FIDE Women’s Grand Prix Round 4: Vaishali in striking distance as Anna Muzychuk takes lead

Indian Grandmaster Vaishali Rameshbabu continued her impressive run at the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix in Austria, holding former world champion Mariya Muzychuk to a draw in Round 4.

With this result, Vaishali remains unbeaten and sits just half a point behind sole leader Anna Muzychuk, with a score of 3/4.

Vaishali, who had staged surprises in each of her first three games, found herself on the backfoot early against Mariya after choosing not to accept a free pawn – a decision that cost her the initiative. In a popular line of the Sveshnikov Sicilian, Vaishali spent close to 30 minutes before opting for 16.Ne3 instead of grabbing the free pawn. Mariya used the opportunity to equalize and gain the upper hand on the queenside.

However, just when it seemed the Ukrainian would push for a win, she surprisingly settled for a threefold repetition, allowing Vaishali to escape with a draw. It’s the second such instance for Mariya in this tournament, having previously let Salimova off the hook.

With this result, Vaishali is on 3/4, a strong position going into the second half of the tournament. She faces in-form Zhu Jiner in Round 5 – a crucial clash that could impact the leaderboard significantly.

The game of the day saw Ukraine's Anna Muzychuk defeat Alexandra Kosteniuk in a sharp Winawer French. Muzychuk caught Kosteniuk off guard early with 5.Qg4 and then punished a serious positional error on move 9 (9…Nd5?), eventually transitioning into a dominant endgame.

With 3.5/4, Anna Muzychuk now leads the tournament alone. Kosteniuk, meanwhile, languishes at 1.5/4 after her second defeat.

Standings after Round 4:

Anna Muzychuk – 3.5/4

Vaishali Rameshbabu – 3/4

Nana Dzagnidze – 2.5/4

Zhu Jiner, Olga Badelka – 2/4

Mariya Muzychuk, Alexandra Kosteniuk, Lela Javakhishvili – 1.5/4

Tan Zhongyi – 2/4

Nurgyul Salimova – 0.5/4

Round 5 Pairings (Saturday, May 10 at 3 PM CET):

Mariya Muzychuk vs Nana Dzagnidze

Zhu Jiner vs Vaishali Rameshbabu

Olga Badelka vs Lela Javakhishvili

Alexandra Kosteniuk vs Nurgyul Salimova

Tan Zhongyi vs Anna Muzychuk