The fourth round of the European Women’s Chess Championship 2026 was played today in Batumi, Georgia, leaving only two players with a perfect score of 4/4 points!
WGM Elmira Mirzoeva (ENG, 2265), the 53rd seed, and 15-year-old WFM Anastasiia Hnatyshyn (UKR, 2207), the 76th seed, emerged as the tournament’s surprising co-leaders.
WFM Anastasiia Hnatyshyn (UKR, 2207) today played on the top board against IM Mai Narva (EST, 2426). Having the White pieces, Hnatyshyn built an opening advantage and kept improving it throughout the game. It was a fantastic game for the 15-year-old Ukrainian who never gave her opponent a chance to mount a comeback, and secured a victory after 47 moves.
This marked Hnatyshyn’s third consecutive upset of the event. After defeating the lower-rated Aneta Kedelidze (GEO, 1676) in the opening round, she took down IM Marina Brunello (ITA, 2346) in round two, defeated IM Sabrina Vega Gutierrez (ESP, 2375) yesterday, and capped off her streak today. With this spectacular run, Hnatyshyn has already gained 91 rating points and is playing at a staggering tournament performance rating of 3006!
Joining us for the post-game interview in the studio of the European Women’s Chess Championship 2026, Anastasiia analyzed her game with our host WIM Sandra Djukic, and revealed that she completed requirements for the WIM title, and qualified for the Ukrainian National team for the upcoming Chess Olympiad 2026. The full interview can be found on the ECU YouTube channel.
Joining the young Ukrainian in the lead is WGM Elmira Mirzoeva (ENG, 2265), who scored a win with the Black pieces against FM Anna-Maja Kazarian (NED, 2317). It was a very complex game; Mirzoeva gained a clear advantage early in the middlegame, but later stumbled into time trouble, making a mistake which allowed Kazarian to build a decisive edge. Fortunately for Elmira, Kazarian missed her winning chance and blundered heavily with 53.f6??, completely overlooking a mating net around her own King. Mirzoeva pounced on the opportunity, wrapping up the game just three moves later.
The leading duo is closely followed by four players who score 3.5/4 points each: IM Oliwia Kiolbasa (POL, 2397), WIM Gulenay Aydin (TUR, 2204), IM Nurgyul Salimova (BUL, 2404) and IM Gunay Mammadzada (AZE, 2374).
IM Oliwia Kiolbasa (POL, 2397) and WIM Aydin Gulenay (TUR, 2204) Kiolbasa and Aydin faced off against each other today in an intense battle that ultimately ended in a draw. Aydin held a more pleasant position with the White pieces, but allowed Kiolbasa to equalize after the inaccurate 35.Bd2?. Shortly after, a draw was offered and accepted by the Polish international master.
Meanwhile, IM Nurgyul Salimova (BUL, 2404) stopped the phenomenal run of WFM Varvara Poliakova (FIDE, 2108), who entered the round with an unexpected perfect score of 3/3. Salimova caught her opponent off guard in the opening, securing a better position with White and gradually pressing her advantage into the late middlegame. However, the Bulgarian representative faltered with 26.Re7?, a move that looked logical on the board but allowed Poliakova to come back into the game and fight for a draw. Ultimately, Poliakova made a crucial mistake in the drawn rook endgame, allowing Salimova to claim the full point.
IM Gunay Mammadzada also claimed victory with the White pieces against WGM Gabriela Antova (BUL, 2203). After an unusual opening, the game quickly transitioned into an endgame where Mammadzada had a pawn up. The Azerbaijani representative put on a masterclass in solid, precise endgame technique to convert her advantage into a win.
The fourth day of the European Women’s Chess Championship 2026 brought interesting games, and commenced with a with a delightful celebration of local culture. Before the start of the fourth round, the players and tournament officials gathered for a special lunch: an authentic Adjarian Khachapuri party! As a centerpiece of Adjara’s world-famous hospitality, the players didn’t just get to taste this iconic meal, but they were given front-row seats to watch and join the entire traditional preparation process from start to finish!
The fourth day of the European Women's Chess Championship 2026 in Batumi, Georgia commenced with a delightful celebration of local culture! 🤩 #chess #ewcc2026
— European Chess Union (@ECUonline) May 28, 2026
👩🍳Before the chess battles of Round 4 got underway, players and tournament officials gathered for a special lunch: an… pic.twitter.com/GnIUHnOh4U
The action continues tomorrow with Round 5 starting at 13:00 CEST (15:00 local time). All eyes will undoubtedly be on the highly anticipated clash between the two tournament leaders!
You can follow the live video broadcast, featuring expert commentary by GM Valerian Gaprindashvili and WIM Sandra Djukic, on the official ECU YouTube channel.
All results, rankings and pairings can be found here.
Photo gallery from the event is available on the ECU Flickr account.