At the Tata Steel Chess India 2026, which took place on Sunday(January 12,2025)at the Dhono Dhanyo Auditorium, America’s Carissa Yip kept her cool to win the tie-break 1.5-0.5 against India’s Vantika Agrawal, securing the women’s blitz title.
Earlier, Yip’s fellow countryman Wesley So clinched the open event without much fuss, wrapping up the title with a round to go. So ended with 12 points.
Nihal Sarin, the rapid champion, took second place with 11 points, tied with Arjun Erigaisi (11).
It was a rollercoaster day as Yip missed the opportunity to grab the top prize by defeating Divya Deshmukh in the 18th and final round, managing only a draw.
Vantika climbed to the joint top position, scoring four consecutive wins in the final stretch.
Both Yip and Vantika finished with 10.5 points, while Greece’s Stavroula Tsolakidou came in third with 10.
In the tie-break, the 22-year-old American won the first game with the black pieces and held off Vantika in the second to claim victory. So played solidly to take home the trophy.
He remained unbeaten until the final round, where he was outmaneuvered by R. Praggnanandhaa, but it didn’t affect his overall standing.
Indian chess legend Viswanathan Anand, after a strong second-place finish in the rapid event, couldn’t replicate his success and ended up eighth in the blitz.
Arjun Erigaisi, who started off strong by winning his first five games, couldn’t keep up the momentum and fell behind in the title race.
Results
Final standings (after 18 rounds): Open: 1. Wesley So (USA) 12 points, 2. Nihal Sarin (India) 11, 3. Arjun Erigaisi (India) 11, 4. Hans Niemann (USA) 10, 5. Vidit Gujrathi (India) 10, 6. R. Praggnanandhaa (India) 9.5, 7. Wei Yi (China) 8.5, 8. Viswanathan Anand (India) 8, 9. Volodar Murzin (Russia) 6, 10. Aravindh Chithambaram (India) 4.
Women: 1. Carissa Yip (USA) 10.5 points, 2. Vantika Agrawal (India) 10.5, 3. Stavroula Tsolakidou (Greece) 10, 4. Aleksandra Goryachkina (Russia) 9.5, 5. R. Vaishali (India) 9.5, 6. Katernya Lagno (Russia) 8.5, 7. Divya Deshmukh (India) 8.5, 8. Nana Dzagnidze (Georgia) 8.5, 9. D. Harika (India) 8, 10. Rakshitta Ravi (India) 6.5.
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