R Vaishali Shines in World Blitz Championship Qualifier, Secures Quarterfinal Spot

Indian Grandmaster R Vaishali has made headlines by winning the women’s qualifier at the World Blitz Championship, securing her place in the quarterfinals. Following the impressive gold medal performance of compatriot Koneru Humpy, who took home a prize of USD 60,000, Vaishali showcased her talent by scoring 9.5 points in the women’s section, finishing with a remarkable 9.5/11 record that included three draws.

Russian player Kateryna Lagno was the closest competitor to Vaishali, finishing with 8.5 points. The remaining six qualifiers all ended with 8 points. Despite meeting the points criteria, Humpy was eliminated due to a poor tiebreaker, ultimately finishing in ninth place.

In the open section of the tournament, ten players, including world number one Magnus Carlsen, tied for first place. Carlsen managed to draw six of his 13 games, finishing among the co-leaders by the end of the qualifiers. Russian Ian Nepomniachtchi emerged as the qualifier winner with 9.5 points, benefiting from the best tiebreak, while Fabiano Caruana of the United States secured second place, ahead of Carlsen, who placed third.

Notably, none of the Indian players made it to the top eight, despite some strong early performances. Erigaisi Arjun started strong with five consecutive victories but ultimately finished with a disappointing seven points. R Praggnanandhaa was the highest-placed Indian with 8.5 points, but a last-round loss to Russian Daniil Dubov cost him a chance to advance to the quarterfinals.

In the upcoming quarterfinals, Vaishali will face Chinese Grandmaster Zhu Jiner. Her back-to-back victories against GMs Nana Dzagnidze of Georgia and Valentina Gunina of Russia in rounds 7 and 8 were crucial in helping her to the event.

Indian Standings:

• R Praggnanandhaa: 8.5 points (23rd)
• Raunak Sadhwani: 8 points (46th)
• Arjun Erigaisi: 7 points (64th)
• Aravindh Chithambaram: 7 points (68th)
• V Pranav: 7 points (67th)

Women’s Standings:

• R Vaishali: 9.5 points (1st)
• K Humpy: 8 points (9th)
• Divya Deshmukh: 7 points (18th)
• Vantika Agarwal: 7 points (19th)
• D Harika: 7 points (22nd)

Qualifiers: Open Section:

1. Ian Nepomniachtchi
2. Volodar Murzin (Both FIDE)
3. Fabiano Caruana
4. Hans Niemann Moke
5. Wesley So (all USA)
6. Magnus Carlsen (Norway)
7. Jan-Krzysztof Duda (Poland)
8. Alireza Firouzja (France)

Women’s Section:

1. R Vaishali (India)
2. Lei Tingjie
3. Wenjun Ju
4. Zhu Jiner (all China)
5. Kateryna Lagno
6. Valentina Gunina (Both FIDE)
7. Carissa Yip (USA)
8. Bibisara Assaubayeva (Kazakhstan)