FIDE Candidates Tournament: Assaubayeva’s position after round 1 confirmed

The first game of round seven at the tournament in Cyprus proved relatively short. Playing with the black pieces, Kazakhstan’s Bibisara Assaubayeva comfortably neutralized the Rossolimo Attack against Ukraine’s Anna Muzychuk. After the opening, she not only equalized but also held a slight advantage on the clock.

The game ended in a draw by threefold repetition on move 26, a result that suited both players. Muzychuk finished the first round as the sole leader with 4.5 points from seven games, while Assaubayeva ended a difficult losing streak and picked up a valuable half-point after two consecutive defeats.

After the first round, Assaubayeva has three points and sits in seventh place, second from the bottom of the standings.

After a rest day, the world’s top female players, including Assaubayeva, will face each other once again in a round-robin format, followed by a tiebreak if necessary.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that young Kazakhstani chess player had confirmed International Master title.