In the open category of the Grand Swiss, only three players have managed to secure two consecutive victories so far. Anton Demchenko, Alireza Firouzja and Parham Maghsoodloo are the only competitors on two points after the first two rounds. Just behind them, a large group of thirty players, which includes seven Indians, are trailing by half a point.
On the women’s side, Vaishali Rameshbabu has started her title defence in impressive fashion. The grandmaster has registered back to back wins at Samarkand in Uzbekistan. She first defeated Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova and then outplayed Dutch international master Eline Roebers in only 22 moves, keeping herself among the very few players with a perfect score. Two years ago, Vaishali had surprised the chess world by winning the Women’s Grand Swiss which earned her a place in the Women’s Candidates tournament. On that occasion, Vidit Gujrathi had also won the open section. This year Vidit began strongly with a victory in the opening round but was held to a draw by Alexandr Predke in the second.
Another noteworthy result came from IM Vantika Agrawal, who managed to hold grandmaster Bibisara Assaubayeva to a draw. Vantika even created winning chances during the game but was unable to convert them, though the result keeps her unbeaten in the tournament.
Among the other Indians, Arjun Erigaisi, Leon Luke Mendonca, Nihal Sarin and Aryan Chopra all registered wins. Meanwhile Divya Deshmukh, Vidit Gujrathi, Abhimanyu Puranik, Pentala Harikrishna, Raunak Sadhwani and Narayanan SL had to settle for draws.
With wins for Praggnanandhaa and Arjun and draws for reigning world champion Gukesh as well as Vidit, the top Indian players are now on one and a half points each. At the moment, only Demchenko, Firouzja and Maghsoodloo lead the field with two points, while a chasing pack of thirty players, including seven Indians, are just half a point behind.In the open category of the Grand Swiss, only three players have managed to secure two consecutive victories so far. Anton Demchenko, Alireza Firouzja and Parham Maghsoodloo are the only competitors on two points after the first two rounds. Just behind them, a large group of thirty players, which includes seven Indians, are trailing by half a point.
On the women’s side, Vaishali Rameshbabu has started her title defence in impressive fashion. The grandmaster has registered back to back wins at Samarkand in Uzbekistan. She first defeated Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova and then outplayed Dutch international master Eline Roebers in only 22 moves, keeping herself among the very few players with a perfect score. Two years ago, Vaishali had surprised the chess world by winning the Women’s Grand Swiss which earned her a place in the Women’s Candidates tournament. On that occasion, Vidit Gujrathi had also won the open section. This year Vidit began strongly with a victory in the opening round but was held to a draw by Alexandr Predke in the second.
Another noteworthy result came from IM Vantika Agrawal, who managed to hold grandmaster Bibisara Assaubayeva to a draw. Vantika even created winning chances during the game but was unable to convert them, though the result keeps her unbeaten in the tournament.
Among the other Indians, Arjun Erigaisi, Leon Luke Mendonca, Nihal Sarin and Aryan Chopra all registered wins. Meanwhile Divya Deshmukh, Vidit Gujrathi, Abhimanyu Puranik, Pentala Harikrishna, Raunak Sadhwani and Narayanan SL had to settle for draws.
With wins for Praggnanandhaa and Arjun and draws for reigning world champion Gukesh as well as Vidit, the top Indian players are now on one and a half points each. At the moment, only Demchenko, Firouzja and Maghsoodloo lead the field with two points, while a chasing pack of thirty players, including seven Indians, are just half a point behind.