An exciting encounter between two compatriots we are going to cover at Norway Chess 2025 — Koneru Humpy vs R Vaishali. Humpy currently leads the tournament with 8.5 points, while Vaishali is on 6.5. In their first-round clash, Vaishali lost to Humpy. Will Humpy continue her dominant run with her experience and strong form, or will Vaishali fight back with her talent and determination to climb up the leaderboard? Let’s find out.
Vaishali is a player who can open with both 1.e4 and 1.d4, making her repertoire highly versatile and unpredictable.
A normal knight development by Humpy, still unsure which defense she’ll choose — keeping the bishop’s path undecided, perhaps a fianchetto or the quiet Be7?
Humpy opts for a defense she knows very well.
The opening is following a normal and very common sequence; both players appear to be well-prepared theoretically.
Control and battle for the center is always a key theme to keep in mind in chess.
The fianchetto bishop can always become a real headache for the opponent.
Humpy consistently maintains a very solid and well-prepared repertoire with the black pieces.
The kingside development is complete, ready to castle.
With her king safely castled, Humpy will now reveal her preparation — will it be something more quiet, or sharper and more challenging moves like c5?
Both players are very well prepared in the opening, aiming for natural development and optimal piece activity. Let’s see if the Catalan chosen by Vaishali will lead to a quiet game or bring major imbalances to the board.
Humpy is using one of the most active approaches in this defense.
A very common recapture, putting the question to Black about which path to take — for example, Qa5+ is an interesting option.
This is once again a nice approach by Humpy in this opening, suggesting a move order that deviates from the usual lines.
Vaishali quickly responds with a natural and dynamic queenside advance, characteristic of her playing style.
A quick response from Humpy, typical in this defense with the black pieces — now the c5 pawn is left unsupported and could be captured.
Vaishali seeks expansion on the queenside, and although c5 will now be controlled by Black, it’s an interesting advance that prevents Humpy from developing her knight to the usual c6 square.
A natural capture. It’s quite interesting that although the position is equal, the c4 pawn is now backward and could become a breaking point in the future — even if it’s hard to attack for now.
Vaishali quickly develops her knight — it’s clear that both players came very well prepared for this all-Indian encounter.
Instead of the interesting a4, Humpy opts for a quieter developmental path. Perhaps preparing e5 and strengthening the center?
Vaishali goes for a logical and very interesting continuation, with potential future piece exchanges.
Humpy is usually very consistent with her plans. Let’s see now if her opponent opts for the exchange — gaining the bishop pair but giving up some central control.
Vaishali is blocking any a4 push and in a way, keeping open the possibility of controlling the a3–f8 diagonal with the bishop in the future.
A very comfortable spot for Humpy’s queen — in fact, it’s a highly flexible move. The d8 square is now free for a future rook, while the queen controls c5 and e5, and targets c4 which could become a weakness for White at some point.
Vaishali secures her king and also looks to bring her kingside rook into the game — d1 might be the most logical square.
A slightly strange but common move in this defense, Humpy is limiting the scope of the g2 bishop and preparing future plans. Now capturing the bishop on c5 seems best for Vaishali, followed by b6 — exchanging a queenside pawn for a central one on e5!
For the first time in the game, Vaishali takes her time to react, as this Re7 — while typical — still carries a touch of mystery . She opts for a continuation that practically invites the exchange of some pieces, for example, after the natural h6.
The middlegame is unfolding in a very dynamic way. In this type of position, maneuvers like Qd6 followed by Rc7, or for White, Ne1 to Nd3 or Nfd2 to Ne4, can be key factors to consider — along with being cautious about captures and potential pawn breaks.
After another long think, Vaishali goes for the exchange on c5. Other interesting options included the previously mentioned knight maneuvers or bringing the rook into the game via d1.
Humpy recaptures immediately with the Queen, keeping Nf6 supported from Nd7.
Vaishali finally decides to open the long diagonal. Now, what will her plan be — go to b3 and prepare a future c5 push, or bring the knight directly to e4?
Black goes for a flexible move that leaves c5 free for the knight and the c-file open for the rook, while also supporting f6.
The exchanges were inevitable, and now we’re entering a middlegame with reduced material, where both players have equal chances.
The knight recapture was of course less effective, as its best square is undoubtedly c5.
Vaishali decides to control c5, maybe a bit more flexible from e4, but it’s understandable not to block the long diagonal and to be cautious about a potential f5–e4 expansion in the future.
Humpy was taking her time to decide which path to choose. It’s an equal position, but creativity can make the opponent hesitate and tip the balance. Moves to consider included Rc7, and the h5–h4 advance is very interesting in this type of position.
After the exchange, Vaishali may have ideas like c5 or f4 to break the center, while Humpy could target the backward c4 pawn or go for the previously mentioned h5–h4 advance.
Humpy quickly recaptures in the only possible way.
Vaishali’s style suggested that this would be her plan — let’s see what this exciting encounter has in store.
Of course, capturing on f4 was not advisable due to the immediate activity of the rook on f4.
The white position now seems a bit more manageable, perhaps bringing one of the rooks into play before Nc5 would have been more precise for black.
Vaishali finds a great central square for her Queen, controlling the light squares and putting pressure on e5.
Humpy chooses a correct move, defending e5 and slightly limiting the activity of the white Queen.
A very interesting advance by Vaishali — gaining space and now trying to take control of the game.
On e7, the rook was no longer very significant — here it’s more active, preventing any queen entry on d5. The time difference is no longer as significant — just a few moves ago, Humpy was ahead by 20 minutes, and now it's down to just 10. Let’s see which of the two players handles the position better with less time on the clock — whether by staying solid or provoking a mistake from their opponent.
The last remaining piece joins the game.
Both players are trying to find the best squares and files for their rooks.
Very interesting — Vaishali is maybe planning a kingside advance. It’s a perfect position where each player sticks to her style: Vaishali playing more dynamically, and Humpy showing great solidity.
A smart move — Humpy’s rook is much more active on d6 than it was on d7.
Preparing an attack, or simply waiting to see if Humpy reveals a plan?
Although the position is very balanced, the game is starting to get complex; both players have less time and several possible plans on the board.
This move brings to mind games where the king shifts from the kingside to the queenside in just a few moves.
Humpy is anticipating any kingside advance, but could this pawn become a weakness — and possibly an ally for Vaishali?
After this move, one might start thinking about creative plans like Rh3 with the idea of g4, and so on.
With slightly less space, Humpy aims to place her pieces on the best possible squares and wait to see whether the apparent attacking threat actually materializes.
Wow — it seems it wasn’t just a wild idea after all, Vaishali went for it!
Just like with the h6 advance, it seems that Humpy, unintentionally, is slightly helping White’s plan of expansion and opening up the position.
Even so, it’s a long road, defeating someone of Humpy’s caliber isn’t easy with a limited-piece attack on one flank.
Both players are low on time, and Vaishali’s nerves of steel push her not to settle for equality, but to capitalize on the critical breakthrough with g4.
The best option was to capture a few moves earlier — g5 or the rook lift to g3 looked very strong for White.
Normal recapture — it seems it’s time for the rooks to shift to the kingside.
The rook’s shift to the kingside allows Humpy to also maintain the possibility of an active defense.
Now the first direct threat from Vaishali — showing that she won’t settle for a draw so easily.
Humpy goes for the best defensive move!
And the build-up along the g-file forces Black to take important defensive measures.
On h6, the rook seemed more active, but Humpy realized that this defensive retreat was important.
And the Queen returns to e4 — her most central and flexible square. A very good choice by Vaishali.
Retreating from the dangerous file was the best option — but where to, f8 or h8?
Vaishali over-defends h4 and keeps activating her pieces more and more. Now, with less time on the clock, she must be very precise to maintain her advantage — or worse, avoid an unfortunate mistake.
Both players, with less than 5 minutes on the clock, must keep their nerves and trust that their chess and preparation are enough to achieve the best result.
Maneuvering slowly, trying to find the best plan.
Humpy has a lot of experience, and these kinds of moves force the opponent to decide whether to take a risk — something that can later be exploited.
Returning to the most active square, as the pressure on the g-file has eased.
Will there be a repetition of moves? With both players low on time, it might be the safest option — any small risk could cost the game.
It seems both players have agreed to a draw.
A thrilling encounter took place between two great Indian players, with several fascinating moments throughout the game. The move 13...Ra7, for example, demonstrated Humpy’s deep understanding of the position. The game unfolded in a very balanced and correct manner, and at one point, Vaishali brought real excitement — it seemed she would launch a kingside attack, and she did try. However, Koneru Humpy, with all her experience, managed the situation calmly, and the game ultimately ended in a draw.