Monaco Women’s Grand Prix: Humpy, Harika settle for draws; Lagno takes sole lead

Koneru Humpy and Harika Dronavalli settled for draws in the fourth round of the Monaco Women’s Grand Prix on Friday.

The draw meant Humpy went down to the second spot as Kateryna Lagno of Russia claimed the sole lead.

Humpy, who played a draw against Elisabeth Paehtz and Batkhuyag Munguntuul in the second and third rounds, played out another draw against Alexandra Kosteniuk to be at the second spot with 2.5 points.

Harika, who ceased her losing streak in the third round by claiming a draw against Lagno, had to play yet another draw against Bibisara Assaubayeva to remain at the bottom in the ten-player field.

Lagno took the lead after a breathtaking attacking game against Paehtz.

Of the day’s five games, four ended in draws, with Aleksandra Goryachkina and Zhongyi Tai, Sarasadat Khadem and Batkhuyag Munguntuul also settling for draws.

The tournament winner will be decided on February 27, with February 23 being the only rest day. The top three prizes are €18,000, €13,000, and €10,500, respectively. Alongside the prize money, players will also earn valuable Grand Prix points.