Kazakh chess player Bibisara Assaubayeva drew her second-round game at the women's super tournament Cairns Cup-2026 in St. Louis against Indian grandmaster Vaishali Rameshbabu. In the parallel men's event, the Sinquefield Cup-2026, Assaubayeva's boyfriend Javokhir Sindarov from Uzbekistan lost to Vaishali's brother, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, reports infohub.kz.
At the recent Candidates Tournament, the Indian player finished just half a point ahead of Assaubayeva and is now preparing for a world title match against China's Ju Wenjun. In Cyprus, the rivals drew twice, but in St. Louis Rameshbabu had a poor start, losing to compatriot Divya Deshmukh, so her game against Assaubayeva was crucial.
Assaubayeva, playing white, could not achieve a decisive advantage. On move 38, a draw was declared due to threefold repetition. The tournament leaders are American Alice Lee and Chinese Tan Zhongyi, who have won both their games. In the third round, Assaubayeva will play black against Lee.
The prestigious Cairns Cup, with a prize fund of $250,000, is held in St. Louis, Missouri, often called the Mecca of American chess. 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 invited players 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, with a 30-second increment per move from move one.
In parallel, the men's Sinquefield Cup-2026 is also taking place in St. Louis, also named after Jeanne Cairns Sinquefield. The event, with a prize fund of $475,000, features world championship challenger Javokhir Sindarov from Uzbekistan. In the second round, Assaubayeva's boyfriend, playing black against Vaishali's brother Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, resigned on move 95.