Kolkata: American Grandmaster Wesley So, on Sunday, wrapped up the Open title at the Tata Steel Chess India Blitz with a round still to play, displaying calm control throughout the event. India’s Nihal Sarin pushed him closest and claimed second place, while Arjun Erigaisi joined him on 11 points but settled for third on tiebreaks.
The day featured sharp swings. So punished Vidit Gujrathi after a costly rook oversight, and Wei Yi converted his material advantage against Viswanathan Anand, who finished eighth on eight points. Praggnanandhaa overpowered Hans Niemann with active play, and Sarin secured a vital win over Anand to stay in the hunt, according to reports.
Despite a late scare – blundering an exchange against Aravindh Chithambaram – So always remained just ahead of the field and sealed his triumph with a solid half-point against Niemann, even though he slipped in the final round.
The Women’s tournament was equally tense. Vaishali Rameshbabu overcame Stavroula Tsolakidou, who ultimately placed third, while Aleksandra Goryachkina mounted a strong surge that included a memorable four-queen battle against Nana Dzagnidze.
Vantika Agrawal stole the spotlight late by stringing together four consecutive victories, among them a crucial win over American Carissa Yip, dragging the title race into a playoff.
In the shoot-out, Yip edged ahead by taking the opening game, then steered a long and technical second encounter to a draw – enough to claim the Women’s Blitz crown, with Vantika finishing runner-up.
