Goryachkina's Hat Trick Gives Her Sole Lead; Divya Scores 1st Win

GM Aleksandra Goryachkina outplayed top-seed GM Tan Zhongyi with a kingside attack to win a third game in a row and take the sole lead in the 2024 Shymkent FIDE Women's Grand Prix going into the rest day. Round five saw just one draw, as IM Bibisara Assaubayeva moved into sole second by defeating GM Koneru Humpy, while IM Divya Deshmukh picked up a first win (over IM Batkhuyag Munguntuul) and IM Stavroula Tsolakidou defeated GM Elisabeth Paehtz.

Round six will start on Tuesday, November 5, at 5 a.m. ET / 11:00 CET / 3:30 p.m. IST.

Round 5 Results

Goryachkina is now the new sole leader of the Shymkent FIDE Women's Grand Prix with over half the games played.

Standings After Round 5

In Shymkent, 56 percent of the games have been decisive so far, with a three-game winning streak pushing Goryachkina into the lead. In round five she defeated the top seed, after Tan Zhongyi mistakenly castled into a kingside attack that was led by Black's g-pawn. Goryachkina commented:

"Maybe she mixed something up because the position was dangerous for her.... It was quite weird that in this relatively calm Italian I played g5 for the second game in a row!"

22.Kg1? then invited more trouble, which soon came as Goryachkina finished her opponent off with brutal efficiency.

The only other unbeaten player in Shymkent is local hero Assaubayeva, who took the sole lead by taking down Humpy.

The Indian star went for a rare opening line and then collapsed after playing the disastrous 23...f5?.

That crushing win puts 20-year-old Assaubayeva right on course to get the third grandmaster norm she needs to earn the title.

Another player for whom the full GM title is only a matter of time is 18-year-old Divya, who has already crossed the required 2500-rating. She'd had a difficult start in Shymkent, but as she explained, that wasn't unexpected since she was playing against the tournament's other four 2500+ players in the first four rounds.

"It’s been a tough one so far because I think I played all the strongest players in the first five rounds, so it’s been quite tough, some ups and downs. I think after my loss to Goryachkina, it was really tough for me to bounce back immediately because I’m playing Tan Zhongyi the next day [she drew]. I’m proud of myself—so far it’s been good!"

I'm proud of myself—so far it's been good!

—Divya Deshmukh 

Divya admitted the round-five game, which saw Munguntuul continue her record of winning with Black and losing with White, had an element of good fortune: "She actually played quite well, and I honestly just got lucky because I think until she played 36.Rd1? it was pretty much equal."

Divya was selling herself short since this was a rare case of her having a healthy advantage on the clock as well as a big positional edge, but it's true the rook move did suddenly turn an unpleasant position into a dead lost one. All the tactics worked out beautifully for Divya! 

Tsolakidou has the opposite schedule to Divya, as she now faces only 2500-rated players in the remaining four rounds, but she goes into that sequence after bouncing back from her first Grand Prix loss to defeat Paehtz in a long and complex maneuvering struggle.

We could very easily have had all-five decisive games, since GM Kateryna Lagno had IM Nurgyul Salimova on the ropes, but she missed the best lines in her opponent's time trouble and had to settle for "stopping the bleeding" with a draw after two painful losses. 

After Monday's rest day, the players return with the 2500-rated players all getting the white pieces and sure to play for wins—including Goryachkina, who can make it four wins in a row if she defeats last-placed Paehtz.

Round 6 Pairings

How to watch?

The 2024 Shymkent FIDE Women's Grand Prix is the second of six legs of the 2024-2025 FIDE Women's Grand Prix. The 10-player round-robin runs October 30-November 8 in Shymkent, Kazakhstan. Players have 90 minutes, plus 30 minutes from move 40, with a 30-second increment per move. The top prize is €18,000 (~$20,000), with players also earning Grand Prix points. Each of the 20 players competes in three events; the top two qualify for the 2026 FIDE Women's Candidates Tournament that decides the World Championship challenger.

Previous Coverage:

• Round 4: Humpy, Goryachkina Win Again To Catch Tan Zhongyi In Lead
• Round 3: Tan Zhongyi Takes Sole Lead; Humpy, Goryachkina Also Grab Wins
• Round 2: 17-Move Disaster For Paehtz As Tan Survives Scare Vs. Humpy
• Round 1: Tan, Assaubayeva, Tsolakidou Win As 2nd Women's Grand Prix Begins
• Kashlinskaya Wins Tbilisi Grand Prix, Earns 2nd GM Norm
• FIDE Women's Grand Prix 2024-2025: All The Info