In round 9 of the FIDE Women's Grand Prix in Munich, Alexandra Kosteniuk drew with Black against Nana Dzagnidze and now leads the tournament with 7.0/9. One point behind follows Humpy Koneru who won against Elisabeth Pähtz. In round 10 on Sunday Kosteniuk and Koneru will play against each other. The symbolic first move in the game between Zhansaya Abdumalik and Dinara Wagner was made by Maja Buchholz, German Champion U16 Girls 2022. | Photos: Mark Livshitz (FIDE)
In the 8th round of the Munich Grand Prix on Friday, Alexandra Kosteniuk won against Anna Muzychuk to increase her score to 6.5/8. Nana Dzagnidze, who was second to Kosteniuk before the round, lost to Elisabeth Pähtz and dropped to third place, where she is now level on points with Pähtz. The new runner-up is Humpy Koneru after her win over Alina Kashlinskaya. Kosteniuk's lead over Humpy is 1.5 points with three rounds to go. | Photos: Mark Livshitz (FIDE)
In a round that could have been a bloodbath at the Munich Grand Prix, Nana Dzagnidze scored the only win to close the gap with tournament leader Alexandra Kosteniuk to a full point. Dzagnidze beat Alina Kashlinskaya with white, while Kosteniuk escaped with a draw in an entertaining game against Mariya Muzychuk. Like Muzychuk, Humpy Koneru missed a tactical shot that could have secured her a full point. | Photo: FIDE / Mark Livshitz
Following the rest day, players returned well-prepared to the playing hall in Munich and drew all their games in round 6 of the Women’s Grand Prix. Alexandra Kosteniuk thus kept her 1½-point lead in the standings. Importantly, Kosteniuk’s closest chasers, Humpy Koneru and Nana Dzagnidze, have yet to face the former women’s world champion. | Photo: FIDE / Mark Livshitz
The fifth round of the Munich Grand Prix saw Alina Kashlinskaya scoring her first full point. The Polish IM was losing in the middlegame, but managed to hold on and turn the tables once Mariya Muzychuk erred in a double-edged position. Meanwhile, Alexandra Kosteniuk (pictured) kept her 1½-point lead by escaping with a draw from a clearly inferior position against Harika Dronavalli. | Photo: FIDE / David Llada