So, Nihal and Erigaisi reach the podium
The seventh edition of the Tata Steel Chess India tournament came to an end on Sunday in Kolkata with the conclusion of the blitz double round-robin, as the final nine rounds of blitz were played in both sections.
In the open tournament, Wesley So started the day as the sole leader and remained firmly in control throughout the second half of the blitz event. The Filipino-born grandmaster, who has represented the United States since 2014, secured tournament victory with a round to spare and finished on 12/18, scoring 8 wins, 8 draws and 2 losses, for a tournament performance rating of 2781.
The Caro Kann is a very tricky opening. Black’s play is based on controlling and fighting for key light squares. It is a line which was very fashionable in late 90s and early 2000s due to the successes of greats like Karpov, Anand, Dreev etc. Recently due to strong engines lot of key developments have been made and some new lines have been introduced, while others have been refuted altogether. I have analyzed the new trends carefully and found some new ideas for Black.Somewhat curiously, So's only two defeats came in the first and last rounds of the tournament, with the final loss occurring after he had already guaranteed first place. He entered Sunday's play with a half-point lead over Arjun Erigaisi and a 1½-point advantage over Nihal Sarin. Early in the day, So extended his advantage by scoring consecutive victories against Vidit Gujrathi and Volodar Murzin, increasing his lead over Erigaisi to a full point.
From that stage onwards, So opted for a pragmatic approach. Between rounds 12 and 17, he drew six consecutive games, effectively neutralising any remaining chances his closest rivals might have had of catching him, before formally clinching the title.
Wesley So | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Behind the winner, the battle for the remaining podium places was more competitive. For much of the day, second place appeared to be a duel between Nihal and Erigaisi, although Hans Niemann and Vidit also hovered within striking distance at various points.
In the end, Nihal, who had already won the rapid section earlier in the week, secured second place, finishing ahead of Erigaisi on tiebreaks. Both Indian players ended the blitz tournament on 11 points, but Nihal's late surge proved decisive. In the final round, he defeated Wei Yi, a result that allowed him to draw level with Erigaisi, who signed a draw against Vidit in his last game. The tiebreak criteria then favoured Nihal, pushing Erigaisi into third place.
For Erigaisi, the result continued a striking trend. This was the fourth consecutive tournament in which he finished third, having already taken bronze in both the rapid and blitz sections of the World Championships in Doha, and now repeating the same placements in both formats at Tata Steel Chess India event.
This DVD allows you to learn from the example of one of the best players in the history of chess and from the explanations of the authors how to successfully organise your games strategically, and how to keep your opponent permanently under pressure.
Nihal Sarin grabbed gold in the rapid and silver in the blitz | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Arjun Erigaisi | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Check out Karsten Müllers "Endgame Magic Show" with Wesley So!
Wei ½-½ So
Annotations by GM Karsten Müller
The King‘s Indian Attack is a universal opening: easy to learn, flexible, and rich in both tactical and positional opportunities.
Wesley So in action | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Final standings
All games
Yip beats Vantika in playoff for the title
The women's blitz tournament proved far more dramatic and tightly contested until the very end. Carissa Yip began the final day as the sole leader, but with Aleksandra Goryachkina, Stavroula Tsolakidou and Vaishali Rameshbabu all trailing by just half a point, the race for first place remained wide open.
Unlike So in the open tournament, Yip was unable to maintain her lead as the second day of blitz progressed. A loss in her first game of the day against Harika Dronavalli allowed both Goryachkina and Tsolakidou to catch her at the top of the standings. Later on, after round 14, Kateryna Lagno also joined the fight for first place, adding further complexity to the title race.
Despite these setbacks, Yip recovered well and, going into the final round, had once again taken sole possession of first place. She held a half-point lead over Goryachkina and Vantika Agrawal, the latter emerging as an unexpected contender. Vantika, the second-lowest-rated player in the field, had surged into the battle for tournament victory by winning three consecutive games, defeating Yip, Tsolakidou and Rakshitta Ravi in succession.
Master your middlegame with the complete strategy series – now available as a bundle at a reduced price. Take your chance to save and improve!
Master your middlegame with the complete strategy series – now available as a bundle at a reduced price. Take your chance to save and improve!
Carissa Yip | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Vantika Agrawal | Photo: Lennart Ootes
The final round brought a series of decisive and dramatic moments. Of the three players still in contention for first place, only Goryachkina had the white pieces, facing Tsolakidou. Yip had black against Divya Deshmukh, while Vantika also played black, against Lagno.
When the dust settled, all three results favoured Vantika. Yip failed to convert a winning position and was held to a draw, Goryachkina lost her game to Tsolakidou, and Lagno missed a forced mate-in-three, allowing Vantika to deliver a direct mate instead.
These outcomes meant that Yip and Vantika finished tied for first place on 10½ points, while Tsolakidou climbed to sole third place on 10 points. Her win over Goryachkina came in a queen endgame in which she had an extra pawn - the position was objectively drawn, but following a mistake by Goryachkina, Tsolakidou ultimately converted.
In this video course, experts (Pelletier, Marin, Müller and Reeh) examine the games of Judit Polgar. Let them show you which openings Polgar chose to play, where her strength in middlegames were, or how she outplayed her opponents in the endgame.
Stavroula Tsolakidou | Photo: Lennart Ootes
According to the tournament regulations, Yip and Vantika contested a two-game playoff to decide the title.
Yip had the black pieces in the first game, where she quickly seized the initiative and converted her advantage without difficulty. In the second game, with white, she maintained control and neutralised Vantika's attempts to press in a completely drawn bishop-versus-knight endgame, with three pawns each on the same flank. The game was finally declared drawn by the 50-move rule after move 120 - as Vantika continued fighting until the very end -securing Yip the match victory and the Women’s blitz title in Kolkata.
Carissa Yip with her trophy | Photo: Lennart Ootes
All four tournament winners of the rapid and blitz events in Kolkata | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Yip 1-0 Lagno
Annotations by GM Karsten Müller
Final standings
All games
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