Anna Muzychuk experienced a mix of joy and disappointment after winning the final round of the Women’s Grand Prix in Austria. Although she shared first place, it wasn’t enough for her to earn a spot in the Candidates Tournament. When the final points for the Grand Prix were counted, Zhu Jiner was crowned the overall champion for the 2024/2025 series, while Aleksandra Goryachkina secured the second spot for the Candidates.
Intense Competition and Emotional Outcomes
The 2024/2025 Women’s Grand Prix featured six tournaments across Europe and India, with 23 participants. Zhu Jiner topped the overall standings, and Goryachkina took second place, with Muzychuk finishing in third. The final round of the tournament showcased intense competition in all five games, marking an exciting conclusion to this thrilling series of women’s chess tournaments.
It was a crucial day for Muzychuk. A win against Vaishali Rameshbabu in the last round would have given her a hat-trick of successes: winning the tournament, topping the overall Grand Prix series, and qualifying for the 2026 Candidates Tournament, thereby bypassing Goryachkina, who was leading at that point. However, all her hopes hinged on this single game.
The match began with the French Defence, a classic and solid chess opening. Anna managed to win a pawn and create a passed pawn on the a-file, giving her some hopeful chances. However, Vaishali’s pieces were active and compensated for her pawn deficit. The game remained balanced until the first move after the time control, when Vaishali presented an opportunity for White.
Muzychuk played h5, but with her king and queen pinned to h2, she needed to find a way to press forward. Vaishali’s best move was to capture on h5, but she instead played 41.Kf6? This allowed Anna to respond with 42.hxg6 hxg6. At this point, it was crucial for Anna to move her king, either to h3 or the surprising h1 to threaten g6. Instead, Anna chose Qe1, and despite a few more moves, the game ended in a draw.
Meanwhile, Zhu had already drawn her match against Alexandra Kosteniuk, who had been in a losing position at one point in the endgame. Tan Zhongyi also let a winning position against Muzychuk slip away, resulting in a tie. Thus, Anna Muzychuk and Zhu finished in a tie for first place, but Anna was declared the tournament winner because she had played more games with the black pieces.
After her final game, Anna stood quietly outside the playing hall, lost in thought. Her expression said it all—she felt sad and disappointed, on the verge of tears. Had she won, she would have claimed the top position outright. If Kosteniuk had made the right move in her game against Zhu, Anna could have settled for a draw and still finished first. Despite winning two of the three Grand Prix tournaments she participated in (in Cyprus and Austria), Anna did not qualify for the Candidates.
When asked about her feelings, Anna Muzychuk said, “It has never been so sad to win an event.” Although she finished in first place, she didn’t gather the full 130 points necessary for a Candidates spot.
In an emotional moment, Anna took the time to give an interview, which will be remembered for her poignant remark: “I won the last two Grand Prix tournaments, but still it wasn’t enough to qualify for the Candidates, and that’s the sad thing about it.”
Ultimately, the day belonged to Zhu Jiner from China. Coming into Austria with 235 points, she had a strong chance to overtake Goryachkina for first place in the Grand Prix, and by tying for first in Austria, she achieved that goal.
“I’m very happy with my performance and how I played. I have also learned a lot and enjoyed it,” Zhu stated.
Zhu faced Alexandra Kosteniuk in the final round, a match that was crucial for her chances. She opted for the Nimzo-Indian Defence and found herself in a comfortable position. By move 16, both queens and a pair of minor pieces had been exchanged, and the game was balanced. Although White had a worse pawn structure, Zhu’s active knight on f5 was an advantage.
However, after a few mistakes from Zhu, Kosteniuk gained a strong position but then let her advantage slip with a careless move. If Kosteniuk had played 46.Nxg4 hxg4 47.h6, she would have maintained a significant edge, likely leading