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IMAGE: India’s Koneru Humpy outwitted Bulgaria’s Nurgyul Salimova in the ninth and final round game to end on seven points. Photograph: FIDE
Indian Grandmaster Koneru Humpy won the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2024-25 (Pune leg) title by virtue of her superior tie-breaks over Zhu Jiner of China after the two players were tied for the top spot on Wednesday.
Humpy, who regained the women’s World Rapid Chess Championship after a gap of five years in New York in December last, beat Bulgarian player Nurgyul Salimova in the ninth and final-round game to end on seven points, the same as Zhu who beat Russia’s Polina Shuvalova.
“Humpy Koneru and Zhu Jiner both won their final round games and ended the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix tied for first, but it’s Humpy who takes the top spot thanks to superior tiebreaks!” wrote FIDE on ‘X’.
The 37-year-old Humpy will, however, get the same prize and Grand Prix points — 117.5 — as Zhu from the fifth leg of the tournament.
“After long time, I achieved a good result in Classical Chess and I am also gaining rating points. I have always believed that luck always favours the best player. I will be participating in a few events this year,” said Humpy.
Wildcard entrant Divya Deshmukh logged 5.5 points to finish third. The 19-year-old Indian scored four victories, three draws and lost two games — to Humpy and Zhu.
Nurgyul adopted the Slav Defence against Humpy who appeared in an attacking mood. A rook move on the 16th move by Nurgyul did not help her cause and Humpy intensified the pressure on the King side to hold advantage from the 19th move.
Nurgyul tried to defend but Humpy, a two-time Asian Games gold medallist, pressed on to win after 84 moves.
Alina Kashlinskaya employed the French Defence against Divya and the draw was sealed after 42 moves when both the players had a rook and three pawns.
The Polina versus Zhu contest started in an Italian opening where the Chinese player dominated for almost the entire duration of the 76 moves.
There are a total of six legs in the Women’s Grand Prix with each player playing a maximum of three legs.
Points are awarded based on the placings they secure. Two players with the highest cumulative points get direct entry to the Women’s Candidates.
The Candidates event is contested between eight players with the winner earning the right to challenge the world champion for the title.
The sixth and final leg is scheduled in Austria in May. The outright winner of the event will garner 130 point, while shared places will fetch lesser points.
Aleksandra Goryachkina of Russia, with 308.8 points, has virtually sealed her place for the Candidates, while Humpy has tallied 279.17 points after competing in three legs.
Ukrainian GM Anna Muzychuk has tallied 189.17 points and will play in one more event.
Results (Round 9): R Vaishali (4) drew with Melia Salome (3); Koneru Humpy (7) bt Salimova Nurgyul (3.5); Divya Deshmukh (5.5) drew with Kashlinskaya Alina (3); Shuvalova Polina (4.5) lost to Zhu Jiner (7); Dronavalli Harika (4.5) drew with Munguntuul Batkhuyag (3).
