The 14th seed capitalised on a Goryachkina mistake yesterday to win the first game, meaning a draw today would be enough to win the World Cup.

Kosteniuk played it safe, only having to avoid defeat, and held off a late press from Goryachkina, who eventually accepted a draw.

In the third-place match, Chinese seventh seed Tan Zhongyi and fourth seed Anna Muzychuk from Ukraine drew for a second day in a row, but it was Muzychuk who was forced to defend against an attacking Tan, holding out to take the game to a tiebreak tomorrow.

In the open Chess World Cup semi-finals, world number one Magnus Carlsen of Norway drew with Polish 12th seed Jan-Krzysztof Duda for a second time.

Both players tried unorthodox methods to find a way to win, but after exchanging queens, the game looked set to go to a draw, which eventually it did.

Whoever wins tomorrow's tiebreak will meet 10th Sergey Karjakin in the final, who claimed a victory fellow Russian Vladimir Fedoseev.

The pair tied yesterday, but it was Fedoseev who looked the best earlier in the game.

Following a series of blitzing moves, Karjakin took 25 minutes to decide to move a pawn out from its starting position, which seemed to unnerve his opponent, who made mistakes under pressure and eventually lost the game and the match.

It is Karjakin's second World Cup final after reaching the same stage in 2015 in Baku - a final which he won.