GM Bibisara Assaubayeva and WGM Anastasia Avramidou advanced to the semifinals of the 2026 Women's Speed Chess Championship after quarterfinal victories.
Assaubayeva defeated GM Divya Deshmukh 10-9 in a close match. She trailed 3.5-6.5 after the 5+1 and 3+1 segments but won the bullet portion 4-1 and the tiebreak 2.5-1.5.
Avramidou beat GM Kateryna Lagno 10.5-4.5. She secured a 5-0 sweep in the bullet segment and scored seven points from eight games with the Nimzowitsch Defense.
Assaubayeva earned $3,815.79 while Divya received $1,184.21. Avramidou collected $4,250 and Lagno $750. Avramidou, a practicing medical doctor, said she returned from work before the match.
The 2026 Women's Speed Chess Championship runs from July 6 to 31 with a $75,000 prize fund. The event features 16 players in a single-elimination format across multiple time controls.