Eight rounds have been played at the European Women’s Chess Championship 2026, and IM Sabrina Vega Gutierrez (ESP, 2375) has emerged as the sole leader of the event with a score of 7/8 points!
In a direct eighth-round clash between the tournament leaders, IM Sabrina Vega Gutierrez (ESP, 2375) defeated IM Meri Arabidze (GEO, 2409) with the White pieces. Vega Gutierrez opted for an aggressive and rare line in the Sicilian Defense, but Arabidze found the best continuation for Black and equalized in the middlegame. The 2023 European Champion then had a chance to develop an edge after Vega Gutierrez’s mistake with 28.Qc3?, but Arabidze missed the best move and played the inaccurate 28…Qd7?, handing the advantage back to White. The nine-time Spanish Champion was precise in the ensuing play, eventually gaining a pawn-up material advantage and successfully converting it into an important win.
With the score of 7/8 points, Sabrina Vega Gutierrez is half a point ahead of WFM Anastasiia Hnatyshyn (UKR, 2207) and IM Eline Roebers (NED, 2389) who score 6.5/8 points each to tie for the second place.
Playing on board two yesterday, WFM Anastasiia Hnatyshyn (UKR, 2207) drew against IM Olga Badelka (AUT, 2392). It was an interesting game where Badelka equalized with the Black pieces out of the opening, but the rising Ukrainian star managed to gain a clear edge in a dynamic middlegame. After a couple of inaccuracies from both sides, the tables turned in favor of Badelka, who gained the initiative and the upper hand. However, after 39…Qe2?, the position became equal once again.
The final moments of the game were tense; Olga Badelka had another chance to play for a win, but she missed a beautiful tactical motif with 50…Rg6! and played 50…Re6? instead, after which the players agreed to a draw.
IM Eline Roebers (NED, 2389) was convincing with the White pieces against FM Alexandra Zherebtsova (MNE, 2242). Roebers grabbed a clear edge straight out of the opening and gradually improved her position, eventually converting it into a win in the endgame. With yesterday’s victory, Roebers moves to 6.5/8 points and remains in the race for the medals.
All results, rankings and pairings can be found here.
The 9th round is scheduled to start today at 13:00 CEST (15:00 – local time), and live broadcast with commentaries by WIM Sandra Djukic and GM Valerian Gaprindashvili can be followed through the ECU YouTube channel.
Photo gallery from the tournament is available on the ECU Flickr page.