to a strong centralised knight. On move 21 Mariya Muzychuk weakened the e-pawn with f7-f6 but went for this position, hoping for 23…Bc4, covering it. However, she missed a brilliant refutation by Lagno: 24.d5!! Black can capture the pawn in four different ways, but neither of them work, and White is already winning. 24…Bxd5 25.Rxd5!! exd5 26.Ne7+ Kh8 27.Qe6! Now the queen joins the mating attack. 27…Qd7 28.Qf7 Rb7 29.Ng6+ Kh7 30.Rd7 Black has to give up the queen to avoid checkmate. 31.Qxd7 Nxd7 and Muzychuk resigned. A great achievement by Lagno, who said after the game that she is not thinking about the results and standings, but just wants to “play chess the best I can”. Today was a great day for Yuxin Song as she got a lucky break as Black against the former Women’s World Champion, Antoaneta Stefanova. In a drawn rook endgame, Stefanova made a blunder and gave her position away. This victory got Yuxin Song to 6/8 and a shared second place with Bibisara Assaubayeva and Vaishali Rameshbabu. The full results of Round 8 and pairings for Round 9 can be found here: Women: grandswiss2025.fide.com/grand-swiss-women/ Open: grandswiss2025.fide.com/open/ Round 9 will take place on Saturday, 13th September at 3 PM local time. Written by Milan Dinic Photos: Michal Walusza About the event The FIDE Grand Swiss is one of the most significant tournaments in the World Chess Championship cycle, featuring many of the world’s strongest chess players. Launched in 2019 (with the women’s event starting in 2021), the 11-round Swiss system tournament is held every two years. Considered as one of the most
FIDE Grand Swiss 2025, Round 6: World Champion Gukesh suffers second defeat in a row
After losing in round five, another shock for World Champion Gukesh D who made a crucial mistake in a drawn endgame. Parham Maghsoodloo retains a half-point lead in the Open, while Kateryna Lagno ties Vaishali Rameshbabu at the top of the Women’s tournament. Round six marked the end of the first stage of the 2025 FIDE Grand Swiss, with a rest day scheduled for Wednesday. For many players, a win – or at least avoiding defeat – before the break is crucial, offering a chance to regroup and refocus. But not all could find that comfort. On board one, in a challenge for the leading position in the tournament, world’s fifth highest-rated player, Arjun Erigaisi, tried to take down Parham Maghsoodloo with the black pieces. In the Semi-Tarrasch, Erigaisi put more pressure early in the game, but it ended with exchanges of all the heavy and light pieces, leading to a drawn pawn endgame. On board two, Matthias Bluebaum and Abhimanyu Mishra – both trailing Maghsoodloo by half a point at the start of the day – played a draw in a sharp Grünfeld. In this game, both players made several temporary piece “offers” to one another, trying to provoke a blunder. In this position Bluebaum made a surprising move – 14.Bh6! White gives up a bishop, but only for one move: 14…Bxh6 15.Rd1 and Black’s d7-bishop is falling. 15…0-0 16.Bxd7 Qe7 17.0-0 Rad8 18.e5 Nc4 Now Black offers a knight for free and White has no better option but to take it. 19.Qxc4 Rxd7 Recapturing a light piece. 20.h4 Kh8 21.g3 and now Black tempts White with 21…Bd2 22.Nd4! Another “free” piece for Black. 22…cxd4 23.Rxd2 dxc3 24.Qxc3 Rxd2 25.Qxd2 and the position is even. Given that none of the other top players chasing Maghsoodloo won, the Iranian continues to be in sole lead in the tournament, half a point ahead of all. Anish Giri had a great day today, defeating Marc’Andria Maurizzi in what was almost a miniature, lasting just 27 moves. Playing the Najdorf, Giri took the initiative on the queenside, making a rapid pawn advance. White just played 19.f5, trying to counter Black’s advance on the queenside, but after 19…a4! Giri’s attack unfolds much faster. 20.fxe6 fxe6 21.bx4 Rxa4 22.Bh3? Attacking the e6-pawn, but completely ignoring Black’s main threat. 22…b3! – Now White’s king is under fire and Black is winning. 23.c3 Nc5 24.Qe2 Qc6 25.Kd2 0-0 Black moves his king to safety. 26.Rhf1 Rxf1 27.Qxf1 Qxe4 White is only a pawn down, but his king is exposed and pieces in the way that there is no good move left to play. Faced with this, Maurizzi chose to resign. This victory propelled Giri to the top group, half a point behind the leader Maghsoodloo. In a shocking twist of the day, the World Champion was stunned again, losing his second game in a row. Playing against Nikolas Theodorou of Greece in the Petrov, Gukesh had a solid position and was putting pressure on Black. However, Theodorou put up a stubborn resistance. Despite losing a pawn he gradually equalised, liquidating into a balanced rook endgame. Here White had to demonstrate accuracy with the only move 34.Kf2!, bringing his king closer to Black’s connected passers. However, Gukesh played 34.Ra7+?? after which Black’s pawns are unstoppable. A dire turn for the World Champion, who now has 3/6 and finds himself far away from the top. Hans Niemann was declared the player of the day following this victory against Uzbekistan’s Shamsiddin Vokhidov. In a very sharp position, with his king under attack, Hans Niemann (Black) found the best way to counter with the timely exchange sacrifice and ended up winning. 26…Rxf5! 27.Nxf5 Rxf5 28.Qg3?! Qa4 29.a3 f2! 30.Rhf1 Rf3! Black is now winning. Five moves down the road Vokhidov threw in the towel. The Women’s event Vaishali Rameshbabu and Kateryna Lagno share first place, with 5/6. They are followed by Antoaneta Stefanova and Guo Qi, half a point behind. Vaishali continued in strong form as she defeated Ulviyya Fataliyeva with the black pieces in the Bishop’s Opening, securing her place at the top. Despite surprising Black with her opening choice, Fataliyeva failed to get any advantage and allowed Vaishali to take the initiative. By move 23, Fataliyeva was already losing, after Black pushed her pawn to h3 to weaken the king’s fortress. Black has a towering advantage. Now Vaishali goes for the key blow: 24…a5! 25.Bxa5 Rxc5 26.Qe1 Bg4! A double attack on the pawn that covers the big diagonal. The only way to protect it is 27.Qe2 but after 27…Rxa5 28.fxg4 Ra3 White’s position is completely shattered. A pale performance by Fataliyeva, who had been having an excellent tournament thus far. In another duel of the leaders, on board one, Kateryna Lagno missed several opportunities to take down Dinara Wagner, but eventually ended up winning. Playing the Sicilian, Wagner allowed Lagno to win a pawn early in the opening. After trading multiple inaccuracies, the opponents reached the following critical position: Black’s pawn is just one step away from promotion, but her position is tricky as White is holding and still has two runners on the queenside. According to engines, the best option for Black was to play 51…Re3 52.Rxg2 Ke7 giving up her last pawn but hoping to hold with precise play. However, Wagner faltered here with 51…Bd4?? After 52.Bxe2 g1=Q 53.Rxg1 Bxg1 White is just two pawns up and winning, as Black’s king fails to reach the queenside. After a few more moves, Wagner had to resign, sending Lagno to shared first with Vaishali. In the duel between two former World Champions, Antoaneta Stefanova defeated Tan Zhongyi with the black pieces. For the following game, Stefanova was declared the player of round six. Black is winning. Many ways “lead to Rome” here, but Stefanova chose the most effective one: 25…Nh4!!, completely smashing White’s position. The rest was a smooth sail for Antoaneta, who forced capitulation on move 40. So far, Stefanova – who was the Women’s World
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,
FIDE Grand Swiss 2025, Day 4: Lagno joins Vaishali at the top as Maghsoodloo holds on to his lead
A quiet day in Samarkand as most of the games on the top boards in both the Open and the Women’s event finished in a draw. With three and a half points, Iranian Parham Maghsoodloo continues to lead in the Open, chased by as many as 13 players who are half a point behind. In the Women’s tournament, Kateryna Lagno scored a convincing victory to share first place with Vaishali Rameshbabu. On board one in the Open tournament, leader Parham Maghsoodloo played as White against Uzbekistan’s top player Nodirbek Abdusattorov. A tense and complicated game developed in the Queen’s Gambit Accepted, with both having to play with high precision and finesse. After exactly four and a half hours of play, a draw was agreed with only the two kings left on the board. On board two, Praggnanandhaa could not find a way to convert his extra pawn against Abhimanyu Mishra, known as the youngest player in history to become a Grandmaster (at 12 years, 4 months, and 25 days). Mishra opted for 36…Re7? Instead, he should have played 36…Nb5 (White cannot take on b7 as Black takes the d4-pawn with a check and then send the rook to the second rank with another check, clearing out White’s back ranks.) 37.Rd7 Protecting the d5-pawn, and now 37…Re7 38.Rd5 Nc3 and Black has better chances of holding. After 37.Rxe7 Kxe7 38.f5! Kf6 39.fxg6 Kxg6 40.Kf4 White is winning according to chess engines. However, in the moves that followed, Praggnanandhaa could not make any progress and had to settle for a draw. An exciting game took place on board five, in a German showdown between Vincent Keymer and Frederik Svane. A sharp position arose in the Open Variation of Ruy Lopez. In this position, Svane played 24…c5, looking to build up pressure on White. But this seemingly logical move was a mistake which Keymer was quick to spot: 25.Bxc5!! Qxc5 26.Rxd5 Qc7. This forced line led to a very uncomfortable position for Black. But Keymer wasn’t precise in his conversion, and the position was soon even. Eventually, White emerged a pawn up in a sharp endgame, but the position was even, with threats for both sides. However, at some point, Svane started losing his way and allowed White to transpose into a winning minor piece endgame with a remote passer on the queenside. Slowly, but surely, Keymer steered the game in his favour and clinched the full point. There were other missed chances among the top players. The victor of the previous Grand Swiss, Vidit Santosh Gujrathi had a winning endgame as Black against Vasyl Ivanchuk. In the Scotch, approaching the endgame, Ivanchuk went for a pawn push which significantly weakened his position and ended up costing him a pawn. Vidit forced a winning rook endgame, but completely misplayed it in the end, allowing Ivanchuk to save half a point. World Champion Gukesh D split a point with compatriot Arjun Erigaisi in the Catalan. Following a shocking loss late on day three, Alireza Firouzja split a point with Szymon Gumularz of Poland after just 25 moves. Giri had a very quick draw as Black against Cheparinov (the first game of the round to finish, after an hour and a half of play), as did Salem and Aronian. MarcAndria Maurizzi prevailed over Maxime-Vachier Lagrave in a hard-fought French derby which stood out. In the Advance Caro-Kann, MVL – playing as White – emerged with two minor pieces for a rook. However, his young opponent had two dangerous advanced passers on the queenside. The position was in balance, but the younger of the two Frenchmen overestimated his chances and grabbed the a4-pawn, which gave White a crushing attack. At the critical moment of the game, MVL – known for his precise calculation – did not manage to find the winning idea. MVL played 30.Bh6?? and after 30…c2! the position was even again. White could have finished it off with 30.Qh4! The point is that 30…Qxe5 (the best move for Black) fails to the elegant 31.Nc2!!, with the idea of 32.Bd4, winning. Maxime’s troubles did not end there. In the ensuing play both opponents traded mistakes but MVL was last to err, capitulating on move 38. The day’s biggest upset came from Divya Deshmukh, who stunned Africa’s top-rated player Bassem Amin. Playing against the Sicilian, the Egyptian created a slightly better position from the opening but then began overspreading, which backfired, leading to a defeat. Black just missed playing 32…Rd4 and then taking the pawn on a5. Instead, she gave White respite with 32…f3. The best choice for White here was 33.Qc1 and to try and hold. Instead, Amin blundered with 33.Ng3?? which was punished with: 33…Rxg4!! 34.hxg4 Qh6+ 35.Nh5 Otherwise checkmate in two moves 35…Bxh5 and White is completely lost. For this victory, Divya was declared the player of the day in the Open. The Women’s event There were slightly more decisive games in the women’s event than in the Open. After four rounds, two players are in the lead with 3.5 points, chased by a group of five, on three points. On the top board, in the Grunfeld Defence, tournament leader Vaishali drew as Black with Dinara Wagner. On board two, seasoned player Kateryna Lagno scored an impressive victory with the white pieces against Song Yuxin. In the Four Knights line of the Sicilian, Lagno took the initiative early in the middlegame and continued to increase her advantage. 21.f6! Putting pressure on the black king trapped in the centre. 21…gxf6 22.gxf6 Nxd3 23.Qxd3 Bxf6 24.Rdf1 Be8 25.Rhg1 Qd7 26.Rg7 After just 26 moves Black is completely paralysed. The Chinese player continued to defend, but she was only delaying the inevitable. For this forceful victory, Lagno was declared the player of the day in the Women’s event. She is now also in shared first place, together with Vaishali Rameshbabu. In a roller coaster game, former World Champion Tan Zhongyi and Nurgyul Salimova split a point. White’s is clearly better, but here Tan overstretched herself.
FIDE Grand Swiss 2025, Day 3: Maghsoodloo and Vaishali emerge as sole leaders
After five hours and 45 minutes of tension, Parham Maghsoodloo outlasted Alireza Firouzja to take the sole lead in the tournament. In the women’s event, Vaishali Rameshbabu – despite being down to her final minute – played fearlessly and defeated Olga Badelka to claim the top spot. It was a long day in Samarkand, with many of the top games stretching late into the evening. If there was a theme to Day 3, it was concentration – or lack of it – as several decisive matches were decided by blunders in tense, balanced endgames. The main duel of round three in the Open took place on board one, where France’s Alireza Firouzja faced his former compatriot Parham Maghsoodloo in the battle for the lead. Playing the Najdorf, the two transitioned to a complicated endgame, where Black had a slight advantage thanks to a pawn chain in the centre and two bishops. However, at some point Maghsoodloo miscalculated and lost a pawn, allowing Firouzja to equalise. White has almost complete domination on the queenside, but his g4-pawn is lost. If he’s not careful, Black can be just in time to win the race to promotion. The only option for White here is to put his rook on the eighth rank and go with checks: 43.Rb8 Rxg4 44.Rf8+ Ke6 45.Re8+ Kd7 46.Ne5+ Kxe8 47.Nxg4. Instead, after more than five hours of play, Firouzja made a fatal error with 43.Rb6?? This immediately loses: 43…Bxb6 44.axb6 Rh7! 45.c4 Rd7! Cutting off the white king from the kingside. 46.Nb4 White is forced to pull back his knight and try to stop Black’s advance on the kingside. 46…f3 47.Nd3 Ke7 48.c5 Rd8! 49.c6 Kd6 Right on time to squash any hopes for Firouzja. 50.c7 Re8 51.Kc3 Kc6 White resigns, 0-1. A crushing blow to Firouzja in the first high-stakes clash of the tournament. A crushing blow to Firouzja in the first high-stakes clash of the tournament. In another tense and long game, Arjun Erigaisi defeated Anton Demchenko in the Petroff Defence. On two occasions in the endgame, Erigaisi had a significant advantage but failed to capitalise. But when Demchenko gave him a third chance, the Indian took it: White has just played 61.c6-c7. According to chess engines, the position is even. After 61…Rb1+ (or 61…g5) 62.Nb5 g5 63.Rxg7 g4 64.Rxg4 Rxb5+ 65.Kxb5 Kxc7 all pawns would have been removed and Black would have been left with a knight against a rook, sufficient for a draw. However, Demchenko instantly blundered with 61…Rc4?? After 62.Nb5! Black has to give up his rook to avoid checkmate. The last two games on the top boards – lasting well into the seventh hour – saw Abdusattorov and Praggnanandhaa emerge as victors. Praggnanandhaa won against the resilient veteran Boris Gelfand in a fierce queen and rook endgame which could have gone either way. Abdusattorov had a commanding position from the middlegame, but his opponent Abhimanyu Puranik put up a fierce and long fight. World Champion Gukesh D continued in strong form on Day three. Playing as Black, he defeated Daniil Yufa. In the Ragozin, White mixed up his preparation and ended up a pawn down as early as move seven. After three rounds, Parham Maghsoodloo is on three points, followed by six players on 2.5/3. One of the sharpest games of the round was played between Robert Hovhannisyan and Vladimir Fedoseev. In the Scandinavian Defence, White managed to get a slight edge by holding more initiative on the board, but early middlegame complications led to a tactical position with White making a daring sacrifice: It’s unusual to see white pawns on the sixth rank this early in the game. Black should have removed one threat by taking on c6. Instead, Vladimir took the bait with 19…Qxe2, after which he was punished effectively. 20.Rfe1! Offering another sacrifice. 20…Bxe1 21.Rxe1Qb2 22.Rxe7 Be6 23.Nd4 Qb1+ 24.Kh2 g5 Opening a space for his queen to help the black king. 25.Qe5 Qg6 It’s hard to believe that White is down in material here, given his dominance across the board. The strongest move in the position was 26.Nf5. In case Black plays 26…Bxf5, then he’s checkmated after 27.Rxe8+ Rxe8 28.Qxe8#. Instead, Black would have to play 28…Rf8 and after 29.Rxe6, he could not defend the knight coming to e7 with a double attack on the king and the queen. Hovhannisyan instead went for a different line with: 26.cxb7 Rab8 27.Nc6 Nd5 28.Rxe8 Rxe8, but now he missed the winning move – Ne7+! Instead, he played 29.d7?! Which still was enough to win in a knight endgame that emerged after 29…Nxd7 30.B8=Q Qxh6 31.Qxe8+ Bxe8 32.Qxe8 Kg7 33.Qe5+ Qf6 34.Qxf6+ Kxf6 35.Nxa7. Eventually, White’s a-passer tipped the balance in his favour. The Women’s event In the Women’s tournament, only two players had a perfect score after the first two rounds: the 2023 Grand Swiss winner Vaishali Rameshbabu and naturalised Austrian Olga Badelka. In a direct duel for first place, Vaishali defeated Badelka in a sharp line of the Pirc Defence. This is the crucial part of the game. The position is extremely complicated with threats on both sides. Only 24 moves have been played, but Vaishali had a minute on her clock, while Badelka had six. Moments like these distinguish the real champions. Despite being desperately low on time, Vaishali chose the strongest move, a breakthrough on the kingside – 25.g4 – even though it led to serious complications. Black has to respond; otherwise, the pawn will advance and endanger her king. 25…fxg4 26.hxg4 Now it was Badelka’s turn to play sharply. The best option was 26…h5 – opening her king and directly challenging White. She stopped for a while to think, but it seems Badelka was tempted by White’s time trouble, and she leapt directly into a blunder – 26…Nfxd5?? White was now completely winning, and Vaishali didn’t miss her chance. After 27.Nxd5 Nxd5 28.Rxd5, Black could not recapture: 28…Qxd5 fails to 29.Ng6+! hxg5 30.Qh4+, winning the queen. 28…Bxb2 29.Rh5! Black is now completely lost. With an
FIDE Grand Swiss 2025, Day 2: Blunders and comebacks as favourites regroup
Day two of the FIDE Grand Swiss delivered more drama as the favourites were put to the test. World Champion Gukesh D was held to a draw by 14-year-old Turkish prodigy Yagız Kaan Erdogmus, while fellow favourite Arjun Erigaisi survived a near-loss to defeat Haik Martirosyan. In the Women’s event, several top players who stumbled at the start staged a strong comeback, but surprises continued to shake up the standings. The day’s drama began on the top board, where Uzbekistan Chess Federation Vice President, Komil Sindarov, made the ceremonial first move in the game between Gukesh and the world’s youngest Grandmaster, Erdogmus. It was exactly this game that opened with a surprise as early as move two. After 1.d4 d5, Gukesh played the unusual 3.c3 aimed at throwing him out of his preparation. Commenting in the live broadcast on FIDE’s YouTube channel, English IM Jovanka Houska branded the move as “anti-youngster”, hinting at the attempt to thwart the deep and excellent opening preparation very young players such as Erdogmus excel nowadays. The odd thing is that both players in this game are youngsters – Gukesh is 19 and Erdogmus 14. The World Champion got the initiative across the board and was notably better for the most part, but then he let it slip. White has an extra pawn, a chain in the centre, and a pin on Black’s a-runner. On top of that, Black played the last 10 moves in severe time trouble. Gukesh now plays a seemingly logical move which, however, backfires and completely wipes out his advantage. 40.Bxg5?? Instead, Gukesh should have opted for 40.Nf6, forcing Black to take – 40…Bxf6 and after 41.Bxh6! Bg7 (41…Rf7 fails to 42.hxg6 and Black is lost) 42.Bxg7 Rf3 43.h6 Rh3 44.e6 White is slowly but surely advancing his pawns to victory. However, the move played by Gukesh allowed Black to equalise. 40…Kxd5! 41.Bf6 gxh5 42.Rg7 trying to attack via the back ranks. But now 42…Rxf6 43.exf6 Re2+ and Black delivered perpetual check. ½ – ½ Erdogmus’ persistence in defending and withstanding pressure even with seconds on the clock paid off. The sharpest game among the top boards was played between India’s Arjun Erigaisi and Armenia’s Haik Martirosyan. Playing as Black, Erigaisi was on the brink of defeat on move 23. With his king exposed and pieces trapped on the queenside, Black is in severe trouble. However, White missed the best continuation and, in several moves, Black turned the tables. 24.Kh1?! 24.Ra2 with the idea of bringing the rook to the attack on the kingside was a better choice. 24…Nd7 25.Qf3 Nc5 26.Rb1 After a few hesitant moves White is now defending and shuffling, losing the advantage. A few moves later, with both trading advantages along the way, the following position emerged on the board: Instead of the natural 32.Qxg6+ Ng7 33.Bg5 with a roughly equal position, Haik played 32.Rf1?? giving Black a chance to get the upper hand. Black should have responded with 32…Ra7, bringing the rook to action and protecting the seventh rank. Arjun, however, played 32…Nxe5?? And the position was even again. Later down the line, White misplayed one more time and had to give up a piece. Erigaisi still had to be careful, but ultimately converted his advantage into a full point. Following a draw in round one, rating favourite Praggnanandhaa defeated Ivan Zemlyanskii, after Black overlooked a tactical subtlety. Black should have played 30…e6 here, to open a retreat route for his bishop in case of c4-c5. Instead, he played 30…Rc7? with fatal consequences. 31.c5! Bxc5 No other choice as bxc5 means the a5-knight will fall. 32.Bxc5 Rxc5 33.b4 fork. Black resigned. 1-0 In other developments among the leaders, Alireza Firouzja defeated Maxim Rodshtein on board two. The 22-year-old naturalised Frenchman played confidently, gaining the initiative and creating a passer on the a-file which White could not stop. Iran’s Parham Maghsoodloo is also on two points, after overcoming Spain’s David Anton. Local hope Nodirbek Abdusattorov played a challenging positional game as Black against Svane which ended in a draw. In a surprise of the round, seasoned heavyweight Alexander Grischuk lost as White to Chilean GM Cristobal Villagra after blundering in time trouble. The Women’s tournament The winner of the 2023 Women’s Grand Swiss, Vaishali Rameshbabu, continued strongly – she defeated Dutch champion Eline Robers with black pieces in just 22 moves. Vaishali played a rare line in the Morphy Defence in Ruy Lopez and White couldn’t counter. Here, in already inferior position White played 12.Nxf5? Instead of continuing development with 12.Nd2 she has accepted battle without being fully developed. 12…d5 Black wastes no time and strikes in the centre. 13.Bb3? after this mistake White’s position is beyond repair. Eline had to return the knight to d4 although after simple 13…dxe4 her position is no fun. 14.Nxf5 15.exf5 Bxf5 16.Bxd5+? Further digging herself in. The rest was a smooth sail for Black. White resigned on move 22 facing an imminent checkmate. In a big duel of the round, former World Champion Mariya Muzychuk defeated the seasoned player from Moscow, Valentina Gunina. The position was even until the early stage of the middlegame where Gunina blundered and from then on everything went downhill for her. A swift and convincing comeback by Mariya against a strong player is what she needed after losing on day one. Tan Zhongyi also made a quick comeback today, after starting the tournament with a loss. The former Women’s World Champion was victorious against Lina Nassr. In the Delayed Alapin variation of Sicilian Defence, Tan – playing as White – won a pawn early in the middlegame and gradually gained control across the board, resulting in her victory in 30 moves. Austria’s Olga Badelka outplayed Zsoka Gaal with black pieces on board four. With two points, the young player originally from Belarus has shown she is well prepared for this event. European Champion Teodora Injac also won, bouncing back after a loss in round one. One of the favourites in the event, Anna Muzychuk,
FIDE Grand Swiss 2025, Day 1: A tale of two tournaments
Round one of the 2025 FIDE Grand Swiss ended with a high number of draws in the Open section. By contrast, the Women’s Grand Swiss delivered early drama as several top seeds were upset by lower-rated opponents. The first games of the 2025 FIDE Grand Swiss started at 3 PM local time in Samarkand. Now in its fourth edition, the event has drawn many of the world’s strongest players – including the world champion, Gukesh D – to compete in what is widely seen as the most gruelling Swiss System tournament of the year. The round began with the traditional ceremonial first move on the top boards. Alisher Sadullaev – the First Vice-President of Uzbekistan Chess Federation and CEO of the Youth Affairs Agency of Uzbekistan – made the ceremonial move on board six, featuring Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov. Sadullaev was joined by FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich and Chief Arbiter of the event, Laurent Freyd. The opening rounds of Swiss System tournaments, especially round one, usually feature a significant number of victories, as the strongest players are pitted against the lower-rated ones. But the Grand Swiss is different: there are no weak opponents and anyone can win – and lose. It is not surprising then that the majority of the games in the Open event ended in draws. On board one, top-ranked player R Praggnanandhaa drew with Jeffery Xiong in the Exchange line of the French. “Getting Jeffrey [former World Junior Champion] is unlucky, but everyone is strong here, and you don’t really have easy games,” said Praggnanandhaa after the game. The 19-year-old Indian shrugged off suggestions that he felt any pressure as the top-rated player in the tournament. On board two, Arjun Erigaisi drew with Maksim Chigaev, while rising stars Ediz Gurel and Vincent Keymer split a point in the Ruy Lopez. GM Gabriel Sargissian – a highly successful member of the Armenian chess team – had a winning position against none other than Hans Niemann, but let the advantage slip into a draw. Among the notable winners in round one are the World Champion Gukesh D who overcame the seasoned French GM Étienne Bacrot on the black side of the Caro-Kann. Anish Giri defeated Armenia’s Robert Hovhannisyan in the Najdorf line of the Sicilian. The winner of the 2023 Grand Swiss, Vidit Santosh Gujrathi, also started with a victory against Alexander Donchenko, following time trouble. Alireza Firouzja managed to score against Bassem Amin after the Egyptian GM made a crucial mistake in an equal endgame late in the round. Uzbekistan’s biggest hope in this tournament, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, defeated Serbia’s Velimir Ivic. In the Najdorf, Abdusattorov created a passer on the a-file and gradually increased pressure on Black. The opponents traded mistakes in time trouble before the time control, but Velimir was last to err. White is winning here as his a-pawn is unstoppable. 39…Qxa4 40.Bxa4 Rc1 A desperate attempt by Ivic. 41.a8=Q Bd4 42.h4 Rxg1 43.Kh2 Ra1 44.Qe8 and after a few more checks, Black had no more choices but to resign. The first player to score victory in the 2025 Grand Swiss was Aydin Suleymanli from Azerbaijan. The 2609-rated Grandmaster prepared an opening surprise for Indian GM Murali Karthikeyan that included a queen sacrifice. A first look at the position would suggest nothing unusual after the natural 15.Nce5, but here White opted for 15.Nb2 inviting the obvious move 15…Nxc3 – the white queen is trapped and there is no other option but to sacrifice it. After 16.dxc3 Rxd1 17.Bxd1 White is a queen down, but this unbalanced position is evaluated as equal, given Black’s lag in development. 17…e6 18.g4 And now, the only move for Black was to play 18…Ba3 – giving up the white-squared bishop in exchange for activating his pieces. Instead, Black played the logical move 18…Bg6? and after 19.Bg5 Qxc3 20.Rc1 his king is dangerously exposed. 20…Qxb2 21.Rc6+ Kb7 22.Ne5 White is completely dominating the position and the only way for Black to continue the game was to hand back the queen sacrifice: 22…Qxe5 23.Rxe5 Kxc6 24.Bf3+. Although a pawn down, White’s pieces have all the space while Black is struggling. Eventually, Black had to give up another piece but could not escape defeat. The game between the winner of this year’s Women’s World Cup Divya Deshmukh and her Indian compatriot Puranik Abhimanyu brought the first real spark in the tournament. Early in the game, in the exchange line of the Queen’s Gambit, the two played a rare continuation which initially seemed like a blunder: Black has just played 7… Nh5 but after 8.Bxb8 Rxb8 9.g4 he seems to lose a piece. However, after 9…Qh4+ 10.Kd2 Ng3 11.gxf4 Nxh1 12.Nh3 Bd6 13.Bg2 0-0 14.Qh1 Puranik got sufficient compensation through pressure on the centre. Divya went on to create a strong position and dominate, but misplayed in time trouble and ended up losing. The other woman playing in the Open, Alexandra Goryachkina, lost as Black to Turkish prodigy, GM Erdogmus. The Women’s Grand Swiss The women’s event saw a completely different start, with upsets across the top boards. On board one, top seed Anna Muzychuk lost on time to 18-year-old Hungarian WGM Zsóka Gaál – despite holding a clearly better position deep into the game. White is winning after either 36.Ke2 or 36.Kf2, but at this point, she ran out of time. A very unlucky start for Anna, who came to Samarkand with the goal of securing one of the two top spots leading to the 2026 Candidates. European champion Teodora Injac was stunned by Olga Badelka, who took over the initiative in the middlegame and played confidently until the end. Former world champions also had a poor start. On board two, Tan lost to Olga Girya. In the Queen’s Gambit Declined, Tan created a strong position, making an advance on the queenside. However, towards the end, she miscalculated, lost a pawn and ultimately conceded her defeat. Another former world champion, Mariya Muzychuk, also lost – misplaying an endgame as Black against lower-rated Xeniya Balabayeva.
Ancient Samarkand sets the stage for 2025 FIDE Grand Swiss
The historic city of Samarkand welcomed the chess world with a spectacular ceremony blending history, art and chess, setting the stage for one of the strongest tournaments ever. The ceremony started with a short video that took the audience on a journey in time, from the archaeological discoveries of 7th-century Afrasiab to the present day. The carefully crafted narrative began in darkness, with a golden beam of light revealing ancient chess pieces discovered on the historic hill of Afrasiab – evidence that chess had flourished in these lands for over thirteen centuries. The video was followed by choreographic elements that reflected the tournament’s theme, featuring contemporary dance with mirrored figures and geometric formations, reminiscent of chess squares. Then came the formal part of the ceremony, with officials taking centre stage. The first to speak was the Director of the Youth Affairs Agency and First Deputy Chairman of the Chess Federation of Uzbekistan, Alisher Sadullaev, who emphasised the tournament’s importance for chess development in the region. “In the past year Uzbekistan has been engaged in organising a large number of chess competitions thanks to the support of the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Samarkand has been made into a global chess arena. We hosted the 2023 World Rapid and Blitz. Next year we are hosting the Chess Olympiad, and it will be a huge event for the world,” Sadullaev said. FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich thanked the Uzbekistan government and the country’s chess federation for their support in organising this event and for investment in chess in general. “The steps taken over the past 15 years have led to the creation of a great generation which is representing Uzbekistan today. This is a clear signal to all other countries in terms of what needs to be done if you want to be in the top of the chess world,” Dvorkovich said. “This is an exciting journey which is starting in Uzbekistan, bringing excitement to fans all over the world. I wish you all the best of luck,” the FIDE President concluded. Hokim of Samarkand region, Adiz Boboev pointed out how Samarkand and, indeed, Uzbekistan, has become one of the most prominent organisers of international sports events. “Samarkand has become one of the centres of international sports. Just in the past year we have had the World Triathlon Cup and Para Triathlon Cup, the Asian Judo Championship and other international forums”. Boboev noted that “the sports sector has been identified as a priority area of the state policy in our country” and that further investments are coming, including the 2026 chess Olympiad which will take place in Uzbekistan. The drawing of lots The ceremony’s key moment came with the drawing of lots for round one colours. Chief Arbiter Laurent Freyd took centre stage, calling forward the top-rated players from both sections: Praggnanandhaa R (Open section) and Anna Muzychuk (Women’s section). Standing next to the arbiter and the players were two models, dressed in traditional national costumes, holding miniature artworks with Uzbek motifs. The reverse side of each miniature featured white and black colours. Praggnanandhaa ended up selecting the art piece with the black colour on the back, meaning he will start round one with the black pieces. In the women’s section, Anna Muzychuk chose the art piece with the white colour, meaning she starts the tournament as White. The ceremony closed with a vibrant performance of modern Uzbek dance and a video featuring Uzbekistan’s rise to become one of the most prominent chess nations in the world. World Champion Guklesh D: “This tournament is so strong that anybody can win” Earlier in the day, a press conference was held featuring World Champion Gukesh D. The Indian was asked about the decision to play in Samarkand, in an event where his potential challenger will be chosen. “I’m happy to be back here in Samarkand. I was here in 2023 for the World Rapid and Blitz. It’s nice to be back here. Although there’s no need for me to qualify, I think this is still a great tournament. There are not many super strong open Swiss tournaments. It’s an opportunity for me to play in a different format and prove myself”. Gukesh also spoke about how his preparation for the event differed from other – closed – tournaments, where preselected top players take part. “In Swiss tournaments, you need to win more games and take a bit more chances. I’m glad there will be a lot of hungry players and exciting games. Even though I’ve been playing a lot of closed tournaments, I’ll try to adjust my preparation for the open event here”. When asked about who he sees as the favourites to win the event, Gukesh was diplomatic: “This tournament is so strong that pretty much anybody on a great day can win. I don’t really believe in favourites.” The full report from the press conference can be found HERE. Round one starts on Thursday, September 4, at 3 PM local time. The Round 1 pairings can be found here: Open: grandswiss2025.fide.com/open/ Women: grandswiss2025.fide.com/grand-swiss-women/ Written by Milan Dinic Photos: Michal Walusza Official website: grandswiss2025.fide.com About the event The FIDE Grand Swiss is one of the most significant tournaments in the World Chess Championship cycle, featuring many of the world’s strongest chess players. Launched in 2019 (with the women’s event starting in 2021), the 11-round Swiss system tournament is held every two years. Considered as one of the most difficult and unpredictable chess events given its open nature, the top two finishers in both categories qualify directly for the World Candidates tournament, where a challenger for the title of world champion is chosen. The 2025 edition runs from 4th to 15th September at the EXPO Centre in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. There are 116 players taking part in the Open and 56 players in the Women’s competition. The total prize fund for the event it $855,000 – $625,000 for the Open and $230,000 for the Women’s event. All the rounds will be broadcast live on FIDE’s official