FIDE Women’s World Cup Day 2: Local Hero Shocks the Field!
Day 2 of the 2025 FIDE Women’s World Cup brought excitement, surprises, and brilliant chess moves.
The event is happening at the stunning Grand Bellagio Batumi Convention & Casino Hotel, right near the beach.
Kesaria Mgeladze’s Stunning Upset
15-year-old local player Kesaria Mgeladze amazed everyone by knocking out Vietnam’s experienced IM Pham Le Thao Nguyen with a score of 1.5-0.5.
Her win in the first game was enough to secure the match and make headlines.
Another unexpected elimination was IM Deysi Cori from Peru. She was defeated by WIM Wang Chuqiao with a score of 0.5-1.5.
Tension Builds as Tie-breaks Await.
Out of 43 matches, eleven ended in a tie and will be decided in tomorrow’s tie-breaks.
Tie-break matches are always tense and exciting. Players know that just one mistake can cost them the tournament.
The rules are simple:
-
Two games with 15 minutes each (plus 10 seconds increment).
-
If still tied, two more games with 10 minutes each.
-
Then two games with 5 minutes each.
-
Finally, if still level, 3-minute games until there is a winner.
Top Seeds Arriving in Batumi
Many top players haven’t started yet. They will join from July 9th.
Stars like Humpy, Harika, the Muzychuk sisters, Zhu Jiner, Lu Miaoyi, Polina Shuvalova, and Alina Kaslinskaya have already arrived and are getting ready.
Big Wins and Smart Strategies
Many rating favourites safely advanced to the second round.
Players like IM Carissa Yip, GM Bella Khotenashvili, WGM Anna Shukhman, IM Deimante Daulyte-Cornette, IM Aleksandra Maltsevskaya, and GMs Elina Danielian and Antoaneta Stefanova won both their games.
Others, including GM Anna Ushenina, IM Alice Lee, GM Irina Krush, and IM Oliwia Kiolbasa, also advanced with a win and a draw.
India’s IM Padmini Rout delivered what many called the “Move of the Day.”
She sacrificed her rook with 13…Rxc3! in a classic Sicilian exchange. This led to a strong attack and victory over Zhang Lanlin from China.
GM Valentina Gunina also progressed after winning against young CM Isabelle Ning from New Zealand.
Surprising Tie-break Matches
Some matches headed to tie-breaks unexpectedly:
-
Hungarian WGM Zsoka Gaal vs Indian WIM Priyanka K (rating gap over 300 points). Priyanka made a strong comeback today.
-
WIM Tania Miranda Rodriguez from Mexico defeated IM Klaudia Kulon from Poland with black pieces.
-
Matches like WGM Govhar Beydullayeva vs WIM Anahita Zahedifar and IM Sophie Milliet vs WIM Umida Omonova also ended in two draws.
Other matches to watch include:
-
IM Ann Matnadze Bujiashvili vs WFM Anastasia Kirtadze (1-1).
-
WGM Alinasab Mobina vs WIM Amina Kairbekova (1-1).
About the 2025 Women’s World Cup
The event runs from July 6th to July 28th in Batumi, Georgia.
It features 107 players from 46 federations, including 17 of the current top 20 female players.
They are competing for a $50,000 first prize and three spots in the next Candidates Tournament.
Fans can check full pairings and live games on the official World Cup website.
Photos: Anna Shtourman, FIDE_chess
Source: FIDE CHESS NEWS