ALMATY – Kazakhstan’s Bibisara Assaubayeva defeated Switzerland’s Alexandra Kosteniuk in a women’s exhibition match held alongside the Freestyle Chess World Championship in Germany, becoming the first player to qualify for the 2026 Women’s Freestyle Chess World Championship.
Kosteniuk and Assaubayeva at the prize giving. Photo credit: Lennart Ootes/Freestyle Chess.
The four-game match, played in the Fischer Random (Chess960) format, ended 2.5:1.5 in favor of the Kazakh grandmaster. Assaubayeva secured victory by winning one game and drawing three, including the final encounter, which was enough to clinch the overall result, reported the tournament’s press service.
The Freestyle Chess World Championship itself was contested only among men, with the women’s competition limited to this exhibition match. Despite its non-title status, the match carried qualification stakes and a $15,000 prize fund. Assaubayeva earned $10,000 for her victory, while Kosteniuk received $5,000.
Assaubayeva set the tone early by winning the opening game. A key moment came in the third game, where Kosteniuk over-pressed, creating structural weaknesses and coordination issues. Assaubayeva maintained a solid and well-organized position, gradually converting her advantage, though there was a brief moment when Kosteniuk could have generated counterplay.
In the final game, Assaubayeva remained firmly in control. Although she only needed a draw to secure the match, she still created chances to win at several points before calmly steering the game to a draw and sealing the overall victory.
The win marks another milestone in Assaubayeva’s career and positions her as the first confirmed participant in the inaugural Women’s Freestyle Chess World Championship, scheduled for later in 2026.
