15-year-old Ukrainian WFM Anastasiia Hnatyshyn continues to shine at the European Women’s Chess Championship 2026! By scoring her sixth consecutive upset of the tournament, Hnatyshyn maintained her sole lead and perfect run with a flawless 6/6 points just ahead of today’s rest day.

Anastasiia Hnatyshyn (UKR, 2207) was White against Polish representative IM Oliwia Kiolbasa (POL, 2397) yesterday. While it initially seemed Black would have no trouble equalizing in the opening, Kiolbasa played inaccurate 12…a4?, instantly handing White the upper hand. Hnatyshyn seized the initiative, kept pressing for a win, and ultimately found a beautiful tactical motif to wrap up the game.

WFM Anastasiia Hnatyshyn, who already fulfilled the requirements for the WIM title before the European Women’s Chess Championship in Batumi, now scores impressive 6/6 points. She is a whole point ahead of three players who follow with the score of 5/6 points, each. Hnatyshyn is earning 144 rating points in the tournament, and plays with the tournament performance of 3048!

With the score of 5/6 points, IM Sabrina Vega Gutierrez (ESP, 2375), IM Ulviyya Fataliyeva (AZE, 2450) and IM Meri Arabidze (GEO, 2409) currently tie for second place.

IM Sabrina Vega Gutierrez (ESP, 2375) won her sixth-round game against WGM Nadya Toncheva (BUL, 2320) with the Black pieces. It was a solid game close to equality for most of the time, but Toncheva made her first mistake with 35.g5? to allow her opponent to take an edge, and then badly blundered with 38.Bf5?? in time trouble. Sabrina grabbed her chance and won the game a couple of moves later.

IM Ulviyya Fataliyeva (AZE, 2450) defeated WIM Gulenay Aydin (TUR, 2204) yesterday with the White pieces. It seemed it would be a miniature since Fataliyeva managed to build a decisive edge after only 15 moves of play, which she transposed into an endgame with two pawns up. It was a complex position and Aydin fought for a draw, but she didn’t manage to escape and the 2024 European Champion – Ulviyya Fataliyeva scored a win.

IM Meri Arabidze (GEO, 2409) scored against WGM Elmira Mirzoeva (ENG, 2265). Arabidze was playing with the White pieces and gained a clear advantage in the early part of the game, and then gradually improved it to transpose into a winning pawn-up endgame. Georgian representative and the 2023 European Champion showed a great technique to win the game without complications.

Today is the rest day at the European Women’s Chess Championship 2026, and the games continue tomorrow, on Monday, June 1, at 13:00 CEST (15:00 – local time).

All results, rankings, and pairings can be found here.

Live broadcast of the games can be followed through the ECU YouTube channel with commentaries by GM Valerian Gaprindashvili and WIM Sandra Djukic.

ECU