FIDE Women's Grand Prix: Humpy registers back-to-back wins

Grandmaster Koneru Humpy continued her brilliant run at the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix in Pune, securing her second straight victory with a near-flawless performance against Polina Shuvalova of FIDE.

Humpy, a former World Rapid Champion, registered an extraordinary accuracy rate of 99.7% in her fourth-round game, reaffirming her contention for a top-two finish in the prestigious series.

The highlight of Thursday's action also included an all-Indian clash between GM Dronavalli Harika and IM R Vaishali, which ended in a hard-fought draw.

Meanwhile, tournament leader Zhu Jiner of China extended her dominance by defeating IM Alina Kashlinskaya. Bulgaria’s IM Salimova Nurgyul also notched up a win against Munguntuul Batkhuyag of Mongolia.

At the end of Round 4, Humpy stands in second place on the crosstable. IM Divya Deshmukh continues to impress and is currently placed third. Harika holds the fourth spot, while Vaishali is positioned seventh.

The top two finishers in the Women's Grand Prix series will qualify for the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament 2026, making every round critical in the road ahead.

The fifth round on Friday will see yet another all-Indian showdown as Humpy faces Harika. Divya Deshmukh will challenge Shuvalova, while Vaishali takes on Munguntuul Batkhuyag. Elsewhere, Salimova will face Zhu Jiner in a high-stakes match, and Alina Kashlinskaya will play Melia Salome.

Day 4 results.

GM Koneru Humpy beat IM Polina Shuvalova

GM Dronavalli Harika drew with GM Vaishali Rameshbabu

Melia Salome beat IM Divya Deshmukh

GM Zhu Jiner beat Kashlinskaya Alina

IM Salimova Nurgyul beat Munguntuul Batkhuyag