This is the third edition of the FIDE Women’s World Cup. The first one was in Sochi in 2021 and was won by Alexandra Kosteniuk. The second one was in Baku in 2023 and was won by Aleksandra Goryachkina. Now both of them will participate in the FIDE Women’s World Chess Cup 2025 in Batumi together with a strong field of world’s best players.

As the participants list was announced, multiple players from the Women Top 100 have remained out of the competition. Among them was Vaishali. Or so was the case until updates in the players list started appearing unannounced and without explanation at the official website, while random X posts by FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky brought additional confusion in the story (see the timeline here)

It was Vaishali herself who explained, “At Astana now, Came for match against Anna Shukhman for a Wild card spot for Women World cup. It seems now I qualified through Rating spot because of withdrawal of another player Reached Astana yesterday and traveling back home today” followed by a facepalm icon.

OnTheQueenside says, “Vaishali rebukes Emil’s rebuke of my tweet! FIDE really gave the final two wild cards to Begim & Vantika even when Vaishali still wasn’t qualified. Instead of just giving her one of those spots, FIDE sent her to Kazakhstan to play for the sketchy extra wild card!” And goes on to explain:

1. Anna already won a World Cup qualifier, but didn’t get a spot!
2. This is the 5th qualifier Xeniya is playing this year!
3. FIDE ruined Vashali’s birthday! (She traveled to the match, & was replaced by Xeniya)
4. FIDE removed Xeniya from Aktobe Open just to play this match.
5. If FIDE really wanted to not give this year’s World Junior Champion a World Cup spot this year, why put her in this match?
6. Xeniya had also just missed a World Cup spot at the Asian Championship by one place.
7. The World Cup regulations don’t say anything about having a wild card match. There are rules to replace any spot. Those rules weren’t followed.
8. If you’re going to have an extra wild card for no reason, just give it out. No need for a match.

The qualification paths for the Women’s World Cup are detailed in the FIDE regulations and the main chess body has been updating the participants list regularly. As of yesterday, 104 of the 107 participants were known – missing only the two FIDE President Nominees and the Hong Kong nomination. Today, FIDE announced the two FIDE President Nominees, leaving out a long list of players including 47 from the World Top 100. The only question remaining was who will play instead of the Hong Kong player.

When the news broke out, OntheQueenside exclaimed, “Vaishali is out of the World Cup!” FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky replied, “Vishali is not out” – a reply that does not coincide with the official information , thus provoking a barrage of questions from the chess community. Sutovsky added, “She makes it by rating.”

No further clarification was provided, and while the fans were wondering weather Vaishali will substitute a player based on rating criteria, or she was a choice for the Hong Kong spot based on rating, a new plot twist appeared. Josephine Heinemann discovered a broadcast on Lichess, titled “WGM Shukhman vs WGM Balabayeva Women’s World Cup Wild Card Match” (follow the games below, bringing more confusion in the mix – why were these players chosen, do they play for the Hong Kong spot or to substitute someone, or is there a wild card player problem to start with.

The confusion brought by FIDE, the lack of transparency, and the messages by the FIDE CEO lacking critical details are far from the transparency standards that are needed for the most important knockout chess event of the year. We continue to follow this developing story.

Update 14:31: Matnadze Bujiashvili, Ann (ESP) – Spain (replaces Khademalsharieh, Sarasadat)

Update 14:35:

Tang, Zoey (USA) – (replaces Pourkashiyan, Atousa)
Osmak, Yuliia (UKR) – (replaces Buksa, Nataliya)

Update 14:38 Sky Xia asked the President of Hong Kong Chess Federation Mr.KK Chan on the topic and he answered, “No one will represent Hong Kong to play, we a female player to play before, but she declined” (more news from Sky Xia here / follow on Twitter/X)

Update 16:14: The multiple updates in the FIDE Women’s World Cup participants list that were rolled out thorough the day continue. Now Vaishali R (IND) replaces Assaubayeva, Bibisara. Full story here

Update 22.06 Shukhman, Anna (FID) wins the mini match and enters the FIDE Women’s World Cup. She is listed as Nominees of the FIDE President with an asterisk next to her name, saying “An additional wild card was granted by the FIDE President due to Hong Kong’s refusal to nominate a player.”

Additionally, Zoey Tang (USA) who replaces Atousa Pourkashiyan is now replaced by Thalia Cervantes Landeiro.

Update 23.06 The official regulations state, “The pairings shall be announced not later than 14 days before the beginning of WWCup, unless the FIDE President decides otherwise due to a force majeure.” There are 13 days remaining to the start of the Women’s World Cup and no pairings are announced yet

Replay the games / Winners in the open section

Garuda Ajka BSK claimed silver scoring 12 match points, after a convincing 3.5-0.5 win in the last round against Gambit Bonnevoie. The only game in the match to finish in a draw was played between IM Deshmukh Divya (2501, Garuda Ajka BSK) and WGM Olga Babiy (2338, Gambit Bonnevoie).

Despite a loss against Sirmium Sremska Mitrovica in the last round, SuperChess Club won bronze medal with the score of 11 match points. Intense match that could determine the Winner of the event finished in favour of the Serbian club after victories by IM Nurgyul Salimova (2405, Sirmium Sremska Mitrovica) and IM Leya Garifullina (2438, Sirmium Sremska Mitrovica) who scored against IM Dinara Wagner (2436, SuperChess) and IM Marsel Efroimski (2399, SuperChess), respectively. GM Nino Batsiashvili (2467, SuperChess) scored against IM Gunay Mammadzada (2426, Sirmium Sremska Mitrovica), but the game between IM Ulviyya Fataliyeva (2383, SuperChess) and WGM Govhar Beydullayeva (2402, Sirmium Sremska Mitrovica) finished in a draw.

Board 1 (Women’s section): 1.GM Nana Dzagnidze, 2.GM Nino Batsiashvili, 3.IM Alina Bivol
Board 2 (Women’s section): 1.GM Zhu Jiner, 2.GM Vaishali Rameshbabu, 3.IM Dinara Wagner
Board 3 (Women’s section): 1.IM Olga Badelka, 2.IM Leya Garifullina, 3.WFM Anna Zhurova
Board 4 (Women’s section): 1.WIM Zsoka Gaal, 2.GM Elisabeth Paehtz, 3.IM Ulviyya Fataliyeva

The Closing ceremony of the event took place yesterday evening in the playing venue with the attendance of the ECU Vice Presidents Mr. Alojzije Jankovic, Mr. Gunnar Bjornsson and Mr. Jean Michel Rapaire, President of the Serbian Chess Federation Mr. Dragan Lazic, the President of the Touristic Organisation of Vrnjacka Banja Mr. Ivan Trifunovic, ECU Tournament Director Mr. Petr Pisk and other distinguished guests.

China lost 2,5-1,5 against the team of Armenia, with IM Lilit Mkrtchian winning with black on board 1. USA managed to draw on three boards, but again the key game was on board 1, where WGM Turmunkh Munkhzul defeated IM Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova.

Replay all top games from the Women Chess Olympiad here

That makes India absolute favorites for the title. Despite GM Harika Dronavalli losing to IM Assaubayeva, GM Vaishali and IM Vantika finished the job to keep India undefeated.

This is a flash report from the Olympiad, stay tuned for updates

This is the game Stavroula Tsolakidou – R Vaishali from round 1 of the Tbilisi Grand Prix

Stavroula Tsolakidou – R Vaishali, Tbilisi Grand Prix 2024

Tbilisi Women Grand Prix 2024 live games

FIDE Tblilisi Grand Prix 2024 Press release

There is no better place than Georgia to launch the new season of the Women’s Grand Prix. As the birthplace of chess legends like former Women’s World Champions Nona Gaprindashvili (the first woman to be awarded the title of Grandmaster) and Maia Chiburdanidze, as well as three-time Soviet Women’s Champion Nana Alexandria, Georgia holds a revered place in chess history. The country continues to produce world-class talent, including Nana Dzagnidze, Nino Batsiashvili, Lela Javakhishvili, and Bella Khotenashvili, making it a fitting host for this landmark event.

“We are delighted that this event will start in Georgia, given the country’s rich chess legacy,” said FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich.

“FIDE has made women’s chess one of its priorities, and the updated Women’s Grand Prix series is an opportunity to further raise awareness of women’s chess, hopefully getting more female players and more sponsors involved”.

The 2024/25 WGP series introduces several key changes, including an increase in participants from 16 to 20, an expansion from four to six tournaments, and a larger prize fund of 120,000 euros. Each player will compete in three of the six tournaments, earning points based on their standings in each event. The top two players in the series will secure spots in the 2026 FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament.

The Tbilisi tournament

The tournament in Tbilisi will take place at the Biltmore Tbilisi Hotel – the first glass skyscraper in Georgia and the highest hotel in the Caucasus Region. This inaugural event features a strong lineup, including two former Women’s World Champions—Alexandra Kosteniuk, winner of the Munich leg in the 2022/23 series, and Mariya Muzychuk—alongside some of the most promising players in the chess world today.

First round and time control

The first round starts on Thursday, 3 PM local time in Tbilisi. The time control will be 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with an increment of 30 seconds per move starting from move one.

Lichess commentary on the 2024-2025 Grand Prix expectations

The world’s leading online free chess server Lichess comments on the upcoming Grand Prix, “Historically, the Women’s Grand Prix has been notoriously predictable. Hou Yifan won every series she played, and Humpy finished 2nd in the first five series, both of which are basically what you would have expected. When Ju Wenjun and Aleksandra Goryachkina won, they weren’t the highest-rated players at the beginning, but they were by the end. Following those expectations, whoever wins this series will probably be the highest-rated among the participants whenever it ends late next year. Right now, the highest-rated players in order are Tan Zhongyi, Lei Tingjie, and Aleksandra Goryachkina. Is that who you would expect to win? Tan probably won’t need the Candidates spot. Lei Tingjie has never played the Grand Prix before. Goryachkina has been one of the best Grand Prix participants, medalling in five of six events, but even she limped to the finish line last time and only ended up second. With the form Vaishali has shown in the past 12 months, it’s not crazy to think she could jump up 50 Elo and steal the series.”

Vaishali R scored her first victory in the tournament after beating Jergus Pechac. It was a drawish endgame which looked tougher for the Indian, but Pechac blundered the tactical motive in the first move after the time control and immediately resigned.

Erwin L’Ami was victorious against his compatriot Max Warmerdam with white pieces. L’Ami had a slightly worse position in the early middlegame but Warmerdam made a huge mistake with 27…Rfc8. L’Ami used his chances and won the game.

After six played rounds, Mustafa Yilmaz and Alexander Doncheko tie for first with 4.5/6 points, while Velimir Ivic and Javokhir Sindarov trail by half a point.

Rankings after 6 played rounds:

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Mustafa Yilmaz was today victorious against Max Warmerdam. The game was around the equal bar until Warmerdam’s 33…Kf8? followed by 34…Ba8?? Yilmaz did not let the advantage go, and scored his second consecutive victory in the event.

Velimir Ivic defeated Vaishali R in a very nice rooks endgame with mating motives. Ivic had winning chances earlier, but Vaishali stroke back and fought for draw. However, 35…Kg6? was a crucial mistake and the Serbian grandmaster found the way to victory.

Alexander Donchenko scored against Jergus Pechac. Donchenko had a clear advantage from the middlegame which was improving all way after, and Pechac eventually resigned in the 36th move.

Tata Steel Challengers 2023 – Round 3 recap / LIVE games

Round 4 pairings:

Eline Roebers – Amin Tabatabaei
Velimir Ivic – Vaishali R
Adhiban – Javokhir Sindarov
Mustafa Yilmaz – Max Warmerdam
Jergus Pechac – Alexander Donchenko
Luis Paulo Supi – Thomas Beerdsen
Abhimanyu Mishra – Erwin L’Ami

Velimir Ivic was convincing with Black against Abhimanyu Mishra. The 14-year-old American made a crucial mistake with 33.Qe3 and Velimir didn’t let go. He brought the game to the end with almost perfect technique and scored his first win in the tournament.

Mustafa Yilmaz scored against Erwin L’Ami. The Turkish grandmaster had a clear advantage in the early middlegame, quickly upgrading it to a decisive advantage. L’Ami eventually resigned in the 38th move.

Javokhir Sindarov outplayed Vaishali R in the two rooks endgame. The material was equal, but Sindarov’s rooks were too active and Vaishali couldn’t defend.

Replay all games here / Replay Day 3 video coverage here

Round 3 results:

Featured photo by Lennart Ootes Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2023