Zhu Jiner's 3rd Win In A Row Gives Her Grand Prix Pole Position

If the 2025 Grosslobming FIDE Women's Grand Prix ended on Saturday, GM Zhu Jiner's joint second place would give her overall victory in the Grand Prix series. In round five she scored a third win in a row, this time over GM Vaishali Rameshbabu, allowing GM Anna Muzychuk to increase her lead in Austria to a full point with a rollercoaster draw against GM Tan Zhongyi. IMs Nurgyul Salimova and Lela Javakhishvili picked up the day's other wins.    

Round six starts on Sunday, May 11, at 9 a.m. ET / 15:00 CEST / 6:30 p.m. IST.

Another bruising day in Austria saw three decisive games.

Grosslobming FIDE Women's Grand Prix Round 5 Results

Vaishali's loss meant that Anna Muzychuk extended her lead to a full point despite her winning streak ending at three games, while the big news for the overall Grand Prix standings was Zhu moving into the tie for second place.

Grosslobming FIDE Women's Grand Prix Standings After Round 5

GM Mariya Muzychuk was pleased with the outcome of the opening against GM Nana Dzagnidze, but then was unable to squeeze anything out of the Sicilian Rossolimo position. She made a fourth draw in five rounds, with the players repeating moves at the end of their 31-move clash. The day's other draw came in the key clash of the round and was a thriller.

Tan ½-½ Anna Muzychuk

Midway through a far-from-quiet Giuoco Piano, it seemed Anna Muzychuk was on course to score a fourth win in a row while Tan would slump to a third consecutive defeat. Things can change fast, however, and a couple of inaccuracies from Anna saw the former women's world champion take over and win a pawn. Tan had 45 minutes to her opponent's minute in the run-up to the time control, but Anna held things together to make a crucial draw.    

That draw proved important as it helped Anna extend her lead to a full point, with 130 points for sole first place enough to guarantee her a spot in the 2026 FIDE Women's Candidates Tournament that chooses the next challenger for Women's World Champion Ju Wenjun.  

FIDE Women's Grand Prix 2024-25 As It Stands

As you can see, however, Anna would no longer be first, since Zhu's share of 2nd-4th place would give her a score no one else can match. The other big news would be that GM Aleksandra Goryachkina, who was leading before Grosslobming, would miss out on one of the two spots.

Zhu 1-0 Vaishali

Zhu started with two losses in Austria, but she's already stormed back with three wins in a row. The last two have followed the same script—the players trade down into a drawish looking position, and then suddenly the 22-year-old Chinese player wins with ease.

Vaishali, who had been unbeaten, managed to navigate a complex opening, but then found herself 40 minutes down on the clock when things became critical. The final mistake was to offer a trade of queens on move 30, though by that point Black was already in a tricky position.

The remaining two wins were less important for Grand Prix standings but were very welcome for the players.

Kosteniuk 0-1 Salimova

"I managed to win a game with Black, and it was surprisingly smooth!" said Salimova. Her win came after three losses in the first four rounds. She revealed why she'd walked around outside during the game:

I just got these positive vibes while coming to the game. Usually I walk in the morning but today I overslept, so I decided to take some fresh air outside! 

That approach worked, as did complicating a position she was unhappy with by playing 12...b5!, though a helping hand was also needed. If Kosteniuk had played the cold-blooded 16.0-0!!, she would have been much better, while after 16...Be4? suddenly Black was on top. More twists followed before Salimova won a brutal miniature! 

The one remaining game was just as crushing.

Badelka 0-1 Javakhishvili

Javakhishvili had lost in round four while Badelka won, but the Georgian star bounced back immediately for the second time in the tournament, and again with the black pieces. Badelka, like Kosteniuk, failed to castle and came under heavy fire, with Javakhishvili finishing things off in spectacular style. 

Javakhishvili joins Tan on 50 percent, with both players having made just a single draw in five rounds.

Round 6 Pairings

Strangely for this final Grand Prix there's no rest day after round five, but only after round six. So on Sunday the Candidates hopefuls all have tough tests with the black pieces in Dzagnidze vs. Anna Muzychuk, Salimova vs. Tan, and Mariya Muzychuk vs. Zhu.

How to watch?

The 2025 Grosslobming FIDE Women's Grand Prix is the sixth and final leg of the 2024-2025 FIDE Women's Grand Prix. The 10-player round-robin runs May 6-15 in Grosslobming, Austria. Players have 90 minutes, plus 30 minutes from move 40, with a 30-second increment per move. The top prize is €18,000 (~$20,000), with players also earning Grand Prix points. Each of the 20+ players competes in three events; the top two qualify for the 2026 FIDE Women's Candidates Tournament that decides the World Championship challenger.

Previous Coverage:

• Round 4: Zhu Is Back As Anna Muzychuk Takes Sole Lead
• Round 3: Anna Muzychuk Catches Vaishali In Austria Grand Prix Lead
• Round 2: Vaishali, Tan Still Perfect As Anna Muzychuk Takes Down Zhu
• Round 1: Tan Zhongyi Stuns Zhu Jiner To Boost Candidates Chances
• Humpy Wins Pune Women's Grand Prix, Zhu Closes On Candidates
• Anna Muzychuk Wins Cyprus Grand Prix On Tiebreaks
• Goryachkina Wins In Monaco, Takes FIDE Women's Grand Prix Lead
• Goryachkina Wins Shymkent FIDE Women's Grand Prix
• Kashlinskaya Wins Tbilisi Grand Prix, Earns 2nd GM Norm
• FIDE Women's Grand Prix 2024-2025: All The Info