Three-time world blitz champion Bibisara Assaubayeva, playing black, drew with Women's World Cup holder Divya Deshmukh of India in round 5 of the women's super tournament Cairns Cup 2026 in the USA. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
The game was short. After an equal opening, the opponents, not wanting to take risks, agreed to a threefold repetition. On move 19, before numerous exchanges, a draw was recorded (see diagram).
Ahead of the rest day scheduled at the tournament's midpoint, a draw epidemic hit the players. All games in round 5 ended peacefully. As a result, the standings remained unchanged. Tan Zhongyi of China, the 16th Women's World Champion (2017-2018), leads. Behind her is a chasing group 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 Swiss outsider Alexandra Kosteniuk with white. Tan Zhongyi will undoubtedly try to break away decisively.
About the tournament
The prestigious women's super tournament Cairns Cup, with a prize fund of $250,000, is taking place in St. Louis, Missouri, 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 players, personally invited by the organizers, compete in a single round-robin. 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, the men's tournament Sinquefield Cup 2026, also named after Jeanne Cairns Sinquefield, is being held in St. Louis.
The competition, with a prize fund of $475,000, features Javokhir Sindarov, a contender for the chess crown and boyfriend of our Assaubayeva. In round six, 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.