Russian Grandmaster Aleksandra Goryachkina won the third leg of the Women’s Grand Prix here on account of a better tie-breaker score after three players were tied on the same points.
The top three contenders — Goryachkina, Kazakhstan’s Bibisara Assaubayeva, and Zhu Jiner of China — all drew their final round games on Wednesday and finished on six points. But after the tie-breaker, Goryachkina was awarded the first place. The tournament was the third in a series of four which make up the Women’s Grand Prix (WGP). Altogether 16 players are taking part in the series, with each participating in three of the four tournaments.
The two players who score the highest number of cumulative points in the series shall qualify for the FIDE Women Candidates Tournament 2023-24. The next and final event in the Women’s Grand Prix cycle will be held in Cyprus between May 15 and 28.
All India Chess Federation (AICF) president Dr Sanjay Kapoor said: “It’s a great honour for India to host such a big event. This shows the position of the country in the chess world. “I would also like to thank FIDE and FIDE president Arkady Dvorkovich. And also credit must be given to the All India Chess Federation (AICF) for moving very fast and I am confident that the competition will be a great success.”
