GM Ju Wenjun‘s undefeated match record in the Women’s Speed Chess Championship faced its hardest challenge yet as she needed tiebreaks to overcome GM Bibisara Assaubayeva by a score of 10.5-8.5. In the second match of the day, GM Kateryna Lagno dominated the bullet section to pull away from GM Alexandra Kosteniuk and win 9-4.
The next set of quarterfinal matches is scheduled for Thursday, August 14. GM Hou Yifan plays GM-elect Divya Deshmukh at 8 a.m. ET and IM Polina Shuvalova plays IM Alice Lee at 10:30 a.m. EDT.
Women’s Speed Chess Championship Bracket
Ju 10.5-8.5 Assaubayeva
Ju is the reigning WSCC champion, winning on her first attempt last year. Assaubayeva gave Ju her toughest challenge to date, fighting back from deficits both early and late in the match to send it to tiebreakers.
5+1 Ju 4-1 Assaubayeva
Assaubayeva had a great position throughout the first game and appeared headed to a win, but Ju managed just enough counterplay to extend the game and finally win on time in a lost position.
Assaubayeva struggled to find her footing after letting the first game slip. She missed a couple of additional tactics in the remaining 5+1 games, mixing draws and losses. This allowed Ju to finish the section with a comfortable 4-1 lead.
3+1 Ju 0.5-4.5 Assaubayeva
As successful as Ju was in the first section, the 3+1 blitz games were even more decisive the other way. Assaubayeva scored her first win of the match in the initial 3+1 game. Right as the commentators were discussing how quiet the opening was, Assaubayeva found a tactic to win a pawn and converted it to a win after 72 moves. The next game was faster as Ju missed a mating tactic and went down in only 22 moves.
Assaubayeva wasn’t done. She ran her winning streak to four games before a draw in the final blitz game. This gave her a one-point lead before the bullet section.
1+1 Ju 3-2 Assaubayeva
The match saw another momentum swing to start the bullet section. Ju won the first three games to take a two-point lead with less than six minutes remaining in the match. Showing resolve, Assaubayeva won the next game on demand and after the match clock had already expired, she found a mating tactic to send the match to overtime!
Ju Wenjun blunders a forced checkmate and we’re treated to the first tiebreaks of this year’s Women’s #SpeedChess Championship!https://t.co/zxzriR0N7E pic.twitter.com/02wrTSJwez
— chess24 (@chess24com) August 13, 2025
Tiebreak Ju 3-1 Assaubayeva
Tiebreakers in the WSCC involve four 1+1 bullet games, followed by an armageddon game if needed. Ju started this bullet section well, scoring two out of three to start and forcing Assaubayeva into one more must-win situation.
That wild finish sent Ju to the semifinals where she will face the winner of Shuvalova vs. Lee.
Lagno 9-4 Kosteniuk
The second match of the day looked just as tight as the first one. It was tied after the five-minute section, and Lagno led by just a single point heading into bullet. However, she won the first bullet game brilliantly and dominated the rest of that section to score a comfortable 9-4 win.
5+1 Lagno 2-2 Kosteniuk
Kosteniuk consistently managed to get good positions against Lagno in the opening section, but in several games she had a hard time turning her advantages into full points. In the second game, she won a piece with a great calculation in the middlegame but had a difficult time converting it. She eventually ran out of pawns during a time scramble and had to settle for a draw.
Lagno holds the piece-down endgame and we have a second draw!https://t.co/d11G5PvO5t#SpeedChess pic.twitter.com/hYRvEgrP2m
— chess24 (@chess24com) August 13, 2025
Kosteniuk won the third game, but Lagno immediately struck back in a long endgame in game four.
That comeback win left the match tied heading into the 3+1 section.
3+1 Lagno 2.5-1.5 Kosteniuk
Lagno and Kosteniuk exchanged victories to start the 3+1 section. The biggest moment came in the seventh game when Kosteniuk achieved another great position. She had an extra exchange but missed a tactic to allow a draw and then panicked in time trouble. This resulted in a full-point swing and gave Lagno a one-point advantage heading into bullet.
1+1 Lagno 4.5-0.5 Kosteniuk
Kosteniuk opened the bullet section by playing the Dragon Variation of the Sicilian Defense. It’s one of the sharpest lines in chess and a good way to play for a win with Black, a win that would have tied the match. Instead, Lagno played a brilliant bullet game, won convincingly, and extended her lead.
Lagno dominated the rest of the bullet section as well, not losing a game and bringing the final score to 9-4. She will face the winner of Thursday’s showdown between Hou and Divya.
How to watch?
You can watch the broadcast on Twitch and YouTube. The games can also be checked out on our dedicated events page.
The 2025 Women’s Speed Chess Championship, which takes place August 4-29, is a Chess.com event where some of the strongest female chess players in the world battle for a $75,000 prize fund. The main event sees 16 players compete in a single-elimination bracket in matches played at 5+1, 3+1, and 1+1 time controls.
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