BAKU, August 21. /TASS/. Russia’s Alexandra Goryachkina won the 2023 Women’s World Chess Cup after defeating Nurgyul Salimova of Bulgaria on Monday.

The Russian, who is participating in the tournament under a neutral status, advanced to the final of the 2023 Women’s World Chess Cup semifinals in Azerbaijan after finishing her second semifinals match against China's Tan Zhongyi with a draw last Wednesday.

The final round’s first match took place on June 19 with Goryachkina and Salimova playing to a stalemate. The next day, the two players once again finished their game in a draw.

In the tie-breaking game on Monday, Goryachkina played black pieces but once again, the encounter finished in a draw. In the other tie-break face-off with Salimova which took place earlier in the day, Goryachkina moved the white pieces and took the win.

Talking to a TASS correspondent after the match, Salimova, 20, said it was a bit sad to lose to Goryachkina, 24, but she can take solace in the fact that Goryachkina was her idol growing up.

"I'm very happy to have reached the final, but I am upset about the defeat; I was so close to victory. I had two winning positions - and such a sad final," she said. "But it's okay. I’m glad I reached the final before [eventually] losing to one of the strongest chess players in the world."

"Goryachkina used to be my idol [in professional chess] when I was a kid," Salimova continued. "Of course, she's a young chess player, like me, but still I can aim higher."

"Before our match and after, we shook hands, but we didn't speak after it was over. I broke into tears because I was so exhausted. However, it’s not so bad, because I have many more tournaments ahead of me in the future," the 20-year-old Bulgarian added.

This was Goryachkina’s second appearance in the final of the World Chess Cup as she previously faced Russia’s Alexandra Kostenyuk in 2021, eventually losing to her.

The bronze medal of the 2023 Women’s World Chess Cup went to Ukrainian chess player Anna Muzychuk after she defeated former World Champion Tan Zhongyi of China.

The 2023 Women's Chess World Cup is a 103-player single-elimination chess tournament, the second edition of the Women's Chess World Cup, and is taking place in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku between July 29 and August 22.