FIDE Grand Swiss 2025, Day 4: Lagno joins Vaishali at the top, Maghsoodloo stays in the lead
Day 4 FIDE Grand Swiss in Samarkand was quieter compared to the earlier rounds. Most games on the top boards in both the Open and Women’s events ended in draws.
In the Open, Iranian GM Parham Maghsoodloo remains the sole leader with 3.5 points. He is closely followed by 13 players, all just half a point behind.
In the Women’s section, Kateryna Lagno scored a powerful win and now shares the lead with Vaishali Rameshbabu.
Open Section Highlights
On the top board, Maghsoodloo played White against Nodirbek Abdusattorov. They fought in the Queen’s Gambit Accepted, and after 4.5 hours of sharp play, only the two kings were left on the board. Result: draw.
On board two, R Praggnanandhaa pressed hard against Abhimanyu Mishra, the youngest GM in history. Despite being a pawn up, Pragg could not break through and had to settle for a draw.
A thrilling all-German battle unfolded between Vincent Keymer and Frederik Svane. Keymer spotted a brilliant tactic with 25.Bxc5!!, but later lost precision. Still, he regrouped, reached a winning endgame, and claimed the full point.
Vidit Gujrathi missed a golden chance against Vasyl Ivanchuk. Vidit reached a winning rook endgame but misplayed it, allowing Ivanchuk to escape with a draw.
World Champion Gukesh D drew with Arjun Erigaisi in the Catalan. After a tough loss on Day 3, Alireza Firouzja also drew, this time with Szymon Gumularz in just 25 moves.
In a French derby, Marc’Andria Maurizzi upset Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (MVL). MVL had attacking chances but missed the killer blow with 30.Qh4!. Instead, he blundered and eventually lost in 38 moves.
The day’s biggest surprise came from Divya Deshmukh, who defeated Africa’s No.1, Bassem Amin. Divya punished a blunder and was named the player of the day in the Open.
Women’s Section Highlights
The Women’s event saw more decisive games than the Open. After four rounds, Vaishali Rameshbabu and Kateryna Lagno share the lead with 3.5 points each.
On the top board, Vaishali held a solid draw with Dinara Wagner.
On board two, Lagno played brilliantly against Song Yuxin. Her pawn push 21.f6! trapped Black’s king in the center, and soon Lagno’s rooks invaded. After 26 moves, her opponent was paralyzed. For this dominant win, Lagno was named player of the day in the Women’s event.
Former World Champion Tan Zhongyi fought a roller-coaster battle with Nurgyul Salimova. After risky sacrifices and mistakes on both sides, the game ended in a draw.
Alina Kashlinskaya and Bibisara Assaubayeva continued their run of draws, agreeing to their third in a row.
Another upset came when Mariya Muzychuk, a former Women’s World Champion, lost to Ulviyya Fataliyeva of Azerbaijan. Fataliyeva now joins the chasing pack of players on three points, along with Wagner, Khamdamova, Stefanova, and Bulmaga.
About the Event
The FIDE Grand Swiss is part of the World Chess Championship cycle. It’s one of the toughest tournaments because of its open Swiss format.
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Started in 2019, with the women’s event added in 2021
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Played every two years
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Features 116 players in the Open and 56 players in the Women’s event
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Prize fund: $855,000 ($625,000 Open, $230,000 Women’s)
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The top two finishers in each section qualify for the 2026 Candidates Tournament
The 2025 edition runs from September 4–15 at the EXPO Centre in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. FIDE Official YouTube Channel.
Photos: Michal Walusza, FIDE_Chess
Source: FIDE CHESS NEWS
