Bibisara Assaubayeva Takes Rapid, Anna Muzychuk Takes Blitz as Saint-Tropez Seals Grand Final Field

Bibisara Assaubayeva and Anna Muzychuk secured the last two places in the Grand Final of the WR Women's Chess Tour 2026 at the Saint-Tropez leg. Assaubayeva won the rapid event on August 25, while Muzychuk took the blitz title the following day. Both will meet the winners of the three earlier legs in Tokyo, Punta Cana and Maputo when the tour concludes in Stuttgart in November.

A historic setting

The rapid and blitz events were staged at Le Vignoble Torpez, the only winery within Saint-Tropez itself, producing Côtes de Provence rosé on the Cap Tropézien since 1908. Its event space, opened in 2019, gave the tournament an open-air, vineyard backdrop overlooking the estate's vats.

Eloi Relange opening the game between Assaubayeva and Mariya Muzychuk.

Eloi Relange, president of the French Chess Federation, made the ceremonial first move on the opening day of the blitz and spoke about the appeal of the knockout format in an interview with Fiona Steil-Antoni. Relange said the format builds tension "round after round, game after game" and is easy for spectators to follow, even if players themselves sometimes find it uncomfortable compared to a round-robin schedule.

He noted that hosting large international events in France remains difficult due to cost, and that his federation's priority has instead been expanding chess in schools; he pointed to France's roughly 1,000 chess clubs and its growing national championship, which has doubled in participants over five years. Relange also praised local player Deimantė Daulytė-Cornette and named Assaubayeva, whom he has followed since her early teenage years, as a player he was pleased to see competing in France again.

Rapid: Assaubayeva stays composed in the final

Eline Roebers with Fiona Steil-Antoni.

The eight-player field in Saint-Tropez was tightly matched from the start. Mariya Muzychuk edged past Eline Roebers in the quarterfinals, with the Dutch player missing a winning chance in the first game. "I checked it shortly afterwards because I really felt at that moment that I had to be winning somehow, and then, I don't know, with the time pressure and the pressure in general, I didn't even consider it, but I should have found that," Roebers told Fiona Steil-Antoni.

35…Bf1 would have won the game as g2 turns out to be undefendable.

Koneru Humpy beat Anna Muzychuk in an armageddon, while Nino Batsiashvili also needed the tiebreak to see off Deimante Daulyte-Cornette. In the semifinal against Batsiashvili, Assaubayeva had to defend for most of the game. "I had a very tough game, but in general in the end I even had a winning position," she said afterward.

The final against Mariya Muzychuk was largely decided by the first game. Assaubayeva credited her opening preparation: "It was my prep, and I already played it, but she didn't know because it was, I think, a rapid game, and it's very good normally for rapid because it's very hard for Black to play. I had a big advantage in time and then converted the win." Assaubayeva won the match 2-0 to take the rapid title.

Blitz: Anna Muzychuk avenges her sister

The following day brought a rematch in the faster format. Assaubayeva again faced Mariya Muzychuk in the quarterfinals and won on tiebreak after a blunder-filled match. Anna Muzychuk cruised past Batsiashvili, while Roebers beat Daulyte-Cornette convincingly. Elisabeth Pähtz, returning to full competition this year after the birth of her daughter, defeated Humpy.

Elisabeth Pähtz back at the board after the birth of her daughter.

In the semifinals, Assaubayeva met Pähtz again. After trailing, Assaubayeva turned the third game around and won the following armageddon to reach the final. Anna Muzychuk got past Roebers in the other semifinal, after the Dutch player let a big chance slip earlier in the match.

The final between Assaubayeva and Anna Muzychuk gave Muzychuk the chance to avenge her sister's losses to Assaubayeva, both in the rapid final and the blitz quarterfinal. Assaubayeva won the first game, Muzychuk leveled in the second, and the third was drawn. The fourth game proved decisive, with Muzychuk closing out the match 2.5-1.5.

Afterward, Muzychuk said: "We really appreciate such occasions! It's a fact that compared to men's tournaments we don't have that much, actually we have very little, so every opportunity, especially when it's well-organized, is really appreciated, so it really means a lot."

Grand Final field complete

With Assaubayeva's and Muzychuk's wins, the Grand Final lineup for November 22-23 in Stuttgart is now set. Also qualified are Vaishali Rameshbabu and Kateryna Lagno (Tokyo), Carissa Yip and Leya Garifullina (Punta Cana), and Mai Narva and Zhu Jiner (Maputo).

Combined standings (Rapid + Blitz points, top 2 qualify for Stuttgart)

Player	Rapid	Blitz	Total
Bibisara Assaubayeva	10	8	18
Anna Muzychuk	2	10	12
Mariya Muzychuk	8	2	10
Nino Batsiashvili	5	2	7
Humpy Koneru	5	2	7
Elisabeth Pähtz	2	5	7
Eline Roebers	2	5	7
Deimante Daulyte-Cornette	2	2	4