FIDE Grand Swiss 2025, Round 9: Four share the Open lead as Lagno survives in the Women’s event
Round 9 of the FIDE Grand Swiss 2025 brought another dramatic day of chess battles.
In the Open section, four players now share the lead on 6.5/9:
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Matthias Bluebaum
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Alireza Firouzja
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Vincent Keymer
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Anish Giri
In the Women’s event, Kateryna Lagno continues to lead with 7/9, but only after a very lucky escape against Bibisara Assaubayeva.
Firouzja defeats Sarin in a marathon
Alireza Firouzja, playing Black, overcame Nihal Sarin in a tense Sicilian Alapin. Sarin had a strong position but missed key chances, especially a powerful knight sacrifice.
The game turned into a long and complicated endgame. Firouzja needed 82 moves and seven hours to finally secure victory.
Keymer beats Maghsoodloo
Parham Maghsoodloo, who had been leading earlier in the event, suffered his second loss in a row. Playing White in the Reti Opening, he lost to Germany’s number one Vincent Keymer.
Keymer took control with a clever bishop maneuver and eventually won after 70 moves, joining the tournament leaders.
Other key Open results
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Bluebaum drew with Abdusattorov in a balanced fight.
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Anish Giri outplayed Jorden van Foreest in the endgame.
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Hans Niemann and Abhimanyu Mishra drew after a tough bishop endgame.
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Arjun Erigaisi and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave both scored important wins, staying just half a point behind the leaders.
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Vidit Gujrathi bounced back with a win over Sargsyan.
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Nodirbek Yakubboev scored a brilliant attacking victory against Anton Demchenko.
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World Champion Gukesh D drew again, this time against Robert Hovhannisyan, and now has only two wins after nine rounds.
Women’s event: Lagno survives, Tan Zhongyi closes in
Kateryna Lagno nearly lost against Bibisara Assaubayeva. After making mistakes in the middlegame, Lagno fell into a worse position. But Assaubayeva blundered at the last moment, allowing Lagno to escape with a miraculous draw.
Elsewhere:
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Vaishali Rameshbabu held Song Yuxin to a draw and now sits on 6.5/9.
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Irina Krush defeated former Women’s World Champion Antoaneta Stefanova in a sharp English Opening.
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Tan Zhongyi continued her excellent run, scoring her third consecutive win, this time against Carissa Yip. A blunder from Yip turned the game around, and Tan took full advantage.
Round ten will feature a direct clash for the top spot: Lagno vs Tan Zhongyi.
About the FIDE Grand Swiss
The FIDE Grand Swiss is one of the most important tournaments in the World Chess Championship cycle. It runs every two years and offers direct qualification spots for the Candidates Tournament.
The 2025 edition is held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, from September 4–15.
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116 players compete in the Open.
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56 players compete in the Women’s event.
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Total prize fund: $855,000.
Fans can follow all games live on FIDE’s official YouTube channel.
Photos: Michal Walusza, FIDE_Chess
Source: FIDE CHESS NEWS
