IMAGE: Wesley So aggregated 12 points for the title. Photograph: Kind Courtesy Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes
American Grandmaster Wesley So showed remarkable consistency to clinch the title in the Open category with a round to spare, while India’s Nihal Sarin ended as runner-up in the Tata Steel Chess India Blitz chess tournament in Kolkata on Sunday.
The Women’s section also ended with a thrilling playoff that saw another American Carissa Yip hold her nerve to lift the trophy. India’s Vantika Agarwal finished runner-up.
The closing rounds of the tournament delivered relentless tension, late twists, and fitting champions in both sections.
In the Open event, Wesley So aggregated 12 points for the title while Sarin ended with 11 points. Another Indian, Arjun Erigaisi ended at third spot, also with 11 points.
Wesley So capitalised when Vidit Gujrathi blundered an entire rook in a double rook endgame.
Wei Yi outplayed Viswanathan Anand, who ended at eighth with eight points, by calmly consolidating an extra exchange, while R Praggnanandhaa opened lines for his rook and established a powerful knight outpost to defeat Hans Niemann.
Sarin also struck with a key win over Anand, while Wesley held Wei Yi to maintain control of the standings.
As the finish line approached, Erigaisi scored a notable win by preventing Anand from castling, but Wesley stayed just ahead despite several tense endgames, including a draw where he blundered back an exchange against Aravindh Chithambaram.
A safe draw against Hans ensured Wesley’s title, even though he lost in the final round.
The Women’s section was equally gripping. Vaishali Rameshbabu scored a convincing win over Stavroula Tsolakidou, who eventually ended at third place, while Aleksandra Goryachkina surged late, including a remarkable game featuring four queens on the board against Nana Dzagnidze.
Vantika Agrawal produced a stunning comeback by winning her last four games, including a crucial victory over Yip, to force a playoff.
In the tiebreak, Vantika lost first, Carissa held firm in a long and exhausting endgame in the second game to secure the draw she needed and seal the Women’s Blitz title.
