FIDE Grand Swiss 2025, Round 7: Bluebaum and Sarin take the lead as Gukesh struggles again
Round 7 of the FIDE Grand Swiss 2025 was full of drama. In the Open section, Matthias Bluebaum and Nihal Sarin now share the lead with 5.5/7. In the Women’s tournament, Vaishali Rameshbabu once again moved to the top after defeating Guo Qi. She is now on 6/7 and the sole leader.
The day began with a special moment. Señora Auxi Del Olmo, the mayor of Linares, made the first move in the Women’s top board game Stefanova–Lagno. She was joined by Javier Ochoa de Echaguen, President of the Spanish Chess Federation. Linares, a city rich in chess history, will also host the FIDE World Women’s Team Championship 2025 in November.
Nihal Sarin defeats Maghsoodloo
Parham Maghsoodloo, who had been leading the tournament for four rounds, suffered his first loss. He fell to Nihal Sarin in a tense game where both players were under time pressure. Maghsoodloo’s final mistake allowed Sarin to break through and score a crucial win. This pushed the Indian star to the shared lead.
Bluebaum outplays Erigaisi
Arjun Erigaisi also stumbled in round seven. Facing Germany’s Matthias Bluebaum, he made a costly blunder in the Catalan. By move 26, the game was already lost. This victory lifted Bluebaum into joint first place alongside Sarin.
Other key results in the Open
Anish Giri drew with Abhimanyu Mishra after a balanced rook endgame. Alireza Firouzja defeated Nodirbek Yakubboev. Meanwhile, Nodirbek Abdusattorov beat Amin Tabatabaei in style and was named player of the day.
Hans Niemann overcame 14-year-old prodigy Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus in a sharp Petrov game. Indian stars Praggnanandhaa and Vidit Gujrathi both won their games to stay close to the leaders.
But the biggest shock continues to be World Champion Gukesh D. He lost again, this time to Turkey’s Ediz Gurel. This was his third consecutive defeat, leaving him far from the top.
Vaishali shines in the Women’s Grand Swiss
Vaishali Rameshbabu played a brilliant attacking game against Guo Qi. She launched a kingside offensive that forced Black into mistakes. Her victory made her the sole leader once again and earned her player of the day honours.
Kateryna Lagno, her co-leader from the previous round, drew with Antoaneta Stefanova. She now sits in second place with 5.5 points.
Mariya Muzychuk, Bibisara Assaubayeva, and Song Yuxing all scored wins in round seven. Assaubayeva fought for 85 moves to defeat Irina Bulmaga in a long rook-and-knight endgame. Muzychuk found precise attacking moves against Afruza Khamdamova. Song Yuxing beat Ulviyya Fataliyeva in a game where the Black king was forced into the open.
Looking ahead
Round 8 of the FIDE Grand Swiss 2025 will be played on Friday, 12th September at 3 PM local time. The tournament is part of the World Chess Championship cycle, and the top two finishers in both the Open and Women’s sections will qualify for the Candidates Tournament.
The event runs from 4th to 15th September in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. With 116 players in the Open and 56 in the Women’s event, it remains one of the toughest competitions in world chess.
Photos: Michal Walusza, FIDE_Chess
Source: FIDE CHESS NEWS
