NewzVille Sports Desk
Sixteen qualifiers returned to the Grand Bellagio venue for the first of the two-game Round of 16 matches that will determine who advances to the quarterfinals.
The round of 16 was formally opened by the Head of the Sports Department of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, Irma Nizharadze, who welcomed the players and wished them good luck.
Seeded number one and a former Women’s World Championship challenger, GM Lei Tingjie opted for a solid approach against her young opponent WIM Umida Omonova’s tactical prowess.
IM Divya Deshmukh delivered a fantastic performance, decisively overcoming her opponent GM Zhu Jiner, who had posed significant challenges in recent tournaments, including two previous losses at the Nicosia and Pune 2025 Women’s Grand Prix legs.
China’s GM Tan Zhongyi took revenge for her loss in the 2020 Online Olympiad against Ukraine’s IM Yuliia Osmak.It was a strong performance by the former Women’s World Champion, and one of the players here, who already knows what it feels like to finish among the top spots in this event.
IM Song Yuxin joined her two higher-rated country colleagues in the winning group with a fine performance against local GM Lela Javakhishvili, giving her a head start going into the second game of the match tomorrow.
The other four matches concluded in solid, uneventful draws.
GM Alexandra Kosteniuk draws with GM Koneru Humpy
GM Kateryna Lagno draws with GM Dronavalli Harika
GM Mariya Muzychuk draws with GM Nana Dzagnidze
GM Vaishali Ramesh babu draws with IM Meruert Kamalidenova
