Injac Secures European Women's Championship With 9 Straight Wins
Like a phoenix from the ashes, Serbian IM Teodora Injac recovered from a first-round loss at the 2025 European Women's Championship, winning nine games in a row and claiming her first continental title with a round to spare. A nine-move draw in round 11 against Poland's IM Aleksandra Maltsevskaya confirmed a final score of 9.5/11 for Injac, earning her the €10,000 first prize.
The silver and bronze medals were won by Romanian IM Irina Bulmaga and Estonian IM Mai Narva, thanks to superior tiebreaks over Maltsevskaya. The latter can take solace in knowing that at least the top-10 finishers qualify for the approaching 2025 FIDE Women's World Cup.
Final Standings | Top 20
| # | Title | Name | FED | Rtg | Pts. | rtg +/- |
| 1 | IM | Teodora Injac | 2455 | 9.5 | 18.7 | |
| 2 | IM | Irina Bulmaga | 2377 | 8 | 12.9 | |
| 3 | IM | Mai Narva | 2371 | 8 | 16.5 | |
| 4 | IM | Aleksandra Maltsevskaya | 2383 | 8 | 14.5 | |
| 5 | IM | Stavroula Tsolakidou | 2436 | 7.5 | 0.9 | |
| 6 | IM | Lela Javakhishvili | 2426 | 7.5 | -0.9 | |
| 7 | GM | Nino Batsiashvili | 2473 | 7.5 | -3.3 | |
| 8 | GM | Anna Ushenina | 2423 | 7.5 | 3.9 | |
| 9 | IM | Deimante Daulyte-Cornette | 2390 | 7.5 | 3.5 | |
| 10 | IM | Gulnar Mammadova | 2342 | 7.5 | 9 | |
| 11 | IM | Lilit Mkrtchian | 2388 | 7.5 | 7.7 | |
| 12 | IM | Sophie Milliet | 2359 | 7.5 | 6.8 | |
| 13 | IM | Oliwia Kiolbasa | 2361 | 7.5 | -2.8 | |
| 14 | IM | Klaudia Kulon | 2408 | 7.5 | -6.3 | |
| 15 | WIM | Zala Urh | 2247 | 7 | 57.2 | |
| 16 | GM | Bela Khotenashvili | 2411 | 7 | 1.5 | |
| 17 | GM | Elina Danielian | 2399 | 7 | 0.2 | |
| 18 | IM | Meri Arabidze | 2447 | 7 | -7.6 | |
| 19 | WGM | Beloslava Krasteva | 2272 | 7 | 46.2 | |
| 20 | IM | Anastasiya Savina | 2331 | 7 | 0.5 |
The Rodos Palace Conference Hotel on the Greek island of Rhodes has been a five-star backdrop for past editions of the European Club Cup and the World Amateur Championship, and was a fitting venue for the 11-round, 2025 European Open and Women's Championships.
The women's event attracted 136 participants from 34 countries, with a FIDE rating range of 1470 to 2473, and Georgian GM Nino Batsiashvili was the top seed. However, tipping a winner was difficult as the field had 11 players rated over 2400, and 25 between 2300 and 2400. With €60,000 and at least 10 FIDE World Women's Cup spots on offer, fierce competition was inevitable.
Though the final standings show Injac as a dominant victor, a disastrous start almost squashed her title hopes. Playing against 16-year-old, 2180-rated WFM Anastasia Kirtadze, Injac missed mate-in-two and was trounced in a rook endgame. Kirtadze gained an almighty 154 rating points thanks to her 2446 rating performance in the event.
In round two, Injac was sent to board 43 and started the journey back to the top. A colossal nine wins in a row would follow, leaving no doubt that Injac was deserving of the European women's title.
European Women's Chess Championship 2025 concluded in Rhodes, Greece! ✨
— European Chess Union (@ECUonline) April 11, 2025
Congratulations to the medalists👏
🏆IM Teodora Injac 🇷🇸, 9.5 points
🥈IM Irina Bulmaga 🇷🇴, 8 points
🥉IM Mai Narva 🇪🇪, 8 points
The Closing ceremony of the event will take place at 21:00 (local time) in… pic.twitter.com/uZwvumSX1N
Tactical opportunism was the focal point of Injac's comeback, and in her round-two clash against WFM Ana Silva, she uncorked two brutal sacrifices which foreshadowed what was to come.
Against two GM opponents, Natalia Zhukova and Bella Khotenashvili, whom Injac played in rounds five and eight, she pounced on oversights with clinical precision. The tactical shot that toppled Khotenashvili was the more thrilling of the two as the Georgian GM's king was coaxed towards the center with the timely 26...Bxg3!!, before being trapped in a mating net.
By round 9, Injac held a half-point lead over the rest of the field, and by the 10th, she came face-to-face with Bulmaga, the only player within striking range of the lead. While many professionals wouldn't hesitate to settle for a draw with Black and ensure at least equal first, Injac played to win.
Once Injac had secured her maiden European championship title, Serbian chess personalities flocked to congratulate her. The captain of the country's open Olympiad team, IM Miodrag Perunovic, stated the following: "She fully deserved it - for her attitude, commitment, and mental strength, congratulations!"
New European champion! Teodora Injac from Serbia 🇷🇸! She made an epic comeback and after she lost first game, won next 9 in a row!!! Amazing result & amazing life accomplishment! She fully deserved it - for her attitude, commitment and mental strength, congratulations! 👏🍀❤️ 🇷🇸 pic.twitter.com/hgSQuxec1K
— Miodrag Perunovic (@TheButcherChess) April 11, 2025
Other notable performances included those of the aforementioned Kirtadze, Slovenian WIM Zala Urh (who gained 57 rating points), and Latvian WFM Agnesa Stepania Ter-Avetisjana, who gained a square 100 points to go from 2100 to 2200.
Selecting a game of the tournament is an onerous task for events of this magnitude but a striking positional masterpiece by Narva against Bulgarian WGM Viktoria Radeva was certainly a contender. The Zagreb Variation of the Najdorf Sicilian was the battleground for this clash, where a double exchange sacrifice led to Narva's minor pieces and pawns outplaying her opponent's rooks.
If Narva-Radeva was the best game, then the duel between IM Eline Roebers and WIM Martyna Wikar in round 10 was arguably the most interesting.
Both players were hunting for a win in this game, and it quickly spiralled into chaos after an exit from theoretical lines in an Alapin Sicilian. Keeping track of whose king was safer, the material count, and most importantly, the evaluation, was nearly impossible, which exemplified the fighting spirit shown in this year's championship.
How to rewatch?
You can rewatch the event on the European Chess Union's YouTube channel. You can also check out the games on our dedicated events page.
GM Alojzije Jankovic and Dragana Nikolovska hosted the broadcast.
The 2025 European Women's Championship occurred between March 31 and April 11 at the Rodos Palace Conference Hotel in Rhodes, Greece. The tournament was an 11-round Swiss with a time control of 90 minutes for 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game, plus a 30-second increment starting on move one. In addition to a €60,000 prize fund, at least 10 players qualified for the 2025 FIDE Women's World Cup.
