She Plays to Win Lionesses, the all-female team which won successive promotions to the first division of Britain’s Four Nations Chess League (4NCL) were expected to be outclassed in the top flight, but instead proved the revelation of the opening weekend of the new season. SPTW wanted to continue without male players in the season’s 2026-27 renewal, but the league stood by its rule, introduced to promote women’s chess, that top division teams must include at least one player of each sex. SPTW’s manager, IM Lorin D’Costa, who doubles as the England women’s coach, then took the bold step of hiring GM Anish Giri, the Netherlands No 1 and world No 11, for last weekend’s two seasonal opening fixtures.
SPTW is a charity whose stated objectives are to help girls and young women play chess. Giri is the highest rated player to compete in the 4NCL for several seasons. The Netherlands’ top female player, IM Eline Roebers, came as well.
Giri won his opening game in crushing style last Saturday in just 24 moves with a direct attack on GM Alexander Cherniaev’s king. The elite GM had done his homework, for the ex-Russian GM Cherniaev, 57, who learnt his skills in the former Soviet Union, has been vulnerable to tactical slugfests throughout his career. Roebers also scored, in 26 moves, again with a direct attack on her opponent’s king, but SPTW’s lower boards conceded too many points and Barnet Knights edged the match 4.5-3.5.
The Dutch GM again won effortlessly in last Sunday’s second round after being over an hour ahead on the clock for much of the game, while Roebers won again in 26 moves, with another classy performance. The outcome was a dominant 6-2 scoreline against another promoted team, The Sharks 2. In terms of game points, which decide the score table positions when match points are equal, She Plays to Win are already well placed compared to the other likely relegation candidates, Sharks 2, White Rose, and Blackthorne.
The 4NCL Division 1 has three relegation spots for just 12 teams. Giri’s international commitments are likely to reduce his appearances. However, SPTW will have Bodhana Sivanandan back for future rounds.
The 11-year-old British women’s champion chose to play in the second division of the German Bundesliga last weekend, scoring a draw and an endgame grind win, but will be in action for SPTW Lionesses this Saturday in the European Chess Club Cup for Women in Budva, Montenegro, where she has a chance to complete her qualifications for a female world age record open IM title. Sivanandan’s declared aim in interviews is to break records as quickly as possible and her 11-round IM norm at the Samarkand Olympiad means that she now needs a 2400 rating plus a seven-round norm at Budva to complete the requirements for the youngest ever female IM. This would break Judit Polgar’s existing record by nearly a year.
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