Indian Grandmaster Vaishali Rameshbabu continued her strong run at the 2024-25 FIDE Women’s Grand Prix in Austria, scoring a clinical win over Georgia’s Lela Javakhishvili in Round 2 to move into joint lead alongside former World Champion Tan Zhongyi.
Playing with the black pieces, Vaishali opted for the uncommon Reverse Grunfeld and caught her opponent off guard with a precise novelty – 14…Bf5 – steering the game into fresh territory. The Indian maintained steady control despite a mid-game inaccuracy, and pounced on a blunder from Javakhishvili to wrap up the game in 39 moves.
The result puts Vaishali on 1.5/2 points and marks her first win of the event after a draw in Round 1. This victory is especially significant in a tournament where every point is crucial, as it also boosts her chances in the overall Grand Prix standings.
Meanwhile, top seed Tan Zhongyi staged a dramatic comeback for the second day in a row, this time defeating Austria’s Olga Badelka. Tan was worse out of the opening after a misstep in a French Defence structure, but capitalised on a missed tactical shot by Badelka. The Chinese GM stayed resilient and eventually turned the game in her favour after a blunder by Badelka in time trouble.
The round also saw former World Champion Anna Muzychuk edge out Zhu Jiner in the longest game of the day, lasting five hours. Muzychuk is now in sole third place with 1.5 points, behind Vaishali and Tan due to tiebreaks. Zhu, after two losses in two rounds, is now at the bottom of the table.
In other games, Nana Dzagnidze and Alexandra Kosteniuk played a roller-coaster draw where both players missed chances to seal the win. Mariya Muzychuk held a slight edge but settled for a draw against Bulgaria’s Nurgyul Salimova after failing to break through opposite-coloured bishop defences.
What’s next for Vaishali?
Vaishali will face Nana Dzagnidze with the white pieces in Round 3 on May 8 (3 PM CET). A win there could give her sole lead in this crucial final leg of the Women’s Grand Prix series.