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 6.5 points, while Levon Aronian finished third with six points.Carlsen’s final-round victory over Haik Martirosyan helped him secure the top spot. His strong finish also gives him an advantage in the next stages, as the tournament rules allow higher finishers to get better tiebreak positions and certain advantages in knockout matches.India’s Arjun Erigaisi also had a promising run, defeating Vachier-Lagrave and Fabiano Caruana. However, a final-round loss to Aronian meant he finished with 5.5 points.
Group stage brings a bigger challenge
The tournament will now move to the Fast Classic format, where 24 players will be divided into four groups of six. Each game will have 45 minutes on the clock, with an additional 30 seconds per move. A win will earn three points, while a draw will give each player one point.Vaishali and Bibisara Assaubayeva will compete in Group D alongside Vachier-Lagrave, Erigaisi, Niemann and So. Only the winners of the four groups will qualify for the main knockout stage.The $650,000 tournament is being organised as a pilot for a proposed world chess tour that will combine classical, rapid and blitz formats.
