FIDE WGP Round 4: Anna Muzychuk now leads the tournament
Round 4 of the 2024/2025 FIDE Women’s Grand Prix in Austria brought exciting games, bold pawn sacrifices, and major shifts in the standings. Anna Muzychuk now leads the tournament with 3.5/4, following a brilliant win over former Women’s World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk.
A Day of Pawn Sacrifices and Surprises
Out of five games, three featured dramatic pawn sacrifices. Interestingly, those who accepted the sacrifices won their games. Dzagnidze and Badelka took the pawns—and the victories. Vaishali Rameshbabu declined a pawn and had to settle for a draw.
Muzychuk’s Sharp Win Against Kosteniuk
The highlight of the round was Anna Muzychuk’s clash with Kosteniuk. Kosteniuk surprised everyone by playing the French Defense, Winawer Variation. But Muzychuk had her own surprise: 5.Qg4.
Kosteniuk made a rare move with 6…d4, followed by a critical mistake on move 9: 9…Nd5? This allowed Muzychuk to take the initiative with powerful development moves.
After a clever sequence, Muzychuk entered a winning endgame. On move 46, Kosteniuk resigned. It was a dominant performance that put Muzychuk alone at the top of the leaderboard.
Dzagnidze’s Bold Attack Overwhelms Tan Zhongyi
Nana Dzagnidze won the most exciting game of the day against Tan Zhongyi. In the English Opening, Dzagnidze sacrificed a pawn and opened the g-file to launch a stunning kingside attack.
The turning point came with the move 24.Bh8!, a brilliant and unexpected bishop sacrifice. Tan couldn’t defend, and Dzagnidze scored her first win after three draws. She now stands at 2.5/4.
Badelka’s Comeback Victory
Olga Badelka bounced back from two earlier losses by defeating Nurgyul Salimova. In an Italian Game, Salimova gave up a central pawn in exchange for active play. However, under time pressure, she blundered with 28…Qe2, allowing Badelka to take over and win. Badelka now has 2/4, while Salimova remains winless at 0.5/4.
Vaishali vs Mariya Muzychuk: A Missed Chance
Vaishali Rameshbabu had a chance to take a free pawn in the Sveshnikov Sicilian but chose a different path. After a long think, she played 16.Ne3 instead of grabbing the pawn. This allowed Mariya Muzychuk to equalize and eventually force a draw. Vaishali remains just half a point behind the leader with 3/4. Mariya stands at 1.5/4.
Zhu Jiner Capitalizes on Javakhishvili’s Blunder
Lela Javakhishvili and Zhu Jiner played the day’s longest game. It was nearly a draw until Javakhishvili made a crucial mistake with 46.Bd5?, allowing Zhu to launch a winning attack.
Zhu now has two wins in a row after starting the tournament with two losses. Javakhishvili stays at 1.5/4.
Current Standings After Round 4
Round 5 Pairings – May 10, 3 PM CET
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Mariya Muzychuk vs Nana Dzagnidze
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Zhu Jiner vs Vaishali Rameshbabu
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Olga Badelka vs Lela Javakhishvili
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Alexandra Kosteniuk vs Nurgyul Salimova
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Tan Zhongyi vs Anna Muzychuk
About the Tournament
This event in Grosslobming is the final stage of the 2024/2025 FIDE Women’s Grand Prix cycle. It features 10 players in a round-robin format across 9 rounds. Time control: 90 minutes for 40 moves, then 30 minutes for the rest, with a 30-second increment per move from the start.
Prize Fund: €120,000 shared among all players based on standings.
For details, visit: womengrandprix.fide.com
About the Women’s Grand Prix Series
The Women’s Grand Prix is a prestigious FIDE event with six tournaments in Georgia, Kazakhstan, Monaco, Cyprus, India, and Austria. Each player competes in three tournaments.
The top two players in the overall series will qualify for the 2026 Candidates Tournament. The winner of that event will challenge Ju Wenjun for the Women’s World Championship title.
Photos: Przemysław Nikiel, FIDE_chess
Source: FIDE CHESS NEWS
