India witnessed contrasting fortunes on the opening day of the World Blitz Championship in New York, with Rameshbabu Vaishali emerging as the standout performer in the women’s section while the Indian men’s contingent failed to advance to the knockout stages.
“I don’t think I’m a great Blitz player, honestly. There are many more strong players who are playing here. I think today I was just lucky in many games, and it just worked out”, Vaishali Rameshbabu, after being ranked first in Stage 1 of the 2024 FIDE Women’s World Blitz Championship.
The Open section promises an exciting conclusion with an illustrious top 8 lineup featuring chess elite including Ian Nepomniachtchi, Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So, Alireza Firouzja, Hans Niemann, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, and newly-crowned rapid world champion Volodar Murzin. Notably, Carlsen returns to action after his controversial withdrawal from the Rapid Worlds due to a dress code violation involving jeans.
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In the women’s competition, Vaishali has positioned herself to potentially become India’s third world champion in 2024. The 23-year-old demonstrated remarkable consistency, remaining undefeated through 8 rounds and accumulating an impressive 9.5/11 to claim sole leadership. Her quarterfinal matchup against Zhu Jiner awaits in the knockout stage.
The tournament’s format sees the top 8 players after day one’s 11 rounds advance to a knockout phase, where previous scores are reset. While Vaishali starts fresh, her commanding performance in the preliminary stage could provide vital momentum.
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Her day one campaign was highlighted by four consecutive victories to start, followed by a draw against former World Blitz Champion Kateryna Lagno. She then secured three more wins, including a notable victory over reigning champion Valentina Gunina. After drawing with Lei Tingjie, Vaishali defeated Polina Shuvalova to secure the top position before concluding with a brief nine-move draw against Carissa Yip. Throughout the competition, she displayed exceptional composure and tactical acumen, navigating challenging positions with remarkable skill.
