Three-time world blitz champion Bibisara Assaubayeva, playing black, drew her game against Indian grandmaster Divya Deshmukh, the Women's World Cup holder in classical chess, in the fifth round of the women's super tournament Cairns Cup-2026, held in St. Louis, USA, reports infohub.kz.
The game was short. After a balanced opening, the opponents, not wanting to take risks, agreed to a threefold repetition. The draw was recorded on move 19, before numerous exchanges.
Ahead of the rest day scheduled at the tournament's midpoint, a drawish mood prevailed: all games in the fifth round ended peacefully. As a result, the standings remained unchanged. Tan Zhongyi of China, the 16th Women's World Champion (2017-2018), leads. She is followed by a chasing pack headed by Assaubayeva.
After the rest day, the Kazakh grandmaster will again play black, this time against American international master Carissa Yip. The leading Chinese player will face white against outsider Alexandra Kosteniuk of Switzerland. Tan Zhongyi will undoubtedly try to pull ahead decisively.
The prestigious women's super tournament Cairns Cup, with a prize fund of $250,000, is taking place in the Mecca of American chess, St. Louis, Missouri. The tournament is named after Jeanne Cairns Sinquefield, co-founder of the St. Louis Chess Club and a member of the World Chess Hall of Fame.
Ten players, who received personal invitations from the organizers, compete in a round-robin format. The time control is classical: 90 minutes for 40 moves, then 30 minutes to the end of the game, plus 30 seconds per move starting from move one.
In parallel, St. Louis is hosting the men's tournament, the Sinquefield Cup-2026, also named after Jeanne Cairns Sinquefield. The competition, with a prize fund of $475,000, features Javokhir Sindarov, a contender for the chess crown and Assaubayeva's boyfriend. In the sixth round, the Uzbek player, playing white, failed to gain a decisive advantage in his game against American Samuel Sevian. On move 46, the opponents agreed to a draw.