Goryachkina, Munguntuul Catch Lagno As Harika Scores 1st Win

GM Aleksandra Goryachkina and IM Batkhuyag Munguntuul won in the penultimate round of the 2025 Monaco FIDE Women's Grand Prix to catch leader GM Kateryna Lagno, who made a quick draw against GM Koneru Humpy. GM Tan Zhongyi beat IM Bibisara Assaubayeva to stay in the hunt for first place, half a point off the leaders together with Humpy. GM Harika Dronavalli scored her first win of the event, defeating GM Alexandra Kosteniuk to climb out of last place.  

The ninth and final round starts one hour earlier on Thursday, February 27, at 8 a.m. ET / 14:00 CET / 6:30 p.m. IST.

Monaco FIDE Women's Grand Prix Round 8 Results

The round-eight results left a three-way tie for first place, and five players still in contention going into the final round.

Monaco FIDE Women's Grand Prix Standings After Round 8

Lagno had played for six hours and 107 moves in round seven, so that a 21-move draw by repetition that kept her half a point ahead of her opponent, Humpy, can't have seemed a bad idea. It did give others a chance to catch her, however, and this time two players stepped up! 

Goryachkina 1-0 Khadem

Goryachkina won the previous Grand Prix, in Shymkent, Kazakhstan, with an unbeaten +5, and if she hasn't quite reached those heights in Monaco she now goes into the final round as the only player to have won three games. She notched the latest win against IM Sara Khadem, who has now lost three games in a row, including resigning in a drawn position in round seven.

At least at first, she didn't seem to be suffering from recollections of that misfortune.

It's good to see Sara Khadem smiling before Round 8 after yesterday's mishap of resigning in a drawn position! https://t.co/PXANR7F8sO pic.twitter.com/MxlwWNXWph

— chess24 (@chess24com) February 26, 2025

In a slow-maneuvering Ruy Lopez, however, Khadem missed some chances to play forcefully and got strategically outplayed, until Goryachkina took complete control and confidently picked up the full point.

That win saw Goryachkina catch Lagno, as did Munguntuul.

Paehtz 0-1 Munguntuul

Munguntuul finished last with two wins, six losses, and one draw in the Shymkent Grand Prix, but she's been a revelation in Monaco. She remains the only player other than Lagno not to have lost a game, and has now matched Lagno's two wins.

If Munguntuul wins the final game she'll not only at least tie for first place, but also pick up a grandmaster norm. 

Her results have been all the more remarkable since she's been on the ropes in most games with the black pieces. That was the same against GM Elisabeth Paehtz, but one backward knight move by the German star and Munguntuul seized the initiative.

The bishop sacrifice that followed didn't get the full computer stamp of approval, but it was hard to face in mutual time trouble, while Paehtz's 33.Re1? was a blunder, allowing 33...Qc3!, to force off queens into a winning endgame. One slip gave Paehtz another chance, but when it was missed there was no way back.

It's not just about the three leaders. Humpy is half a point behind after her draw with Lagno, and she's joined by Tan, who seems to be warming up as the tournament is coming to a close.

Assaubayeva 0-1 Tan Zhongyi 

The world championship challenger also managed to take over in time trouble, finding some inspired moves to put Assaubayeva under immense pressure. There was a very tricky way to give up the queen and continue the game after 37...Nxg2!, but with two minutes on the clock she couldn't find it and Tan went on to win her second game in three rounds. 

The final decisive game didn't affect the battle at the top, except to knock Kosteniuk out of contention, but it did see Harika leapfrog three players out of last place. 

Harika 1-0 Kosteniuk 

"I got my hope and confidence and life back!" said Harika about finally winning a game in a tournament she'd started with two losses before making five draws in a row.

I got my hope and confidence and life back!

—Harika Dronavalli

The Indian star was happy with the position she got out of the opening, feeling it was much easier for White to play, but it was only ultimately 28...Kf6? that doomed Kosteniuk. 29.Bd5! Kg7 and Harika was able to follow up with a crushing exchange sacrifice. The rest was very smooth.

Harika is Black against Tan in the final round, but was mainly focused on the tournament ending: 

"After the nightmare I had in the beginning it’s OK, I’m just happy to finish this tournament tomorrow. I’m just excited that it’s the last game!"

For five of the players, however, first place is up for grabs. Two of the leaders clash in Munguntuul-Goryachkina, while Lagno has Black against Khadem. If none of the leaders wins then two more players can tie for first—Humpy, who has White against Assaubayeva, and Tan, who as mentioned, is White against Harika.

If players tie for first they'll share Grand Prix points rather than playing extra games to decide a sole winner. 

Round 9 Pairings

How to watch?

The 2025 Monaco FIDE Women's Grand Prix is the third of six legs of the 2024-2025 FIDE Women's Grand Prix. The 10-player round-robin runs February 18-27 in Monaco. 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 7: Humpy Wins As Khadem Resigns In Equal Position
• Round 6: Goryachkina Climbs To 2nd As Tan Zhongyi Scores 1st Win
• Round 5: Humpy Lets Tan Zhongyi Escape; Lagno Leads Monaco Grand Prix
• Round 4: Spectacular Win Gives Lagno Sole Lead
• Round 3: Kosteniuk Beats Top Seed Tan Zhongyi
• Round 2: Khadem Pounces On Blunder To Beat Harika
• Round 1: Humpy, Lagno Beat Compatriots As Monaco Grand Prix Begins
• 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