GM Anna Muzychuk is the only real chief of the 2025 Nicosia FIDE Girls’s Grand Prix on the remainder day after a time-trouble blunder by IM Stavroula Tsolakidou led to a 3rd win in a row. GM Elisabeth Paehtz grabbed the day’s solely different win after GM Harika Dronavalli blended up her opening traces and made a shedding blunder on transfer six.
Spherical six begins on Friday, March 21, at 9 a.m. ET / 15:00 CET / 6:30 p.m. IST.
Nicosia FIDE Girls’s Grand Prix Spherical 5 Outcomes
Anna Muzychuk has now taken over as the only real chief, whereas Harika’s hopes suffered a blow.
Nicosia FIDE Girls’s Grand Prix Standings After Spherical 5
Of the three attracts, the one with the least incident was between IM Divya Deshmukh and GM Nana Dzagnidze. The vigorous motion on the board disguised the very fact it was well-known concept, with the primary new transfer approaching transfer 24 in an already very drawish place.
The large conflict by way of the standings and total Grand Prix battle was GM Zhu Jiner vs. GM Aleksandra Goryachkina, which was an Italian that additionally adopted sharp opening concept. Zhu had a wholesome lead on the clock however might need confronted tough questions if Goryachkina hadn’t determined to take an early draw by repetition.
That draw saved Zhu half some extent forward of Goryachkina, although as we’ll see, it wasn’t sufficient to stay within the lead.
The ultimate draw, and the longest sport of the day, was IM Olga Badelka vs. GM Mariya Muzychuk, although the rook endgame towards the top wasn’t the place the thrill occurred. That was within the middlegame, the place Mariya missed a transparent likelihood to grab a big benefit.
So Mariya had purpose for remorse, however her sister’s rampage continued!
Stavroula Tsolakidou 0-1 Anna Muzychuk
Anna Muzychuk has now gained three video games in a row, and after dealing with a few of her hardest opponents.
“It’s nice, however as we speak it was a tough sport!” she commented earlier than pointing to a pawn sacrifice that she was very not sure about on the board. She allowed 11.Nxb5! within the following place.
Tsolakidou accurately went for it, however the place was equal till the Greek star burned up time on some questionable choices. Anna additionally obtained distracted by some very complicated traces, saying of her sturdy 24…h6! transfer, performed after 20 minutes: “I used to be going loopy with all these traces and ultimately, after 20 minutes, I performed h6, and I used to be like, Anna, couldn’t you play h6 in a single minute?”
It was Tsolakidou beneath stress, nevertheless, and ultimately she cracked, making the shedding transfer, 33.Qf2??, with simply seven seconds on her clock. She half-laughed as she instantly noticed what she’d finished.
Anna pounced with 33…Rxb2!, exploiting that the d2-rook is cross-pinned towards the rook on d1. Resignation adopted instantly, whereas if Tsolakidou had discovered the one transfer 33.Qe1!, the sport may simply have lasted one other hour.
The opposite decisive sport was exceptional for Black being basically misplaced on transfer six.
Elisabeth Paehtz 1-0 Harika Dronavalli
“It’s my first win in about 30 video games towards girls, so it’s breaking a protracted, lengthy streak!” mentioned Paehtz, who revealed she’d suffered allergic reactions in Germany earlier than the match after which caught the flu on arrival in Cyprus. Three losses in her first 4 video games had left her within the temper to do one thing completely different:
I made a decision to play some type of bs line—my coach didn’t even inform me to play this—however a minimum of now it’s time to have some enjoyable and play some traces normally you’ll by no means do in your life as a result of, objectively talking, this line is just not superb, however by some means I used to be fortunate that she confused the whole lot!
Paehtz’s 3.d4 within the Vienna Recreation introduced exceptional dividends, since 6…d5? was shedding on the spot.
Black simply offers up a vital central pawn, and whereas Paehtz felt it should be flawed, she wasn’t certain it was fairly as unhealthy as it’s:
I used to be certain this could’t be the transfer as a result of from the logical standpoint, they play d5 once I can’t play 0-0-0, so right here I used to be certain this was imprecise. I used to be very upset that I didn’t examine it, however alternatively, it’s not so tough as a result of the whole lot is kind of pressured.
Paehtz defined that Harika could have been confused by the truth that 5…d5 was playable a transfer earlier, however in any case, White was successful, and the German grandmaster went on to transform in spectacular type.
That was a much-needed win for Paehtz, however she defined she hasn’t modified her determination to finish her profession in classical chess this yr besides maybe for enjoying in occasional league video games.
To be sincere, I count on nothing, as a result of typically for me that is going to be my final yr anyway, so sooner or later I needed to go away the world of chess in type. I managed to go away it in a catastrophe, a minimum of to date, however, truthfully talking, I’m 40 years outdated now and I’m goal. My power degree’s not because it was earlier than, and presently I’m additionally into different companies now. I’ve a really fascinating cellphone name tomorrow. It might change one thing, it could not, however typically I wish to give attention to different issues.
That is going to be my final yr.
—Elisabeth Paehtz
Thursday is a relaxation day for the gamers, whereas Anna Muzychuk vs. Zhu Jiner on Friday can be a vital sport to start out the second half of the match.
Spherical 6 Pairings
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The 2025 Nicosia FIDE Girls’s Grand Prix is the fourth of six legs of the 2024-2025 FIDE Girls’s Grand Prix. The ten-player round-robin runs March 15-24 in Nicosia, Cyprus. Gamers have 90 minutes, plus half-hour from transfer 40, with a 30-second increment per transfer. The highest prize is €18,000 (~$20,000), with gamers additionally incomes Grand Prix factors. Every of the 20+ gamers competes in three occasions; the highest two qualify for the 2026 FIDE Girls’s Candidates Event that decides the World Championship challenger.
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