Spice in Round 2 @ Women’s World Cup Chess
The top seeds have joined in for round two of the 2025 Women’s Chess World Cup, and many of them did not get off to their strongest start. Out of 17 matchups with a greater than 100-point difference between the players, there were eight draws, and one highlight result: IM Meruert Kamalidenova defeated 6th-seed Aleksandra Goryachkina in superb fashion.
Playing as White in a symmetrical Berlin, Kamalidenova built up a significant advantage early in the middlegame, as Goryachkina pondered how to play against White’s two raking bishops. Some messiness on the kingside resolved into an endgame where White had a bishop and two connected passed pawns for a rook.
Black momentarily succeeded in presenting a complication for her opponent. White blundered in the above position, where the only move is 43. f4!, giving up the b-pawn outright. Instead 43. dxc5?? Rxb2+ 44. Kg3 Ra2! would play towards a draw, with Black winning the a-pawn, and Stockfish suggesting that a timely return exchange sacrifice on e5 would ruin White’s pawns and save the game.
But Black played 44. …Rb3??, White unpinned on the third rank with 45. Kh4!, and she made no further mistake in converting for a tremendous victory.
Each round begins at 11:15 a.m. UTC, including the second games of round two on Thursday. Follow along on Lichess.
Photo by Anna Shtourman / FIDE
