FIDE Grand Swiss 2025, Round 10: Five Players Share the Lead Before the Final Battle
Round 10 of the FIDE Grand Swiss 2025 ended with high drama. In the Open section, all top five boards finished in draws, leaving five players tied at the top with 7 points out of 10. In the Women’s tournament, Vaishali Rameshbabu staged a brilliant comeback to rejoin Kateryna Lagno in the lead.
With only one round left, the race for the two Candidates spots in both events is wide open.
The Open Tournament
Firouzja vs Giri
On board one, Alireza Firouzja and Anish Giri chose safety. Their Sicilian battle lasted only 17 moves before ending in a threefold repetition. Both preferred to save their strength for the final round.
Keymer vs Bluebaum
The big drama came on board two. Vincent Keymer had a winning position against Matthias Bluebaum. A precise knight move could have secured victory, but he chose the wrong continuation. Later, a critical blunder on move 54 cost him everything. Bluebaum escaped with a draw and stays among the leaders.
Other Top Boards:
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Yu Yangyi vs Arjun Erigaisi ended in a draw despite early chances for White.
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Abhimanyu Mishra and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave also split the point.
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Nodirbek Abdusatorrov survived against Nihal Sarin in a dangerous position to hold a draw.
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Hans Niemann’s Big Win
The star of the round was Hans Niemann. He defeated R Praggnanandhaa in a sharp Sicilian game. Pragg collapsed under time trouble, and Niemann finished with clean tactics. This win lifts Niemann into shared 2nd–4th place, giving him a real shot at qualifying for the Candidates.
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Other Highlights:
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Veteran Vasyl Ivanchuk impressed with a beautiful tactical finish against Jonas Bjerre.
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World Champion Gukesh finally broke his winless streak by defeating Gabriel Sargissian, though he remains far from the top with 5/10.
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The Women’s Tournament
The women’s event saw just one decisive game among the leaders – but it was the most important one.
Vaishali vs Muzychuk
Vaishali showed incredible resilience. Despite being worse for most of the game, she fought back after Mariya Muzychuk blundered in time trouble. Vaishali pounced on the mistake and converted her advantage. With this win, she climbs back to 7/10, tied with Kateryna Lagno.
Lagno Holds Steady: Lagno drew against Tan Zhongyi. She gained a pawn but could not push further.
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Other Results:
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Song Yuxin and Bibisara Assaubayeva drew their game.
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Ulviyya Fataliyeva beat Olga Girya in a long battle, keeping slim hopes alive for a top finish.
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Irina Krush also drew her game, staying in contention.
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With 7 points each, Vaishali and Lagno lead going into the final round, followed closely by Tan, Assaubayeva, Yuxin, and Fataliyeva on 6.5 points.
What’s Next?
The final round of the Grand Swiss 2025 takes place on Monday, 15th September at 2 PM local time. The closing ceremony and prize awards will follow in the evening.
Two spots for the 2026 Candidates Tournament are still up for grabs in both the Open and Women’s events. Every move in Round 11 will matter.
Stay tuned – chess history is about to be written in Samarkand.
Photos: Michal Walusza, FIDE_Chess
Source: FIDE CHESS NEWS
