Assaubayeva named Player of Day at Women's Candidates
Kazakhstan’s Bibisara Assaubayeva secured a crucial victory over Ukraine’s Anna Muzychuk in the penultimate round of the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament, Qazinform News Agency reports.
The Candidates Tournament in Cyprus is approaching its conclusion. In the men’s event, Uzbekistan’s Javokhir Sindarov has clinched victory ahead of the final round and will face India’s Gukesh Dommaraju for the world title, earning Player of the Day honors.
In the women’s event, the outcome will be decided in the final round, with a tiebreak still possible. The leading contenders are India’s Vaishali Rameshbabu, who drew with China’s Tan Zhongyi, and Bibisara Assaubayeva, who defeated Anna Muzychuk with strong preparation. The Kazakh player was named Player of the Day among women.
Both players share the lead with 7.5 points going into the final round, where a win for one and a loss for the other would decide the champion.
In the final round, Vaishali will play with the white pieces against FIDE-flagged player Kateryna Lagno, while Assaubayeva will play with black against India’s Divya Deshmukh.
The situation remains tense. If both leaders draw, China’s Zhu Jiner (currently on 7 points) could still catch up, as she faces Anna Muzychuk in the final round. Even if both leaders lose, players on 6.5 points would still remain in contention.
If both Assaubayeva and Rameshbabu win, a tiebreak will determine the champion.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Kazakhstan’s Beibit Zhukayev had successfully started his campaign at the ATP Challenger tennis tournament in Busan, South Korea.