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R Vaishali wins bronze at World Blitz Championship
Vaishali reached the semi-finals, where she lost to Ju Wenjun, who went on to defeat Lei Tingjie in the final and claim the women’s blitz crown.
Rameshbabu Vaishali / X
Indian chess player Rameshbabu Vaishali won a bronze medal at the World Blitz Championship held in New York’s Wall Street. Vaishali reached the semi-finals, where she lost to Ju Wenjun, who went on to defeat Lei Tingjie in the final and claim the women’s blitz crown.
Vaishali’s performance was a highlight for Indian chess. Speaking to FIDE after the Swiss section, which determined the quarter-finalists, Vaishali expressed surprise at her success. “Honestly, this was completely unexpected, the way the games went today,” she said. “I don’t think I am a great blitz player, honestly! There are many more strong players who are playing here. Today I was just lucky in many games and in the end, it worked out.”
Vaishali, who prefers classical chess, reflected on the fast-paced nature of blitz. “Rapid and blitz is fun to play. You go through a lot of emotions every day and you have to recover because you play multiple games each day,” she said.
One notable match was against Russian Valentina Gunina, where Vaishali played 23 moves with less than seven seconds on the clock. Despite being behind, she managed to secure a victory after initially offering a draw. “In such situations, you cannot think. You just keep making moves,” she remarked.
Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand, who mentors Vaishali through the Westbridge Anand Chess Academy (WACA), congratulated her on X: “Congratulations to Vaishali for taking bronze. Her qualification was truly a power-packed performance. Our WACA mentee has made us proud. We are so happy to be supporting her and her chess. What a way to wrap up 2024!”
Vaishali’s achievement capped off a successful year for Indian chess. Earlier in the year, Koneru Humpy won the World Rapid Championship, and Vaishali and Humpy competed in the prestigious Candidates Tournament in Toronto. Vaishali’s bronze added another milestone, continuing the momentum for Indian women in chess.
After becoming the third Indian woman to achieve the Grandmaster title in 2023, she also contributed to India’s gold medal at the Chess Olympiad, where her teammates Divya and Vantika won individual golds.
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