FIDE Ladies’s Grand Prix: Koneru Humpy strikes into sole lead after beating Zhu Jiner

Indian Grandmaster Koneru Humpy defeated China’s Zhu Jiner to leap into sole lead with 5.5 factors after the seventh spherical of the FIDE Ladies’s Grand Prix in Pune on Monday.

In one other good outcome for India, Divya Deshmukh scored a crushing victory over Munguntuul Batkhuyag and together with Zhu is trailing half some extent behind Humpy.

With simply two extra rounds remaining of the 10-player spherical robin occasion, the race for the title can be amongst these three gamers.

R Vaishali and Dronavalli Harika needed to keep content material with attracts and are out of the race for the tile.

Humpy stunned in a single day chief Zhu by not taking part in the English Opening, one which she has been using extra typically right here.

It was a Queen’s Indian defence the place the gamers matched steps.

Humpy’s place appeared promising however a thirtieth knight transfer led to some exchanges together with her benefit evaporating. The Indian had bishop pair as in opposition to Zhu’s double knights with the queens nonetheless on board.

At this level Humpy had a lot much less time on her clock and Zhu tried to play quick. However the 22-year-old’s knight strayed too deep into enemy territory on the queen aspect and her queen too tried to invade on the forty fourth flip which was a blunder and she or he misplaced her knight on the very subsequent flip.

🇮🇳 Humpy Koneru takes down 🇨🇳 Zhu Jiner in a vital conflict and claims the only lead on the FIDE Ladies’s Grand Prix in Pune — with simply two rounds to go! 🔥

Outcomes | Spherical 7
🇧🇬 Nurgyul Salimova ½-½ Salome Melia 🇬🇪
🇮🇳 Vaishali Rameshbabu ½-½ Alina Kashlinskaya 🇵🇱
🇮🇳 Humpy Koneru… pic.twitter.com/ZFazkchMig

— Worldwide Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) April 21, 2025

In a last-ditch effort to blunt out the assault, Zhu as soon as once more invaded together with her queen however Humpy exchanged the queens and the Chinese language needed to half together with her knight. Zhu resigned on the fifty fifth flip.

Munguntuul performed the Slav defence in opposition to Divya and this was roughly a sport the place Divya was on the higher aspect all through.

After a hat trick of losses earlier than this sport, Mungultuul was removed from her greatest and aggressive Divya capitalised on it to take the win.

“After my twentieth transfer, I used to be in a cheerful mind set and knew I had a successful probability,” Divya stated.

Harika employed the Petroff defence in opposition to Polina and thereafter it was a stable present with each gamers preferring to alternate items at each attainable alternative.

Outcomes of Spherical 7: IM Salimova Nurgyul (3) drew IM Melia Salome(2) GM Vaishali Rameshbabu (3) drew IM Kashlinskaya Alina (2) GM Koneru Humpy (5.5) bt GM Zhu Jiner (5) IM Divya Deshmukh (5) bt GM Munguntuul Batkhuyag (2) IM Shuvalova Polina (4) drew GM Dronavalli.