Kolkata, Jan 10: American Grandmaster Wesley So emerged sole leader with seven points while star Indian player Arjun Erigaisi was just half a point behind in the ‘Open’ category of the Tata Steel Chess India Blitz tournament here on Saturday.
On the opening day of the Blitz contest, which provided lots of chaos, creativity, and momentum swings, Erigaisi, the double World Rapid and Blitz Championships bronze medallist, started with a slice of luck as his opponent, former World Rapid champion Volodar Murzin walked into a forced mate.
Another Indian GM, Vidit Gujrathi pounced on the opportunity when So trapped his own king in Round 1. American GM Hans Niemann won in a queen endgame after a last-second mistake from India’s R Praggnanandhaa, while the legendary Viswanathan Anand showed his trademark resilience by holding China’s Wei Yi despite being a pawn down.
The women’s section, saw American International Master Carissa Yip surge to a perfect 4 out of 4 before being halted by India’s Vantika Agrawal in Round 5. Carissa was leading with six points, with Stavroula Tsolakidou, Aleksandra Goryachkina, and R. Vaishali just half a point behind. (PTI)
