Vaishali gathered four points from nine blitz games, highlighted by standout victories against top grandmasters Hans Niemann and four-time US Champion Wesley So. Meanwhile, Magnus Carlsen dominated the opening blitz phase, finishing unbeaten at the top of the standings with seven points. The tournament now advances to a "Fast Classic" stage featuring 45-minute games with a 30-second increment per move. Vaishali will face Niemann, So, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Bibisara Assaubayeva, and Arjun Erigaisi in Group D.
Key points
Only the winner of each six-player group will earn a place in the main knockout stage.: Only the winner of each six-player group will earn a place in the main knockout stage.
The Budapest event acts as a $650,000 pilot testing a proposed tour combining classical,…: The Budapest event acts as a $650,000 pilot testing a proposed tour combining classical, rapid, and blitz formats.
Arjun Erigaisi generated strong momentum for the group phase by scoring 5.5 points with w…: Arjun Erigaisi generated strong momentum for the group phase by scoring 5.5 points with wins over Fabiano Caruana and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave.
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NEW DELHI: Indian Grandmaster Vaishali Rameshbabu made an impressive start at the inaugural Total Chess World Championship Tour Pilot in Budapest, defeating two well-known grandmasters, Hans Niemann and Wesley So, in the opening blitz event.
Her victories were particularly significant as she is one of only two women competing in a 24-player field featuring some of the world's best chess players.
Vaishali defeated Niemann in the first round before beating So in the third. Her win against So was especially impressive, as the American had recently claimed his fourth US Championship title.
She eventually finished the nine-round blitz event with four points out of nine.
"I was looking forward to be in Magnus's group. It's a very strong group like Arjun, Wesley, MVL. I mean what a what a group this is. Yeah, it's going to be a lot of challenge. I'm looking forward," Vaishali told ChessBase India.
Carlsen takes the lead in blitz event
Meanwhile, five-time world champion
Magnus Carlsen dominated the opening event, finishing unbeaten with seven points from nine rounds. France's Maxime Vachier-Lagrave secured second place with…
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