Essentuki stars 2025
9 players participated in this 9-round tournament, held from 18 Aug 2025 to 21 Aug 2025 in Essentuki, Russia. Top 10 Elo average was 1025, and top seed was Varvara Bykhanova (🇷🇺 RUS, 1662).
Pavel Tseluev (🇷🇺 RUS, 1571) won with 6.5/9, ahead of Evgeniy Gershel (6.5) and Varvara Bykhanova (5.5). Tseluev took the lead from round 8, winning on tie-break.
The biggest upset came in round 1: Veronika Belyaeva (1467) beat Varvara Bykhanova (1662), a +195-point gap.
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How it unfolded
Top 9 · 9 roundsPavel Tseluev led from R8 onwards, the runner-up race stayed tight.
Evgeniy Gershel takes the sole lead (3.5/4).
Pavel Tseluev drew with Evgeniy Gershel (Black).
Pavel Tseluev 3 wins (R6–R8)Evgeniy Gershel 3 wins (R3–R5)Varvara Bykhanova 4 wins (R2–R6)
Cross-table
| # | Player | Elo | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Pts | SB | Bh | Δ Elo | Perf |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇷🇺Tseluev, Pavel | 1571 | * | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6.5 | 21.25 | 29.5 | +29.2 | 1680 |
| 2 | 🇷🇺Gershel, Evgeniy | 1532 | ½ | * | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6.5 | 20.75 | 29.5 | +42.0 | 1688 |
| 3 | 🇷🇺Bykhanova, Varvara | 1662 | ½ | 1 | * | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5.5 | 17.75 | 30.5 | -39.2 | 1513 |
| 4 | 🇷🇺Karayanov, Muhammed | 1500 | 0 | 0 | 1 | * | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5.5 | 15.50 | 30.5 | +11.6 | 1546 |
| 6 | 🇷🇺Tumasov, Ernest | 1496 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | * | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4.5 | 10.75 | 31.5 | -13.2 | 1397 |
| 5 | 🇷🇺Belyaeva, Veronika | 1467 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | * | ½ | 1 | 1 | 4.0 | 10.50 | 32.0 | -17.2 | 1403 |
| 7 | FIDE 540070956 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | * | 1 | 1 | 2.5 | 3.00 | 33.5 | 0.0 | 1137 |
| 9 | FIDE 540070964 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | * | 1 | 1.0 | 0.00 | 35.0 | 0.0 | 738 |
| 8 | FIDE 540069621 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | * | 0.0 | 0.00 | 36.0 | 0.0 | 738 |
Key insights
Biggest movers and upsets — the story behind the numbers.
- 1Gershel, EvgeniyRUS+42.06.5 pts · #2
- 2Tseluev, PavelRUS+29.26.5 pts · #1
- 3Karayanov, MuhammedRUS+11.65.5 pts · #4
- 1Bykhanova, VarvaraRUS-39.25.5 pts · #3
- 2Belyaeva, VeronikaRUS-17.24.0 pts · #5
- 3Tumasov, ErnestRUS-13.24.5 pts · #6
- R1+195 Elo gap
- R7+162 Elo gap