Chess
Nicosia Women's Grand Prix: Harika, Divya play out another draw
Harika will play table topper Zhu Jiner of China, and Divya will play Russia’s Aleksandra Goryachkina in Round 3.
Harika Dronavalli (Photo credit: FIDE)
India’s Divya Deshmukh and Harika Dronavalli played out their second consecutive draws in the second round of the FIDE Women's Grand Prix 2024–25, currently underway in Nicosia, Cyprus.
Divya drew with former Women's World Champion Mariya Muzychuk of Ukraine, while Harika held the current leader, Stavroula Tsolakidou of Greece.
Divya and Mariya agreed to a draw on move forty.
“Most of the game was prepared beforehand, but in the end, I had to do some serious calculations to secure the draw. I am sure there must be many different ways to achieve it,” Divya was quoted as saying by FIDE after her game.
In the opening round, Divya and Harika played out a draw against each other.
Meanwhile, China’s Zhu Jiner was the only player to register a win in the second round. Jiner has now collected the most points and leads the standings with her second straight victory, defeating Germany’s Paehtz Elisabeth. Earlier, she had gotten the better of Olga Badelka of Belarus.
This tournament marks the Indians’ second appearance in the 2024–25 Grand Prix season. The top two players in the WGP series will qualify for the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament 2026.
On Monday, Harika will face table-topper Zhu Jiner, while Divya will take on Russia’s Aleksandra Goryachkina in the third round.
