FIDE Grand Swiss R3: Maghsoodloo and Vaishali Emerge as Sole Leaders

Lichess Coverage

Lichess will produce in-depth blog posts with annotations for each round of the 2025 FIDE Grand Swiss. WIM Silvia Raluca Sgîrcea will annotate the games from the Women's Grand Swiss and GM Renier Castellanos Rodriguez will annotate the games from the Open Grand Swiss. Lichess will also create videos for each round of the tournament, with interviews and other types of content. Keep an eye on our socials for the videos!

Annotations by GM Renier Castellanos Rodriguez

Annotations by WIM Silvia Raluca Sgîrcea

Open Overview

GM Parham Maghsoodloo emerges as the sole leader with 3/3 after his win against GM Alireza Firouzja, closely followed by GMs Mishra, Gumularz, Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa, Abdusattorov, and Erigaisi with 2.5 points.

The Top 10 Boards

GM Parham Maghsoodloo continued his strong performance, this time against no other than GM Alireza Firouzja. In a Najdorf game, Black was able to consistently build on an edge throughout most of the game. The critical moment would however be a probably too ambitious counterplay attempt; Black had managed to get a pawn majority, and later a passed pawn on the kingside, while also threatening to take the g4-pawn. Now, an engine probably won't worry too much about it and claim equality, but it puts some pressure on white, and patience - and an accurate plan - are required. Firouzja decided to rush his queenside counterplay instead, by sacrificing an exchange, aiming to get two connected passed pawns. However, with Black’s king being nearby, and White’s knight being unable to help on two different sides of the board, supporting the white passed pawns, while also containing black’s own passed pawn, this counterplay attempt proved rather ineffective - Firouzja was soon forced to resign.

Michal Walusza/FIDE

In a complicated endgame with the advantage slipping a few times, GM Arjun Erigaisi eventually emerged as the winner against GM Anton Demchenko. Erigaisi was able to steadily build on his middlegame edge, into an advantageous endgame. However, the game was far from over, as Demchenko still maintained some rook activity, and the pawn structure was definitely not trivial to handle. Indeed, White allowed Black a couple of opportunities to hold the draw - a task that was not, by any means, easier than White converting the win, as it would require tremendous accuracy in a fairly passive position one can only defend. At the end, the game was decided by a tactical oversight, as Black would have to give up a full rook due to an unusual mating motif with White’s pawn, knight and rook cooperating.

In another game decided by an endgame mistake, GMPraggnanandhaa R won a rook and queen endgame against GM Boris Gelfand. White managed to maintain equality throughout most of the game, and even having a slightly preferable position at some points, due to Black’s restricted light-squared bishop against White’s knight with likely more potential - this advantage was probably more aesthetic though - converting it into anything meaningful would be extremely difficult, if at all possible. Black, on the other hand, had some pressure on h2, largely of similar value. The simplification, that followed, only benefited Black, as any disadvantage was resolved with the light pieces and an exchanged pair of rooks, while Black had a bit more active play. The game was decided by a natural looking - yet catastrophic - move played under time pressure. 60.Rg3 interferes with Black's queen with a tempo, while also protecting the e3-pawn. But it allowed Praggnanandhaa to force a winning rook endgame, exchanging queens and creating an advanced passed pawn, leaving White with no defence after 65...Re3!.

Unusual opening position? Strong preparation? We must be looking for the game between GM Daniil Yuffa and GM Gukesh D. With a rare variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined on the board, the two players entered uncharted territory, already by move 11. Gukesh, however, definitely knew what he was signing up for - he was able to exploit Yuffa’s inaccurate opening play, leaving him with no reasonable choices that would keep the material or positional balance. White gave up a piece, and Black skillfully converted without allowing any reasonable opportunity for counterplay.

Michal Walusza/FIDE

GM Yağız Kaan Erdoğmuş was likely the upset of Round 2, getting a draw against Gukesh despite the reigning World Champion’s advantage during the game. Now he found himself on the other side of slipped advantages in his game against GM Vincent Keymer for Round 3. Despite White getting better out of the opening and building a middlegame advantage, Keymer was able to maneuver creatively and evaporate it, taking advantage of both his higher experience and the clock. A possible winning opportunity would come when Keymer sacrificed an exchange in the endgame - however, with both players playing on increment, it would be very hard for a player to accurately navigate a chaotic position and convert it. The game eventually ended in a draw, leaving both players with 2/3.

In a mostly balanced game, GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov was able to outplay his opponent, GM Puranik Abhimanyu in the endgame. White had a slight edge, largely due to the isolated d-pawn and a bit more active piece placement, Black attempted to re-route his knight with 38...Nb8, aiming to play Nc6. But this was blundering a pawn, after Qc4 (covering the c4-square while also threatening the a6-pawn, dropping which would not fare well for Black) - Nxd4. In the fairly long endgame grind that followed, Abdusattorov proved that this advantage was enough to build on and convert it into a full point, winning in a game that lasted 82 moves.

In the game between GM Anish Giri and Frederik Svane, with the Italian on the board, Black was able to gain the initiative in an advantageous position by sacrificing a piece for two pawns. Svane was however not able to find a way to continue his attack, while also low on time, and decided to concede to a draw by repetition.

The American youngster, GM Abhimanyu Mishra was able to continue his positive performance so far, winning his game against GM Yu Yangyi. In a Petrov’s Defence, with opposite-side castling, Mishra managed to get an edge early on, while pressuring Black’s kingside through the semi-open g-file and the marching h-pawn. The critical moment would come when Black decided to capture the h-pawn - an important tactical oversight, as after f4, Black has to give up a queen for a bishop and a rook. Mishra was able to convert the resulting position, winning the game.

The game between GM A.R. Saleh Salem and GM Ian Nepomniachtchi, as well as GM Leon Luke Mendonca and GM Maxime Vachier - Lagrave ended in quiet draws by move 30.

Notable Games

Tennyson Ewomazino Olisa, the only untitled player of the event, was able to get a draw against GM Abdimalik Abdisalimov, neutralizing his opponent’s advantage.

Women's Overview

GM Vaishali Rameshbabu scores a sharp win against IM Olga Badelka, being the sole leader with 3/3, while the rating favourites GM Tan Zhongyi, Mariya Muzychuk, and Kateryna Lagno bounce back from their round 1 upsets and get back to the race. WCM Madinabonu Khalilova gets a draw against GM Anna Muzychuk, who has had a fairly shaky start, after Muzychuk’s endgame blunder in an otherwise winning position.

The Top 10 Boards

In a Pirc game, with early time trouble for both players and White on the attack, GM Vaishali Rameshbabu emerges as the winner against her opponent IM Olga Badelka. After a fairly balanced opening, White managed to seize the initiative later in the middlegame - and achieved a much more pleasant position to play. Already being under pressure, Badelka’s 26...Nfxd5 would prove to be a fatal mistake. As at the end of the line, 28...Qxd5 is not possible due to 29. Bc4!! - and Black must give up her queen in sight of Ng6+! followed by Qh4 - White is not only material up, but her attack is also sped up. Vaishali was able to masterfully convert this position into the full point, with her opponent soon forced to resign.

The game between GM Bibisara Assaubayeva and IM Ulviyya Fataliyeva ended in a draw, albeit not quite the totally dry, peaceful and uneventful kind of it. In a Four Knights Sicilian, White opted for a variation sacrificing 2 pawns in an attempt to get the initiative and better piece placement in a dynamic compensation. Black, however, didn’t allow any active play opportunities for White; Assaubayeva regained the sacrificed pawns and, despite the imbalanced pawn structure, neither side managed to make any meaningful progress and the game eventually ended in a draw

Michal Walusza/FIDE

Despite WGM Xeniya Balabayeva being the one with an edge throughout the middlegame, it was GM Kateryna Lagno who eventually managed to emerge as the winner in the game on board 3. Balabayeva achieved a slightly better structure and piece activity, both of which Lagno was able to counter. On the other hand, the threat of queenside progress by Black, with eventually creating a passed pawn, was always lingering. With Balabayeva playing on increment, 35.Rxe4 (instead of Qxe4, or simply ignoring the pawn for now and improving her position with Qd2) would prove a catastrophic mistake. Lagno, by pinning the rook, forced White to spend critical time untangling her pieces, while she continued with her queenside plan, eventually winning the game.

In an opposite-side castling position, deviating early on from the French’s Tarrasch Variation mainlines, IM Song Yuxin was able to achieve a spectacular win against IM Vantika Agrawal, showcasing a high level of opening preparation. Capitalizing on a series of natural looking, but inaccurate moves by Black, White was able to regroup her pieces, launching a queenside attack. With a temporary bishop sacrifice, Song Yuxin was able to open up her opponent’s king, with Black soon resigning in sight of a forced mate.

Michal Walusza/FIDE

In a Closed Sicilian taking an unexpectedly sharp turn, IM Dinara Wagner was able to win vs IM Meruert Kamalidenova, despite navigating a sharp, complicated middlegame with significant time disadvantage. Kamalidenova captured an extra pawn, and later a piece, however Wagner had an overwhelming initiative, and multiple tactical threats and mating motifs for White to be mindful of. With skillful interferences with her rook, Black kept the opponent’s queen out of play, away from the defence, without creating any threats herself. Wagner eventually reclaimed the piece and Kamalidenova was forced to additionally give up an exchange to deal with her opponent’s threats. The passed d-pawn could be a possible counterplay asset, even if most likely not a serious one. However, Wagner decided to give back an exchange for this pawn, possibly to avoid any complications, while still in time trouble, simplifying into a better queen endgame, and eventually winning pawn endgame, converting into a win.

https://lichess.org/study3/ImZ7d1yu/zFga7AyD#0

GM Mariya Muzychuk was able to exploit her opponent’s, WGM Shrook Wafa's, unsound piece sacrifice and convert it into her 2nd win of the tournament, by securing her king and the extra material. Muzychuk grasped the opportunity to force a queen exchange and deprive any counterplay chances by a thematic 31.Qxf7+, followed by a Ng5+ fork if Black takes the queen. Wafa attempted to avoid it by Kh8, which was losing more material after Rh5, threatening both the queen and checkmate on h7 - Black then resigned.

GM Tan Zhongyi achieved a brilliant positional win against her opponent, IM Lilit Mkrtchian, also climbing back to 2/3. With Black attempting a challenging, but fairly uncommon approach to the Agincourt Defense, the two players navigated uncharted waters. Tan already gave up an exchange at move 16 for a very solid positional compensation. With passive pieces, and no open files that can realistically be exploited, it would be White that struggled to find a reasonable plan. While Black, with superior piece activity and one - later two - queenside passed pawns, had a much more natural play and the initiative. Mkrtchian was not able to find any successful counterplay attempt - and was soon forced to resign in a hopeless position, followed by losing material.

GM Olga Girya, despite achieving an advantageous position in the opening against WIM Guldona Karimova, was not able to convert, with the game ending in a draw, while the games between GM Stefanova Antoaneta and WGM Maili-Jade Ouellet, as well as WGM Zhai Mo against WIM Afruza Khamdamova ,were balanced and mostly uneventful draws.

Notable Games

WGM Zsoka Gaal was able to hold the draw, despite the disadvantageous pawn structure, and make a promising start to the tournament in a game against GM Alexandra Kosteniuk, who has still not been able to get her first win of the event.

Flashy Games

In a King’s Indian Defence with opposite-side castling, IM Stavroula Tsolakidou seized the opportunity to unleash an attack against her opponent, IM Eline Roebers, sacrificing an exchange to get the initiative and a strong attack against an exposed king - later getting 2 pawns back and to convert her dynamic advantage into a winning pawn endgame.

Pairings for Round 4 (Top 10 Boards)

Open:

Women's: