The third round of the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2024-25 in Monaco saw intense battles on the boards, with three draws and two decisive outcomes. Alexandra Kosteniuk secured a crucial victory against Tan Zhongyi in a clash of former World Champions, while Aleksandra Goryachkina outlasted Bibisara Assaubayeva in a tough five-and-a-half-hour struggle.

The round began with a special guest making the ceremonial first move—Monaco basketball star Donatas Motiejūnas and his son played 1.a3 on the board of Alexandra Kosteniuk vs. Tan Zhongyi, a move that sparked smiles and set a lighthearted tone before the intense battles unfolded.

Round 3 results:

Bibisara Assaubayeva 0-1 Aleksandra Goryachkina
Harika Dronavalli 1/2-1/2 Kateryna Lagno
Elisabeth Paehtz 1/2-1/2 Sarasadat Khademalsharieh
Batkhuyag Munguntuul 1/2-1/2 Humpy Koneru
Alexandra Kosteniuk 1-0 Zhongyi Tan

Alexandra Kosteniuk - Zhongyi Tan

A clash of two former Women’s World Champions saw an exciting battle! Kosteniuk had a rough start to the event, facing critical time trouble in the first game, and not feeling too happy with her decisions in the second. However, she achieved a good position out of the opening. The middlegame became quite complex, with Black playing all the best moves up until a critical point.

19…Rf5? This seemingly active move turned out to be a serious inaccuracy, that handed White considerable advantage. After reserved 19…a6 or 19…Rc6 Black would have kept the position in balance.

Kosteniuk remarked after the game that she was confused by her opponent’s decisions. More errors by Black led to a position where White was suddenly much better. Even though Tan made multiple attempts to complicate things and make them as difficult as possible for her opponent, particularly in mutual time trouble, Kosteniuk responded accurately to every threat, transitioning into a position with a queen and two extra pawns, against Black’s knight and rook.

In an endgame that ensued, Kosteniuk showcased her great technique, crashing all Black’s hopes to build a fortress. In an interview yesterday, Kosteniuk noted that she plays tournaments to enjoy chess and play her best, as she already has so many titles under her belt. This healthy mindset coupled with her vast experience always makes her an interesting player to watch, particularly in this event, as she has picked herself up to score an important victory.

Bibisara Assaubayeva - Aleksandra Goryachkina

The highly anticipated clash between Grand Prix leader Assaubayeva and Leg 2 winner Goryachkina delivered an intense, strategic battle. The game followef an English Opening, with both players navigating unfamiliar territory.

White advanced on the kingside while Black countered on the queenside. Despite Assaubayeva securing a protected passed pawn in the middlegame, the position remained closed and difficult to break through.

Assaubayeva missed the strong 21.Ba3, which would have significantly improved her worst-placed piece by activating the bishop and exerting pressure on Black’s position. Instead, 21.Bd2 was played, resulting in a prolonged maneuvering battle where neither side could make immediate progress. As the game evolved and the queenside began to open up, Goryachkina gradually took control.

Even though the engine assesses this as -3, it is still not easy, a fact that is compounded when you take into consideration that both sides were playing with under two minutes left on their clock. For this reason, both sides exchanged inaccuracies as tension was extremely high. Goryachkina, with experience on her side, remained calm and composed, picking up important pawns to execute a victory. After her first-round loss to Kateryna Lagno, this win puts her back in the running to have a successful tournament. I want to note that this game was played over five and a half hours!

Harika Dronavalli - Kateryna Lagno

A solid line of the King’s Indian Defense led to a comfortable position for White. While Dronavalli had a chance to press for an edge, she missed a good opportunity to build up pressure on move 20 and opted for a seemingly active but wrong continuation, which lead to multiple trades and an equal position. A threefold repetition sealed the draw.

This result was significant for Dronavalli, as it ended her two-game losing streak. After yesterday’s tough loss, stabilizing against one of the tournament leaders was a confidence-boosting result. For Lagno, a draw with Black is a solid outcome, allowing her to conserve energy for upcoming rounds.

Elisabeth Paehtz - Sarasadat Khademalsharieh

The opponents tested the Exchange Variation of Ruy Lopez that quickly led to a queenless game in which neither side pushed hard. Black had an opportunity to gain a slight advantage, but it was hardly enough to make further progress. The only winner in Round 2, Sara has performed much better than her first Grand Prix leg in Tbilisi, whilst Elisabeth is also in better form compared to her Shymkent showing.

Batkhuyag Munguntuul - Humpy Koneru

While this game ended in a draw, it was full of exciting tactical opportunities. The key moment came in the early middlegame:

In this position, after thinking for 16 minutes, Munguntuul played a timid 14.Be2? instead of launching a dangerous kingside attack with 14.Ng5! In the line 14…g6 15.Qf4 White has a great attacking opportunities, whereas 14…h6 15.Nh7 Re8 16.Qf4 is equally unpleasant for Black. White has ideas of bringing the rook to the chaos with Rae1-e3 and Nf6+! ripping black kingside open.

In a post-game interview, Munguntuul admitted she had considered Ng5 but decided against it, fearing excessive risk. Choosing the safer Be2, she steered the game toward a balanced endgame, and a draw was eventually agreed upon.

Standings after Round 3

1	GM	Humpy Koneru	IND	2523	2
2	IM	Sarasadat Khademalsharieh	ESP	2458	2
3	IM	Batkhuyag Munguntuul	MGL	2331	2
4	GM	Kateryna Lagno	FID	2515	2
5	GM	Alexandra Kosteniuk	SUI	2484	1½
	GM	Aleksandra Goryachkina	FID	2546	1½
7	GM	Elisabeth Paehtz	GER	2427	1½
8	GM	Zhongyi Tan	CHN	2561	1
9	IM	Bibisara Assaubayeva	KAZ	2492	1
10	GM	Harika Dronavalli	IND	2489	½

Round 4 pairings and dates

The fourth round of the third leg in the 2024/25 Women’s Grand Prix series starts on Friday, February 21st at 15:00 CET local time in Monte-Carlo, Monaco.

Round 4 pairings:

Aleksandra Goryachkina - Zhongyi Tan
Humpy Koneru - Alexandra Kosteniuk
Sarasadat Khademalsharieh - Batkhuyag Munguntuul
Kateryna Lagno - Elisabeth Paehtz
Bibisara Assaubayeva - Harika Dronavalli

More information about the event, including the regulations and details of the pairings, as well as live games can be found on the official website: womengrandprix.fide.com.

You can follow the games live and watch the action with our wonderful commentators GM Alojzije Jankovic & IM Almira Skripchenko on YouTube.

Written by Charlize van Zyl

Photos: Niki Riga