Two Marathon Tiebreaks, Two Big Upsets in Round 1 @ Women’s World Cup Chess
Every heavy favourite is through to round two of the 2025 Women’s Chess World Cup, except for two: 36th-seeded WGM Zsoka Gaal lost to WIM Priyanka K in a 301-point upset, and 40th-seeded WGM Govhar Beydullayeva lost to WIM Anahita Zahedifar in a 243-point upset, both by match scores of 5-3.
Gaal had won game one of classical and lost game two. The story flipped in the first tiebreaks, where Priyanka won the first 15-minute game and lost the second game. After two 10-minute draws, Priyanka won the 5-minute games 2-0, clinching her advance.
The other match was two classical draws, followed by four straight wins by the White player. It too resolved with a 2-0 score in 5-minute games by the underdog, so Zahedifar joins Priyanka in the next round.
The top 21 players now join the bracket following their first round byes. Round two kicks off at 11:15 a.m. UTC on Wednesday. Follow along on Lichess.
Photo by Anna Shtourman / FIDE
