FIDE Grand Swiss 2025, Day 1: A Tale of Two Tournaments
Day 1 of the 2025 FIDE Grand Swiss in Samarkand opened with big contrasts. The Open section saw many draws. The Women’s section, however, was full of surprises and upsets.
A Grand Start in Samarkand
The tournament began at 3 PM with a ceremonial first move. Uzbekistan’s Alisher Sadullaev made the move on Nodirbek Abdusattorov’s board. He was joined by FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich and Chief Arbiter Laurent Freyd.
This event is known as one of the toughest Swiss tournaments in the world. Even in round one, there are no easy games.
Open Section: A Day of Draws
On the top board, India’s R Praggnanandhaa drew against Jeffery Xiong in the French Defense. Pragg admitted there are no “easy games” in such a strong field.
Arjun Erigaisi also drew with Maksim Chigaev. Ediz Gurel and Vincent Keymer split the point in the Ruy Lopez. Gabriel Sargissian had a winning position against Hans Niemann but slipped, and the game ended in a draw.
But not everyone split the point. World Champion Gukesh D scored a smooth win over Étienne Bacrot with Black in the Caro-Kann. Anish Giri defeated Robert Hovhannisyan in the Sicilian Najdorf. 2023 Grand Swiss winner Vidit Gujrathi also started strong, beating Alexander Donchenko.
Alireza Firouzja scored against Bassem Amin after a late endgame blunder. Local star Nodirbek Abdusattorov thrilled Uzbek fans by defeating Velimir Ivic in the Najdorf.
The first winner of the tournament was Aydin Suleymanli of Azerbaijan. He shocked Murali Karthikeyan with a bold queen sacrifice that led to victory.
Highlights from the Open
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World Champion Gukesh D and Anish Giri started with wins.
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Vidit Gujrathi defended his 2023 title hopes with a victory.
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Abdusattorov gave home fans plenty to cheer.
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Suleymanli produced the first brilliancy of the tournament.
Women’s Grand Swiss: Full of Upsets
The Women’s section was full of drama. Top seed Anna Muzychuk lost on time against 18-year-old Hungarian WGM Zsóka Gaál, despite having a winning position.
Teodora Injac, the European Champion, lost to Olga Badelka. Former World Champion Tan Zhongyi lost to Olga Girya after misplaying in the endgame.
Another ex-world champion, Mariya Muzychuk, also fell, losing to Xeniya Balabayeva. IM Polina Shuvalova was defeated by Ulviyya Fataliyeva.
Chinese WGM Zhai Mo scored the first win of the Women’s section, stunning Leya Garifullina with a sharp attack.
Bright Spots in the Women’s Event
2023 champion Vaishali Rameshbabu began with a win, keeping her Candidate hopes alive. Bibisara Assaubayeva beat Estonia’s Mai Narva. Nurgyul Salimova held Kateryna Lagno to a draw.
About the Event
The FIDE Grand Swiss is part of the World Championship cycle. The top two finishers in both the Open and Women’s sections qualify for the 2026 Candidates Tournament. The 2025 edition is being held from September 4–15 at the EXPO Centre in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. This year, 116 players are competing in the Open and 56 in the Women’s. The total prize fund is $855,000.
Looking Ahead
Round 2 begins on September 5 at 3 PM local time. Fans can follow the live games on FIDE’s official YouTube channel.
Photos: Michal Walusza, FIDE_Chess
Source: FIDE CHESS NEWS
