Nicosia Women's Grand Prix: Harika's early blunder proves costly, Divya holds steady

The Indian challenge at the 2025 Nicosia FIDE Women's Grand Prix saw mixed fortunes in Round 5.

GM Harika Dronavalli suffered a shocking defeat against GM Elisabeth Paehtz after a critical blunder in the opening, while IM Divya Deshmukh played out a solid draw against GM Nana Dzagnidze.

Harika, playing Black, lost almost immediately after a move-order mix-up in the Vienna Game. Her 6...d5? turned out to be a losing blunder, and Paehtz took full advantage to secure her first win in 30 games against women players.

The German grandmaster, who has already announced plans to retire from classical chess, was visibly relieved to break her losing streak. Harika, meanwhile, will need a strong comeback in the upcoming rounds to stay in contention.

On the other hand, Divya Deshmukh held steady with a well-prepared draw against Nana Dzagnidze. The game, though appearing lively, followed deep opening theory, with the first new move arriving only on move 24. It was a much-needed stabilizing result for Divya after her previous round’s loss.

Other Results:

Anna Muzychuk 1-0 Stavroula Tsolakidou: Muzychuk claimed sole lead with her third consecutive win, capitalizing on Tsolakidou's time-trouble blunder.

Zhu Jiner 1/2-1/2 Aleksandra Goryachkina: A crucial Grand Prix battle ended in a quick repetition draw.

Olga Badelka 1/2-1/2 Mariya Muzychuk: A long game where Mariya missed a key middlegame opportunity.

With a rest day on Thursday, the focus now shifts to the crucial clash between tournament leader Anna Muzychuk and Zhu Jiner on Friday, where the leaderboard could see another shake-up.

Harika will be aiming for a comeback, while Divya looks to continue her steady performance.