Lilit Mkrtchian’s Best Games of 2025 – Understanding pawn structures

Lilit Mkrtchian analyzes a complex and instructive game she played against 17-year-old Georgian rising star Anastasia Gad at the European Women’s Championship, showing how deep opening preparation and understanding of pawn structures gave her an early, lasting advantage. She explains her use of ChessBase to study her opponent’s tendencies, deliberately steering the game into a Slav-type structure with colours reversed, where her opponent made subtle inaccuracies that allowed Lilit to build pressure and play comfortably. Despite time trouble and a tense middlegame with aggressive counterplay, Lilit kept control, found precise tactical solutions, and ultimately converted her advantage, highlighting how opening knowledge, planning, and calm decision-making decide high-level games.