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Portrait · WIM
Jovana
Srdanović
European youth silver in Mamaia in 2017, followed by wins in which a passed d-pawn creates new opportunities for the pieces.
Years
2003
Title
WIM
City
Belgrade
FIDE ID
954810
Rating peak
2298 (August 2026)
Jovana Srdanovic, born in 2003, developed through Belgrade’s junior chess scene. At the 2017 European Youth Championship in Mamaia, she won silver in the girls’ under-14 section, scoring seven points from nine games. She earned the Woman International Master title in 2021.
Her later senior appearances included wins against players holding grandmaster titles. Two are featured here for the role of a passed pawn.
At the 2025 European Club Cup in Rhodes, Srdanovic beat German grandmaster Elisabeth Paehtz with White. The game remains complex for a long time: Black’s rook enters the second rank while White seeks central activity.
A series of exchanges leaves White’s knight, Black’s bishop and the pawns. The d-pawn then becomes Black’s main concern.
Jovana Srdanović - Elisabeth Paehtz · European Club Cup for women, Rhodes (round 5), 2025.10.23
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0/117 · ← →
?! inaccuracy? mistake?? blunder
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Srdanovic–Paehtz, Rhodes 2025: 57.d6 and 58.d7 are followed by 59.Nf7. The knight guards d8 and supports promotion; Black resigns.
At the 57th International Women’s Grandmaster Tournament in Belgrade in 2026, her opponent was Jovana Rapport. Srdanovic again faces the King’s Indian, but this time the critical phase arrives with queens still on the board.
After 36.d6, the pawn captures on e7 and White follows with queen checks. Notice how the advanced pawn and active bishop restrict Black’s king.
Jovana Srdanović - Jovana Rapport · 57th Belgrade women's grandmaster tournament (round 6), 2026.03.12
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Move · · starting position
0/81 · ← →
0/81 · ← →
?! inaccuracy? mistake?? blunder
Move listSAN
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Srdanovic–Rapport, Belgrade 2026: 36.d6 brings the pawn to e7. Queen and bishop continue the attack, ending with 41.Bd4.
The d-pawn connects both wins, but its threats differ. Against Paehtz, knight support enables promotion; against Rapport, the pawn on e7 contributes to the king attack.
Watch these differences as you replay the games. A passed pawn can seek a new queen, or open opportunities for pieces already on the board.