Both players went into their clash tied at the top on six points and unbeaten at the championship, but the tenth seed’s victory gives her half-a-point lead over Armenia’s Elina Danielian in second.

Danielian remains undefeated on 6.5 points after beating Russia’s fifth seed Anastasia Bodnaruk.

Behind her are a cluster of seven players on six points, headed by Poland’s Oliwia Kiolbasa as the 43^rd seed continued her impressive tournament with a win against Hungary’s Hoàng Thanh Trang to recover from yesterday’s defeat to Osmak.

Gulnar Mammadova of Azerbaijan beat Slovenia’s Laura Unuk to claim her sixth point of the competition, and so too did Bela Khotenashvili of Georgia - the second seed - as she triumphed over her previously unbeaten compatriot Meri Arabidze, seeded seventh.

Third seed Lela Javakhishvili, also of Georgia, is also on six points after a win against Poland’s Jolanta Zawadzka.

Nataliya Buksa of Ukraine and France’s Deimante Daulyte-Cornette complete the group on six points after wins against Poland’s Monika Socko and Greece’s Stavroula Tsolakidou respectively.

Seven players are tied on 5.5 points, including fourth seed Gunay Mammadzada of Azerbaijan, although she is now three matches without a win after drawing to Serbia’s Teodora Injac, France’s Sophie Milliet who remains unbeaten after a fifth draw from eight matches against Estonia’s Mai Narva, and 16-year-old Russian player Leya Garifullina after she beat Slovenia’s Monika Rozman.

The ninth round of the European Individual Women’s Chess Championship is set to take place tomorrow, with the eleventh and final round scheduled for Friday (August 20).