Fighting Chess at WGP India – Zhu Jiner Leads After 3 Rounds
The Fighting Chess at WGP in Pune is full of energy and excitement! So far, 9 out of 15 games have ended with a winner — proof of the fierce competition on display.
Hosted at Amanora The Fern Hotel, the event saw chess fans gathering to watch top players battle it out and take photos with their favorites.
Today’s games had plenty of action, with three decisive results that thrilled the audience.
Special Guests and First Moves
The opening moves of today’s round were made by:
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Dr. Praniti Tilak, Trustee at Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth University
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Mr. Ashwin Trimal, Vice President of Pune District Chess Association
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Mr. Aniruddha Deshpande, Owner of Amanora Group
Now, let’s take a quick look at the matches from Round 3!
Munguntuul Batkhuyag Defeats Alina Kashlinskaya
This game ended with fireworks! Mongolia’s top female player, Munguntuul, beat Poland’s Alina Kashlinskaya in an aggressive and sharp battle.
Munguntuul used a new opening, even sacrificing a pawn to open lines toward White’s king. Alina couldn’t defend well, and soon her king was in deep trouble.
In a powerful sequence, Munguntuul traded off White’s knights and delivered a beautiful finish with checkmate threats on the a-file.
She later shared her thoughts in a post-game chat, mentioning Alina may not have had enough time to prepare properly.
Vaishali Rameshbabu Draws with Polina Shuvalova
In a balanced and careful game, Vaishali faced Polina’s Two Knights Defense. The Indian star avoided risk, likely still feeling the effects of her previous loss.
Though she got a slight edge in pawn structure, Polina equalized and the game ended in a rook endgame draw after 63 moves.
Both players played with amazing precision — 99% accuracy!
Humpy Koneru Wins Against Divya Deshmukh
Humpy came in strong with the white pieces. After two draws, she was ready to make her mark.
Playing an English Opening, she launched an early pawn push with h4–h5. Divya was caught off guard and fell into time trouble.
Humpy took advantage of Divya’s exposed king and used her strong endgame skills to seal the victory with a smooth and stylish finish.
She shared her thoughts in a post-game interview available on YouTube.
Harika Dronavalli Beats Nurgyul Salimova
Harika played the Catalan as Black and came out on top!
Salimova made a few opening mistakes and handed Harika a pawn. Harika could have ended the game faster, but she stayed calm and slowly converted her advantage into a win.
She also gave a live-stream interview after the game, sharing insights into her strategy.
Zhu Jiner Draws with Salome Melia – Still Leads
This was the most solid game of the day. Zhu Jiner played the Rossolimo Attack against Salome’s Sicilian Defense.
Salome gained a good position, but Zhu Jiner defended well and simplified into a rook ending.
The game ended in a draw after 76 moves. With this result, Zhu Jiner keeps her lead in the tournament.
Upcoming Round 4 Pairings – April 17 at 3:00 PM CET
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Salome Melia vs. Divya Deshmukh
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Polina Shuvalova vs. Humpy Koneru
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Harika Dronavalli vs. Vaishali Rameshbabu
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Munguntuul Batkhuyag vs. Nurgyul Salimova
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Zhu Jiner vs. Alina Kashlinskaya
You can watch live games and expert commentary on FIDE’s official YouTube channel.
For more updates, pairings, and tournament rules, visit the official WGP website.
Photos: Abhilash Shinde, FIDE_chess
Source: FIDE CHESS NEWS
