Humpy or Jiner, Who will win Pune GP?
GM Koneru Humpy salvaged a draw from a lost position against IM Alina Kashlinskaya (POL) in Round 8 of FIDE Pune GP 2025. Meanwhile, GM Jiner Zhu (CHN) got the better of IM Divya Deshmukh. It means both Humpy and Jiner are now sharing the lead 6/8. If they both end up having the same score after the final round, Humpy will become the champion as her tie-break score is better. However, if they both lose and Divya defeats Alina in the last round then she might claim a podium finish. GM R Vaishali missed a win after an interesting rook sacrifice against IM Nurgyul Salimova (BUL). GM Harika Dronavalli had a 116-move prolonged draw against IM Melia Salome (GEO). Round 9 starts today at 2 p.m. IST. Photos: Anmol Bhargav
Humpy salvages a draw, Jiner bounces back
GM Koneru Humpy will keep a keen eye on GM Jiner Zhu's (CHN) game in the final round as she will have to replicate the same result as Jiner. Humpy's best case scenario is just go play for a win because if she beats IM Nurgyul Salimova (BUL), she will become champion, irrespective of Jiner's result.
Alina - Humpy: 0.5-0.5
GM Koneru Humpy (2528) has never lost a Classical rated game against IM Alina Kashlinskaya (POL, 2496). Humpy won two and drew the other one. In this game, Alina was better for the majority of the game until he she made an incorrect offer of a rook trade.
49.Rdd5 keeps the e5-pawn defended. Instead, White made the mistake of playing 49.Rb7? Rxb7 50.axb7 Nc5 Black is out of danger and she went on to draw the game.
Nurgyul - Vaishali
GM R Vaishali (2484) found the exciting rook sacrifice 36...Rxf3! to expose the white king. 37.gxf3 Qxf3+ 38.Kh2 Rd3 39.Qb1 Qf2+ 40.Kh1 Qf3+ 41.Kh2 Ng6 bringing the last piece in the action 42.Rh5 Nf4 43.Ra2 Ne2? allowed IM Nurgyul Salimova (BUL, 2402) to save the game 44.Be5 Qf2+ 45.Kh1 Qf3+ 46.Kh2 Qf2+ 47.Kh1 Qf3+ and the game ended in a draw by perpetual check.
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Prizes
Total prize fund is €80000. The top three prizes are €18000, €13000 and €10500 each. The top three GP points are - 130, 105 and 85. For more details, check out the regulations below.
Schedule
The tournament will take place from 14th to 23rd April 2025. Sole rest day is on Saturday 19th April.
Round 8 results
| Bo. | No. | Rtg | White | Result | Black | Rtg | No. | PGN | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | 2293 | IM | Melia, Salome | ½ - ½ | GM | Dronavalli, Harika | 2488 | 9 | PGN | ||
| 2 | 1 | 2361 | IM | Batkhuyag, Munguntuul | ½ - ½ | IM | Shuvalova, Polina | 2500 | 8 | PGN | ||
| 3 | 2 | 2525 | GM | Zhu, Jiner | 1 - 0 | IM | Divya, Deshmukh | 2460 | 7 | PGN | ||
| 4 | 3 | 2496 | IM | Kashlinskaya, Alina | ½ - ½ | GM | Koneru, Humpy | 2528 | 6 | PGN | ||
| 5 | 4 | 2402 | IM | Salimova, Nurgyul | ½ - ½ | GM | Vaishali, Rameshbabu | 2484 | 5 | PGN |
Standings after Round 8
| Rk. | SNo | Name | FED | Rtg | Pts. | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | GM | Koneru, Humpy | IND | 2528 | 6 | 5 | 24,25 | 4 | |
| 2 | 2 | GM | Zhu, Jiner | CHN | 2525 | 6 | 3 | 20,50 | 5 | |
| 3 | 7 | IM | Divya, Deshmukh | IND | 2460 | 5 | 5 | 16,25 | 4 | |
| 4 | 8 | IM | Shuvalova, Polina | FID | 2500 | 4,5 | 5 | 14,25 | 2 | |
| 5 | 9 | GM | Dronavalli, Harika | IND | 2488 | 4 | 5 | 15,50 | 1 | |
| 6 | 5 | GM | Vaishali, Rameshbabu | IND | 2484 | 3,5 | 4 | 12,75 | 1 | |
| 7 | 4 | IM | Salimova, Nurgyul | BUL | 2402 | 3,5 | 3 | 12,00 | 1 | |
| 8 | 10 | IM | Melia, Salome | GEO | 2293 | 2,5 | 4 | 11,00 | 0 | |
| 9 | 3 | IM | Kashlinskaya, Alina | POL | 2496 | 2,5 | 3 | 9,75 | 0 | |
| 10 | 1 | IM | Batkhuyag, Munguntuul | MGL | 2361 | 2,5 | 3 | 7,25 | 2 |
Round 9 pairings
| Bo. | No. | Rtg | White | Result | Black | Rtg | No. | PGN | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 2484 | GM | Vaishali, Rameshbabu | IM | Melia, Salome | 2293 | 10 | ||||
| 2 | 6 | 2528 | GM | Koneru, Humpy | IM | Salimova, Nurgyul | 2402 | 4 | ||||
| 3 | 7 | 2460 | IM | Divya, Deshmukh | IM | Kashlinskaya, Alina | 2496 | 3 | ||||
| 4 | 8 | 2500 | IM | Shuvalova, Polina | GM | Zhu, Jiner | 2525 | 2 | ||||
| 5 | 9 | 2488 | GM | Dronavalli, Harika | IM | Batkhuyag, Munguntuul | 2361 | 1 |
