Never move too soon – Divya and Zhu Jiner Take the Lead in Pune

Round 2 of the Pune Women’s Grand Prix brought excitement, drama, and a powerful lesson: never move too soon.

Indian star Divya Deshmukh and China’s Zhu Jiner now lead the tournament after two strong wins each. Let’s take a closer look at what happened in today’s games.

Opening Ceremony Highlights

The ceremonial first moves were made by:

• Sameer Pathak (CEO, Tech Mahindra Global Chess League)

• Niranjan Godbole (Tournament Director & Secretary, Maharashtra Chess Association)

• Santosh Gilukurai (Sports Authority of India)

Game Recaps

Divya Deshmukh 1–0 Vaishali Rameshbabu

The first decisive result came early. Playing Black, Vaishali moved too fast and blundered on move 17. Instead of 17…Re8, which would have kept things safe, she played 17…Bg4?

Divya immediately pounced with 18.Nxf6! and took control.
She later said, “It’s not really a win, she just messed up. We are human.”
A great reminder of how quickly a game can turn with one mistake.

🗣️ Watch Divya’s post-game analysis on FIDE’s YouTube channel with IM Michael Rahal.

Salome Melia 0.5–0.5 Humpy Koneru

This game was all about activity and precision. Melia played the Scotch Opening and even sacrificed a pawn for better piece control.

Humpy grabbed the pawn and asked, “Where is your compensation?”

Melia had it all planned. She fought back, traded into a queen and rook endgame, and held a draw.

⚖️ Humpy has two draws in two rounds, but tomorrow she plays White against her Indian teammate – and leader – Divya.

Polina Shuvalova 0.5–0.5 Nurgyul Salimova

Salimova bounced back after a loss by playing the risky Scandinavian Defense. It worked!

Although Shuvalova got the bishop pair, Salimova’s knight on d5 was too strong. The position stayed solid, and Shuvalova chose to go for a perpetual check.

🤝 A draw, and both players are on the scoreboard.

Harika Dronavalli 0.5–0.5 Alina Kashlinskaya

After tough losses in Round 1, both players needed a result. Harika chose an aggressive setup, and Kashlinskaya responded with the King’s Indian Defense.

They both played safely and ended the game with a threefold repetition on move 25.

🔁 Sometimes, safety is the best strategy.

Munguntuul Batkhuyag 0–1 Zhu Jiner

Zhu Jiner showed world-class endgame skills to grind down Munguntuul in a tricky double-rook endgame.

Despite an equal position around move 30, Zhu kept the pressure on. With perfect technique, she slowly squeezed out the win.

She said after the game, “Rook endgames are usually draws, but I just tried to keep up the pressure – and I won.”

👏 Zhu now joins Divya at the top of the standings with 2/2.

🎥 Catch Zhu’s post-game insights with IM Michael Rahal on FIDE’s YouTube.

Round 3 – Upcoming Pairings

Round 3 starts on Wednesday, April 16 at 3:00 PM CET in Pune.

Here are the matchups:

• Zhu Jiner vs Salome Melia

• Alina Kashlinskaya vs Munguntuul Batkhuyag

• Nurgyul Salimova vs Harika Dronavalli

• Vaishali Rameshbabu vs Polina Shuvalova

• Humpy Koneru vs Divya Deshmukh

📺 Watch the games live with expert commentary on FIDE’s YouTube channel.
📌 Visit the official website for more updates, standings, and player info.