The sixth round of the FIDE Women's Grand Prix in Pune yesterday saw Koneru Humpy, the top seed, scoring a decisive victory over Mongolia's Munguntuul Batkhuyag. Playing with the black pieces, Humpy capitalised on her opponent's inaccuracies to secure a win in just 33 moves. This victory propelled Humpy to 4.5 points, placing her second in the standings, just half a point behind the leader, Zhu Jiner.

Meanwhile, Divya Deshmukh played a cautious game against fellow Indian Dronavalli Harika, resulting in a draw after 27 moves in a symmetrical English opening. Divya remains in contention with 4 points, tied for third place. Harika is at 3 points, maintaining her position in the middle of the pack.

Another Indian R Vaishali faced a tough challenge against China's Zhu Jiner, losing in a tactical battle. Vaishali remains at 2.5 points.

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

Zhu Jiner retains the sole lead with 5 points after her win. Zhu's victory sets up a crucial seventh-round clash against Humpy, which could determine the tournament's outcome.

The Russian Polina Shuvalova secured a win against Georgia's Salome Melia, climbing to 3.5 points and strengthening her position in the standings.

Other Results: Alina Kashlinskaya (Poland) and Nurgyul Salimova (Bulgaria) played out a hard-fought draw, while Batkhuyag's loss to Humpy marked her fifth defeat of the tournament.

One of the seventh round encounters will have Humpy facing Zhu Jiner in a battle for the top spot. Divya will take on Batkhuyag, while Harika is set to play Shuvalova. As the tournament is shaping up to be a two-horse race between Zhu Jiner and Koneru Humpy, their contest becomes crucial in deciding the winner. Humpy will have the white pieces against her and will likely need a win to overtake the Chinese Grandmaster.

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