The fourth round of the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2025 in Pune saw Koneru Humpy, India’s top-rated player, deliver a commanding victory against Russia’s Polina Shuvalova. The youngest Indian participant, Divya Deshmukh, too showcased her winning spirit in a marathon game against Georgia’s Melia Salome.

China's Zhu Jiner scored a non-nonsense victory against Poland's Alina Kashlinskaya, her third one here to emerge as the sole leader with 3.5 points.

Opting for the Italian Opening, Humpy demonstrated her positional brilliance, capitalising on a weak pawn push by Shuvalova early in the game. The queens were exchanged by the 12th move, and Humpy steadily improved her position, infiltrating the seventh rank with her rook and pushing connected pawns. Shuvalova resigned after 37 moves, unable to counter Humpy’s dominance. 

Also Read: FIDE Women’s Grand Prix, Pune: Humpy Gets the Better of Divya

Playing the Caro-Kann Defence, Divya maintained a slight edge throughout the match. The transition to the endgame, featuring queens and double rooks, saw Divya emerge victorious after 70 moves. Her ability to navigate complex positions and maintain composure under pressure has been a highlight of her campaign. With this win, Divya is in joint second place.

The all-Indian clash between Dronavalli Harika and R Vaishali ended in a hard-fought draw. Harika, playing the Grunfeld Defence, gained an advantage with a passed pawn on d6 but sacrificed two pawns to push it to the seventh rank. Vaishali’s spirited defence thwarted Harika’s attempts to convert the position, leading to a threefold repetition and a draw after 34 moves. 

Humpy and Divya share the second spot with 3 points each, while Harika and Vaishali have 2 and 1.5 points, respectively. 

The competition remains fierce, with five rounds still to go. The fifth round will see Humpy facing Harika in another all-Indian clash and Divya taking on Shuvalova.

Also Read: FIDE Women’s Grand Prix, Pune: Humpy Gets the Better of Divya